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'''•'''^S 'n,r 


THE 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


OF 


THE  REYOLUTION; 


OR, 


ILLUSTRATIONS,  BY  PEN  AND  PENCIL,  OF  THE  HISTORY,  BIOG- 
RAPHY, SCENERY,  RELICS,  AND  TRADITIONS  OF  THE 
WAR  FOR  INDEPENDENCE. 


BY   BENSON   J.    LOSSING. 


WITH  ELEVEN  HUNDRED  ENGRAVINGS  ON  WOOD,  BY  LOSSING  AND  BARRITT. 
CHIEFLY  FROM  ORIGINAL  SKETCHES  BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


IN  TWO   VOLUMES. 

Vol,  I. 


NEW  Y  0  R  K : 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN    SQUARE. 

1860. 


^r^ 
t 


r\ 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty,  hy 

Harper  &  Brothers, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


V .  I  PREFACE.  is 

power  in  disputing  for  the  preference  with  the  tourist.  As  my  journey  was  among 
scenes  and  things  hallowed  to  the  feelings  of  every  American,  I  felt  a  hope  that  a 
record  of  the  pilgrimage,  interwoven  with  that  of  the  facts  of  past  history,  would 
attract  the  attention,  and  win  to  the  perusal  of  the  chronicles  of  our  Revolution 
many  who  could  not  be  otherwise  decoyed  into  the  apparently  arid  and  flowerless 
domains  of  mere  history.  I  accordingly  determined  to  make  the  record  of  the  tour 
to  the  important  localities  of  the  Revolution  a  leading  feature  in  the  work.  Here 
another  difficulty  was  encountered.  So  widely  scattered  are  those  localities,  and  so 
simultaneous  were  many  of  the  events,  that  a  connected  narrative  of  the  journey 
must  necessarily  break  up  the  chronological  unity  of  the  history,  and,  at  times, 
produce  some  confusion.  To  give  incidents  of  the  journey,  and  sketches  and  de- 
scriptions of  the  scenery  and  relics  as  they  appear  at  present,  in  fragmentary  notes, 
would  deny  to  the  work  the  charm  of  a  book  of  travel,  and  thus  almost  wholly  re- 
move the  prime  object  in  view  in  giving  such  narrative.  The  apparently  less  objec- 
tionable course  was  chosen,  and  the  history  was  broken  into  fragments,  arranged, 
in  the  exhibition,  in  accordance  with  the  order  in  which  each  locality  was  visited, 
the  fragments  individualized  as  much  as  possible,  yet  always  maintaining  a  tie 
of  visible  relationship  with  the  whole.  The  apparent  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
the  student  which  this  plan  suggests,  are  removed  by  the  aid  of  a  complete  Ana- 
lytical Index  at  the  close  of  the  work,  while  the  narrative  of  the  tour  remains  un- 
broken, except  by  the  continually  recurring  appendices  of  history.  How  far  this 
arrangement  shall  accomplish  the  desired  result  the  candid  judgment  of  the  reader 
must  determine. 

To  collect  the  pictorial  and  other  materials  for  this  work,  I  traveled  more  than 
eight  thousand  miles  in  the  Old  Thirteen  States  and  Canada,  and  visited  every  im- 
portant place  made  memorable  by  the  events  of  the  war ;  yet,  in  all  that  long  and 
devious  journey,  through  cities  and  villages,  amid  mountains  and  vast  pine  forests, 
along  rivers  and  over  fertile  plantations,  from  New  England  to  Georgia,  with  no 
passport  to  the  confidence,  no  claim  to  the  regard  of  those  from  whom  information 
was  sought,  except  such  as  the  object  of  my  errand  affi)rded,  and  communing  with 
men  of  every  social  and  intellectual  grade,  I  never  experienced  an  unkind  word  or 
cold  repulsion  of  manner.  On  the  contrary,  politeness  always  greeted  my  first  sal- 
utation, and,  when  the  object  of  my  visit  was  announced,  hospitality  and  friendly 
services  were  freely  bestowed.  Every  where  the  memorials  of  our  Revolution  are 
cherished  with  devotional  earnestness,  and  a  feeling  of  reverence  for  these  things 
abounds,  though  kept  quiescent  by  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  age.  To  those  who 
thus  aided  and  cheered  me  in  my  enterprise,  I  here  proffer  my  sincere  thanks.  I 
can  not  name  them  all,  for  they  are  too  numerous,  but  they  will  ever  remain  cher- 
ished "pictures  on  memory's  wall." 

It  has  been  said  that  "diligence  and  accuracy  are  the  only  merits  which  a  his- 
torical writer  may  ascribe  to  himself."  Neither  labor  nor  care  has  been  spared  in 
the  collection  of  materials,  and  in  endeavors  to  produce  a  work  as  free  from  grave 
errors  as  possible.  It  has  imperfections ;  it  would  be  foolish  egotism  to  assert  the 
contrary.  In  the  various  histories  of  the  same  events  many  discrepancies  appear  ; 
these  I  have  endeavored  to  reconcile  or  correct  by  documentary  and  other  reliable 


X  PREFACE. 

testimony  ;  and  if  the  work  is  not  more  accurate  than  its  predecessors,  it  is  believed 
to  be  equally  so  with  the  most  reliable.  Free  use  has  been  made  of  the  available 
labors  of  others  in  the  same  department  of  literature,  always  accrediting  the  source 
from  whence  facts  were  derived.  I  have  aimed  to  view  men  and  events  with  an 
impartial  eye,  censuring  friends  when  they  deserved  censure,  and  commending  en- 
emies when  truth  and  justice  demanded  the  tribute.  The  historical  events  recorded 
were  those  of  a  family  quarrel  concerning  vital  principles  in  jurisprudence ;  and 
wisely  did  a  sagacious  English  statesman  console  himself,  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
with  the  reflection,  "We  have  been  subdued,  it  is  true,  but,  thank  Heaven,  the 
brain  and  the  muscle  which  achieved  the  victory  were  nurtured  by  English  blood  ; 
Old  England,  upon  the  Island  of  Great  Britain,  has  been  beaten  only  by  Young 
England,  in  America." 

In  the  pictorial  department,  special  care  has  been  observed  to  make  faithful  de- 
lineations of  fact.  If  a  relic  of  the  Revolution  was  not  susceptible  of  picturesque 
effect  in  a  drawing,  without  a  departure  from  truth,  it  has  been  left  in  its  plainness, 
for  my  chief  object  was  to  illustrate  the  subject,  not  merely  to  embellish  the  book.  I 
have  endeavored  to  present  the  features  of  things  as  I  found  them,  whether  homely 
or  charming,  and  have  sought  to  delineate  all  that  fell  in  my  way  worthy  of  pres- 
ervation. To  do  this,  it  was  necessary  to  make  the  engravings  numerous,  and  no 
larger  than  perspicuity  demanded,  else  the  work  would  be  filled  with  pictures  to 
the  exclusion  of  essential  reading  matter. 

The  plans  of  military  movements  have  been  drawn  chiefly  from  British  sources, 
for  very  few  were  made  by  the  engineers  in  the  Continental  service.  These  appear 
to  be  generally  pretty  correct,  so  far  as  they  represent  the  immediate  movements 
of  the  armies  in  actual  conflict ;  but  the  general  topographical  knowledge  possessed 
by  those  engineers,  was  quite  defective.  I  have  endeavored  to  detect  and  correct  their 
inaccuracies,  either  in  the  drawings  or  in  the  illustrative  descriptions. 

With  these  general  remarks  respecting  the  origin  and  construction  of  the  work, 
it  is  submitted  to  the  reading  public.  If  a  perusal  of  its  pages  shall  afford  as 
much  pleasure  and  profitable  knowledge  as  were  derived  from  the  journey  and  in 
the  arrangement  of  the  materials  for  the  press,  the  effort  has  not  been  unfruitful 
of  good  results.  With  an  ardent  desire  that  it  may  prove  a  useful  worker  in  the 
maintenance  and  growth  of  true  patriotism. 


I 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


,'  Kanadagia Page 

f  Tinyahasara,  or  Little  Abraham 

ire  of  Daniel 

,  iitions  nt  Little  Falls 

of  Little  Falla 

./  below  Mo33  Island 

iieral  Herkimer's  Residence 

ierkimer's  Grave 

< 'astle  Church 

.  Kort  Plain 

x82.  Fort  Plain  Block-house 

183.  Lipe's  House 

lei.  Old  Parsonage  and  Church 

18.'>.  Initial  Letter 

186.  Armed  Settlers 

.87.  Simature  of  Walter  Butler 

188.  Portrait  of  General  Sullivan 

18!).  Order  of  March  against  the  Indians 

19i).  Initial  Letter 

191 .  The  Butler  House 

192.  Signature  of  John  Butler 

19J.  North  Front  of  Johnson  Hall 

191.  Signature  of  Sir  John  Johnson 

195.  Vignette  on  Sir  William  Johnson's  Diploma 

19S.  The  Kane  House 

197.  Portrait,  House,  and  Signature  of  J.  Dievendorf 

198.  Mansion  of  Judge  Campbell 

19 '.  Distant  View  of  Cherry  Valley 

I'.rant's  Rock 

•  ortrait  of  Hendrick  Hudson 

■Schuyler's  Mansion  at  Albany 

LVJ.  Initial  Letter 

204.  Washington's  Head-quarters  at  MorristowTi 

2(<5.  Schuyler's  Headquarters  at  Morristown 

i2Ci6.  Fac-simile  of  the  Continental  Paper  Money 

207.  Fac-simile  of  the  first  Money  coined  in  the  United 

States 

203.  Cipher  Alphabet 

2fi9.  Fac-simile  of  Cipher  Writing 

210.  Old  Apple-tree  at  Springfield 

21 1.  Plan  of  the  Battle  at  Springfield 

212.  Mrs.  Mathews's  House 

213.  Caldwell's  Monument 

214.  Boudinot's  Vault 

215.  Old  Tavern  at  Elizabethport 

2l().  Franklin's  Stove 

217.  "Liberty  Hall" 

218.  Portrait  of  Governor  Livingston 

219.  Steuben's  Head-quarters  at  Middlebrook 

a».  Washington's  Rock 

201.  Initial  Letter 

222.  Scene  in  the  Wyoming  Valley 

"■^3.  Poicrait  of  Count  Zinzendort 

224.  View  near  Toby's  Eddy 

2'i5.  Site  of  Wintermoot's  Fort 

226.  Position  of  the  Wyoming  Forts 

227.  Signature  of  Colonel  Z.  Butler 

228.  Tlie  Susquehanna  at  Monocasy  Island 

229.  Queen  Esther's  Rock 

230.  The  Treaty  Table 

231.  Initial  Letter 

232.  Wyoming  Monument 

233.  Frances  Slocum — Ma-con-a-qua 

£34.  Timothy  Pickering .^ 

235.  The  "Red  House" 

236.  Cars  entering  the  Mines  at  Carbondale 

2.T7.  Lamp  of  a  Miner 

238.  Appearance  of  the  Chambers  in  the  Mines 

Ii39.  View  from  the  Shawangunk  Mountains 

240.  Initial  Letter 

241.  The  Van  Kleek  House,  Poughkeepsie 

S42.  The  Linnaston  Mansion 

■  243.  The  Constitution  House,  Kingston 

244.  The  Yeoman  House 

245.  Monument  in  Church-yard,  Kingston 

J!46.  View  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Rondout 

!!47.  Van  Schaick's  Mill 

248.  Portrait  of  General  Stark 

;  5M9.  Plan  of  the  Battle  of  Bennington 

'    l!50.  The  Bennington  Battle-ground 

■   lJ51.  Initial  Letter 

,  !S2.  Distant  View  of  Compo 

I  5J53.  Head  quarters  of  Agnew  and  ErskiEs 

I.  fj.54.  Dibble's  Barn 

K  K)5.  Portrait  of  Joel  Barlow 

U  'i256.  Portrait  of  Joseph  Dil)ble 

111^57.  Portrait  of  General  Wooster 

v;t!58.  Place  of  the  BarricadcB,  Ridgefield 

"  |t!59.  Place  where  Woo3t*;r  Fell 

i60.  Putnam's  Quarters 

261.  Putnam's  Hill 

2.  Fitch's  Point,  the  Landing-place  of  the  British 

63.  Darien  Church 

Grumnion's  Hill 

265.  Tlie  Green,  Fairfield 

266,  The  Regicides'  Tomb-8tones 


256 
256 
256 
259 
259 
2.59 
2G0 
260 
261 
261 
262 
263 
263 
264 
266 
270 
272 
274 
284 
285 
285 
286 
286 
288 
292 
29.3 
296 
297 
297 
301 
304 
305 
309 
315 
317 

318 
320 
320 
322 
322 
323 
326 
326 
328 
328 
329 
330 
333 
334 
337 
341 
342 
343 
351 
353 
355 
356 
357 
359 
364 
365 
369 
374 
375 
378 
378 
379 
381 
382 
38.3 
385 
387 
388 
389 
390 
391 
394 
39.". 
396 
401 
402 
403 
404 
405 
406 
408 
409 
410 
411 
412 
413 
414 
415 
416 
420 


276. 
277. 
278. 
279. 
280. 
281. 
282. 
283. 
284. 
285. 
286. 
287. 
288! 
289. 
290. 
291. 
292. 
293. 
294. 
295. 
296. 
297. 
298. 
■-'99. 
300. 
301. 
302. 
303. 
304. 
305. 
;i06. 
307. 
303. 
309. 
310. 
311. 
312. 
313. 
314. 
315. 
316. 
317. 
318. 
319. 
3^20. 
321. 
322. 
323. 
324. 
325. 
326. 
3-27. 
328. 
329. 
330. 
331. 
332. 
.333. 
334. 
335. 
336. 
337. 
338. 
339. 
340. 
341. 
342. 
343. 
344. 
345. 
346. 
347. 
348. 
349. 
3.50. 
351. 
352. 
353. 
354. 
355. 
356. 
357. 
358. 
359. 
360. 
361. 
362. 


Arnold's  Residence,  New  Haven Page  421 

Savin  Rock f.  422 

West  Bridge  and  Milford  Hill 423 

Campbell's  Monument 4-23 

Landing-place  of  General  Tryon 4-24 

The  Buckley  House 426 

Hum|)hreys's  Monument 429 

Portrait  of  Colonel  Humphreys 429 

Portait  of  Dr.  Eneas  Munson^ 430 

Signature  of  Nathan  Beers 431 

Initial  Letter 432  . 

First  Meeting-house  in  Connecticut 4.33 

The  Charter  Oak 434 

The  Webb  House 436 

Elder  Brewster's  Chest,  brought  in  the  May  Flower.  437 

Key  of  the  Chest 4.37 

Fac-simile  of  the  Signatures  of  the  Pilgrims ; .  438 

Ancient  Chair 438 

Chopping-knife 438 

Putnam's  Tavern  Sign 439 

The  old  Colony  Seal 445 

Ancient  Map  of  Massachusetts  Bay 446 

The  "  Pine  tree  Shilling" 449 

The  Beacon  in  Bo.ston 451 

Facsimile  of  the  first  American  Paper  Money 452 

Seal  of  George  IH.,  the  Purse,  and  Chancellor's  Mace.  456 

Initial  Letter 4.5T 

Portrait  of  George  III.  at  the  Time  of  his  Accession . .  4.57 

Usual  Appearance  of  King  George  III.,  1776 4,58 

Portrait  of  Queen  Charlotte 458 

Portrait  of  George  Grenvillc 460^ 

Portrait  of  Colonel  Barr6 463 

Liberty  Tree 466 

Porti'ait  of  Governor  Hutchinson 463 

Portrait  of  Charles,  Marquis  of  Rockingham 470 

Portrait  of  William  Pitt 472 

The  Province  House 474 

Portrait  of  John  Dickinson 476 

Faneuil  Hall 479 

Portrait  of  Augustus  Henry,  Duke  of  Grafton 482 

Portrait  of  Lord  North 483 

Initial  Letter 485 

Title-page  of  the  Boston  Almanac,  1770 486 

Music  of  the  "  Massachusetts  Song  of  Liberty" 437 

The  "  Old  South"  Meeting-house 490 

Signature  of  James  Otis 492 

Portrait  of  Lord  Dartmouth 495 

Portrait  of  David  Kinnison 499 

Portrait  of  G.  R.  T.  Hewes 501 

Portrait  of  Edmund  Burke 503 

Hancock's  House,  Boston 507 

Skull  and  "  Cross-bones" 507 

Disjointed  Snake— device  at  the  head  of  Newspapers  508 

Initial  Letter 509 

Portrait  of  Samuel  Adams 510 

View  of  Boston  from  Dorchester,  1774 512 

View  of  the  Lines  on  Boston  Neck 513 

Portrait  of  John  Hancock 515 

Medallion  Likeness  of  Adam  Smith 517 

Portrait  of  Edward  Gibbon 519 

Medallion  Likeness  of  John  Wilkea 520 

Clarke's  House,  Lexington 523 

Skirmish  at  Lexington 524 

Signature  of  Colonel  James  Barret 525 

Colonel  Barret's  House 526 

Battle-ground  at  Concord 526 

Plan  of  the  Monuments  at  Concord 527 

Initial  Letter 533 

Reverse  of  a  Massachusetts  Treasury  Note,  1775 534 

Charlestown  and  adjacent  Hills  in  1775 538 

Plan  of  the  Redoubt  on  Breed's  Hill 540 

The  New  England  Flag 541 

Action  on  Breed's  Hill .543 

Portrait  of  Joseph  Warren 548 

Warren's  Monument 549 

Initial  Letter 551 

Monument  at  Concord 552 

Monument  at  Lexington 553 

Near  View  of  the  Monument 5.53 

Portrait  of  Jonathan  Harrington 554 

Washington's  Headquarters  at  Cambridge 5.'55 

The  Riedesel  House,  Cambridge 557 

Bunker  Hill  Monument 558 

Signature  of  the  Baroness  Riedesel 558 

Chantrey's  ."tatue  of  Washington 561 

Mather's  Vault 561 

Cotton  Mather's  Writing 562 

.Speaker's  Desk  and  Winthrop's  Chair 562 

Kin<i  Philip's  Samppan 562 

Captain  Church's  Sword 562 

Tlie  Washinston  Elm,  Cambridce 564 

Boston  with  its  Environs,  1776  .'. 568 

The  Pine-tree  Flag 570 

Sienature  of  Governor  Gaee 573 

,  Briti-^h  Fort  on  Bunker  Hill 574 

American  Floating  Battery 575 


ILLUSTRATIONS-Vol.  I. 


1.  lllummated  Frontispiece. 

2.  Title-page. 

3.  Ornamental  Head  for  Preface  and  Initial  Letter. . .  Page  iii. 

4.  Tail  Piece vi. 

5.  Ornamental  Head  for  Contents vii. 

(>.  Initial  Letter — Introduction x v. 

7.  Portrait  and  Signature  ol  Columbus xviii. 

8.  Portrait  of  Isabella xxii. 

9.  Spanish  Caravel xxiii. 

10.   View  of  I'alos xxiii. 

IL  Ruins  of  the  Pinzon  Mansion xxiii. 

12.  Landing  of  Columbus xxv. 

13.  Banner  of  the  Expedition xxv. 

14.  Portrait  of  Sebastian  Cabot xxvii. 

15.  Portrait.of  Amerigo  Vespucci xxviii. 

16.  Portrait  of  De  Soto... xxxi. 

17.  Portrait  of  Verrazzani xxxii. 

18.  Initial  Letter 33 

19.  The  Clermont , 35 

20.  Portrait  of  Lieutenant  General  Burgoyne.'. 37 

21.  Portrait  of  General  Schuyler 38 

22.  Initial  Letter „ 43 

2:3.  Localities  at  Bemis's  Heights  . v, 40 

24.  Portrait  of  Thaddeus  Kosciusko 49 

25.  Battle-ground  of  Stillwater 53 

26.  Burgoyne's  Encampment  on  the  Hudson 57 

27.  House  in  which  General  Fraser  died 64 

28.  29.  Tomahawks 64 

30.  Fraser's  Burial-place 66 

31.  Lady  Ackland  proceeding  to  the  American  Camp 68 

32.  Initial  Letter ^  69 

33.  Schuyler's  Mill,  Saratoga  . ! 73 

34.  Schuyler's  Mansion ^ 74 

.35.  (leneral  Gates's  Head-quarters  at  Saratoga 2; 75 

36.  Plan  of  the  Armies  at  Burgoyne's  Surrender. 77 

37.  Fac-simile  of  the  Signatures  of  Burgoyne  and  Gates. . .     79 

38.  View  of  the  Place  where  the  British  laid  down  their  Anna    80 

39.  Site  of  the  first  Interview  between  Gates  and  Bur- 

goyne      81 

40.  Medal  struck  in  Honor  of  General  Gates  and  his  Army    83 

41.  Poi-trait  of  Silas  Deane 85 

42.  Initial  Letter 88 

43.  The  Riedesel  House,  Saratoga 89 

44.  Cellar  of  the  Piiedesel  House 89 

45.  General  Schuyler  and  Baroness  Riedesel 91 

4().  Place  where  Lovelace  was  e.N.ecu[ed 92 

47.  Bloody  Run 94 

48.  Fort  Miller,  Fording-place 94 

49.  Fort  Edward ■'. 95 

50.  Balm  of  Gilead  at  Fort  Edward. i 95 

,51.  Diagram  illustratiuit  a  Fortification 96 

52.  Jane  M'Crea  Tree, "Fort  Edward 97 

.53.  A  River  Bateau 98 

_54.  Jane  M'Crea  Spring 99 

•6S.  Grave  of  Jane  M'Crea 101 

56.  Colonel  Cochran's  Monument 102 

57.  Mouth  of  Fort  Edward  Crock. .': 102 

58.  A  curious  Skull 103 

59.  Two  Sides  of  a  Cross-pistareen 103 

60.  Initial  Letter 104 

61.  View  below  Glenn's  Falls. .' 105 

62.  Williams's  Rock 106 

63.  Portrait  of  King  Hendrick 106 

64.  Bloody  Pond 107 

65.  Fort  William  Henry 108 

66.  Ruins  of  the  Citadel  of  Fort  Georgo 112 

67.  Head  of  Lake  George 113 

68.  Long  Point  and  Vicinity 114 

69.  Sabbath  Day  Point 115 

70.  Lake  George  and  part  of  Lake  Champlain 115 

71.  Rogers's  Rock 116 

72.  Ground  Plan  of  Fort  Ticonderoga 118 

7.3.  Initial  Letter 121 

74.  Portrait  of  Isaac  Rice 122 

7.5.  Ruins  at  Ticonderoga 127 

7.;.  The  Bakery 128 

77.  View  from  tlie  Top  of  Mount  Defiance 131 

78.  Portrait  of  General  St.  Clair 132 

79.  Site  of  Fort  Anne 1.39 

80.  Major  Israel  Putnam  in  British  Uniform 140 

81.  Battle-ground  near  Fort  Anne 141 

82.  View  at  Putnam's  Rock 142 

83.  The  Battle  ground  at  Hubbardton^ 145 

84.  Plan  of  the  Battle 146 

85.  Head-ttone,  Mount  Independence 148 


86.  View  from  Sholes's  Landing Page  K 

87.  Initial  Letter 15(, 

88.  Plan  of  the  Fort 151 

89.  Crown  Point 152 

90.  Inscribed  Stone 152 

91.  Well  at  Crown  Point 153 

9'2.  "  Virtual  Representation,"  a  Caricature 158 

93.  Split  Rock 159 

94.  Burgoyne  addressing  the  Indians 160 

95.  Tomb  of  Ethan  Allen 161 

96.  Scene  of  Arnold's  Naval  Battle 162 

97.  Plan  of  Arnold's  first  Engagement 163 

98.  Plan  of  Arnold's  second  Engagement 164 

99.  Washington's  Hair-powder  Pouch 166 

100.  Isle  Aux  Noix,  in  the  Sorel 167 

101.  Military  Establishment  at  St.  John's 169 

102.  Fort  at  Chambly 171 

103.  St.  John's,  on  the  Richelieu  River 172 

104.  Portrait  of  Lord  George  Germain 173 

10.5.  French  Canadian  House 173 

106.  Canadian  Peasant  Girl 174 

107.  Beloeil  Mountain 174 

108.  Portrait  of  Francois  Yest 175 

109.  A  Thunderstruck  Rock 175 

110,111.  A  Caleche — Aurora  Borealis 176 

112.  Initial  Letter 177 

113.  Grey  Nun  Praying 178 

114.  View  of  Montreal  and  its  Walls  in  1760 179 

115.  Signature  of  Ethan  Allen 180 

116.  Portrait  of  Sir  Guy  Carleton 181 

117.  Walls  ofQuebec 183 

118.  View  of  Point  Levi  from  Durham  Terrace 185 

119.  Wolfe's  Ravine 187 

120.  Portrait  of  General  Wolfe 18? 

121.  Wolfe's  Monument 189 

122.  Norridgewock  Falls,  1775 191 

123.  Arnold's  Route  through  the  Wilderness,  1775 193 

124.  Initial  Letter 195 

12.5.  St.  John's  Gate 198 

126.  Cape  Diamond 193 

127.  Place  where  Arnold  was  wounded 199 

128.  Palace  Gate,  outside 135 

129.  Portiait  of  General  Montgomery 2C0 

130.  Montgomery's  Monument 201 

131.  Palace  Gate,  inside 202 

132.  Temperance  Cross 203 

133.  Montmorenci  Falls 203 

134.  Wolfe  and  Montcalm's  Monument 205 

135.  The  Cascades,  or  St.  Ann's  Rapids 206 

136.  Cedar's  Rapids,  at  St.  Timothy 20r 

137.  Lumber  Raft  on  the  St.  Lawrence 203 

138.  Cairn 209 

1.39.  Sheldon  House 213 

140.  Wind-mill  Point 211 

141.  Portrait  and  Signature  of  Lord  Amherst 2i:i 

142.  Initial  Letter 211 

143.  Bomb-proof  Tower 21 1 

144.  Oswego  in  1755 21" 

145.  Forts  at  Oswego 217 

146.  Remains  of  "  New  Fort,"  Oswego 2W- 

147.  View  of  Oswego  and  the  Fort  in  1798 23) 

148.  View  of  Oswego  Harbor,  1848 22t 

149.  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Cochran .- 22:1 

150.  Distant  View  of  Fort  Niagara 22.'i 

151.  Niagara  Suspension  Bridge 22l! 

152.  Sepulchral  Stone 230 

153.  Site  of  Fort  Stanwix 23. 

154.  Portrait  of  Sir  William  Johnson 23',t 

155.  Fort  Johnson 23!! 

156.  Caughnawaga  Church 2.3;t 

157.  Guy  Park 234 

158.  Initial  Letter 240 

159.  Portrait  of  Colonel  Gansevoort 24P 

160.  Order  of  March  of  St.  Leger's  Forces  .  .'!■ 241 

161.  Portrait  of  Colonel  Marinus  Willett 244 

162.  Battle-ground  of  Oriskany i 24; 

163.  BowlofaPipe 24< 

164.  Fort  Schuyler  and  Vicinity 241 

165.  Old  Stone  Church.  Gorman  Flats 2.54 

166.  The  Pulpit  of  the  Church 254 

167.  Fort  Herkimer 25ij 

168.  Portrait  of  Joseph  Brant 256 

169.  Hieroglyph  of  Teyendngages,  or  Little  Hendrick 256 

170.  Hieroglyph  of  Kanadagm,  or  nan<! 2.56 

171.  Signature  nud  Hieroglyph  of  King  Hendrick 256 


INTRODUCTION. 


Far  o'er  yon  azure  main  thy  view  extend, 
Where  seas  and  skies  in  blue  confusion  blend : 
Lo,  there  a  mighty  realm,  by  Heaven  design'd. 
The  last  retreat  for  poor,  oppress'd  mankind  ; 
Forni'd  with  that  pomp  which  marks  the  hand  divine, 
And  clothes  yon  vault,  where  worlds  unnumber'd  shine. 
Here  spacious  plains  in  solemn  grandeur  spread ; 
Here  cloudy  forests  cast  eternal  shade ; 
Rich  valleys  wind,  the  sky-tall  mountains  brave, 
And  inland  seas  for  commerce  spread  the  wave 
With  nobler  floods  the  sea-like  rivers  roll. 
And  fairer  luster  purples  round  the  pole. 

Timothy  Dwight. 


VERY  nation  eminent  for  its  refine 
ment,  displayed  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  arts,  had  its  heroic  age  ;   a 
period  when  its  first  physical  and 
moral    conquests   were    achieved, 
and  when  rude  society,  with  all 
its  impurities,  was  fused  and  re- 
fined in  the  crucible  of  progress. 
When  civilization  first  set  up  it.s 
standard  as  a  permanent  ensign 
in  the  Western  hemisphere,  north- 
ward  of   the   Bahamas   and   the 
great  Gulf,  and  the  contests  for 
possession  began  between  the  wild 
Aborigines,  who  thrust  no  spade 
into  the  soil,  no  sickle  into  ripe  harvests,  and  those  earnest  delvers 
from  the  Old  World,  who  came  with  the  light  of  Christianity  to  plant 
a  new  empire  and  redeem  the  wilderness  by  cultivation,  then  commenced 
the  heroic  age  of  America.      It  ended  when  the  work  of  the  Pwcvolution,  in 
the  eighteenth  century,  was  accomplished  ;  when  the  bond  of  vassalage  to 
n  ,  Great  Britain  was  severed  by  her  colonies,  and  when  the  thirteen  confed- 

erated States  ratified  a  federal  Constitution,  and  upon  it  laid  the  broad  found- 
ation of  our  Republic. 
Those  ancient  civilizations,  registered  by  the  stylus  of  history,  were  mere  gleamings  of 
morning  compared  with  the  noontide  radiance  which  now  lights  up  the  Western  World  ; 
and  even  the  more  modern  nations  of  Europe,  brilliant  as  they  appear,  have  so  many  dark 
spots  upon  the  disk  of  their  enlightenment,  that  their  true  glory  is  really  less  than  that  of 
the  waxing  Star  in  the  West.  These  ancient  and  modern  civilizations,  now  past  or  at 
their  culminating  points,  were  the  results  of  the  slow  progress  of  centuries  ;   the  heroic  age 


xvi  INTRODUCTION. 

of  America,  meteor-like,  was  brilliant  and  rapid  in  its  course,  occupying  the  space  of  only 
a  century  and  a  half  of  time  from  the  permanent  implanting  of  a  British  colony,  weak  and 
dependent,  to  the  founding  of  our  government,  which,  like  Pallas  Athena,  was,  at  its  birth, 
full  panoplied,  strong,  eminently  individual  in  its  character,  and  full  of  recuperative  energies. 
The  head  of  Britannia  was  cleft  by  the  Vulcan  of  the  Revolution,  and  from  its  teeming 
brain  leaped  the  full-grown  daughter,  sturdy  and  defiant. 

Long  anterior  to  the  advent  of  Europeans  in  America,  a  native  empire,  but  little  inferior 
to  Old  Rome  in  civilization,  flourished  in  that  region  of  our  continent  which  now  forms  the 
southwestern  portion  of  the  Republic.      The  Aztec  empire,  which  reached  the  acme  of  its  re- 
finement during  the  reign  of  Montezuma,  and  crumbled  into  fragments  when  Cortez  dethroned 
and  murdered  that  monarch,  extended  over  the  whole  of  Central  America  ;   and  when 

1521. 

the  Spaniards  came  it  was  gradually  pushmg  its  conquests  northward,  where  all  was 
yet  darkness  and  gloom.  To  human  apprehension,  this  people,  apparently  allied  by  various 
ties  to  the  wild  nations  of  North  America,  appeared  to  be  the  most  efficient  instruments  in 
spreading  the  light  of  civilization  over  the  whole  continent ;  yet  they  were  not  only  denied 
this  glorious  privilege,  but,  by  the  very  race  which  first  attempted  to  plant  the  seeds  of  Eu- 
ropean refinement  in  Florida  and  among  the  Mobilian  tribes,  and  to  shed  the  illumination 
of  their  dim  Christianity  over  the  dreary  regions  of  the  North,  was  their  own  bright  light 
extinguished.  The  Aztecs  and  their  neighbors  were  beaten  into  the  dust  of  debasement  by 
the  falchion  blows  of  avarice  and  bigotry,  and  they  form,  apparently,  not  the  most  insignifi- 
cant atom  of  the  chain  of  events  which  connects  the  history  of  the  empires  of  the  Old  World 
with  that  of  our  Republic. 

I  It  is  believed  that,  two  hundred  years  before  the  Aztecs  subdued  the  more  ancient  people 
of  the  Mexican  valley  and  founded  Tenochtitlan,'  a  handful  of  rough,  half-civilized  adven- 
turers from  the  wintery  shores  of  Iceland  and  the  neighboring  main,  driven  by  adverse  winds 
they  knew  not  whither,  touched  upon  the  bleak  shores  of  Labrador,  and  traversed  the  Amer- 
ican continent  southward  as  far  as  Rhode  Island,  and,  it  may  be,  the  capes  of  Virginia." 
These  supposed  first  modern  discoverers  of  America  were  the  children  of  the  "mighty  sea 
kings"  of  the  Teutonic  romances — the  Scandinavian  reguli,  who,  scorning  to  own  Gorm 
the  Old  of  Norway,  and  Harold  Fairhair  of  Denmark,  their  conquerors,  as  masters,  forsook 
their  country  and  colonized  Iceland,  Greenland,  Shetland,  and  the  Orkney  Islands,  whence 
they  sent  forth  piratical  expeditions,  which  became  a  terror  to  Western  Europe.  They 
traded  as  well  as  plundered,  and  by  commerce  and  conquest  became  potential.  Every  coast 
was  visited  by  their  squadrons,  either  for  war  or  traffic.  They  swept  over  Denmark  and 
Germany,  and  by  conquest  obtained  possession  of  the  best  portions  of  Gaul.'      They  invaded 

the  British  Islands,  and  placed  the  renowned  Canute  upon  the  throne  of  Alfred. 

Long  before  Christianity  had  shed  its  genial  rays  over  their  frozen  territory  of  the 
North,  and  banished  the  barbarous  rites  of  Pagan  worship,  the  lamp  of  learning  had  been 

'  This  city  was  founded  about  the  year  1210,  and  was  afterward  called  Mexico,  which  signifies  the  place 
of  Mcxiili,  the  Aztec  god  of  war.  The  present  capital  of  Mexico  is  upon  the  site  of  that  ancient  city. 
The  Aztecs,  at  that  time,  were  settled  in  Lower  California.  They  were  divided  into  six  tribes.  The 
Mexican  tribe  wandered  off  southward,  subdued  the  Toltecs,  and  founded  the  city  around  which  the  whole 
Aztec  nation  subsequently  gathered.  The  Toltecs  were  far  more  refined  than  their  conquerors,  and  from 
members  of  that  dispersed  nation  the  Aztecs  were  first  made  acquainted  with  painting,  sculpture,  astronomy, 
and  many  of  the  useful  arts,  such  as  working  in  metals,  building  bridges  and  aqueducts,  agriculture,  &c. 

*  See  note  on  page  633. 

'  Charles  III.,  called  the  Simple,  the  eighth  of  the  Carlovingian  kings  of  France,  ceded  to  Rolf  or  Rollo, 
one  of  the  Northmen  chiefs,  the  large  province  called  by  them  Normandy.  This  event  occurred  in  the 
j^ear  918.  Rollo  and  his  subjects  embraced  Christianity,  and  became  the  -guardians  of  France  against 
further  invasion  from  the  Northmen. 


HE  story  of  the  American  Revolution  has  been  well  and  often 
told,  and  yet  the  most  careless  observer  of  the  popular  mind 
may  perceive  that  a  large  proportion  of  our  people  are  but  little 
,  instructed  in  many  of  the  essential  details  of  that  event,  so  im- 
^i^l^^^S^^  portant  for  every  intelligent  citizen  to  learn.  Very  few  ar-e  ig- 
norant of  the  more  conspicuous  circumstances  of  that  period, 
and  all  who  claim  to  be  well-informed  have  a  correct  general  knowledge  of  the 
history  of  our  war  for  independence.  But  few  even  of  that  intelligent  class 
are  acquainted  with  the  location  of  the  various  scenes  depicted  by  the  histo- 
rian, in  their  relation  to  the  lakes  and  rivers,  towns  and  cities,  whose  names 
are  familiar  to  the  ears  of  the  present  generation.  For  example  :  the  citizen  of 
Saratoga  may  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  memorable  places  in  his  own 
vicinage,  and  of  the  incidents  which  have  hallowed  them,  yet  how  puzzled  he 
would  be  if  asked  to  tell  the  inquiring  stranger,  or  his  more  inquisitive  children, 
upon  what  particular  stream,  or  lofty  height,  or  broad  plain,  or  in  what  mount- 
ain gorge,  occurred  the  battles  of  Rocky  Mount,  King's  Mountain,  Eutaw  Springs, 
or  the  Cowpens.  These  are  places  widely  known  in  their  respective  districts, 
and  the  events  connected  with  them  form  as  important  links  in  the  chain  of  cir- 
cumstances which  were  developed  in  the  progTess  of  the  colonies  toward  independ- 
ence, as  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  and  his  army  upon  the  plain  at  Saratoga. 
Among  this  class,  claiming  to  be  generally  informed,  but  ignorant  in  many  partic- 
ulars, especially  in  relation  to  the  character  and  situation  of  localities,  the  writei 
places  himself;  and  to  an  appreciation  of  the  necessity  of  a  more  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  these  places,  and  of  the  men  who  are  identified  with  the  Revolution,  the 
reader  is  partially  indebted  for  the  pages  which  follow  this  confession. 

To  obtain  this  accurate  chorographical  knowledge  of  our  early  history  as  a  confed- 
eration of  states,  was  not  the  only  incentive  to  undertake  a  journey  to  the  battle- 
fields and  other  localities  hallowed  by  the  events  of  the  Revolution.  My  limited 
observation  had  perceived  many  remaining  physical  vestiges  of  that  struggle.     Half- 


c^   c^ 


viii  PREFACE. 

hidden  mounds  of  old  redoubts ;  the  ruined  walls  of  some  stronger  fortification ;  dilap- 
idated buildings,  neglected  and  decaying,  wherein  patriots  met  for  shelter  or  in 
council;  and  living  men,  who  had  borne  the  musket  and  knapsack  day  after  day  in 
that  conflict,  occasionally  passed  under  the  eye  of  my  casual  apprehension.     For 
years  a  strong  desire  was  felt  to  embalm  those  precious  things  of  our  cherished  house- 
hold, that  they  might  be  preserved  for  the  admiration  and  reverence  of  remote  pos- 
terity.    I  knew  that  the  genius  of  our  people  was  the  reverse  of  antiquarian  rever- 
ence for  the  things  of  the  past ;  that  the  glowing  future,  all  sunlight  and  eminence, 
absorbed  their  thoughts  and  energies,  and  few  looked  back  to  the  twilight  and  dim 
valleys  of  the  past  through  which  they  had  journeyed.     I  knew  that  the  invisible 
fingers  of  decay,  the  plow  of  agriculture,  and  the  behests  of  Mammon,  unrestrained 
in  their  operations  by  the  prevailing  spirit  of  our  people,  would  soon  sweep  away 
every  tangible  vestige  of  the  Revolution,  and  that  it  was  time  the  limner  was  abroad. 
I  knew  that,  like  stars  at  dawn  which  had  beamed  brightly  through  a  long  night, 
the  men  of  old  were  fast  fading  away,  and  that  relics  associated  with  their  trials 
and  triumphs  would  soon  be  covered  up  forever.     Other  men,  far  more  competent 
than  myself  to  use  the  pen  and  pencil,  appeared  indisposed  to  go  out  into  the  ap- 
parently shorn  and  unfruitful  field  upon  which  I  looked  with  such  covetous  delight, 
except  to  pick  up  a  grain  here  and  there  for  special  preservation.     I  knew  that  the 
vigorous  reapers  who  had  garnered  the  products  of  that  broad  field,  must  have  let 
fall  from  their  full  hands  many  a  precious  ear  loaded  with  choice  grain,  and  I  re- 
solved to  go  out  as  a  gleaner,  carefully  gather  up  what  they  had  left  behind,  and 
add  the  winnings  to  their  store.     Like  the  servants  of  Boaz,  when  Ruth  followed 
the  reapers,  they  seem  to  have  "let  fall  also  some  of  the  handfuh  of  purpose  for 
me,  that  I  might  glean  them,"  for  I  found  a  far  greater  abundance  than  hope  had 
promised.     I  have  "  gleaned  in  the  field  until  even,  and  beat  out  that  I  have  gleaned," 
and  here  is  my  "  ephah  of  barley." 

In  the  arrangement  of  a  plan  for  presenting  the  result  of  these  labors  to  the 
public  in  an  acceptable  form  many  difficulties  were  perceptible.  Other  histories  of 
our  Revolution  had  been  written,  embellished,  and  read ;  what  could  be  produced 
more  attractive  than  they  ?  The  exciting  literature  of  the  day,  ranging  in  its  in- 
toxicating character  from  the  gross  pictures  of  sensual  life  drawn  by  the  French  wri- 
ters of  fiction,  to  the  more  refined,  but  not  less  intoxicating  works  of  popular  and 
esteemed  novelists,  so  cheaply  published  and  so  widely  diffused,  has  produced  a 
degree  of  mental  dissipation  throughout  our  land,  destructive,  in  its  tendency,  to 
sober  and  rational  desires  for  imbibing  useful  knowledge.  Among  the  young, 
where  this  dissipation  is  most  rife,  and  deleterious  in  its  effects,  it  seemed  most  desi- 
rable to  have  the  story  of  our  Revolution  known  and  its  salutary  teachings  pondered 
and  improved,  for  they  will  be  the  custodians  of  our  free  institutions  when  the  active 
men  of  the  present  generation  shall  step  aside  into  the  quiet  shadows  of  old  age. 
Next  to  tales  of  love  and  gallantry,  the  young  mind  is  most  charmed  by  the  narra- 
tives of  the  traveler.  The  woof  of  our  history  is  too  sacred  to  be  interwoven  with  the 
tinsel  filling  of  fiction,  and  we  should  have  too  high  a  regard  for  truth  to  seelc  the 
potential  aid  of  its  counterfeit  in  gaining  audience  in  the  ear  of  the  million  ;  but  to 
the  latter  taste  we  may  consistently  pay  court,  and  in  behalf  of  sober  history,  use  its 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


363.  Initial  Letter Page  577 

304.  Gold  Medal  awarded  to  Washington 584 

365.  Medal  struck  in  Honor  of  Lord  North 586 

366.  Ro.xbury  lort 592 

367.  Ground  Plan  oltlio  Fort  5U2 

368.  Initial  Letter 595 

369.  Signatures  of  Uncus  and  his  Sons 597 

370.  Uncas's  Monument 598 

371.  Residence  of  General  Huntington 600 

372.  Portrait  of  Jonatlian  Trumbull 601 

373.  Governor  Trumbull's  War  Office 602 

374.  Tlie  Trumbull  House 002 

375.  The  Alden  Tavern  603 

376.  The  Williams  House 603 

377.  The  Trumbull  Vault  603 

378.  Birth-place  of  Benedict  Arnold 004 

379.  Governor  Huntington's  Mansion 606 

3S0.  Governor  Huntington's  Tomb 607 

381.  General  Huntington's  Tomb 607 

382.  Map  of  New  London  Harbor 609 

383.  New  London  Harbor,  looking  North 610 

384.  View  of  the  Landing-place  of  Arnold 611 

385.  Monument  at  Groton 014 

386.  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Bailey 617 

387.  Bishop  Scabury's  Monument 618 

388.  Initial  Letter 619 

389.  Landing-place  of  Roger  Williams 620 

390.  Signature  of  Roger  Williams 623 

391.  Hopkins's  Monument 624 

392.  Governor  Cooke's  Monument 625 

393.  Signature  of  Stephen  Hopkins 625 

394.  Old  Tavern  in  Providence 026 

395.  Stone  Tower 028 

396.  Gaspee  Point 028 

3'J7.  Signatures  of  the  Commissioners 630 

3'.)8.  Old  Tower  at  Newport  633 

.199.  Inscription  on  Dighton  Rock 634 

400.  Prescott's  Head-quarters 035 

401 .  Perry's  Monument 035 

402.  Top  of  'Tonomv  Hill 636 

403.  Hubbard's  House  and  Mill 036 

404.  Initial  Letter 042 

405.  Portrait  of  Colonel  William  Barton 643 

406.  Prescott's  Head-quarters 644 

407.  Portrait  of  D'Estaing 646 

408.  Plan  o(  Operations  upon  Rhode  Island  in  1778. . 648 

409.  Scene  of  the  Engagement  on  Rhode  Island,  August 

29,1778 651 

410.  Ancient  Sycamore 653 

411.  Quaker  Hill,  from  the  Fort  on  Butts's  Hill 657 

412.  Aiew  Northward  from  Butts's  Hill 058 

413.  Portrait  and  Sign-manuel  of  King  Philip 059 

414.  Three  Signatures  of  chief  Warriors  of  King  Philip..   659 

415.  Handwriting  of  Elliot  and  Gookiu 660 

4 16.  Conannicut,  or  Dumplings  Fort 665 

417.  Initial  Letter 6C0 

418.  Washington's  Head-quarters  at  Newburgh 667 

419.  The  Dining-hall,  or  Room  with  seven  Doors 668 

420.  Monument  at  Goshen , 671 

421.  Signature  of  Lewis  Nicola 672 

422.  Portrait  of  John  Armstrong 074 

423.  Portrait  of  James  Clinton 080 

424.  Remains  of  Fortifications  at  Plum  Point 081 

425.  Head-quarters  of  Greene  and  Knox 682 

426.  Signatures  of  young  Ladies  on  a  pane  of  Glass 683 

427.  The  Square,  New  Windsor 683 

428.  Residence  of  Mrs.  FaUs 684 

429.  The  Temple 085 

430.  View  of  the  Camp  Ground 685 

431.  Ancient  Stone  House  near  the  Temple 685 

432.  Portrait  of  Robert  Burnet 686 

433.  Portrait  of  Usual  Knapp 687 

434.  Signatures  ofthe  Officers  of  Washington's  Life  Guard.  688 

435.  Banner  of  Washington's  Life  Guard 688 

430.  Fac  Simile  of  a  Return  of  the  Commander-in-chiefs 

Guard 689 

437.  The  Wharton  House 090 

438.  Portrait  of  Enoch  Crosby 090 

439.  Dutch  Church.  Fishkill 691 

440.  Trinity  Church 692 

441.  The  Verplanck  House 693 

442.  Societyof  the  Cincinnati — Member's  Certificate 696 

443.  Order  of  the  Cincinnati 697 


Initial  Letter Page  098 

Great  Chain  and  Mortars 700 

View  from  Fort  Clinton,  looking  North 701 

Koscuis/.ko's  Garden 701 

Koscuiszko's  Signature 701 

Interior  of  Fort  Putnam 703 

Signature  of  Bernard  Romans 703 

Plan  of  Fort  Constitution 703 

Plan  of  the  Magazine 704 

Signature  of  La  Radicre 704 

View  of  West  Point  in  1780 704 

Signature  of  Duportail 704 

Map  (if  West  Point '705 

Ruins  ol'  Fort  Putnam,  as  seen  from  Fort  Webb 707 

View  I'roin  t;oiistitution  Island 708 

Arnold's  Willow 708 

The  Robinson  House 708 

Portrait  of  Beverly  Robinson  709 

Portrait  of  Benedict  Arnold 710 

Fac  Similes  of  a  part  of  Arnold  and  Andre's  Letters.  714 

Signature  of  Elisha  Sheldon 715 

Map  showing  the  Scene  of  Arnold's  Treason 716 

Smith's  Hou.se 720 

Signature  of  Villefranche 721 

Signature  of  Major  Bauman 722 

Fac  Simile  of  Arnold's  Pass 723 

Signature  of  Joshua  H.  Smith '. . .  724 

Initial  Letter 725 

Signatures  of  Arnold's  Aids 725 

The  Breakfast  Room 726 

View  at  Beverly  Dock 729 

View  near  Fort  Montgomery 731 

Lake  Sinnipink,  or  Bloody  Pond 731 

Portrait  of  Beverly  Garrison 732 

Picture  of  part  of  a  Boom 732 

Plan  of  Attack  upon  Fort  Montgomery  734 

View  from  Peekskill  Landing 734 

Signatures  of  Vaughan  and  Wallace 736 

The  Birdsall  House 738 

Signature  of  Philip  Van  Cortlandt 739 

Paulding's  Monument,  and  St.  Peter's  Church 739 

View  from  Gallows  Hill 740 

Signature  of  Alexander  M'Dougal 740 

Signature  of  Samuel  II.  Parsons 742 

Map  of  Verplanck's  and  Stony  Points 743 

Rear  View  at  Stony  Point 744 

Portrait  of  General  Wayne 745 

Wayne's  Monument 745 

View  of  Stony  Point  from  the  Southwest 746 

Facsimile  of  Wayne's  laconicDispatchtoWashington  747 
Gold  Medal  awarded  by  Congress  to  General  Wayne.  748 
Medal  awarded  to  Lieutenant-colonel  De  Fleury. . . .  749 

Medal  awarded  to  Major  Stewart 750 

Initial  Letter 751 

The  Ferryman 751 

King's  Ferry  Sign-board 751 

View  from  Smith's  House   753 

View  of  the  Place  where  Andre  was  captured 754 

Colonel  Jameson's  Head-quarters 756 

Ancient  Dutch  Church 758 

Bridge  over  Sleepy  Hollow  Creek 759 

The  Vane 759 

Communion-table  , 759 

Receiving  Tomb 760 

Van  Wart's  Monument 760 

View  of  "  Sunnyside,"  the  Residence  of  Washington 

Irving 761 

View  from  the  Ruins  of  the  old  Fort 762 

The  Livingston  Mansion 763 

Washington's  Head-quarters  at  Tappan 764 

Portrait  of  John  Andre,  from  a  Miniature,  by  himself  765 

Major  Andre,  from  a  Pencil  Sketch 765 

Andre's  Monument  in  Westminster  Abbey 767 

Portrait  of  Aaron  Ogden 768 

Major  Andrt,  from  a  pen-and-ink  Sketch,  by  himself  771 

Place  of  Andre's  Execution 772 

The  Captor's  Medal 773 

Ruins  of  a  Forge  near  Ramapo  Village 778 

Torn  Rock 780 

Remains  of  Intrenchments  at  the  Ramapo  Pass 781 

The  Hopper  House 762 

Hopper's  Monument 783 

Burr's  Head-quarters 783 


[NTRODUCTION.  xvii 

taken  from  the  cloisters  of  the  South  and  placed  within  their  temples,  and  upon  dreary 
and  desolate  Iceland' and  Norway  civiUzation  erected  its  humanizing  altars.  Ardent,  im- 
aginative, and  devotional,  they  eagerly  accepted  Christianity,  and  it  became  to  them  really 
a  "  Star  in  the  East,"  leading  to  where  "the  infant  Jesus  laid."  It  was  not  to  them  sc 
much  a  personal  treasure  to  be  valued  for  its  immortal  blessings,  as  a  glorious  idea  full  of 
temporal  advantage.  It  became  an  intense  passion,  not  a  sober  belief,  and  its  warmth  gen 
erated  mighty  events.  Among  them  the  spirit  of  chivalry  had  its  birth  and  early  nurture  , 
and  in  those  unholy  wars  against  the  possessors  of  the  land  of  Palestine  and  of  the  sepulcher 
of  Christ,  called  the  Crusades,  which  shook  the  nations  during  three  consecutive  centuries, 
these  Northmen  furnished  the  bravest  leaders. 

From  such  a  people,  possessed  of  every  attribute  necessary  to  the  successful  founding  of 
new  empires,  having  the  ocean  pathway  to  a  broad  and  fertile  continent  made  clear  before 
them,  what  great  results  might  not  be  expected  ?  But,  with  the  prize  just  within  their 
grasp,  they,  too,  were  denied  the  honor  of  first  peopling  our  land  ;  yet  their  mixed  descend- 
ants, the  Anglo-Saxons,  now  possess  it.  It  is  supposed  that  they  attempted  settlements, 
but  failed,  and  in  the  lapse  of  centuries  their  voyages  were  forgotten,  or  only  remembered 
in  the  songs  of  their  bards  or  the  sagas  of  their  romancers.  For  more  than  five  hundred 
years  after  the  voyages  of  those  navigators,  America  was  an  unknown  region ;  it  had  no 
place  upon  maps,  unless  as  an  imaginary  island  without  a  name,  nor  in  the  most  acute  ge- 
ographical theories  of  the  learned.'  It  was  reserved  for  the  son  of  an  humble  wool-carder 
of  Genoa  to  make  it  known  to  the  world. 

During  the  first  half  of  the  fifteenth  century,  maritime  discoveries  were  prosecuted  with 
untiring  zeal  by  the  people  inhabiting  the  great  peninsula  of  Southwestern  Europe.  The 
incentives  to  make  these  discoveries  grew  out  of  the  political  condition  of  Europe  and  the 
promises  of  great  commercial  advantages.  The  rich  commerce  of  the  East  centered  in 
Rome,  when  that  empire  overshadowed  the  known  world  ;  when  it  fell  into  fragments,  the 
Italian  cities  continued  their  monopoly  of  the  trade  of  the  Indies.  Provinces  which  had 
become  independent  kingdoms  became  jealous  of  these  cities,  so  rapidly  outstripping  them  in 
power  and  opulence  ;  and  Castile  and  Portugal,  in  particular,  engaged  in  efforts  to  open  a 
direct  trade  with  the  East.  The  ocean  was  the  only  highway  for  such  commerce  toward 
which  they  could  look  with  a  hope  of  success.  The  errors  of  geographical  science  inter- 
posed their  obstacles  ;  the  belief  that  a  belt  of  impassable  heat  girdled  the  earth  at  the 
equator  intimidated  mariners,  and  none  were  willing  to  double  Cape  Bojador,  beyond  which 
was  the  fancied  region  of  fire. 

Prince  Henry  of  Portugal,  son  of  John  the  First  and  Philippa  of  Lancaster  (sister  of 
Henry  the  Fourth  of  England),  having  accompanied  his  father  into  Africa,  in  an  expedition 
against  the  Moors,  received  much  information  concerning  the  mineral  riches  and  fertility 
of  Guinea  and  other  portions  of  the  coast.  The  idea  of  making  discoveries  along  the  Afri- 
can shores  filled  his  mind,  and  on  his  return  to  Portugal  he  abandoned  the  court,  retired  to 
a  secluded  spot  near  Cape  St.  Vincent,  in  full  view  of  the  ocean,  and  drawing  around  him 
the  most  eminent  scientific  men  in  the  kingdom,  pursued  geographical  and  nautical  inquiries 
with  untiring  zeal.      He  became  convinced  that  Africa  was  circumnavigable,  and  that  the 

'  "The  [Atlantic]  Ocean,"  observes  Xerif  al  Edrisi,  an  eminent  Arabian  writer,  quoted  by  Irving,  "en- 
circles the  ultimate  bounds  of  the  inhabited  earth,  and  all  beyond  is  unknown.  No  one  has  been  able  to 
verify  any  thing  concerning  it,  on  account  of  its  difficult  and  perilous  navigation,  its  great  obscurity,  its 
profound  depth,  and  frequent  tempests  ;  through  fear  of  its  mighty  fishes  and  its  haughty  winds  ;  yet  there 
are  many  islands  in  it,  some  of  which  are  peopled  and  others  uninhabited.  There  is  no  mariner  who  dares 
to  enter  into  its  deep  waters ;  or,  if  any  have  done  so,  they  have  merely  kept  along  its  coasts,  fearful  of 
departing  from  them.  The  waves  of  this  ocean,  although  they  roll  as  high  as  mountains,  yet  maintain 
themselves  without  breaking,  for  if  they  broke,  it  would  be  impossible  for  a  ship  to  plow  through  them." 

B 


INTRODUCTION. 


14?6, 


Indies  might  be  leached  by  doubling  its  most  southerly  headlands.      Expeditions  were  fitted 

out ;  the  Cape  de  V^erd  and  the  Azore  Islands  were  discovered  ;   Cape  Bojador  was  passed  ; 

the  tropical  region  was  penetrated,  and  divested  of  its  terrors  ;  and  at  length  the  lofty  prom- 
ontory which  terminates  Africa  on  the  south,  was  descried.  It  was  hailed  as  a  har- 
binger of  the  coveted  passage  to  the  Indian  Seas,  and  on  that  account  King  John  gave 

it  the  appellation  of  the  Caj)e  of  Good  Hope 

The  Spaniards  were  also  making 
maritime  discoveries  at  the  same  time, 
but  Lisbon-  was  the  point  of  great  at- 
traction to  the  learned,  the  curious, 
and  the  adventurous,  who  were  desir- 
ous to  engage  in  the  expeditions  then 
continually  fitting  out  there.  Among 
them  came  Christopher  Columbus,  or 
Colombo,  a  native  of  Genoa,  then  in 
the  vigor  of  maturity.*  Already  he 
had  made  many  a  perilous  voyage 
upon  the  ocean,  having  engaged  in 
the  life  of  a  mariner  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years.  The  bent  of  his  mind 
for  such  pursuits  was  early  discovered 
by  his  father,  and  in  the  University 
of  Pavia  he  was  allowed,  by  a  short 
course  of  study,  to  obtain  sufficient 
elementary  knowledge  of  geometry,  as- 
tronomy, geography,  and  navigation, 
and  of  the  Latin  language,  to  enable 
him  to  make  those  sciences  afterward 
subservient  to  his  genius.  From  the 
commencement  of  his  nautical  career 
to  his  landing  in  Portugal,  his  history 

is  very  obscure. 


'  There  is  some  obscurity  and  doubt  respecting  the  precise  year  in  which  Columbus  was  born.  Muiioz, 
in  his  History  of  the  New  World,  places  it  in  1446.  Mr.  Irving,  relying  upon  the  authority  of  Bernaldez, 
who  says  that  "he  died  in  1506,  in  a  good  old  age,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  a  little  more  or  less,"  places  it 
in  1436,  which  would  make  him  about  forty-eight  years  old  when  he  landed  in  Portugal. 

'  This  peculiar  signature  of  Columbus  is  attached  to  various  documents  written  by  him  subsequent  to 
his  first  voyage.  It  was  customary,  in  his  time,  to  precede  a  signature  with  the  initials  (and  sometimes  with 
the  words  in  full)  of  some  pious  ejaculation.  We  accordingly  find  the  signature  of  Columbus  with  initial 
prefixes,  thus : 

S 

S     A     S 

X     M     Y 

Xpo  FERENS 

The  interpretation  is  supposed  to  be  "  Sancta !   Sancta,  Ave,  Soncta!  Christo,  Maria,  Yoseph;"  id  est, 

Christ,  Mary,  Joseph.     The  xp(>  ^"'^  Greek  letters;  the  word  FERENS  Roman  capitals.      X,  or  a  cross, 

is  the  sio-n  for  Christo  or  Christ,  and  xP°  '^  ^^  abbreviation  of  ;(p«rror,  anointed,  and  expressed  the  first 

and  chief  portion  of  the  Christian  name  of  Columbus.     The  Latin  word  ferens  (bearing,  carrying,  or  en- 

durintr)  expressed  not  only  the  latter  portion  of  his  name,  but  also  his  character,  according  to  his  own  lofty 

conceptions  of  his  mission.     He  believed  himself  to  be  Christo  ferens,  Christ-bearer  or  Gospel-bearer,  to 

the  heathen  inhabitants  of  an  unknown  world.     It  may  be  added,  that  Colombo  (Columbus),  a  dove  or 


INTRODUCTION.  xix 

In  person,  Columbus  was  tall  and  commanding ;  in  manners,  exceedingly  winning  and 
graceful  for  one  unaccustomed  to  the  polish  of  courts  or  the  higher  orders  in  society.  He  was 
a  strict  observer  of  the  rituals  of  his  religion.  His  piety  was  not  a  mere  form,  but  an  ele- 
vated and  solemn  enthusiasm,  born  of  a  deep  conviction  of  the  vital  truths  of  Christianity. 
While  in  Lisbon,  he  never  omitted  religious  duties  in  the  sanctuary.  At  the  chapel  of  the 
Convent  of  All  Saints,  where  he  was  accustomed  to  worship,  he  became  acquainted  with 
a  young  lady  of  rank  named  Donna  Felipa,  the  daughter  of  Mouis  de  Palestrcllo,  an  Italian 
cavalier,  who  had  been  one  of  the  most  distinguished  navigators  in  the  service  of  Prince 
Henry.  They  loved,  and  were  married.  His  wife's  sister  was  married  to  Pedro  Correo, 
a  navigator  of  note.  In  the  family  of  his  mother-in-law  he  learned  all  the  incidents  of  the 
voyages  of  her  husband  ;  and  the  charts,  journals,  and  other  manuscripts  of  that  navigator 
she  delivered  to  Columbus.  These  possessions  awakened  new  aspirations  in  his  mind.  He 
had  made  himself  familiar,  by  study  and  large  experience,  with  all  the  nautical  knowledge 
of  the  day,  and,  in  common  with  the  most  enlightened  men  of  his  time,  he  was  disposed  to 
credit  the  narratives  of  Plato  and  other  ancient  writers  respecting  the  existence  of  a  conti- 
nent beyond  a  glorious  island  called  Atlantis,'  in  the  waste  of  waters  vi^estward  of  Europe. 
Such  a  continent  was  necessary  to  make  his  own  geographical  theory  perfect.  The  gor- 
geous pictures  of  Zipango  or  Cipangi  and  Cathay,  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia,  drawn  by 
Marco  Polo  and  Mandeville,  also  excited  his  warm  imagination ;  and  the  alleged  appari- 
tions of  land  seen  to  the  westward  by  the  people  of  the  Canary  Isles  were  treasured  in  his 
mind  as  great  realities.*  His  comprehensive  genius  constructed  a  new  and  magnificent  the- 
ory, and  his  bold  spirit  stood  ready  to  act  in  unison  with  his  genius.  He  based  his  whole 
theory  upon  the  fundamental  principle  that  the  earth  was  a  terraqueous  globe,  which  might 
be  traveled  round  from  east  to  west,  and  that  men  stood  foot  to  foot  at  opposite  points. 

pigeon,  was  doubtless  associated,  in  his  imagination,  with  the  carrier-bird,  and  had  its  due  weight,  not  only 
in  his  conceptions  of  his  destiny,  but  in  forming  his  sign-manual.  The  signature  to  his  will  is  EL  ALMI- 
RANTE  (the  Admiral),  with  the  above  letters,  instead  of  xpo  FERENS. 

'  Ancient  writers  speak  of  an  island  which  existed  at  a  very  early  period  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and 
said  to  have  been  eventually  sunk  beneath  its  waves.  Plato,  who  gave  the  first  account  of  it,  says  he  ob- 
tained his  information  from  the  priests  of  Egypt.  The  island  was  represented  to  be  larger  than  Asia  and 
Africa,  as  they  were  then  known,  and  beyond  it  was  a  large  continent.  Nine  thousand  years  before  Plato's 
time,  this  island  was  thickly  inhabited  and  very  powerful,  its  sway  extending  over  all  Africa,  including 
Egypt,  and  also  a  large  portion  of  Europe.  A  violent  earthquake,  which  lasted  for  the  space  of  a  day  and 
a  night,  and  was  accompanied  by  inundations  of  the  sea,  caused  the  island  to  sink,  and,  for  a  long  period 
subsequent  to  this,  the  sea  in  this  quarter  was  impassable  by  reason  of  slime  and  shoals.  Learned  men 
of  modern  times  have  been  disposed  to  believe  in  the  ancient  existence  of  such  an  island,  and  suppose  the 
West  India  Islands  to  be  the  higher  portions  of  the  sunken  land.  If  this  belief  is  correct,  then  the  conti- 
nent beyond  was  America. 

According  to  the  account  given  to  Plato,  Atlantis  was  the  most  productive  region  upon  the  earth.  It 
produced  wine,  grain,  and  delicious  fruits  in  abundance.  It  had  wide-spread  forests,  extensive  pasture- 
grounds,  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  hot  springs,  and  every  luxury  for  human  enjoyment.  It  was  divided  into 
ten  kingdoms,  governed  by  as  many  kings,  all  descendants  of  Neptune,  and  living  in  perfect  harmony  with 
each  other.  It  had  splendid  cities,  rich  and  populous  villages,  vast  fortifications,  arsenals,  and  equipments 
for  navies.  There  was  a  temple  in  the  island  a  stadium  (six  hundred  and  six  feet  nine  inches)  in  length, 
dedicated  to  Neptune.  It  was  ornamented  with  gold,  silver,  orichalcium,  and  ivory.  It  contained  a  frolden 
statue  of  Neptune,  representing  the  god  as  standing  in  his  chariot,  and  holding  the  reins  of  his  winged 
steeds.     Such  was  the  ancient  vision. 

'  So  confident  were  the  people  of  the  Canaries  that  land  lay  to  the  westward  of  them,  that  they  sou<Tht 
and  obtained  permission  from  the  King  of  Portugal  to  fit  out  various  expeditions  in  search  of  it.  A  belief 
was  so  prevalent  that  a  Scottish  priest  named  Brandon  discovered  an  island  westward  of  the  Canaries,  ua 
the  srxth  century,  that  maps,  in  the  time  of  Columbus,  had  the  Island  of  St.  Brandon  upon  them.  It  wsu 
placed  under  the  equator. 


K  INTRODUCTION. 

This  was  seventy  years  before  Copernicus  announced  his  theory  of  the  form  and  mo- 
tion of  the  planets, i''  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  before  Galileo  was  obliged,  be- 
fore the  court  of  the  Inquisition  at  Rome,  to  renounce  his  belief  in  the  diurnal  revo- 
bl633.       ,     .  .    ,  ,    , 

lution  01  the  earth." 

Columbus  divided  the  circumference  of  the  earth  at  the  equator,  according  to  Ptolemy's 
system,  into  twenty-four  hours  of  fifteen  degrees  each,  making  three  hundred  and  sixty  de- 
grees. Of  these  he  imagined  that  fifteen  hours  had  been  known  to  the  ancients,  extending 
from  the  Fortunate  or  Canary  Islands  to  the  city  of  Thinoe  in  Asia,  the  western  and  eastern 
boundaries  of  the  known  world.  By  the  discovery  of  the  Cape  de  Verd  and  the  Azore  Isl- 
ands, the  Portuguese  had  advanced  the  western  frontier  one  hour,  leaving  about  one  eighth 
of  the  circumference  of  the  globe  yet  to  be  explored.  The  extent  of  the  eastern  region  of 
Asia  was  yet  unknown,  although  the  travels  of  Polo  in  the  fourteenth  century  had  extended 
far  beyond  the  Oriental  boundary  of  Ptolemy's  map.  Columbus  imagined  that  the  unex- 
plored part  of  Asia  might  occupy  a  large  portion  of  the  yet  undefined  circumference  of  the 
earth,  and  that  its  eastern  headlands  might  approach  quite  near  to  those  of  Western  Europe 
and  Africa.  He  therefore  concluded  that  a  navigator,  pursuing  a  direct  course  from  east  to 
west,  must  arrive  at  the  extremity  of  Asia  by  a  far  easier  and  shorter  route  than  following 
the  coast  of  Africa  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Fortunately,  he  adopted  the  opinions 
of  Aristotle,  Pliny,  and  other  writers,  who  considered  the  ocean  as  but  of  moderate  breadth, 
so  that  it  might  be  crossed  from  Europe  in  the  space  of  a  few  days.  A  knowledge  or  sus- 
picion of  its  actual  extent  would  have  deterred  even  the  bold  enterprise  of  Columbus  from 
attempting  an  exploration  of  its  waters  in  the  small  ships  of  that  day.  Pv-eports  of  strange 
trees,  reeds  of  immense  size,  curiously-carved  pieces  of  wood,  and  the  bodies  of  two  men — un- 
like, in  color  and  visage,  any  of  the  known  races  extant — having  drifted  ashore  upon  the 
Canary  and  Azore  Islands  by  westerly  winds,  confirmed  him  in  his  belief,  and  a  desire  and 
determination  to  undertake  a  demonstration  of  his  theory  by  an  exploring  voyage  absorbed 
his  whole  attention.  "  He  never  spoke  in  doubt  or  hesitation,"  says  Irving,  "  but  with  as 
much  certainty  as  if  his  eyes  had  beheld  the  Promised  Land.  A  deep  religious  sentiment 
mingled  with  his  thoughts,  and  gave  them  at  times  a  tinge  of  superstition,  but  of  a  sublime 
and  lofty  kind.  He  looked  upon  himself  as  standing  in  the  hand  of  Heaven,  chosen  from 
among  men  for  the  accomplishment  of  its  high  purpose.  He  read,  as  he  supposed,  his  con- 
templated discovery  foretold  in  Holy  Writ,  and  shadowed  forth  darkly  in  the  prophecies. 
The  ends  of  the  earth  were  to  be  brought  together,  and  all  nations,  and  tongues,  and  lan- 
guages united  under  the  banner  of  the  Redeemer.'"  The  prophetic  passage  in  Pulci's 
"  Morgante  Maggiore"  was  to  him  full  of  promise  : 

"  Know  that  this  theory  is  false  ;  his  bark 
The  daring  mariner  shall  urge  far  o'er  ^ 

The  Western  wave,  a  smooth  and  level  plain, 
Albeit  the  earth  is  fashion'd  like  a  wheel. 
Man  was  in  ancient  days  of  grosser  mold, 
And  Hercules  might  blush  to  learn  how  far 
Beyond  the  limits  he  had  vainly  set^ 
The  dullest  sea-boat  soon  shall  wing  her  way. 
Men  shall  descry  another  hemisphere, 
Since  to  one  common  center  all  things  tend. 
So  earth,  by  curious  mystery  divine 


*  it/e  and  Voyages  of  Columbus. 

'  Calpe  and  Abila,  or  Gibraltar,  on  the  Spanish,  and  Cape  Serra,  on  the  African  shore  of  the  Straits  of 
Gibraltar,  were  called  the  Pillars  of  Hercules ;  it  being  said,  in  ancient  fable,  that  Hercules  placed  them 
there  as  monuments  of  his  progress  westward,  and  beyond  which  no  mortal  could  pass. 


INTRODUCTION.  zxi 

Well  balanced,  hangs  amid  the  starry  spheres. 
At  our  antipodes  are  cities,  states. 
And  thronged  empires,  ne'er  divined  of  yore. 
But  see,  the  sun  speeds  on  his  western  path 
To  glad  the  nations  with  expected  light." 

Prescott's  translation  of  stanza  229,  230,  canto  xxv. 

While  maturing  his  plans,  Columbus  extended  the  bounds  of  his  observation  and  study  by  a 
voyage  to  Thule,  or  Iceland,  from  which  remote  point  he  says  he  advanced  one  hundred 
leagues  northward,  penetrated  the  polar  circle,  and  convinced  himself  of  the  fallacy  of  the 
popular  belief  that  the  frozen  zone  was  uninhabitable.*  Whether  he  saw,  in  Iceland,  written 
accounts  of  the  voyages  of  the  Northmen  to  America,  or  heard  of  them  as  related  by  tradi- 
tion or  chanted  in  songs,  we  have  no  means  of  determining.  If  he  did,  it  is  singular,  as 
Prescgtt  remarks,  that  they  were  not  cited  by  him  in  support  of  his  hypothesis,  while  earn- 
estly pressing  his  suit  for  aid  before  the  courts  of  Portugal  and  Spain  ;  and  it  is  equally  sur- 
prising that  he  did  not,  in  his  first  voyage  to  America,  pursue  the  route  traversed  by  those 
early  navigators.  He  probably  heard  little  more  than  vague  rumors  of  their  voyages,  such 
as  presented  insufficient  data  even  for  a  plausible  opinion.  His  magnificent  idea  was  all 
his  own,  sustained  by  the  opinions  of  a  few  learned  men,  and  confirmed  by  his  observations 
while  on  this  northern  voyage. 

Filled  with  his  noble  resolutions  and  lofty  anticipations,  Columbus  submitted  the  theory 
on  which  rested  his  belief  in  a  practicable  western  route  to  Asia,  to  King  John  the  Second 
of  Portugal.  That  monarch's  sagacity  perceived  the  promised  advantages  to  be  derived  from 
such  an  enterprise,  and  he  eagerly  sought  the  counsel  of  his  ministers  and  wise  men.  But 
his  court  and  the  college  of  scientific  sages  could  not  comprehend  the  sublime  project ;  and 
after  a  long  and  fruitless  negotiation,  during  which  the  Portuguese  meanly  attempted  to  avail 
themselves  clandestinely  of  his  information,  Columbus  quitted  Lisbon  in  disgust,  determined 
to  submit  his  proposals  to  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  the  Spanish  sovereigns,  whose  wisdom  and 
liberal  views  were  the  admiration  of  men  of  science  and  learning.  His  wife  was  dead  ;  his 
feelings  had  no  hold  upon  Portugal,  and  he  quitted  it  forever. 

It  was  toward  the  close  of  1484  when  Columbus  appeared  at  the  Spanish  court."  It 
was  an  unpropitious  hour,  for  the  whole  resources  of  the  nation  were  then  employed  in  pros- 
ecuting a  war  with  the  Moors.  For  a  long  time  he  awaited  the  decision  of  the  sovereigns, 
employing  his  leisure  in  the  alternate  pursuits  of  science,  and  engagements  in  some  of  the 
military  campaigns.  He  was  treated  with  great  deference,  and,  after  much  delay,  a  council 
of  learned  men  were  convened  at  Salamanca  to  consider  his  plans  and  propositions.  After 
mature  deliberation,  they  pronounced  his  scheme  "  vain,  impracticable,  and  resting  on 
grounds  too  weak  to  merit  the  support  of  government."  A  minority  of  the  council  were  far 
from  acquiescing  in  this  decision,  and,  with  the  Cardinal  Mendoza  and  other  officers  of  govern- 
ment, and  Fray  Juan  Perez  de  Marchena,  guardian  of  the  ancient  monastery  of  La  Rabida, 

^  In  the  age  of  Columbus,  Greenland  was  laid  down  upon  the  maps  as  a  continuation  or  projection  west- 
ward of  Scandinavia.  Columbus  discovered  this  error  in  his  northern  voyage,  which  discovery  was  a  new 
fact  in  support  of  his  theory  of  a  continent  lying  westward  from  Europe,  or  at  least  a  proximity  of  the  east- 
ern coast  of  Asia.  At  that  time  the  climate  of  Iceland  and  Greenland  was  far  more  genial  than  at  present, 
and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  those  portions  of  the  latter  country  which  for  two  or  three  hundred  years 
have  been  ice-bound  and  uninhabitable,  were  then  tillable.  Philosophers  of  our  day,  who  have  studied  the 
phenomena  of  terrestrial  magnetism  with  care,  have  advanced  a  plausible  theory  whereby  to  explain  this  fact. 

*  It  is  asserted,  but  without  positive  proof,  that  Columbus,  before  going  to  Spain,  made  application  to  the 
authorities  of  his  native  city,  Geooa,  for  aid  in  his  enterprise  ;  but  failing  in  this  he  went  to  Venice,  and  also 
sent  his  brother  Bartholomew  to  England,  to  lay  his  plans  before  Henry  the  Seventh.  If  these  statements 
are  true,  they  exhibit  his  perseverance  in  a  still  stronger  light  than  truthful  history  presents  it. 


INTRODUCTION. 


October  19, 
1469. 


they  induced  the  sovereigns  to  soften  the  decisions  of  the  council  by  a  promise  to  give  the 
proposition  a  fair  audience  when  their  pressing  state  engagements  should  be  ended.  Co- 
lumbus, wearied  by  procrastination,  at  length  lost  all  hope  of  effecting  any  thing  with  the 
Spanish  court.  He  turned  from  it  with  disgust,  and  made  application  to  two  wealthy  and 
enlightened  Southern  dukes,  who  had  ample  means  at  command.  He  was  unsuccessful, 
and  with  a  heavy  heart  he  left  Spain,  to  carry  his  proposals  to  the  King  of  France. 

Isabella  of  Castile  and  Leon,  sister  of  the  profligate  Henry  the  Fourth,  was  the  successor 
of  that  monarch  to  the  throne.  She  married  Ferdinand,  the  son  of  old  John  the 
Second  of  Aragon,  and,  associating  him  with  herself  in  the  government,  united  the 
two  monarchies  into  one  great  kingdom,  the  renowned  modern  Spain.  Isabella  was  emi- 
nently virtuous,  and  her  piety  and  daily  good- 
ness were  the  fruit  of  a  deep  religious  feeling. 
Ferdinand  was  ambitious,  and,  in  the  .midst 
of  his  perplexity  with  the  Moors,  he  felt  a 
strong  desire  to  advance  the  interests  and  glory 
of  the  new  kingdom,  by  maritime  discoveries  ; 
yet  he  could  not  comprehend  the  vast  plans 
of  Columbus,  and  he  looked  coldly  upon  the 
project.  To  the  pious  sentiments  of  the  queen, 
Father  Perez,  a  former  confessor  of  Isabella 
and  a  friend  of  Columbus,  appealed  with  suc- 
cess ;  and  before  the  navigator  had  entered 
the  dominions  of  France,  he  was  summoned 
back  to  the  court,  then  in  the  camp  at  Santa 
Fe.  He  arrived  in  time  to  witness  the  sur- 
render of  Grenada.  Joy  and  exultation  per- 
vaded all  classes.  Columbus  took  advantage 
of  this  state  of  things,  and  while  he  excited 
the  acquisitiveness  of  the  nobles  by  reciting  wonderful  tales  of  the  riches  of  Cipangi  and 
Cathay,  he  eloquently  portrayed  to  the  queen  the  glorious  prospect  of  extending  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Gospel  over  benighted  heathens,  promising  to  devote  the  profits  of  the  enterprise 
to  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher  at  Jerusalem  from  the  hands  of  the  Paynim.  His  elo- 
quence was  seconded  by  that  of  Louis  de  St.  Angel,  a  favorite  officer  of  the  crown.  The  re- 
ligious zeal  of  Isabella  was  fired,  and,  notwithstanding  the  extravagant  demands  of  Colum- 
bus,'' she  resolved,  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  Ferdinand,  to  aid  him  in  fitting  out  an  ex- 


ISABELLA    OF    CASTILE.  ' 


'  Isabella  was  of  middle  size,  and  well  formed,  with  a  fair  complexion,  auburn  hair,  and  clear,  blue  eyes. 
There  was  a  mingled  gravity  and  sweetness  in  her  countenance,  and  a  singular  modesty,  gracing,  as  it 
did,  great  firmness  of  purpose  and  earnestness  of  spirit.  Though  strongly  attached  to  her  husband,  and 
studious  of  his  fame,  yet  she  always  maintained  her  distinct  rights  as  an  allied  prince.  She  exceeded  him 
in  beauty,  personal  dignity,  acuteness  of  genius,  and  grandeur  of  soul.  Combining  the  active  and  resolute 
qualities  of  man  with  the  softer  charities  of  woman,  she  mingled  in  the  warlike  councils  of  her  husband, 
and,  being  inspired  with  a  truer  idea  of  glory,  infused  a  more  lofty  and  generous  temper  into  his  subtile  and 
calculating  policy. —  Washington  Irving. 

*  Columbus,  in  the  demands  set  forth  in  his  proposition,  stipulated  for  himself  and  heirs  the  title  and  au- 
thority of  admiral  and  viceroy  over  all  lands  discovered  by  him.  This  demand  was  inadmissible,  yet  the 
navigator  persisted  in  it,  though  it  appeared  an  effectual  bar  to  any  arrangement  with  the  queen.  His 
stipulations  were  finally  acceded  to,  and  Columbus  always  regarded  the  queen  with  feelings  of  the  liveliest 
gratitude.  "In  the  midst  of  the  general  incredulity,"  he  said  in  a  letter,"  the  Almighty  infused  into  the 
queen,  my  lady,  the  spirit  of  intelligence  and  energy,  and  while  every  one  else,  in  his  ignorance,  was  ex- 
patiating only  on  the  inconvenience  and  cost,  her  highness  approved  it,  on  the  contrary,  and  gave  it  all  the 
support  in  her  power." 


INTRODUCTION. 


pedition  These  demands  almost  frustrated  his  designs, 
back  upon  the  Spanish  court,  when,  through 
the  wise  counsels  of  friends,  the  queen's  ob- 
jections were  overcome,  and  the  warmest 
impulses  of  her  nature  aroused.  "  I  will 
assume  the  undertaking,"  she  said,  when 
opposed  by  her  husband  and  his  counsel- 
ors, "  for  my  own  crown  of  Castile,  and 
am  ready  to  pawn  my  jewels  to  defray 
the  expense  of  it,  if  the  funds  in  the  treas- 
ury shall  appear  inadequate." 

All  preliminaries  being  arranged,  the 
queen  lost  no  time  in  fitting  out  two  ves- 
sels,' and  Columbus,  aided  chiefly  by  the  wealthy  and 


and  Columbus  had  ajain  turned  hi? 


View  of  Palos.^ 


A  Spanish  Caravel. 

enterprising  family  of  the  Pinzons 
equipped  a  third.  With  this  fee 
ble  squadron,  manned  with  timid 
mariners,  Columbus  left  t)ie  little 
port  of  Palos,  upon  the  Tinto  Riv- 
er, in  Andalusia,  on  Friday,  the 
third  of  August,  1492,  and,  spread- 
ing his  sails  to  an  easterly  breeze, 
turned  his  prow  toward  the  waste 
of  waters  in  the  direction  of  the 
setting  sun.  He  had  no  reliable 
chart  for  his  guidance,  no  director 
in  his  course  but  the  sun  and  stars, 
and  the  imperfect  mariner's  com- 
pass, then  used  only  by  a  few  iu 


'  The  vessels  furnished  by  Isabella  were  only  caravels,  light  coasting  ships,  without  decks,  and  furnished 
with  oars  like  the  ancient  galle3's.  The  picture  here  given  is  from  a  low  relief  sculpture,  on  the  tomb  of 
Fernando  Columbus,  a  son  of  the  navigator,  in  the  Cathedral  of  Seville.  Such  a  vessel  would  be  consid- 
ered quite  inadequate  to  perform  a  coasting  voyage  at  the  present  day.  The  larger  vessel,  with  a  deck, 
fitted  out  by  Columbus  and  his  friends,  was  called  the  Santa  Maria  ;  the  caravels  were  named  respect- 
ively Pinta  and  Mina.  INIartin  Alonzo  Pinzon  commanded  the  Pinta.,  and  Vincent  Yanez  Pinzon  the  Miiia. 
Garcia  Fernandez,  the  phj'sician  of  Palos,  accompanied  the  expedition  as  steward.  The  whole  number  of 
persons  that  embarked  was  one  hundred  and  twenty.  The  whole  expenditure  of  the  queen  in  fittinjr  out 
the  caravels  amounted  to  only  seventeen  thousand  florins,  or 
between  eight  and  nine  thousand  dollars.*     These  were  small  .^  —rJ 

preparations  for  an  exploring  expedition  of  such  vast  extent  -    -  -  'i^ 

and  importance. 

The  descendants  of  the  Pinzons  are  still  quite  numerous  in 
the  vicinity  of  Palos.  When  Mr.  Irving  visited  that  town  in 
1 828,  he  saw  the  ruins  of  a  family  mansion  which  belonged  to 
one  of  the  two  Pinzons  who  sailed  with  Columbus  on  his  first 
voyage.  Mr.  Irving  -was  accompanied  in  his  visit  to  Palos,  the 
monastery  of  Ribida,  and  other  localities  in  the  vicinity,  by 
Juan  Fernandez  Pinzon,  a  descendant  of  one  of.  the  compan- 
ions of  Columbus. 

'  The  pile  of  buildings  in  this  view,  standing  upon  the  bluff,  is  llie  ancient  Church  of  St.  George.     For 
*?ome  misdemeanor,  the  people  of  Palos  were  obliged  to  serve  the  crown  for  one  year  with  two  armed  car 

*  This  is  the  amount  given  by  MuRoz,  one  of  the  most  reliable  of  Spanish  authors.    Others  have  named  a  much  higher  sntn 
Dr.  Robertson  rates  the  amount  nt  £4000  sterling,  or  about  $00,000,  but  docs  not  give  his  authority. 


The  Pinzon  Mansion. 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION. 

navigating  the  pleasant  seas  of  the  Old  World.  After  various  delays  at  the  Canary  Islands, 
they  passed  and  lost  sight  of  Ferro,  the  most  westerly  one  of  the  group,  on  Sunday,  the  ninth 
of  September.  Now  Europe  was  left  behind,  and  the  broad  Atlantic,  mysterious  and  un- 
known, was  before  them.  As  the  space  widened  between  them  and  their  homes,  the  hearts 
September  °^  ^^^  mariners  failed  ;  and  when,  on  the  thirteenth,  the  commander  and  his 
^^^^-  pilots  discovered  the  variations  of  the  magnetic  needle,  misgivings  arose  in  the 

stout  hearts  of  the  explorer  and  his  friends,  the  Pinzons.  They  were  now  six  hundred 
miles  westward  of  the  Canaries,  in  an  unknown  sea.  It  was  a  phenomenon  unknown  to 
the  world  of  science,  and  Columbus  tried  in  vain  to  satisfy  himself  respecting  the  cause. 
He  could  not  long  conceal  the  fact  from  his  seamen.  It  filled  them  with  consternation 
and  awe ;  for  they  believed  they  were  entering  another  world,  subject  to  the  influence  of  laws 
unknown  and  dreadful.  Columbus  quieted  their  apprehensions  by  telling  them  that  the  nee- 
dle did  not  point  to  the  north  star,  but  to  an  invisible  point  around  which  that  star  revolved 
daily.  Thus  he  explained  a  phenomenon  now  well  known  ;  and  his  companions,  relying 
upon  his  astronomical  knowledge,  received  his  theory  as  truth,  and  their  alarm  subsided. 

For  several  days  after  this  event  they  were  wafted  pleasantly  by  the  trade  winds,  which 
blow  continually  from  east  to  west.  The  air  was  balmy,  and  soon  vast  fields  of  sea-weeds, 
and  an  occasional  petrel  upon  the  wing,  heralded  an  approach  to  land  ;  but  head  winds 
and  days  of  profound  calm  deferred  the  joyful  consummation  of  their  hopes  ;  and  the  sea- 
men, wearied  and  home-sick,  resolved  to  retrace  their  path,  and  seek  the  shores  of  Spain. 
Even  the  little  land  birds  that  came  upon  the  spars,  and  sung  merrily  their  welcome  to  the 
New  World,  and  then  left  at  evening  for  their  distant  perches  in  the  orange  groves,  failed 
to  inspire  the  mariners  with  confidence  in  the  truth  of  their  commander's  reasonings,  and 
open  mutiny  manifested  itself  With  gentle  words,  promises  of  rewards,  and  threats  of 
punishment  against  the  most  refractory,  Columbus  kept  them  from  actual  violence  for  sev- 
eral days.  One  evening,  just  at  sunset,  Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  mounted  on 
the  stern  of  the  Pinta,  shouted,  "Land  !  land  I  Senor,  I  claim  the  reward  !'" 
Along  the  southwestern  horizon  was  stretched  an  apparent  island.  Columbus,  throwing 
himself  upon  his  knees,  with  all  the  crews,  chanted  Gloria  in  Excelsis  !  In  the  morning 
the  island  had  vanished,  for  it  was  nothing  but  a  cloud.  For  a  fortnight  longer  they  floated 
upon  an  almost  unruffled  sea,  when  land  birds  came  singing  again,  and  green  herbage  floated 
by  ;  but  days  passed  on,  and  the  sun,  each  evening,  set  in  the  waves.  Again  the  seamen 
mutinied,  and  Columbus  was  in  open  defiance  with  his  crew  ;  for  he  told  them  that  the 
expedition  had  been  sent  by  their  sovereigns,  and,  come  what  might,  he  was  determined  to 
accomplish  his  purpose.  They  were  on  the  point  of  casting  him  into  the  sea,  when,  just  at 
sunset,  a  coast-fish  glided  by  ;  a  branch  of  thorn,  with  berries  upon  it,  floated  near ;  and  a  staff, 
artificially  carved,  came  upon  the  waters  to  tell  them  of  human  habitations  not  far  off. 
The  vesper  hymn  to  the  Virgin  was  now  sung,  and  Columbus,  after  recounting  the  bless- 
ings of  God  thus  far  manifested  on  the  voyage,  assured  the  crews  that  he  confidently  ex- 
pected to  see  land  in  the  morning.      On  the  high  poop  of  his  vessel  he  sat  watching  until 


aueZs.  They  were  under  this  penalty  when  Columbus  made  his  an-angement  with  Isabella,  and  they  were 
ordered  to  fit  out  the  two  caravels  for  the  expedition.  In  the  porch  of  the  old  Church  of  St.  George,  Co- 
lumbus first  proclaimed  this  order  to  the  inhabitants  of  Palos.  Mr.  Irving,  who  visited  Palos  in  1828,  says 
of  this  edifice,  "  It  has  lately  been  thoroughly  repaired,  and,  being  of  solid  mason-work,  promises  to  stand 
for  ages,  a  monument  of  the  discoverers.  It  stands  outside  of  the  village,  on  the  brow  of  a  hill,  looking 
along  a  little  valley  to  the  river.  The  remains  of  a  Moorish  arch  prove  it  to  have  been  a  mosque  in  former 
times.     Just  above  it,  on  the  crest  of  the  hill,  is  the  ruin  of  a  Moorish  castle." 

'  Columbus  agreed  to  give  a  silk  waistcoat,  besides  the  royal  pension  of  thirty  dollars,  to  the  person  who 
first  discovered  land. — Munoz 


INTRODUCTION. 


near  midnight,  wlien  he  saw  the  glimmer  of  moving  lights  upon  the  verge  of  the  horizon. 
Fearing  his  hopes  might  have  deceived  his  vision,  he  called  Pedro  Gutierrez,  gentleman  of 
the  king's  bed-chamber,  and  also  Hodrigo 
Sanchez,  of  Segovia,  to  confirm  his  dis- 
covery. They  also  saw  the  gleams  of 
a  torch.  All  night  the  overjoyed  Co- 
•umbus  watched.  At  dawn,  beautiful 
wooded  shores  were  in  full  view  ;  the 
perfumes  of  flowers  came  upon  the  light 
land  breeze  ;  and  birds  in  gorgeous  plu- 
mage hovered  around  the  vessels,  carol- 
ing morning  hymns,  which  seemed  like 
the  voices  of  angels  to  the  late  despair- 
October  12  ^"S  seamen.  In  small  boats 
'■'^^  they  landed,  the  naked  na- 
tives, who  stood  upon  the  beach  in  vi'on- 
der,  fleeing  to  the  deep  shadows  of  the 
forest  in  alarm.  Columbus,  dressed  in 
gold -embroidered  scarlet,  bearing  the 
royal  standard,  first  stepped  upon  the 
shore.  He  was  followed  by  the  Pinzons, 
each  bearing  the  banner  of  the  enter- 
prise.' On  reaching  the  land,  they  all  fell 
upon  their  knees, 
kissed  the  earth, 
and,  with  tears  of 
joy  in  their  eyes, 
chanted  the  Te 
Deum       Lauda- 

771US.  Rising  from  the  ground,  Columbus  displayed  the  royal  stand- 
ard, drew  his  sword,  and  took  possession  of  the  land  in  the  name  of 
the  Spanish  sovereigns,  giving  the  island  the  title  of  San  Salvador " 
With  the  most  extravagant  demonstrations  of  joy,  his  followers 
crowded  around  him.  The  most  insolent  in  the  mutinous  displays 
were  the  most  abject  in  making  vows  of  service  and  faithfulness. 
All  present  took  an  oath  of  obedience  to  him  as  admiral  and  viceroy, 
and  representative  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  The  triumph  of  Co- 
lumbus was  complete. 

The  natives  had  beheld  the  approaching  ships  at  dawn  with  fear 


Landing  of  Columbus. 3 


Banner  of  the  Expedi- 
tion. 


'  This  was  a  white  banner,  emblazoned  with  a  green  cross,  having  on  each  side  the  letters  F.  and  Y., 
the  Spanish  initials  of  Ferdinand  and  Ysabel,  surmounted  by  golden  crowns. 

2  The  island  on  which  Columbus  first  set  his  foot  in  the  New  World  is  one  of  the  Lucayas  or  Bahama 
group,  and  was  called  by  the  natives  Guanahana.  The  Spaniards  and  others  still  call  it  San  Salvidor  ; 
the  English  have  given  it  the  vulgar  name  of  Cat  Island.  It  lies  between  the  twenty-fourth  and  twenty- 
fifth  degrees  of  north  latitude,  and  the  second  and  third  degrees  of  longitude  east  of  the  meridian  of  Wash- 
ington city,  eighty  or  ninety  miles  northeast  of  Havana,  Cuba.  Munoz,  a  learned  Spanish  writer,  thinks 
Watling's  Island,  and  not  the  one  called  San  Salvador  on  our  maps,  was  the  first  landing-place. 

2  This  is  copied,  by  permission  of  the  author,  from  Irving's  Life  of  Columbus.  It  is  a  fac-simile  of  a 
sketch  supposed  to  have  been  made  by  Columbus,  in  a  letter  written  by  him  to  Don  Raphael  Xansis,  treas 
urer  of  the  King  of  Spain. 


xxvi  "  INTRODUCTION. 

and  awe,  regarding  them  as  monsters  of  the  deep.  By  degrees  their  alarm  subsided,  and 
they  approached  the  Europeans.  Each  party  was  a  wonder  to  the  other.  The  glittering 
armor,  shining  lace,  and  many-colored  dresses  of  the  Spaniards  filled  the  natives  with  admi- 
ration and  delight ;  while  they,  entirely  naked,  with  skins  of  a  dark  copper  hue,  painted 
with  a  variety  of  colors  and  devices,  without  beards  and  with  straight  hair,  were  objects 
of  great  curiosity  to  the  Spaniards.  They  were  unlike  any  people  of  whom  they  had  knowl- 
edge. Not  doubting  that  he  was  upon  an  island  near  the  coast  of  Farther  India,  Colum- 
bus called  these  wild  inhabitants  Indians,  a  name  which  all  the  native  tribes  of  America 
still  retain. 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  my  design  to  relate,  in  detail,  the  subsequent  career  of  Co- 
lumbus in  the  path  of  discovery,  nor  of  those  navigators  who  succeeded  him,  and  share  with 
him  the  honor  of  making  known  our  continent  to  the  Old  World.  He  was  the  bold  pio- 
neer who  led  the  way  to  the  New  World,  and  as  such,  deserves  the  first  and  highest  reward ; 
yet  he  was  not  truly  the  first  discoverer  of  the  continent  of  North  America.  Eager  in 
his  search  for  Cathay,  he  coasted  almost  every  island  composing  the  groups  now  known  as 
the  West  Indies,  during  his  several  voyages,  but  he  never  saw  the  shores  of  the  Northern 
,  .  Continent.  He  did,  indeed,  touch  the  soil  of  South  America,  near  the  mouth  of 
1498.  ^jjg  Oronoco,  but  he  supposed  it  to  be  an  island,  and  died  in  the  belief  that  the 
lands  he  had  discovered  were  portions  of  Farther  India.* 

Intelligence  of  the  great  discovery  of  Columbus,  though  kept  concealed  as  much  as  pos- 
sible by  the  Spanish  court,  for  reasons  of  state  policy,  nevertheless  went  abroad,  and  aroused 
the  ambition  of  other  maritime  powers.  The  story  that  Columbus  had  found  vast  and  pop- 
ulous gold-producing  regions  in  the  Western  Ocean  excited  the  cupidity  of  individuals,  and 

^  Columbus  returned  to  Europe  in  March,  1493.  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  bestowed  upon  him  every 
mark  of  honor  and  distinction,  and  the  nobles  were  obsequious  in  their  attentions  to  the  favorite  of  royalty. 
On  the  25th  of  September,  1493,  he  left  Cadiz,  on  a  second  voyage  of  discovery.  He  had  three  large  ships 
and  fourteen  caravels  under  his  command.  His  discoveries  were  principally  among  the  West  India  Islands, 
where  he  founded  settlements.  He  returned  to  Spain  in  June,  1496.  Misfortunes  had  attended  him,  yel 
the  sovereigns  treated  him  with  distinguished  favor.  On  the  30th  of  May,  1498,  Columbus  sailed  from 
San  Lucar  de  Barrameda,  with  a  squadron  of  six  vessels,  on  a  third  voyage  of  discovery.  He  found  the 
settlements  which  had  been  planted  in  great  confusion,  and  civil  war  among  the  Spaniards  and  natives  was 
rife  in  Hispaniola.  In  the  mean  while,  intrigues  against  him  were  having  due  weight  in  the  Spanish  court, 
[t  was  alleged  that  Columbus  designed  to  found  an  empire  in  the  New  World,  cast  off  all  allegiance  to 
Spain,  and  assume  the  title  and  pomp  of  king.  He  had  already  offended  the  conscientious  Isabella  by 
persisting  in  making  slaves  of  the  natives,  and  she  readily  gave  her  consent  to  send  out  a  commissioner  to 
investigate  the  conduct  of  the  navigator.  Bobadilla,  a  tool  of  Columbus's  enemies,  was  intrusted  with  that 
momentous  duty ;  and,  as  might  have  been  expected,  he  foimd  Columbus  guilty  of  every  charge  made 
against  him.  Bobadilla  seized  Columbus,  and  sent  him  in  chains  to  Spain.  His  appearance  excited  the 
indio-nation  of  the  sovereigns,  and  they  declared  to  the  world  that  Bobadilla  had  exceeded  his  instruc- 
tions ;  yet  justice  was  •withheld,  through  the  influence  of  Ferdinand,  and  Columbus  was  not  reinstated  as 
viceroy  of  Hispaniola. 

While  these  events  were  occurring,  Vasco  de  Gama,  a  Portuguese  navigator,  had  reached  Calicut,  in 
the  East  Indies,  by  doubling  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  traversing  the  Indian  Ocean.  But  Columbui 
still  persevered  in  his  determination  to  reach  Asia  by  a  western  route.  He  induced  Isabella  to  fit  out  a 
fourth  expedition  for  him,  and  on  the  9th  of  May,  1502,  he  sailed  for  Hispaniola.  After  many  troubles  and 
hardships,  he  returned  to  Spain  in  1 504.  His  patron  and  best  friend,  the  queen,  died  that  same  year. 
Old  age  had  made  its  deep  furrows,  and,  in  the  midst  of  disappointment  and  neglect,  the  great  discoverer 
died  on  the  20th  of  May,  1506,  at  the  age  of  seventy.  He  never  realized  his  grand  idea  of  reaching  India 
by  a  western  route.  The  honor  of  that  achievement  was  reserved  for  the  expedition  of  Magellan,  fourteen 
years  after  the  death  of  Columbus.  That  navigator  passed  through  the  straits  which  bear  his  name,  at 
the  southern  extremity  of  our  continent,  and  launched  boldly  out  upon  the  broad  Pacific.  He  died  on  the 
ocean,  but  his  vessels  reached  the  Philippine  Islands,  near  the  coast  of  India,  in  safety.  Magellan  gave  the 
tame  of  Pacific  to  the  pleasant  ocean  over  which  he  was  sailing. 


INTRODUCTION. 


many  adventurers  offered  their  services  to  sovereigns  and  men  of  wealth.  Almost  simulta- 
neously, Sebastian  Cabot,  of  Bristol,  and  Amerigo  Vespucci,  a  Florentine,  sailed  for 
the  lands  discovered  by  Columbus  ;  the  former  under  the  auspices,  of  Henry  the  Seventh  of 
England,  and  the  latter  in  the  employment  of  Spanish  merchants,  w^ith  the  sanction  of  Fer- 
dinand, Cabot's  father  was  an  Italian,  and  had  been  long  a  resident  of  Bristol,  then  the 
chief  commercial  mart  of  England.  The  Northwestern  seas  were  often  traversed  as  far  as 
Iceland  by  the  Bristol  mariners,  and  they  had  probably  extended  their  voyages  westward  to 
Greenland  in  their  fishing  enterprises.  Cabot  seems  to  have  been  familiar  with  those  seas, 
and  the  English  merchants  had  great  confidence  in  his  abilities.  He  obtained  a  commis- 
sion from  Henry  the  Seventh,  similar,  in  its  general  outline,  to  that  given  to  Columbus  by 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  It  empowered  him  and  his  three  sons,  their  heirs  or  deputies,  to 
discover  and  settle  unknown  lands  in  the  Eastern,  Northern,  or  Western  seas,  such  lands 
to  be  taken  possession  of  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  England.  He  fitted  out  two  vessels 
at  his  own  expense,  which  were  freighted  by  merchants  of  London  and  Bristol ;  and  it  was 
stipulated  that,  in  lieu  of  all  customs  and  imposts,  Cabot  was  to  pay  to  the  King  one  fifth 
part  of  all  the  gains. 

Cabot's  son,  Sebastian,  a  talented  young  man  of  only  twenty  years,  with  aboutthree  hund- 
red men,  sailed  from  harbor  of  Bris- 
tol in  May,  1497.  He  directed  his 
course  to  the  northwest,  until  he  reach- 
ed the  fifty-eighth  degree  of  north  lat- 
itude, when  floating  ice  and  intense 
cold  induced  him  to  steer  to  the  south- 
west. Fair  winds  produced  a  rapid 
voyage,  and  he  discovered  land  on  the 
twenty-fourth  of  June,  which  he  call- 
ed Prima  Vista,  because  it  was  his 
jirst  view  of  a  new  region.  The  ex- 
act point  of  this  first  discovery  is  not 
certainly  known  ;  some  supposing  it  to 
have  been  on  the  coast  of  Labrador, 
and  others  the  Island  of  Newfound- 
land or  the  peninsula  of  Nova  Scotia. 
He  touched  at  other  points,  but  did 
not  attempt  a  settlement ;  the  climate 
seemed  too  rigorous,  the  people  too 
fierce,  and  he  returned  to  Bristol. 
Cabot  made    arrangements    for   a 

second  voyage.      He  did  not 

go  in  person,  but  fitted  out 
vessels  for  the  purpose.  His  son,  Sebastian,  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  expedition,  and 
in  May,  1498,  the  month  in  which  De  Gama  reached  Calicut,  in  the  East  Indies,  byway 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  he  sailed  for  the  New  World  with  several  ships.  He  visited 
the  region  first  discovered  by  his  father  and  himself,  and  called  it  Newfoundland.  It  was 
not  rich  in  gold  and  spices,  but  its  shoals  abounded  with  vast  schools  of  codfish  ;  and  within 
a  few  years  after  his  return  to  England  a  permanent  fishery  was  established  there.  Cabot 
sailed  along  the  whole  coast  of  the  present  United  States,  beginning  at  latitude  fifty-six 
degrees,  and  terminating  at  about  thirty-six  degrees,  or  Albemarle  Sound.  His  provisions 
ailing,  he  returned  to  England.     He  made  another  voyage  in  1517.  as  fai  south  as  the 


February, 

1498. 


Sebastian  Cabot. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Brazils  ;  but  failing  to  discover  a  western  passage  to  the  East  Indies,  fae  again  returned  to 

England.' 

Tn  the  same  month  when  young  Cabot  sailed  from  Bristol,  Amerigo  Vespucci  departed 

from  Cadiz  on  his  first  voyage  to  the  New 
World.     In  that  voyage  he  appears 

,        ,  .  May,  1497 

to  have  held  a  subordmate  station. 
The  expedition  under  Ojeda,  which  Amerigo 
calls  his  second  voyage,  was  not  undertaken 
until  1499.  Whether  any  vessel  in  that  ex- 
pedition was  under  his  command  is  question- 
able. Spanish  writers  assert  to  the  contrary, 
and  say  that  he  was  first  a  captain  when  in 
the  service  of  Emanuel  of  Portugal ;  but  it 
is  not  my  province  to  inquire  into  this  dis- 
puted matter.  Spanish  historians,  jealous  of 
the  fame  of  Columbus,  charge  Vespucci  with 
falsehood  and  fraud  ;  but  early  Spanish  au- 
thors were  not  always  scrupulous  in  regard  to 
truth  when  national  pride  demanded  prevari- 
amerigo  vespucci.2  cation,  or  even  absolute  falsehood.     It  was 


^  After  his  second  voyage,  Sebastian  Cabot  was  invited  to  Spain,  and  sailed  on  a  voyage  of  discovery, 
in  the  service  of  the  Spanish  monarch,  in  1525.  He  visited  Brazil,  and,  coasting  southward  to  the  thirty- 
fifth  deo-ree,  he  entered  a  large  river,  which  he  called  Rio  de  la  Plata.  Up  this  river  he  sailed  one  hundred 
and  twenty  leagues.  After  an  absence  of  sk  years,  he  returned  to  Spain,  but  seems  not  to  have  been  well 
received  by  the  sovereign.  He  made  other,  but  less  conspicuous  voyages,  and  in  his  old  age  retired  to 
Bristol,  where  he  died  about  the  year  1557,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  received  a  pension  from  Ed- 
ward the  Sixth,  and  was  appointed  governor  of  a  company  of  merchants  associated  for  the  purpose  of 
making  discoveries. 

*  The  name  of  the  Florentine  is  variously  spelled,  Amerigo  Vespucci,  Americus  Vespucius,  Amerigo 
Vespuche.  The  latter  orthography  is  according  to  the  entry  in  an  account-book  containing  the  expenditure 
of  the  treasurer  of  the  royal  mercantile  house  of  Seville,  quoted  by  Muiioz,  tome  i.,  page  xix  of  the  Intro- 
duction. It  appears  by  that  account,  that  on  the  24th  of  February,  1512,  was  paid  to  Manuel  Catano, 
executor  of  the  will  of  Amerigo,  "  10937  and  a  half  maravedis,"  which  was  due  to  him  for  services  as 
chief  steersman  to  his  majesty.  Amerigo  was  appointed  to  that  office  in  March,  1508,  with  a  salary 
of  50,000  maravedis  a  year. 

Whether  he  ever  commanded  an  expedition  in  the  Spanish  service  is  a  disputed  question.  He  made 
several  voyages  to  the  New  World  between  1497  and  1512,  the  year  of  his  death.  With  an  expedition 
under  the  command  of  Ojeda,  in  1499,  he  visited  the  Antilles  and  the  coast  of  Guiana  and  Venezuela. 
On  his  return,  Emanuel,  king  of  Portugal,  invited  hira  to  his  capital,  and  gave  him  the  command  of  three 
ships  for  a  voyage  of  discovery.  He  left  Lisbon  May  10th,  1501,  visited  Bi-azil,  and  traversed  the  coast 
of  Soufh  America  as  far  as  Patagonia,  but  failed  to  discover  the  straits  through  which  Magellan  passed  at  a 
later  day.  He  returned  to  Lisbon  in  1502.  He  made  a  fourth  voyage,  and  returned  to  Portugal  in  1504. 
Soon  after  this  he  wrote  an  account  of  his  voyage.  The  book  was  dedicated  to  Rene  II.,  duke  of  Lor- 
raine. He  again  entered  the  service  of  the  King  of  Spain,  who  appointed  him  to  draw  sea-charts,  and 
gave  him  the  title  and  salary  of  chief  steersman  or  pilot,  which  commission  he  held  until  his  death.  Ac- 
cording to  some  accounts,  he  died  in  the  Island  of  Terceria,  one  of  the  Azores,  in  1514;  others  affirm  that 
his  death  occurred  at  Seville. 

The  portrait  of  the  navigator,  here  given,  was  copied,  by  permission,  from  the  original  picture  by  Bron- 
zino,  now  in  possession  of  C.  Edwards  Lester,  Esq.,  late  United  States  consul  at  Genoa.  It  was  commit- 
ted to  his  care  by  the  Vespucci  family,  to  be  placed  in  the  possession  of  our  government.  No  arrange- 
ment for  its  purchase  has  yet  been  made.  I  believe. 

An  Italian  woman  named  Elena  Vespucci,  bearing  proofs  of  her  lineal  descent  from  the  famous  navi- 
gator, came  to  America  a  few  years  ago,  and  made  application  to  our  Congress  for  a  grant  of  land,  on  ac- 
count of  her  relationship  to  the  Florentine  from  whom  our  continent  derived  its  name.     Subsequently,  her 


INTRODUCTION.  xxix 

natural  that  they  should  be  tender  of  the  reputation  of  Columbus,  although  he  was  not  a 
Spaniard,  for  his  discoveries  reflected  great  luster  upon  the  Spanish  crown.      For  this  reason 
they  have  ever  disputed  the  claims  of  Vespucci,  and  denounced  him  as  a  liar  and  a  char- 
latan.     These  denunciations,  however,  prove  nothing,  and  the  fame  of  Columbus  loses  none 
of  its  brightness  by  admitting  the  claims  of  the  Florentine  ;   claims,  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged, that  have  sound  logic  and  fair  inferences  as  a  basis.      Amerigo  seems  to  have  been 
the  first  who  published  an  account  of  the  discoveries  in  the  New  World,  and  for  this  pri- 
ority the  narrow  and  selfish  policy  of  the  Spanish  government  is  responsible.      His  first  an- 
nouncement was  made  in  a  letter  to  Lorenzo  de  Medici,  a  and  soon  afterward  he  pub- 
lished a  volume  giving  an  account  of  his  four  voyages,  which  he  dedicated  to  the 
Duke  of  Lorraine. b      In  these  he  claims  the  merit  of  discovering  the  continent,  hav- 
ing landed  upon  the  coast  of  Paria,c  ia  Colombia,  South  America,  and  traversed  the 
shores,  according  to  his  own  account,  as  far  northward  as  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.      If  this 
statement  is  true,  he  visited  the  continent  nearly  a  year  previous  to  the  landing  of  Colum 
bus  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oronoco,  in  the  same  district  of  Paria.      From  the  circumstance 
of  Amerigo  making  the  first  publication  on  the  subject,  and  claiming  to  be  the  discoverer  of 
the  continent,  the  New  World  was  called  America,  and  the  Florentine  bears  the  honor  of 
the  name  ;   but  to  neither  Columbus  nor  Vespucci  does  the  honor  of  first  discoverer  of  Amer- 
ica properly  belong,  but  to  young  Cabot,  for  he  and  his  crew  first  saw  its  soil  and  inhabit- 
ants.     He  alone,  of  all  those  voyagers  in  the  fifteenth  century,  beheld  North  America. 
Whether  to  Columbus,  Vespucci,  or  Cabot,  truth  should  award  the  palm,  Italy  bears  the 
imperishable  and  undisputed  honor  of  giving  birth  to  all  three. 

The  expeditions  of  the  Cabots  turned  attention  to  the  regions  north  of  the  West  India 
Islands.  Emanuel  of  Portugal  dispatched  some  vessels,  under  the  command  of  Caspar 
Cortereal,  in  1501,  to  follow  in  the  track  of  the  English.  Cortereal  sailed  between  two 
and  three  hundred  leagues  along  the  North  American  coast,  but  his  voyage  was  fruitless  of 
good  results,  either  to  science  or  humanity.  He  made  few  discoveries  of  land,  carried  on  no 
traffic,  planted  no  settlements,  but  kidnapped  and  carried  to  Portugal  several  friendly  na- 
tives, to  be  sold  as  slaves  I  Perfidy  and  cruelty  marked  the  first  intercourse  of  the  whites 
with  the  tribes  of  our  continent  ;  is  it  to  be  wondered  that  the  bitter  fruits  of  suspicion  and 
hostility  should  have  flourished  among  them  ? 

Ponce  de  Leon,  one  of  the  companions  of  Columbus,  and  first  governor  of  Porto  Rico,  a 
small  island  sixty  miles  east  of  Haiti,  sailed  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  among  the  Ba- 
hamas, in  search  of  the  fabled  Fountain  of  Youth.  It  was  generally  believed  in  Porto 
Rico,  and  the  story  had  great  credence  in  Old  Spain,  that  the  waters  of  a  clear  spring,  bub- 
bling up  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  forest,  upon  an  island  among  the  Bahamas,  possessed  the 
singular  property  of  restoring  age  and  ugliness  to  youth  and  beauty,  and  perpetuating  the 
lives  of  those  who  should  bathe  in  its  stream.  De  Leon  was  an  old  man,  and,  impressed 
with  the  truth  of  this  legend,  he  sought  that  wonderful  fountain.  After  cruising  for  a  while 
among  the  Bahamas,  he  landed  upon  the  peninsula  of  Florida,  in  the  harbor  of  St.  Augus- 
tine. It  was  on  Palm  Sunday  when  he  debarked.  That  day  is  called  by  the  Spaniards 
Pasqua  de  Flores,  and,  partly  from  that  circumstance,  and  partly  on  account  of  the  great 
profusion  of  flowers  which,  at  that  early  season  of  the  year,  were  blooming  on  every  side, 

brother  and  two  sisters,  Amerigo,  Eliza,  and  Teresa  Vespucci,  made  a  similar  petition  to  Congress.  They 
mention  the  fact  that  Elena,  "  possessing  a  disposition  somewhat  indocile  and  unmanageable,  absented  her- 
self from  her  father's  house,  and  proceeded  to  London.  Hence  she  crossed  the  ocean,  and  landed  upon  the 
shores  of  Brazil,  at  Rio  Janeiro.  From  that  city  she  proceeded  to  Washington,  the  capital  of  the  United 
States."  Elena  Vespucci  was  treated  with  respect.  Possessed  of  youth  and  beauty,  she  attracted  much 
attention  at  the  metropolis,  but  the  prayer  in  the  petition  of  both  herself  and  family  was  denied.  Sh»  was 
living  at  Ogdensburgh,  New  York,  when  I  visited  that  place  in  1848. 


XXX  INTRODUCTION. 

Ponce  de  Leon  gave  the  country  (which  he  supposed  to  be  a  large  island  like  Cuba)  the 
name  of  Florida.  He  took  formal  possession  in  the  name  of  the  Spanish  monarch  ;  but, 
feeling  unauthorized  to  proceed  to  making  conquests  without  a  royal  commission,  he  sailed 
for  Spain  to  obtain  one,  after  failing  in  his  search  after  the  Fountain  of  Youth. 

He  had  plunged  into  every  stream,  however  turbid,  with  the  vain  expectation  of  rising 
from  it  young  and  blooming  ;  but,  according  to  Oviedo,  instead  of  returning  to  vigorous 
youth,  he  arrived  at  a  second  childhood  within  a  few  years.  He  was  afterward  appointed 
Governer  of  Florida,  and  was  killed  while  on  an  expedition  against  the  natives. 

While  Ponce  de  Leon  was  in  Europe,  where  he  remained  several  years,  some  wealthy 
gentlemen  of  Haiti  fitted  out  two  vessels  to  explore  the  Bahamas,  The  squadron  was 
commanded  by  Lucas  Vasquez  d'Aillon  or  AUyon,  a  Spanish  navigator.  Their  ves- 
sels were  driven  northward  by  a  hurricane,  and  came  near  being  stranded  upon  the  low 
coasts.  They  finally  made  land  in  St.  Helen's  Sound,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Combahee 
River,  in  South  Carolina,  about  half  way  between  Charleston  and  Savannah.  D'Aillon 
called  the  river  Jordan,  and  the  country  Chicora.  He  carried  off  several  natives,  whom  he 
enticed  on  board  Tiis  ships,  with  the  intention  of  selling  them  as  slaves  in  Haiti.  A  storm 
destroyed  one  of  the  vessels,  and  the  captured  Indians  in  the  other  voluntarily  starved  them- 
selves to  death,  so  the  avaricious  whites  were  disappointed  in  their  expectations  of  gain. 
D'Aillon  afterward  returned,  with  three  ships,  to  conquer  the  whole  of  Chicora.  The  na- 
tives feigned  friendship,  decoyed  the  whites  on  shore,  and  then,  with  poisoned  arrows,  mas- 
sacred nearly  the  whole  of  them,  in  revenge  for  their  former  perfidy.  But  few  returned 
with  D'Aillon  to  Haiti.      This  was  the  first  discovery  of  the  Carolina  coast. 

While  these  events  were  in  progress,  Cortez,  at  the  head  of  an  expedition  fitted  out  by 
Velasquez,  the  governor  of  Cuba,  was  destroying  the  empire  of  Montezuma,  in  Mexico,  then 
recently  discovered.      The  success  of  Cortez  excited  the  jealousy  of  Velasquez,  for  he  feared 
a  renunciation  of  his  authority  by  that  bold  leader.      He  sent  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez,  with 
a  strong  force,  to  arrest  and  supersede  Cortez  ;  but  be  was  defeated,  and  most  of  his  troops 
joined  his  enemy.      Narvaez  afterward  obtained  from  the  Spanish  court  a  commission  as 
adelantado  or  Governor  of  Florida,  a  territory  quite  indefinite  in  extent,  reaching  from  the 
southern  capes  of  the  peninsula  to  the  Panuco  R-iver  in  Mexico.      With  a  force  of  three 
April  22      hundred  men,  eighty  of  whom  were  well  mounted,  Narvaez  landed  in  Florida, 
1528.        where  he  raised  the  royal  standard,  and  took  possession  of  the  country  for  the 
crown  of  Spain.      With  the  hope  of  finding  some  wealthy  region  like  Mexico  and  Peru,  he 
penetrated  the  vast  swamps  and  everglades  in  the  interior  of  the  flat  country  along  the 
northern  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.      His  men  suffered  terribly  from  the  almost  daily 
attacks  of  the  natives  and  the  nightly  assaults  of  the  deadly  malaria  of  the  fens.      They 
reached  the  fertile  regions  of  the  Appalachians  ;  but  the  capital  of  the  tribe,  in- 
stead of  being  a  gorgeous  city  like  Mexico  or  Cuzco,  was  a  mean  village  of  two 
hundred  huts  and  wigwams.      Disappointed,  and  one  third  of  his  number  dead,  Narvaez 
turned  southward,  reached  the  Gulf  near  the  present  site  of  St.  Mark's,  on  the  Appalachie 
Bay,  constructed  five  frail  barks,  and  launched  upon  the  waters.      Nearly  all  his  men,  with 
himself,  perished  during  a  storm.      Four  of  the  crew,  who  were  saved,  wandered  for  years 
through  the  wild  regions  of  Louisiana  and  Texas,  and  finally  reached  a  Spanish  set- 
tlement in  Northern  Mexico.      These  men  gave  the  first  intelligence  of  the  fate  of  the 
expedition. 

Two  years  after  the  return  of  these  members  of  the  expedition  of  Narvaez,  Fernando  de 

Soto  planned  an  expedition  to  explore  the  interior  of  Florida,  as  all  North  America 

was  then  called,  in  search  of  a  populous  and  wealthy  region  supposed  to  exist  there. 

By  permission  of  the  Spanish  monarch,  he  undertook  the  exploration  and  conquest  of  Florida 


INTRODUCTION. 


At  his  own  risk  and  expense.     He  was  commissioned  governor-general  of  that  country 
and  of  Cuba  for  life.      Leaving  his  wife  to  govern  Cuba  during  his  absence,  he  sailed  in 

June,  1539,  and  landed  at  Tampa  Bay  with 


a  force  of  six  hundred  men  in  com- 


Junc  25, 
1539. 


Fernando  de  Soto. 


plete  armor.  There  he  established  a 
small  garrison,  and  then  sent  most  of  the  ves- 
sels of  his  fleet  back  to  Cuba.  He  found  a 
Spaniard,  one  of  Narvaez's  men,  who  had 
learned  the  native  language.  Taking  him 
with  him  as  interpreter,  De  Soto  marched 
with  his  force  into  the  interior.  For  five 
months  they  wandered  among  the  swamps 
and  everglades,  fighting  their  way  against  the 
natives,  when  they  reached  the  fertile  region 
of  the  Flint  River,  in  the  western  part  of 
Georgia.  There  they  passed  the  winter,  with- 
in a  few  leagues  of  the  Gulf,  making,  through 
exploring  parties,  some  new  discoveries,  among 
which  was  the  harbor  of  Pensacola.  Early 
in  May  they  broke  up  their  encampment, 
and,  marching  northeasterly,  reached  the  head-waters  of  the  Savannah  River.  After 
a  brief  tarry  there,  they  turned  their  faces  westward,  and,  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  October, 
came  upon  a  fortified  town,  near  the  junction  of  the  Alabama  and  Tombeckbee  Rivers.  A 
severe  battle  of  nine  hours'  duration  ensued.  Several  thousands  of  the  half-naked  Indian.? 
were  slain,  and  their  village  reduced  to  ashes.  Several  of  the  mailed  Spaniards  were  killed, 
and  the  victory  availed  De  Soto  nothing.  All  his  baggage  was  consumed,  and  much  pro- 
vision was  destroyed. 

The  wild  tribes,  for  many  leagues  around,  were  aroused  by  this  event.  De  Soto  went 
into  winter  quarters  in  a  deserted  Indian  village  on  the  Yazoo.  There  he  was  attacked 
by  the  swarming  natives,  bent  on  revenge.  The  town  was  burned,  all  the  clothing  of  the 
Spaniards,  together  with  many  horses  and  nearly  all  the  swine  which  they  brought  from 
Cuba,  were  destroyed  or  carried  away,  and  several  of  the  whites  were  killed.  Early  in  the 
spring  the  shorn  invaders  pushed  westward,  and  discovered  the  Mississippi.  They  crossed 
it  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  and  traversed  the  country  on  its  western  shore  up  to  the  thirty- 
seventh  degree,  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  They  penetrated  the  wilderness 
almost  three  hundred  miles  west  of  the  Mississippi  during  the  summer,  and  wintered  upon 
the  Washita,  in  Arkansas.  They  passed  down  the  Red  River  to  the  Mississippi  in  the 
spring,  where  De  Soto  sickened  and  died. a-  He  had  appointed  a  successor,  who  now  ^  May  3i 
attempted  to  lead  the  remnant  of  the  expedition  to  Spanish  settlements  in  Mexico.  ^°'^~' 
For  several  months  they  wandered  in  the  wilderness,  but  returned  in  December, !> 
to  winter  upon  the  Mississippi,  a  short  distance  above  the  mouth  of  the  Red  River. 
There  they  constructed  seven  large  boats,  and  in  July  following  embarked  in  them.  On 
reaching  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  they  crawled  cautiously  along  its  sinuous  coast,  until  the  twen- 
tieth of  September,  when,  half  naked  and  almost  famished,  they  reached  a  white  settlement 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Panuco  River,  about  thirty  miles  north  of  Tampico. 

While  the  Spaniards  were  making  these  useless  discoveries  of  the  southern  regions  of  our 
Republic  along  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  French  fitted  out  several  expeditions  to  explore  the 
coast  between  the  peninsula  of  Florida  and  the  banks  of  Newfoundland.  John  Verrazzani, 
a  celebrated  Florentine  navigator,  proceeded  to  America  with  a  squadron  of  four  ships,  undei 


blS-lS 


xxxll 


INTRODUCTION. 


Vebbazzani. 


the  auspices  of  Francis  the  First  of  France,  in  1523.      Three  of  his  vessels  were  so  dam 
ao^ed  by  a  storm  that  they  were  sent  back ;  in  the  fourth,  he  proceeded  on  his  voyage. 

Weathering  a  terrible  tempest,  he  reached  our 
coast  near  the  mouth  of  Cape  Fear  River,  in 
North  Carolina.  He  explored  the  whole  coast 
from  the  Carolinas  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  taking 
formal  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name 
of  the  French  king,  he  called  it  New  France, 
the  title  held  by  Canada  while  it  remained  in 
possession  of  the  French.  Verrazzani  was  fol- 
lowed, the  next  year,  by  Cartier  (also  in  the 
service  of  the  French  king),  who  discovered 
the  Gulf  and  River  St.  Lawrence  ;^  and  soon 
afterward  by  the  Lord  of  Roberval,  a  wealthy 
nobleman,  who  proposed  to  plant  a  colony  in 
the  New  World.  Roberval  failed  in  his  un- 
dertaking, and  returned  to  France.  He  sailed 
on  another  voyage,  and  was  never  heard  of  aft- 
erward. Other  efforts  at  settlement  along  the 
southern  coasts  were  made  by  the  French,  but 
were  unsuccessful.  A  Protestant  French  colony,  planted  in  Florida,  was  destroyed  by  the 
Spaniards  in  1564,  and  over  the  dead  bodies  of  the  Huguenots  the  murderers  placed  the 
inscription,  "We  do  this  not  as  unto  Frenchmen,  but  as  unto  Heretics."  In  1567,  De 
GoLirgues,  a  Gascon  soldier,  fitted  out  an  expedition  at  his  own  expense,  to  avenge  this  out 
rage.  He  surprised  the  Spanish  forts  erected  near  St.  Augustine,  and  hung  the  soldiers  oj 
the  garrison  upon  the  trees.  Over  them  he  placed  the  inscription,  "  I  do  this  not  as  unto 
Spaniards  or  mariners,  but  as  unto  traitors,  robbers,  and  murderers."  Thus  white  people 
were  exterminated  by  white  people,  and  Indians  again  posessed  the  land. 

The  history  of  the  early  discoveries  in  North  America  forms  a  wonderful  chapter  in  the 
great  chronicle  of  human  progress  and  achievements,  and  in  its  details  there  are  narratives 
of  adventure,  prowess,  love,  and  all  the  elements  of  romance,  more  startling  and  attractive 
than  the  most  brilliant  conceptions  of  the  imagination  ever  evolved.  The  story  of  the  prog- 
ress of  settlements  which  followed  is  equally  marvelous  and  attractive.  These  tempt  the 
pen  on  every  side,  but  as  they  are  connected  only  incidentally  with  my  subject,  I  pass  them 
by  with  brevity  of  notice.  In  the  preceding  pages  I  have  taken  a  very  brief  survey  of 
events  in  the  progress  of  discovery  which  opened  the  way  to  settlements  in  the  New  World  ,• 
a  brief  survey  of  the  progress  of  settlements  will  be  found  interwoven  with  the  records  upon 
the  pages  which  follow.  They  are  all  united  by  the  often  invisible  threads  of  God's  prov- 
idence ;  and  each  apparently  insignificant  event  in  the  wondrous  history  of  our  continent  is  a 
link  as  important  in  the  great  chain  of  human  deeds,  directed  by  divine  intelligence,  as  those 
which  arrest  the  attention  and  command  the  admiration  of  the  world.  Never  was  this 
truth  oftener  and  more  strikingly  illustrated  than  in  our  history  of  the  war  for  independ 
ence ;  and  the  student  of  that  history,  desirous  of  understanding  its  true  philosophy,  should 
make  himself  familiar  with  the  antecedents  which  have  a  visible  relation  thereto. 


See  page  178,  vol.  i. 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


THE    REVOLUTION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

"  Our  young  wild  land,  the  free,  the  proud ! 

Uncrush'd  by  power,  unawed  by  fear, 
Her  knee  to  none  but  God  is  bow'd, 

For  Nature  teaches  freedom  here  : 
From  gloom  and  snow  to  light  and  flowers 
Expands  this  heritage  of  ours  : 
Life  with  its  myriad  hopes,  pursuits, 
Spreads  sails,  rears  roofs,  and  gathers  fruits. 
But  pass  two  fleeting  centuries  back ; 

This  land,  a  torpid  giant,  slept, 
Wrapp'd  in  a  mantle  thick  and  black 

That  o'er  its  mighty  frame  had  crept, 
Since  stars  and  angels  sang,  as  earth 
Shot,  from  its  Maker,  into  birth." 

Street. 


consecrated  by  the 


HE  love  of  country,  springing  up  fron) 
the  rich  soil  of  the  domestic  affections,  is  a 
feeling  coexistent  and  coextensive  with  social 
union  itself      Although  a  dreary  climate,  barren 
lands,  and  unrighteous  laws,  wickedly  administered,  may 
'     repress  the  luxuriant  growth  of  this  sentiment,  it  will  still 
maintain  firm  root  in  the  heart,  and  bear  with  patience  the 
most  cruel  wrongs.      Man  loves  the  soil  that  gave  him  birth  as 
the  child  loves  the  mother,  and  from  the  same  inherent  im- 
pulses.     When  exiled  from  his  father-land,  he  yearns  for  it  as  a 
child  yearns  for  home ;   and  though  he  may,  by  legal  oafh,  dis- 
claim allegiance  to  his  own  and  swear  fealty  to  another  government, 
the  invisible  links  of  patriotism  which  bind  him  to  his  country  can 
not  be  severed  ;   his  lips  aiid  hand  bear  false  witness  against  his  truth- 
ful heart. 

Stronger  far  is  this  sentiment  in  the  hosom  of  him  whose  country 

;  is  a  pleasant  land,  where  nature  in  smiling  beauty  and  rich  beneficence 

woos  him  on  every  side  ;  where  education  quickens  into  refining  activity 

the  intellect  of  society  ;   and  where  just  laws,  righteously  administered, 

impress  all  possession,  whether  of  property  or  of  character,  with  the  broad 

s^t-al  of  security.      An  honest,  justified  pride  elevates  the  spirit  of  the  citi- 

;:en  of  a  land  so  favored  ;  makes  him  a  vigilant  guardian  of  its  rights  and 

honor,  and  inspires  him  with  a  profound  reverence  for  the  men  and  deeds 

opinions  of  the  just  as  the  basis  upon  which  its  glory  rests. 

C 


34  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Classic  Localities.  Departure  for  Saratoga.  Voyage  up  the  Hudson. 

It  was  under  the  influence  of  this  sentiment,  so  natural  to  every  American,  and  a  strong 
desire  to  make  a  personal  visit  to  the  classic  grounds  of  my  country,  and  portray  their  feat- 
ures before  every  ancient  lineament  should  he  effaced,  that,  during  the  sultriness  of  midsum- 
mer, I  left  behind  me  the  cares  of  business  life  within  the  confines  of  our  commercial  me- 
tropolis, and  commenced  a  pilgrimage  to  the  most  important  localities  connected  with  the 
events  of  the  war  for  our  national  independence.  For  many  years,  as  I  occasionally  saw 
some  field  consecrated  by  revolutionary  blood,  or  building  nallowed  as  a  shelter  of  the  heroes 
of  that  war,  I  have  felt  emotions  of  shame,  such  as  every  American  ought  to  feel,  on  seeing 
the  plow  leveling  the  breast-works  and  batteries  where  our  fathers  bled,  and  those  edifices, 
containing  the  council-chambers  of  men  who  planned  the  attack,  the  ambuscade,  or  the  re- 
treat, crumbling  into  utter  ruin.  While  England  erects  a  monument  in  honor  of  the  am- 
putated leg  of  a  hero  who  fought  for  personal  renown,  we  allow  these  relics,  sanctified  by  the 
deeds  of  soldiers  who  were  more  than  heroes  as  the  world  regards  heroism,  to  pass  away  and 
be  forgotten.  Acquisitiveness  is  pulling  down  walled  fortresses  ;  the  careless  agriculturist, 
unmindful  of  the  sacred  ness  of  the  ditch  and  mound  that  scar  his  fields,  is  sowing  and  reap- 
ing where  marble  monuments  should  stand  ;  and  improvement,  a  very  Cambyses  among 
achievements  of  labor  of  former  times,  under  the  fair  mask  of  refined  taste,  is  leveling  nearly 
all  that  remains  of  the  architecture  of  the  Revolution.  To  delineate  with  pen  and  pencil 
what  is  left  of  the  physical  features  of  that  period,  and  thus  to  rescue  from  oblivion,  before  it 
should  be  too  late,  the  mementoes  which  another  generation  will  appreciate,  was  my  employ- 
ment for  several  months  ;  and  a  desire  to  place  the  result  of  those  journeyings,  with  a 
record  of  past  events  inseparably  connected  with  what  I  have  dehneated,  in  an  enduring 
form  before  my  countrymen,  has  given  birth  to  these  pages. 

I  resolved  to  visit  the  scenes  of  the  northern  campaigns  during  the  summer  and  early  ai',- 
tumn.  With  the  exception  of  the  historic  grounds  lying  around  New  York  and  among  the 
Hudson  Highlands,  the  fields  of  Saratoga,  in  point  of  importance  and  distance,  invited  the 
initial  visit. 

I  left  New  York  on  the  evening  of  the  24  th  of  July  for  Poughkeepsie,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Hudson,  there  to  be  joined  by  a  young  lady,  my  traveling  companion  for  the 
summer.      For  many  days  the  hot  sun  had  been  unclouded,  and  neither  shower  nor  dew 
imparted  grateful  moisture  to  town  or  country. 

"  The  whispering  waves  were  half  asleep, 
The  clouds  were  gone  to  play, 
And  on  the  woods  and  on  the  deep 
'  The  smiles  of  Heaven  lay." 

Shelley. 

During  the  afternoon  the  barometer  indicated  a  change,  and  portents  of  a  gathering 
storm  arose  in  the  west.  At  twilight  we  entered  the  great  amphitheater  of  the  Highlands, 
and  darkness  came  down  suddenly  upon  us  as  a  tempest  of  wind,  thunder,  and  rain  burst 
over  the  Dunderberg  and  the  neighboring  heights.  A  thunder-storm  at  night  in  the  Hud- 
son Highlands  !  It  is  a  scene  of  grandeur  and  sublimity  vouchsafed  to  few,  and  never  to  be 
forgotten.  The  darkness  became  intense,  and  echo  confused  the  thunder-peals  into  one  con- 
tinuous roar.  The  outlines  of  the  hills  disappeared  in  the  gloom,  and  our  vessel  seemed  the 
only  object  wrapped  in  the  bosom  of  the  tempest,  except  when,  at  every  flash  of  lightning, 
'  high  wooded  cones,  or  lofty  ranges,  or  rocky  cliffs  burst  into  view  like  a  sudden  creation  of 
the  Omnipotent  fiat,  and  then  melted  into  chaos  again.  The  storm  continued  until  we 
passed  West  Point.  The  clouds  then  broke,  and  as  we  emerged  from  the  upper  gate  of  the 
Highlands  into  the  beautiful  expanse  of  Newburgh  Bay,  the  moon  came  forth,  like  a  queen 
from  her  pavilion,  in  beauty  and  majesty,  the  winds  were  quiet,  the  waters  placid,  and  the 
starry  sky  serene,  for 

"  The  thunder,  tramping  deep  and  loud 
Had  left  no  foot-marks  there." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTIO.N. 


Returning  Volunteers.  Albany.  Troy.  Fulton's  Steam-boat. 

The  next  morning  the  air  was  clear  and  cool  as  in  September.  At  noon  we  took  passage 
in  one  of  those  floating  palaces  which  are  the  pride  of  the  Hudson  River.  What  a  con- 
trast to  the  awkward  contrivance — the  mere  germ  of  the  steam-boat  of  the  present  day — 
that  gave  such  glory  to  Fulton,  and  astonished  the  world.*  Her  saloon,  like  a  ducal  draw- 
ing-room ;  her  table,  spread  as  with  a  royal  banquet ;  her  speed,  like  that  of  the  swift  bird, 
are  all  the  creations  of  one  generation,  and  seem  like  works  of  magic.  Among  the  passen- 
gers there  were  a  few — plain  and  few  indeed — who  attracted  general  attention.  They 
were  a  remnant  of  a  regiment  of  Volunteers  returning  home,  weary  and  spirit-broken,  from 
the  battle-fields  of  Mexico.  Of  the  scores  who  went  with  them,  these  alone  returned  to  tell 
of  havoc  in  battle  and  slaughter  by  the  deadly  vomito.  They  were  young,  but  the  lesson 
of  sad  experience  might  be  read  on  each  brow,  and  the  natural  joy  of  the  homeward-boimd 
beamed  not  in  their  eyes.  To  them  military,  glory  was  a  bubble  bui'st ;  and  the  recollec- 
tions of  the  recent  past  brought  not  to  them  that  joy  which  the  soldier  feels  who  has  battled 
in  defense  of  country  and  home.  At  Albany  preparations  had  been  made  to  receive  them, 
and  for  half  a  mile  the  wharves,  bridges,  vessels,  and  houses  were  thickly  covered  with  peo- 
ple anxious  to  see  the  returning  heroes.  We  landed  with  difficulty  in  the  midst  of  the  ex- 
citement and  noise,  for  cannon-peals,  and  drum  and  fife,  and  the  rattle  of  military  accouter- 
ments,  and  Avild  huzzas  of  the  crowd,  and  the  coaxing  and  swearing  of  porters  and  coach- 
men, were  enough  to  confound  confusion  itself.  How  changed  was  the  scene  when  Ave  re- 
turned, a  few  weeks  later.  Wharves,  bridges,  and  houses  had  been  swept  by  conflagration, 
and  acres  of  the  dense  city  were  strewn  with  smoking  ruins. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  26th  we  left  Albany  for  Bemis's  Heights,  near  the  village 
of  Stillwater.  An  omnibus  ride  of  an  hour,  over  a  fine  McAdam  road,  placed  us  in  Troy, 
where  we  took  stage  for  the  Waterford  ferry  at  Lansingburgh,  four  miles  above.  The  dav 
was  excessively  warm,  and  eleven  passengers  occupied  "seats  for  nine."  Not  a  zephyr  stirred 
the  waters  or  the  leaves.  A  funny  little  water-man,  full  of  wine  and  wit,  or  something  stronger 
and  coarser,  offered  to  row  us  across  in  his  rickety  skiff.      I  demanded  the  price  for  ferriage. 

'  For  the  gratification  of  the  curious,  I  here  present  a  drawing  of  the  "  Clermont,"  Fulton's  ezperU 
ment  boat,  with  some  notices  of  her  earlier  voyages. 

It  was  constructed  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Fulton, 

•^^^^^gj^^^  in  1807.     It  was  one  hundred  feet  long,  twelve  feet  wide,  and 

^^sl^^QHjl^        I  seven  feet  deep.     In  1808  it  was  lengthened  to  one  hundred  and 

^^^^^^Mi^^^k-      I  ^^^y  ieet,  widened  to  eighteen,  and  its  name  changed  to  North 

^^^^^^^^p^^^^i5^|iw^  jL  River.     The  engine  was  constructed  by  Watt  &  Bolton,  En- 

^^^^^^^gjg- i  Ja       I  "  -        gland,  and  the  hull  by  David  Brown,  of  New  York.     In  August, 

^^^^^^^te--^M^-i»"  -   ''^i    p  -        1807,  the  boat  was  propelled  from  the  East  River  to  the  Jersey 

.^^sMl^^^^^^Sg^SSS^^^^^,    shore ;  and  about  the  first  of  September  it  was  started  on  its 

''^^    =^S:^i  ^:^?G=^=--"^=?sS==  The  following  advertisement  appeared  in  the  Albany  Gazette, 

„   '  _  September  1st,  1807  : 

The  Clermont.  ii^t^,      -.t      ,   r.-  >  ^^^  ■,  ■■->,•,    tx     i   rx 

the  North  River  steam-boat  will  leave  Faulus  s  Hook  [Jersey 

CityJ  on  Friday,  the  4th  of  September,  at  9  in  the  morning,  and  arrive  at  Albany  on  Saturday,  at  9  in  the 

afternoon.     Provisions,  good  berths,  and  accommodations  are  provided.     The  charge  to  each  passenger  is 

as  follows : 

To  Newburgh,       dolls. 

"    Poughkeepsie,     " 

"    Esopus,  " 

"    Hudson.  " 

"    Albany,'  " 

It  is  noticed  in  the  same  paper,  of  October  5th,  1807,  that  "Mr.  Fulton's  new  steam-boat  left  NeTW 
York  on  the  2d,  at  10  o'clock  A.M.,  against  a  strong  tide,  very  rough  water,  and  a  violent  gale  from  the 
north.  She  made  a  headway  against  the  most  sanguine  expectations,  and  without  being  rocked  by  the 
waves."  What  a  change  in  about  forty  years !  Forty  years  ago  a  steam-boat  voyage  from  Albany  to 
New  York,  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  was  accomplished  in  thirty-six  hours,  at  an  expense  of  seven  dol- 
lars, exclusive  of  cost  of  meals.  Now  the  passage  is  easily  and  often  made  in  nine  and  a  half  hours,  at  a 
cost  of  one  dollar,  and  frequently  for  less.  Now  our  first  class  steam-boats  are  nearly  four  hundred  fee\ 
long,  and  of  proportionate  depth  and  breadth  of  beam. 


3, 

time 

14  hours. 

4, 

u 

17 

u 

5, 

(C 

20 

<c 

5i 

(C 

30 

(( 

7, 

u 

36 

(( )> 

36  •  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

(Crossing  the  Hudson.  Cohoes'  Falls.  Van  Schaick's  Island.  State  of  Atfturs  in  1T77. 

"  Five  thousand  dollars,"  hiccoughed  the  Charon.  I  did  not  object  to  the  price,  but. 
valuing  safety  at  a  higher  figure,  sought  the  ow^ner  of  a  pretty  craft  near  by,  while  the  little 
votary  of  Bacchus  v^'a6  tugging  manfully,  but  unsuccessfully,  at  a  huge  trunk,  to  lift  it  into 
his  boat.  Before  he  vv^as  fairly  conscious  that  he  was  not  yet  toiling  at  our  luggage,  we  were 
out  upon  the  stream  in  the  "  Lady  of  the  Lake."  I  compensated  the  tipsy  boatman  for  his 
labor  of  love  by  a  brief  temperance  lecture  ;  but  the  seed  doubtless  fell  upon  "  stony  ground," 
."or  he  had  the  hard-heartedness  to  consign  me  to  the  safe  keeping  of  him  whom 

"  The  old  painters  limned  with  a  hoof  and  a  horn, 
A  beak  and  a  scorpion  tail." 

We  pushed  across  the  Hudson  to  the  upper  mouth  or  "  sprout"  of  the  Mohawk,  anu, 
gliding  under  the  rail-road  bridge  and  along  a  sluice  of  the  Champlain  Canal,  clambered  up 
a  high  bank,  and  reached  the  packet  office  at  Waterford'  toward  noon.  The  suppressed 
roar  of  Cohoes'  Falls,  two  miles  distant,  wooed  us  to  the  pleasures  of  that  fashionable  resort, 
to  while  away  the  three  hours  before  the  arrival  of  the  canal  packet. 

These  falls,  though  not  so  grand  as  many  others  either  in  volume  or  altitude  of  cataract, 
or  in  the  natural  scenery  around,  nevertheless  present  many  points  of  beauty  and  sublimity 
exceedingly  attractive  to  the  tourist.  The  Mohawk  is  here  more  than  one  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  perfectly  rock-ribbed  on  both  sides.  The  fall  is  nearly  seventy  feet  perpendicu- 
lar, in  addition  to  the  turbulent  rapids  above  and  below.  A  bridge,  eight  hundred  feet 
Jong,  spans  the  river  half  a  mile  below  the  falls,  from  which  a  fine  view  may  be  obtained 
of  the  whole  scene. 

Before  entering  the  Hudson,  the  river  is  divided  into  four  mouths  or  sj^routs,  as  they  are 
called,  by  three  rocky  islands.  Haver's,  Van  Schaick's  or  Cohoes',  and  Green's  or  Tibbetts's 
Islands,  which  form  a  scene  that  is  singularly  picturesque.  It  is  generally  supposed  that 
Flenry  Hudson,  the  discoverer  of  the  river  bearing  his  name,  ascended  as  far  as  this  point  in 
1C09,  and  that  he  and  his  boat's  crew  were  tlie  first  white  men  who  beheld  the  cataract 
of  Cohoes. 

The  mouth  of  the  Mohawk  was  a  point  of  much  interest  toward  the  close  of  the  summer 
of  1777,  when  Van  Schaick's  Island  was  fortified  by  General  Schuyler,  then  in  command 
of  the  northern  division  of  the  Continental  army.  Properly  to  understand  the  position  of 
affaigrs  at  that  period,  it  is  necessary  to  take  a  brief  view  of  events  immediately  antecedent 
to,  and  intimately  connected  with,  the  military  operations  at  this  point,  and  at  Stillwater  a 
few  weeks  later. 

Incensed  at  the  audacity  of  the  American  Congress  in  declaring  the  colonies  free  and  in- 
dependent states  ;  piqued  at  the  consummate  statesmanship  displayed  by  the  members  of  that 
Congress,  and  foiled  in  every  attempt  to  cajole  the  Americans  by  delusive  promises,  or  to 
crush  the  spirit  of  resistance  by  force  of  arms,  the  British  ministry,  backed  by  the  stubborn 
king  and  a  strong  majority  in  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  determined  to  open  the  campaign 
of  1777  with  such  vigor,  and  to  give  to  the  service  in  America  such  material,  as  should  not 
fail  to  put  down  the  rebellion  by  midsummer,  and  thus  vindicate  British  valor,  which  seem- 
ed to  be  losing  its  invincibility.  So  long  as  the  Americans  were  tolerably  united  ;  so  long 
as  there  remained  a  free  communication  between  Massachusetts  and  Virginia,  or,  in  other 
words,  between  the  Eastern  and  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  permanent  success  of  th*^ 
British  arms  in  America  was  very  questionable.  The  rebellion  was  hydra-headed,  spring- 
ing into  new  life  and  vigor  suddenly  and  powerfully,  from  the  inherent  energies  of  union,  in 
places  where  it  seemed  to  be  subdued  and  destroyed.  To  sever  that  union,  and  to  paralyze 
the  vitahty  dependent  thereon,  was  a  matter  of  great  importance,  and  to  efl^ect  this  was  a 
paramount  object  of  the  British  government. 

General  Howe  was  then  in  the  quiet  possession  of  the  city  of  New  York  and  its  vicinity  ; 

'  Waterford  is  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson,  at  the  head  of  sloop  navigation. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


EnijliBh  Preparations  for  the  Campaign  of  1777.        Instructions  of  Lord  George  Germain.        Biographical  Sketch  of  Buigoyne 

a  stron"-  British  force  occupied  Rhode  Island  and  overawed  the  eastern  coast ;  the  patriot 
insurgents  had  been  driven  out  of  Canada  by  General  Carleton,  and  nothing  remained  to 
complete  the  separation  of  the  two  sections  of  the  American  States  but  to  march  an  invad- 
ing army  from  the  north,  which,  forming  a  junction  with 
Howe,  should  secure  the  country  and  the  strong- holds  upon 
Lakes  Champlain  and  George  and  the  Hudson  River. 
Such  an  expedition  was  planned  jointly  by  the  king.  Lord 
George  Germain,  and  General  Burgoyne,  and  agreed  upon 
in  council.'  The  general  command  was  intrusted  to  Bui- 
goyne, who  was  a  natural  son  of  Lord  Bingley,  and  at  that 
time  high  in  the  confidence  of  the  king  and  his  advisers.'  He 
was  brave,  skillful,  and  humane,  proud  of  distinction,  san- 
guine of  success,  and  eager  for  military  renown.  If  the  tac- 
tics of  European  warfare  had  been  appropriate  for  the  expedi- 
tion, success  might  have  attended  his  efforts.  But  in  his  ap- 
pointment, as  well  as  in  the  minute  and  positive  instruction - 
given  him,  without  reference  to  any  contingency  that  might 

.  r.  T.  demand  a  wide  departure  from  their  letter  and  spirit,  the 

Lieutenant  General  Burgoyne  ....  .  ^ 

From  an  EDgiuh  print,  1183,  Bi'itish  ministry,  always  at  fault  in  the  management  o; 


'  Lord  George  Germain,  then  colonial  secretary,  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Carleton,  of  Canada,  datcil 
March  26th,  1777,  observes,  "With  a  view  of  quelling  the  rebellion  as  soon  as  possible,  it  is  becom:\ 
highly  necessary  that  the  most  speedy  junction  of  the  two  armies  should  be  effected  [the  forces  from  Can- 
ada and  those  of  General  Howe  at  New  York] ;  and,  therefore,  as  the  security  and  good  government  of 
Canada  absolutely  require  your  presence  there,  it  is  the  king's  determination  to  leave  about  3000  men  un- 
der your  command  for  the  defense  and  duties  of  that  province,  and  to  employ  the  remainder  of  your  armv 
upon  two  expeditions,  the  one  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  General  Burgoyne,  who  is  to  force  hi- 
way  to  Albany,  and  the  other  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  St.  Leger,  who  is  to  make  a  diversion  on  the  Mo 
hawk  River." — Burgoyne's  Statement  of  the  Expedition  from  Canada,  &c.  (Appendix),  p.  xiii.,  London,  1780. 

-  Pictorial  History  of  George  HL,  vol.  i.,  p.  306. 

^  Lieutenant  General  Burgoyne  was  an  illegitimate  son  of  Lord  Bingley.  He  entered  the  army  at  an 
early  age,  and  his  education  and  the  influence  of  his  father  soon  placed  him  in  the  line  of  promotion.  L' 
1762  he  was  sent  into  Portugal  with  an  English  force  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  that  kingdom  against  the 
Spaniards.  He  then  held  the  commission  of  a  brigadier,  and  distinguished  himself  in  the  capture  of  the 
garrison  of  Almeida.  After  his  return  to  England,  he  became  a  privy  councillor,  and  was  elected  to  -o 
seat  in  Parliament  as  representative  for  Preston,  in  Lancashire.  He  came  over  to  America  in  1775,  and 
was  at  Boston  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  was  sent  to  Canada  the  same  year,  but  earl 
in  1776  returned  to  England.  Through  the  influence  of  the  king  and  Lord  George  Germain,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  northern  British  army  in  America  in  the  spring  of  1777.  After  some  suc- 
cesses, he  was  captured,  with  all  his  army,  at  Saratoga,  in  October  of  that  year.  After  some  delay,  he 
was  allowed  to  return  to  England  on  parole,  and  he  was  actually  engaged  in  debates  upon  the  floor  of  the 
British  House  of  Commons  at  the  very  time  he  was  a  prisoner  to  the  Americans^  His  misfortunes  lost 
him  the  friendship  of  the  king,  and  he  was  denied  access  to  his  presence.  In  iTSO  he  published  a  narra- 
tive of  his  Expedition,  together  with  the  proceedings  of  his  trial  before  a  committee  of  Parliament,  in  which 
he  well  vindicated  his  character.  He  soon  afterward  resigned  his  emoluments  from  government,  amount- 
ing to  Sl5,000  a  year.  In  1781  he  joined  the  opposition  in  Parliament,  and  opposed  the  further  prosecu- 
tion of  the  war  against  the  Americans  as  impolitic  and  cruel.  From  the  conclusion  of  peace  until  his 
death,  he  devoted  his  time  to  pleasure  and  literary  pursuits.  He  died  of  an  attack  of  gout,  on  the  4th  of 
August,  1792.  Among  his  literary  productions  are  The  Maid  of  the  Oaks,  Bon  Ton,  and  The  Heiress, 
dramas  which  at  one  time  were  highly  popular.  Benevolence  and  humanity  were  strong  features  in 
Burgoyne's  character,  and  I  think  the  fierce  anathema  of  Philip  Freneau,  a  poet  of  the  Revolution,  wa.- 
altogether  too  severe.  After  giving  Burgoyne  several  hard  rubs  in  the  course  of  his  epic,  he  describes  an 
ice-bound,  fog-covered,  dreary  island  north  of  Scotland,  and  there  consigns  the  Tories,  with  Burgoyne  al 
their  head,  as  follows  : 

"  There,  Loyals,  there,  with  loyal  hearts  retire, 
There  pitch  your  tents,  and  kindle  there  your  fire , 
There  desert  Nature  will  her  stings  display, 
And  fiercest  hunger  on  your  vitals  prey ; 
And  with  yourselves  let  John  Burgoyne  retire, 
To  reign  your  monarch,  whom  your  hearts  desire." 

Kbeneau"s  Poems,  p.  C48 


38 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


B:irgoyire  b  Arriyal  in  Canada.         Hia  Preparations  for  the  Campaign.        Appointment  of  General  Schuyler  to  the  Command. 

American  affairs,  made  a  most  egregious  blunder.  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  then  Governor  of 
Canada,  and  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  people  and  country,  should  have  been  placed  in 
command.  Burgoyne  was  almost  totally  ignorant  of  the  Canadians  and  Indians,  who  formed 
a  large  part  of  his  force,  and  he  knew  absolutely  nothing  of  the  true  character  and  temper  of 
the  people  he  was  sent  to  oppose  and  oppress. 

Burgoyne  arrived  at  Quebec  in  March,  1777,  bearing  the  commission  of  a  lieutenant 
general.  Carleton,  though  greatly  aggrieved,  nobly  aided  Burgoyne  in  preparing  the  ex- 
pedition. By  extraordinary  activity,  vessels  were  constructed,  stores  were  collected,  and  a 
force  of  more  than  seven  thousand  men  was  mustered  at  St.  John's,  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
Champlain,  on  the  first  of  June.  Lieutenant  Colonel  St.  Leger,  with  a  detachment  of 
seven  hundred  Rangers,  was  sent  up  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Ontario  to  Oswego,  to 
penetrate  the  country  from  that  point,  arouse  and  conciliate  the  Indians,  capture  Fort 
Schuyler,'  sweep  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  with  the  aid  of  Johnson  and  his  Tories,  and 
join  Burgoyne  at  Albany  when  Lake  Champlain  and  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Hudson 
should  lie  prostrate  at  his  feet. 

As  soon  as  Congress  perceived  the  storm  that  was  gathering  on  the  northern  frontier, 
they  felt  the  necessity  of  prompt  action  and  the  services  of  an  influential  commander.  Fear, 
loyalty,  British  gold,  would  undoubtedly  lead  the  van  of  the  invading  army,  and  none  but  a 
wise  and  tried  man  could  quiet  the  alarm  of  the  people  and  command  the  fidelity  of  the  militia. 

Philip  Schuyler,^  a  gentleman  of  fortune,  and  possessed  of  military  skill,  experience,  sound 


judgment,  prudent 
Ibrethought,  and  lofty 
patriotism,  was  reap- 
pointed to  the  com- 
mand of  the  forces  of 
the  north,  in  which 
position  he  had  been 
superseded,  in  effect, 
a  few  weeks  before, 
by  Horatio  Gates,  the 
Adjutant  General  of 
the  Continental  ar- 
my. •  No  ajipointment 
could  have  been  more 
popular  with  the  peo- 
ple of  Northern  New 
York,  who  were  in  a 
state  of  great  excite- 
ment and  alarm.  In 
the  late  campaigns 
against  the  French 
and  Indians  upon 
Lakes  George  and 
Champlain,  he  had 
rendered        essential 


service  to  the  colony 
and  to  the  people  of 
the  northern  frontier, 
and  his  many  virtues 
endeared  him  to  all 
M'ho  knew  him.  His 
large  estate  was  lying 
directly  in  the  path 
of  the  invader ;  and 
if  a  mercenary  feeling 
could  have  existed  in 
a  soul  so  noble  as  his, 
the  defense  of  his  own 
broad  acres  and  costly 
mansion  would  have 
made  him  vigilant 
and  brave. 

General  Schuyler 
arrived  in  Albany  on 
the  third  day  of 

1777 

June,  where  he 
met   General    Gates, 
and,    with     all    the 
frankness  of  a  gener- 
ous and  unsuspecting 


^  Fort  Schuyler  stood  at  the  head  of  boat  navigation,  on  the  Mohawk,  where  the  village  of  Rome  now 
•is.  It  was  erected  in  1758,  and  was  then  called  Fort  Stanwix.  It  was  repaired  in  1776,  and  named 
Fort  Schuyler,  in  honor  of  General  Schuyler,  in  whose  military  department  it  was  located. 

^  General  Philip  Schuyler  was  born  at  Albany,  on  the  22d  of  November,  1733.  His  grandfather,  Peter 
Schuyler,  was  Mayor  of  Albany,  and  commander  of  the  northern  militia  in  1690.  His  father,  John  Schuy- 
ler, married  Cornelia  Van  Courtlandt,  a  woman  of  strong  mind,  and  Philip  was  their  eldest  son.  By  vir- 
tue of  primogeniture  law,  he  inherited  the  real  estate  of  his  father  at  his  death,  but  he  generously  shared 
it  with  his  brothers  and  sisters.     His  father  died  when  Philip  was  young,  and  to  the  thorough  training  of 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  39 

Schuyler  and  Gates.  Advance  of  Burgoyne.  Condition  of  the  Continental  Army 

nature,  sought  the  aid  of  his  counsel  and  his  sword.  But  he  encountered  a  smaller  mind 
than  his  own,  and  both  counsel  and  sword  were  refused.  He  was  coldly  received  by  the 
adjutant  general,  who  was  deeply  offended  because  Congress  had  not  allowed  him  to  retain 
)iis  command.  A  brave  soldier  always  seeks  the  post  of  greatest  danger ;  and  GeneraJ 
Schuyler,  not  doubting  the  courage  or  devotion  of  Gates,  offered  him  the  command  of  Ti- 
conderoga,  the  point  where  the  first  conflict  with  Burgoyne  would  inevitably  take  place,  and 
where  the  first  laurels  were  to  be  won.  But  the  pride  of  Gates  stifled  his  patriotism.  He 
refused  to  serve  under  Schuyler,  and,  at  his  own  request,  had  leave  to  withdraw  from  the 
department,  where,  indeed,  he  had  done  literally  nothing. 

All  was  terror  and  alarm  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  north,  as  Burgoyne  victoriously 
swept  Champlain  frona  St.  John's  to  CrovvTi  Point,  and  with  his  formidable  force,  daily  aug- 
mented by  loyalists  and  savage  allies,  prepared  to  beleaguer  the  strong  fortress  of  Ticonder- 
oga.  Mount  Hope,  commanding  the  road  to  Lake  George,  was  occupied  ;  the  American 
outposts  were  driven  in ;  the  lake  was  studded  with  armed  vessels,  and  the  formidable 
height  of  Mount  Defiance  was  scaled,  and  artillery  planted  upon  its  very  summit,  seven 
hundred  feet  above  the  fort  below. 

General  St.  Clair,  who  commanded  the  garrison,  when  he  saw  the  battery  above  him, 
and  the  girdle  of  strong  battalions  that  was  closing  around  him,  knew  that  resistance  would 
be  madness.  Under  cover  of  night,  he  retreated  across  to  Mount  Independence,  and,  with 
the  small  garrison  there,  fled  toward  Fort  Edward  by  the  way  of  Castleton  and  Skenesbor- 
cTigh,  leaving  the  stores  and  ammunition  behind.  The  British  eagerly  pursued  the  flying 
Americans,  The  battle  of  Hubbardton,  so  disastrous  to  the  patriots,  was  fouo-ht.  The 
boom  across  the  lake  at  Ticonderoga  was  broken,  and  a  free  passage  made  for  the  vessels 
of  the  enemy.  They  swept  the  lake  to  Skenesborough  (now  Whitehall),  when  the  Ameri- 
can works  and  the  stores  that  were  left  became  an  easy  prey  to  the  invaders. 

The  army  under  General  Schuyler  was  in  a  wretched  condition,  and  daily  diminishing. 
Food,  clothing,  ammunition,  and  artillery  were  all  wanting.  The  pecuniary  resources  and 
credit  of  Congress  were  daily  failing,  and  all  the  future  seemed  dark,  and  foreboding  of  evil. 
The  Eastern  mihtia,  sick  and  disheartened  by  late  reverses,  became  restless  and  insubordi- 


his  gifted  mother  he  was  greatly  indebted  for  his  success  in  life.  He  entered  the  army  against  the  French 
and  Indians  in  1755,  and  commanded  a  company  which  attended  Sir  William  Johnson  to  Fort  Edward 
and  Lake  George.  He  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  Lord  Howe,  who  commanded  the  first  division  of 
the  British  army  against  the  forts  on  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain,  and  was  placed  in  the  commis- 
sariat department.  When  Lord  Howe  fell  at  Ticonderoga,  to  Colonel  Schuyler  was  intrusted  the  duty  of 
conveying  the  body  of  that  greatly-beloved  young  nobleman  to  Albany  for  sepulture.  After  the  peace  of 
1763,  he  was  much  in  active  service  in  the  civil  government  of  his  state.  In  the  Colonial  Assembly  of 
New  York,  he  was  one  of  the  warmest  opponents  of  the  British  government  in  its  attempts  to  tax  the  colo- 
nies without  their  consent.  He  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress  which  assembled  in 
May,  1775,  and  in  June  following  he  was  appointed  by  that  body  one  of  the  major  generals  (the  third)  of 
the  American  army.  He  was  charged  by  Washington  with  the  command  of  the  army  in  the  province  of 
New  York,  and  directed  to  secure  the  lakes  and  prepare  for  invading  Canada.  He  was  taken  sick,  and 
the  command  devolved  on  Montgomery.  During  1776,  he  was  active  in  Indian  affairs,  and  in  perfecting 
the  order  and  discipline  of  the  northern  army.  For  causes  quite  inexplicable,  he  was  superseded,  in  effect, 
by  Gates  in  March,  1777,  but  was  reinstated  in  May.  Again,  when  Burgoyne  drove  St.  Clair  from  Ti- 
conderoga, and  prudence  caused  General  Schuyler  to  retreat  with  his  army  from  Fort  Edward  down  the 
Hudson  River,  calumny,  that  had  successfully  poisoned  the  minds  of  the  Eastern  people  and  the  militia,  be- 
came so  clamorous  for  his  removal,  that  Congress  placed  Gates  again  in  charge  of  the  army  in  August. 
Injured  and  insulted,  the  patriot  still  continued  to  devote  his  services  and  his  fortune  in  aid  of  his  country. 
He  demanded  a  court  of  inquiry,  and  its  verdict,  acquitting  him  of  all  blame,  conferred  as  much  honor  upon 
him  as  his  successes  won  at  Saratoga.  He  was  urged  by  Washington  to  accept  military  command,  but  he 
preferred  to  lend  his  aid  to  his  country  in  another  way.  He  was  a  member  of  the  old  Congress  under  the 
Confederation  ;  and  after  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  he  was  a  senator  from  New 
York,  with  Rufus  King.  He  was  again  a  senator,  in  place  of  Aaron  Burr,  in  1797.  He  died  at  Albany, 
November  18th,  1804,  aged  71  years.  He  has  two  daughters  still  living — Elizabeth,  the  venerable  widow 
of  General  Alexander  Hamilton,  and  now  (1849)  ninety-two  years  of  age ;  and  Catharine,  his  youngest 
daughter,  widow  of  the  late  Major  Cochrane,  of  Oswego,  son  of  Dr.  Cochrane,  the  distinguished  Surgeon 
General  of  the  Revolutionary  Army.  See  page  109,  Vol.  II. 


40  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Retreat  of  Schuyler  to  the  Mohawk.  St.  Leger  in  the  Mohawk  Valley.  Relief  of  the  Valley  proposed  hy  Schuyler. 

nate,  and  nearly  all  of  them  left  the  army  and  returned  home.  These  things  were  exceed- 
ingly discouraging  to  the  commander,  yet  his  stout  heart  nevei:  failed.  "  Should  it  be  ask 
July  "4  ^^>"  ^^®  ^''^^'^'  ^^^  ^  letter  to  the  Albany  Committee,  from  Moses's  Creek,  four  miles  be- 
1777.  Iqt„  Fort  Edward,  "  what  line  of  conduct  I  mean  to  hold  amid  this  variety  of  diffi 
culties  and  distress,  I  would  answer,  to  dispute  every  inch  of  ground  with  General  Bur- 
goyne,  and  retard  his  descejit  into  the  country  as  long  as  possible." 

Burgoyne's  force,  in  the  mean  while,  was  constantly  augmented  by  accessions  from  the 
families  of  the  loyal  and  the  timid.  Slowly  and  surely  he  advanced  from  Skenesborough  to 
Fort  Anne,  and  was  pressing  onward,  in  the  midst  of  fearful  obstacles,  toward  the  Hudson. 

Under  all  these  circumstances,  General  Schuyler  thought  it  prudent  to  retreat  until  new 
recruits,  or  a  re-enforcement  from  Washington,  should  give  more  strength  to  his  army.  He 
accordingly  fell  back  from  Fort  Edward,  the  general  rendezvous  of  his  forces  after  the  evac- 
uation of  Ticonderoga,  Mount  Independence,  and  Fort  George.  As  Burgoyne  approached, 
the  people  fled,  in  terror  and  dismay,  toward  Albany,  leaving  their  ripe  harvest  fields  and 
pleasant  homes  to  be  trodden  down  or  burned  by  the  enemy.  Burgoyne  at  length  reached 
Fort  Edward  ;  and  as  he  marched  slowly  down  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  Schuyler  retreat- 
ed in  good  order  to  Saratoga,  then  to  Stillwater,  and  finally  to  Cohoes'  Falls. 

In  the  mean  while  the  people  in  the  Mohawk  Valley  were  in  the  greatest  consternation. 
St.  Leger  had  arrived  from  Oswego,  and  was  besieging  Fort  Schuyler,  while  the  Tories  and 
Indians  were  spreading  death  and  desolation  on  every  hand.  Colonel  Gansevoort,  with  a 
handful  of  men,  was  closely  shut  up  in  the  fort ;  General  Herkimer,  with  the  brave  militia 
of  Tryon  county,  had  been  defeated  at  Oriskany,  and  the  people  below  hourly  ex- 
"^^  '  pected  the  flood  of  destroyers  to  pour  down  upon  them.  It  was  a  fearful  emergen- 
cy. Without  aid  all  must  be  lost.  Brave  hearts  were  ready  for  bold  deeds,  and  during  a 
night  of  fearful  tempest  of  thunder  and  rain.  Colonel  Willett  and  Lieutenant  Stockwell  crept 
stealthily  from  the  fort,  through  groups  of  sleeping  besiegers,  beyond  their  lines,  and  at  dawn 
on  the  second  day,  mounted  upon  fleet  horses,  sped  down  the  valley  to  the  headquarters  of 
General  Schuyler,  at  Stillwater,  and,  in  the  name  of  the  beleaguered  garrison  and  the  peo- 
ple of  Tryon  county,  implored  assistance. 

Not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost.  The  subjugation  of  the  whole  valley  would  inevitably 
follow  the  surrender  of  Fort  Schuyler,  and  the  victors,  gathering  strength,  would  fall  like  an 
avalanche  upon  Albany,  or,  by  junction,  swell  the  approaching  army  of  Burgoyne.  The 
prudent  foresight  and  far-reaching  humanity  of  General  Schuyler  at  once  dictated  his  course. 
He  called  a  council,^  and  proposed  sending  a  detachment  immediately  to  the  relief  of  Fort 
Schuyler.  His  ofliicers  opposed  him,  with  the  plea  that  his  whole  force  was  not  then  suffi- 
cient to  stay  the  oncoming  of  Burgoyne.  The  clearer  judgment  of  Schuyler  made  him  per- 
sist in  his  opinion,  and  he  earnestly  besought  them  to  agree  with  him.  While  pacing  the 
floor  in  anxious  solicitude,  he  overheard  the  half-whispered  remark,  "  He  means  to  weaken 
the  army."^     Treason  in  the  heart  of  Philip  Schuyler  I     Never  was  a  thought  more  foul 

*  General  Schuyler  was  then  quartered  in  the  house  of  Derrick  Swart,  Esq.,  at  Stillwater.  The  house 
is  still  standing,  just  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. — Charles  Neilson,  Esq. 

*  At  this  time  jealousy  had  created  secret  enemies  for  General  Schuyler,  and  he  was  even  charged  with 
being  associated  with  St.  Clair  in  preliminary  acts  of  treason,  about  the  time  the  latter  evacuated  Ticonder- 
oga. The  ridiculous  story  got  abroad  that  they  had  been  paid  for  their  treason  by  the  enemy  in  silver 
balls,  shot  from  Burgoyne's  guns  into  the  American  camp ! — See  Thatcher^s  Military  Journal,  p.  86. 

Note. — It  will  be  observed  that,  in  this  rapid  view  of  events  connected  with  the  American  encampment 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk,  I  have  avoided  all  details,  where,  perhaps,  the  reader  may  have  wished  more 
minute  information.  The  necessity  for  this  course  arises  from  the  nature  of  the  plan  of  my  work,  which 
is  to  notice  in  detail  the  various  important  localities,  in  the  order  in  which  I  visited  them,  and  not  in  chrono- 
logical succession,  as  the  mere  historian  would  do.  For  example,  I  visited  Cohoes'  and  Bemis's  Heights 
before  Fort  Edward  and  Ticonderoga.  I  therefore  describe  the  scenery  and  events  of  the  former  places 
minutely,  and  i-eserve  similar  minute  details  concerning  the  latter  until,  m  the  order  of  the  narrative  of  my 
tour,  I  reach  them.  This  explanation  is  necessary,  as  some  might  suppose  that  important  places  are  to 
be  slightly  noticed,  while  others  of  less  moment  have  an  undue  share  of  attention.     I  have  vLsited  all  the 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION..  41 


Volunteers  for  the  Relief  of  Fort  Schuyler.      Position  of  the  Americans  at  Cohoes.      Active  Preparations  to  oppose  Burgoyno. 

or  charge  more  wicked.  Wheeling  suddenly  toward  the  slanderer  and  those  around  him, 
and  unconsciously  biting  into  several  pieces  a  pipe  he  was  smoking,  he  indignantly  exclaim- 
ed, "Gentlemen,  I  shall  take  the  responsibility  upon  myself;  where  is  the  brigadier  that 
will  take  command  of  the  relief?  I  shall  beat  up  for  volunteers  to-morrow."  The  brave 
and  impulsive  Arnold,  ever  ready  for  deeds  of  daring,  at  once  stepped  forward  and  ofiered 
his  services.  The  next  morning  the  drum  beat,  and  eight  hundred  stalwart  men  Au-nistio 
were  enrolled  for  the  service  before  meridian.  Fort  Schuyler  was  saved,  and  the  '^'^'^'^■ 
forces  of  St.  Leger  scattered  to  the  winds.  In  after  years  the  recollection  of  those  burninj 
words  of  calumny  always  stirred  the  breast  of  the  veteran  patriot  with  violent  emotions 
If  ever  a  bosom  glowed  with  true  devotion  to  country,  it  was  that  of  Philip  Schuyler. 

Such,  in  brief,  were  the  events  which  placed  the  remnant  of  the  main  army  of  the  north 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk  in  August,  1777,  and  caused  Van  Schaick's  and  Haver's 
Islands  to  be  fortified.  That  seemed  to  be  the  most  eligible  point  at  which  to  make  a  stand 
in  defense  of  Albany  against  the  approaches  of  the  enemy  from  the  north  and  from  the  west. 
Nowhere  else  could  the  comparatively  feeble  force  of  the  Americans  so  efTectually  oppose  the 
overwhelming  number  of  the  invaders.  At  that  time  there  were  no  bridges  across  the  Hud- 
son or  the  Mohawk,  and  both  streams  were  too  deep  to  be  fordable  except  in  seasons  of  ex- 
treme drought.  There  was  a  ferry  across  the  MohaAvk,  five  miles  above  the  falls,'  and  one 
across  the  Hudson  at  Half  Moon  Point, ^  or  Waterford.  The  "  sprouts"  of  the  Mohawk, 
between  the  islands,  were  usually  fordable  ;  and  as  Burgoyne  would  not,  of  course,  cross  the 
Hudson,  or  attempt  the  ferry  upon  the  Mohawk,  where  a  few  resolute  men  could  success- 
fully oppose  him,  his  path  was  of  necessity  directly  across  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Fortifi- 
cations were  accordingly  thrown  up  on  the  islands  and  upon  the  main  land,  faint  traces  of 
which  are  still  visible. 

In  this  position,  with  his  headquarters  at  Stillwater,  in  advance  of  his  army.  General 
Schuyler  brought  all  his  energies  and  resources  into  requisition  for  the  augmentation  and 
discipline  of  his  troops,  preparatory  to  a  first  determined  conflict  with  Burgoyne.  His  pri- 
vate purse  was  freely  opened,^  and  by  unwearied  exertions  day  and  night  the  army  rapidly 
improved  in  numbers,  discipline,  and  spirits.  His  correspondence  at  that  time  with  men 
of  every  degree,  from  the  President  of  Congress  and  the  commander-in-chief  to  subordinate 
officers  and  private  gentlemen,  was  very  extensive,  all  having  relation  to  the  one  great  wish 
of  his  heart,  the  checking  of  the  progress  of  the  British  army.  He  addressed  the  civil  and 
military  authorities  in  every  direction,  urging  them  to  assist  him  with  men  and  arms.  The 
Council  of  Safety,  at  Albany,  was  appealed  to.  "  Every  militia-man,"  he  said,  "  ought  to 
turn  out  without  delay  in  a  crisis  the  most  alarming  since  the  contest  began."  He  appealed 
to  the  Eastern  States.  "  If,"  he  said,  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut, 
"the  Eastern  militia  do  not  turn  out  with  spirit  and  behave  better,  we  shall  be  ruined." 
To  Washington  he  repeated,  in  substance,  what  he  had  said  on  the  12th  of  July  previous. 
"  If  my  countrymen  will  support  me  with  vigor  and  dexterity,  and  do  not  meanly  despond, 

most  important  localities  of  the  Revolution,  and  each  in  its  turn,  in  the  course  of  the  work,  will  receive 
its  full  share  of  notice. 

It  is  my  intention  to  give  in  notes,  in  the  course  of  the  work,  brief  biographical  sketches  of  all  the  most 
important  actors  in  our  Revolutionary  war,  both  domestic  and  foreign.  These  sketches  will  be  introduced 
at  points  where  the  record  exhibits  the  most  prominent  events  in  the  life  of  the  subject.  Prominent  men 
will,  therefore,  be  mentioned  often  before  a  biography  will  be  given ;  but  the  reader  may  rely  upon  find- 
ing it  in  the  work,  if  a  memoir  can  be  found. 

*  Loudon's  ferry.     At  this  place  the  left  wing  of  the  army  rested,  under  the  command  of  General  Arnold. 

•  So  called  from  the  name  of  Henry  Hudson's  ship,  the  Half  Moon. 

'  General  Schuyler  never  allowed  his  private  interest  to  interfere  in  the  least  degree  with  the  public 
good.  When  the  Continental  army  was  retreating  from  Fort  Edward,  Mrs.  Schuyler  rode  up  from  Albany 
to  their  beautiful  country  seat  at  Saratoga,  and  superintended  the  removal  of  their  furniture.  While  there 
she  received  direction  from  her  husband  to  set  fire  with  her  own  hands  to  his  extensive  fields  of  wheat, 
pnd  to  request  his  tenants  to  do  the  same,  rather  than  sufTcr  them  to  be  reaped  by  the  enemy. —  ]Vomcn  of 
:he  Revolution,  vol.  i.,  p.  60. 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Schuyler  superseded  by  Gates.  Factions  in  Congress.  Noble  Conduct  of  Schuyler. 

we  shall  be  able  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  penetrating  much  further  into  the  country." 
At  the  same  time  all  was  life  and  activity  in  his  camp.  From  his  own  state  recruits  were 
constantly  filling  his  thinned  regiments,  and  the  heart  of  the  patriot  was  cheered  with  the 
prospect  of  soon  winning  back  those  laurels  which,  by  the  late  reverses  and  the  events  of 
the  last  campaign,  had  been,  in  a  measure,  stripped  from  his  brow. 

But  secret  enemies  had  been  for  some  time  plotting  his  disgrace  by  poisoning  the  minds 
of  the  Eastern  people,  and  raising  a  clamor  in  favor  of  the  reinstatement  of  Gates,  who  as 
yet,  for  obvious  reasons,  had  met  with  no  reverses.  The  friends  of  that  officer  were  an  active 
faction  in  Congress  at  that  time,  sicb  rosa,  but  the  next  year  were  far  more  undisguised  in 
favoring  the  scheme  for  giving  Gates  the  chief  command  in  place  of  Washington.  We  are 
so  accustomed  to  look  upon  all  the  men  of  the  Revolution  who  took  sides  with  the  friends 
of  America  as  pure  and  holy  in  all  their  thoughts  and  actions,  that  we  reluctantly  yield  to 
the  conviction  that  they  were  ever  actuated  by  motives  less  worthy  and  exalted  than  those 
of  the  loftiest  patriotism.  This  is  claiming  too  much  for  human  nature.  While  we  may 
award  to  them  all  that  is  noble  and  disinterested  in  feeling,  when  the  good  of  the  common 
cause  demanded  personal  sacrifice  and  pliancy  of  opinion,  it  is  folly  to  deny  that  the  spirit 
of  faction  was  rife  among  the  members  of  the  Old  Continental  Congress,  and  that  selfish 
motives  often  controlled  their  actions.  Congress,  listening  to  the  clamors  from  the  East, 
the  importunities  of  Gates's  friends,  and  the  suggestions  of  a  false  military  philosophy,  de- 
prived General  Schuyler  of  his  command  just  as  he  was  about  to  lead  his  troops  to  victory. 

General  Gates,  with  his  new  commission,  arrived  at  Van  Schaick's  on  the  1 9th  of  Au- 
gust, three  days  after  the  battle  of  Bennington,  a  battle  which,  in  its  effect  upon  the  British 
army,  gave  full  assurance  of  future  victory  to  the  Americans.  How  nobly  did  the  conduct 
of  Schuyler  on  this  occasion  contrast  with  that  of  Gates  a  few  weeks  previous.  On  Gates's 
arrival,  without  the  slightest  indication  of  ill  humor,  the  patriot  resigned  his  command,  com- 
municated all  the  intelligence  he  possessed,  and  put  every  interesting  paper  into  his  hands 
simply  adding,  "  I  have  done  all  that  could  be  done,  as  far  as  the  means  were  in  my  power, 
to  injure  the  enemy,  and  to  inspire  confidence  in  the  soldiers  of  our  own  army,  and,  I  fl.atter 
myself,  with  some  success ;  but  the  palm  of  victory  is  denied  me,  and  it  is  left  to  you,  gen- 
eral, to  reap  the  fruit  of  my  labors.  I  will  not  fail,  however,  to  second  your  views  ;  and 
my  devotion  to  my  country  will  cause  me  with  alacrity  to  obey  all  your  orders."*  "  I  am 
.sensible,"  he  said,  in  a  letter  to  Congress,  "  of  the  indignity  of  being  ordered  from  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  at  the  time  when  an  engagement  must  soon  take  place  ;"  yet  he  preferred 
to  suffer  reproach  in  silence  rather  than  allow  his  bleeding  country  to  be  injured  by  the  with- 
drawal of  a  single  arm  from  its  support.  Although  disgraced  by  the  act  of  Congress,  he 
persevered  assiduously  in  strengthening  the  army  and  preparing  for  the  coming  conflict. 
"  I  shall  go  on,"  he  said  to  Washington,  "  in  doing  my  duty  and  endeavoring  to  deserve 
your  esteem."  And  when  General  Gates  arrived,  he  cordially  proffered  his  co-operation, 
was  very  active  in  promoting  the  success  of  the  battles  which  soon  after  took  place,  was 
present  at  Saratoga  when  Burgoyne  surrendered  his  sword,  and  rejoiced,  because  his  country 
was  the  gainer,  when  the  laurels  which  should  have  graced  his  brow  were  placed  upon  that 
of  another.  Warmed  by  such  impulses,  who  can  doubt  that  the  bosom  of  the  generous 
patriot  on  that  day  heaved  with  nobler  pride  and  purer  joy  than  that  of  the  lauded  victor  ? 

'  Garden,  p.  359. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


Tanal  Voyai;c  from  Waterford  to  Bemis's  Heights. 


Appearance  of  the  Country 


CHAPTEPv  II. 

*'  Led  on  by  lust  of  lucre  and  renown, 
Burgoyne  came  marching  with  his  thousands  down  , 
Hiffh  were  his  thoughts  and  furious  his  career, 
Puff 'd  with  self-confidence  and  pride  severe ; 
SwoU'n  with  the  idea  of  his  future  deeds, 
Onward  to  ruin  each  advantage  leads." 

Philip  Freneau,  1778. 


'^:;r^E  left  Waterford  at  two  o'clock  P.M.  for  Bemis  ? 
-j-^  Heights,  the  famous  battle-ground  where  Burgoyne  was 
^  checked  and  defeated  in  the  autumn  of  1777,  a  few  weeks 
after  General  Gates  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  northern 
Our  conveyance  was  a  neat  little  canal  packet,  its  cabin  crowd- 
h  passengers  and  a  well-supplied  dinner-table,  and  its  deck  piled 
,s  much  luggage  and  as  many  loungers  as  low  bridges  and  a  hot  sun 
J/"'  would  allow.  For  a  loiterer  who  takes  no  note  of  passing  hours  but  to  mark 
'  and  mourn  their  excessive  length,  and  who  loves  to  glide  along  listlessly  among 
green  fields  and  shady  woods  without  the  disturbance  of  even  a  carriage  ride, 
-  a  day  voyage  upon  a  canal  is  really  delightful,  especially  if  the  face  of  nature  is 
iv'  attractive,  and  a  pleasant  companion  or  agreeable  book  assists  in  smoothing  the 
passacre  of  time.  Such  seemed  to  be  the  character  of  nearly  all  our  fellow-passengers,  pleas- 
ure fr°ora  personal  enjoyment  being  their  chief  object.  When  dinner  was  over,  some  slept 
some  read,  and  every  body  talked  to  every  body  as  freely  as  old  acquaintances  would  chat. 
The  comitry  through  which  we  passed  is  very  fertile,  and  beautifully  diversified  in  aspect. 
The  plam  over  which  the  Hudson  here  flows  is  a  narrow  alluvial  bottom,  of  garden  rich- 
ness, along  the  western  edge  of  which  passes  the  canal.  Green  woods  and  cultivated  fields 
skirted  the  river  on  either  side,  and  those  conical  hills  and  knolls,  like  western  tumuli,  which 
are  prominent  features  from  Stillwater  to  Sandy  Hill,  here  begin  to  appear.  Some  of  them 
were  still  covered  with  the  primeval  forest,  and  others  were  cultivated  from  base  to  summit, 
givin^T  a  pleasing  variety  to  the  ever-changing  landscape.  The  dark  green  corn,  just  flower- 
ing ;  °the  wheat  ears,  fading  from  emerald  to  russet ;  the  blackberries,  thick  in  the  hedges  ; 
the  flowers  innumerable,  dotting  the  pasture  fields,  and  the  fragrance  of  the  new-mown  hay, 
scattered  in  wind-rows  along  the  canal,  were  pleasant  sights  to  one  just  escaped  from  the 
dust  and  din  of  the  city,  and  imparted  a  gratification  which  only  those  can  feel  and  appre- 
ciate who  seldom  enjoy  it.  There  was  one  thhig  wanting,  which  leafy  June  would  have 
supplied — the  melody  of  birds. 

"  Silence  girt  the  woods  ;  no  warbling  tongue 
Talks  now  unto  the  echo  of  the  groves ; 
Only  the  curled  stream  soft  chidings  kept ; 
And  little  gales  that  from  the  green  leaves  swept 
Dry  summer's  dust,  in  fearful  whisperings  stirr'd, 
As  loth  to  waken  any  singing  bird," 

for  it  was  just  the  season  when  the  warblers  of  the  forest  are  still,  except  at  early  morning 
when  they  carol  a  brief  matin  hymn,  and  then  are  quiet.      Yet 

"  The  poetry  of  earth  is  never  dead. 
When  all  the  birds  are  faint  with  the  hot  sun, 
And  hide  in  cooling  trees,  a  voice  will  run 


44  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Young  Tourists  from  Saratoga  Springs.  Gates  and  Burgoyne.  An  Evening  Visit  to  Bemis's  Heighta 

From  hedge  to  hedge  about  the  new-mown  mead ; 
That  is  the  grasshopper's." 

Keats. 

A.t  the  Borough,  or  Mechanicsville,  nine  miles  above  Waterford,  the  rail-road  from  Sara 
toga  Springs  reaches  the  canal.  Here  our  boat  was  filled  to  repletion  with  a  bevy  of  youn^ 
people,  who,  tired  of  medicinals  and  midnight  merriment  at  that  Mecca  of  fashion  in  sum- 
mer, had  determined  to  take  a  "slow  coach"  to  Whitehall,  and  meet  the  stronger  tide  of 
gay  tourists  flowing  to  Ticonderoga  from  Lake  George.  They  were  full  of  life,  and  not  one 
of  them  had  ever  passed  a  night  upon  a  canal-boat.  Poor  souls  !  how  we  pitied  them, 
while  we  rejoiced  at  our  own  better  fortune,  intending,  as  we  did,  to  debark  toward  cooling 
sunset.  If  "  affliction  is  necessary  to  temper  the  over-joyous,"  our  young  travelers  were 
doubtless  well  annealed  before  morning  in  the  vapor  bath  of  a  packet  cabin. 

One  of  the  passengers  was  a  roving  journeyman  printer,  full  of  the  general  intelligence 
of  the  craft,  an  inveterate  tobacco  chewer,  and  evidently  a  boon  companion  of  John  Barley- 
corn and  his  cousins.  His  hat  was  a-slouch  and  his  coat  seedy.  His  wit  kept  the  deck 
vocal  with  laughter  ;  yet,  when  at  times  he  talked  gravely,  the  dignity  of  intelligence  made 
us  all  respectful  listeners.  He  was  perfectly  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  classic  grounds 
through  which  we  were  then  passing.  His  father  was  one  of  the  special  adjutants  appointed 
by  General  Gates  on  the  morning  of  the  action  of  the  19th  of  September,  and  from  him  he 
had  often  received  minute  details  of  the  events  of  that  contest.  He  mentioned  a  circum- 
stance connected  with  the  commander  on  that  occasion,  which,  in  some  degree,  explains  the 
singular  fact  that  he  was  not  upon  the  field  of  action — a  fact  which  some  have  adduced  as 
evidence  of  cowardice.  It  is  admitted  that  General  Gates  did  not  leave  his  camp  during 
the  contest ;  and  the  special  adjutant  referred  to  asserted  boldly  that  intoxication  vi'as  the 
chief  cause.  That,  in  the  opinion  of  the  world  at  that  time,  was  a  weakness  far  more  ex- 
cusable, and  a  crime  less  heinous,  than  cowardice  ;  for  a  night's  debauch  and  a  morning  of 
dullness  and  stupidity  were  things  too  common  among  gentlemen  to  affect  reputation  seri- 
ously, unless  bad  consequences  ensued.  He  was  not  alone  in  devotion  to  the  wine-cup  at 
that  very  time,  for  it  is  said  that  Burgoyne  and  Earl  Balcarras  did  not  leave  their  flagon 
and  their  cards  until  dawn  that  morning.  Burgoyne  and  the  earl,  however,  had  either 
stouter  heads  or  stouter  hearts  than  Gates,  for  they  were  on  duty  in  the  field  when  the  con 
test  was  raging.  It  may  be  that  neither  wine  nor  cowardice  controlled  the  American  com- 
mander. Let  us  charitably  hope  that  it  did  not,  and  charge  the  fault  upon  a  weak  judg- 
ment ;  for  we  should  be  ever  ready  to  act  toward  erring  brother-man  according  to  the  glo- 
rious injunction  of  Prior  : 

"  Be  to  his  faults  a  little  bhnd  ; 
Be  to  his  virtues  very  kind." 

We  reached  Bemis's  Heights  between  five  and  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  hotel  is 
situated  a  few  rods  south  of  the  site  of  the  old  residence  of  Bemis.  The  obliging  landlord 
anticipated  our  impatience  to  view  the  battle-ground,  and  when  supper  was  over  we  found 
a  horse  and  light  wagon  in  readiness  to  carry  us  to  the  residence  of  Charles  Neilson,  Esq., 
on  the  summit  of  the  heights,  whence  a  fine  view  of  the  whole  scene  of  conflict  and  of  the 
surrounding  country  might  be  obtained.'  It  was  too  late  for  much  observation,  for  twilight 
soon  spread  its  veil  over  every  object.  After  spending  an  hour  pleasantly  and  profitably 
with  Mr.  Neilson  and  his  family,  I  made  an  engagement  to  meet  him  early  next  morning, 
to  ride  and  ramble  over  the  historic  grounds  in  the  neighborhood. 


'  Mr.  Neilson  occupies  the  mansion  owned  by  his  father,  an  active  Whig,  at  the  time  of  the  battles  there 
He  has  written  and  published  a  volume  entitled  "  An  original,  compiled,  and  corrected  Account  of  Bur- 
goyne's  Campaign  and  the  memorable  Battles  of  Bemis's  Heights."  It  contains  many  details  not  found 
in  other  books,  which  he  gathered  from  those  who  were  present,  and  saw  and  heard  what  they  related 
[t  is  valuable  on  that  account. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  45 


View  from  Bemis's  Heights.  Topography.  Origin  of  the  Name.  Headquarters  of  Revolutionary  OfBccra. 

The  morning  broke  with  an  unclouded  sky,  and  before  the  dew  was  off  the  grass  I  was 
upon  Bemis's  Heights,  eager  to  see  what  yet  remained  of  the  mihtary  works  of  a  former 
time.  Alas  !  hardly  a  vestige  is  to  be  seen  ;  but  a  more  beautiful  view  than  the  one  from 
Mr.  Neilson's  mansion  I  have  seldom  beheld.  The  ground  there  is  higher  than  any  in  the 
vicinity,  except  the  range  of  hills  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  and  the  eye  takes  in  a  varied 
landscape  of  a  score  of  miles  in  almost  every  direction.  Bounding  the  horizon  on  the  north ' 
and  west  are  the  heights  of  Saratoga  and  the  high  mountains  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
George.  On  the  south  stretch  away  into  the  blue  distance  toward  Albany  the  gentle  hills 
and  the  pleasant  valley  of  the  Hudson.  On  the  east,  not  far  distant,  rises  Willard's  Mount- 
ain, and  over  and  beyond  its  southern  neighbors  of  less  altitude  may  be  seen  the  heights  of 
Bennington  on  the  Walloomscoik,'  the  Green  Mountains,  and  the  lofty  summit  of  far-famed 
Mount  Tom. 

Bemis's  Heights  are  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson,  about  four  miles  north  of 
the  pleasant  village  of  Stillwater  (which  is  on  the  same  side  of  the  river),  and  about  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Albany.  The  ground  here  rises  abruptly  from  an  extensive  alluvial  flat 
about  half  a  mile  in  width  a  little  above,  but  here  tapering  until  it  forms  quite  a  narrow 
defile  of  not  more  than  thirty  or  forty  rods  on  each  side  of  the  river.  At  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  the  whole  country  in  this  vicinity  was  covered  with  a  dense  forest,  having  only 
an  occasional  clearing  of  a  few  acres ;  and  deep  ravines  furrowed  the  land  in  various  direc- 
tions. Fronting  the  river,  a  high  bluff  of  rocks  and  soil,  covered  with  stately  oaks  and 
maples,  presented  an  excellent  place  on  which  to  plant  a  fortification  to  command  the  pas 
sage  of  the  river  and  the  narrow  valley  below.  The  bluff  is  still  there,  but  the  forest  is 
gone,  and  many  of  the  smaller  ravines  have  been  filled  up  by  the  busy  hand  of  cultivation. 

The  only  road  then  much  traveled  passed  along  the  margin  of  the  river.  Upon  the  road, 
at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  bluff',  was  a  tavern  kept  by  a  man  named  Bemis,  the  only 
one  of  note  between  Albany  and  Fort  Edward.  Good  wines  and  long  pipes,  a  spacious 
ball-room  aiad  a  capital  larder,  made  Bemis's  house  a  famous  place  of  resort  for  sleighing 
parties  in  winter,  throughout  the  whole  of  the  Saratoga  valley  of  the  Hudson.  He  owned 
a  portion  of  the  heavy-timbered  heights  near  him,  and  from  that  circumstance  the  hill  de- 
rived its  name. 

On  the  summit  of  the  height,  three  fourths  of  a  mile  northwest  of  Bemis's,  the  father  of 
Mr.  Neilson  owned  a  clearing  of  a  few  acres  when  the  war  broke  out,  and  he  had  erected 
a  small  dwelling  and  a  log  barn  thereon.  The  dwelling,  with  large  additions,  is  still  there, 
but  the  log  barn,  which  was  picketed  and  used  for  a  fort,  has  long  since  given  place  to  an- 
other. Around  that  old  mansion  cluster  many  interesting  historic  associations,  and  if  its 
walls  could  articulate,  they  might  tell  of  heroism  in  action  and  patient  endurance  which 
the  pen  of  history  has  never  yet  recorded. 

Upon  the  next  page  are  given  a  group  of  localities  about  Bemis's  Heights  and  a  min- 
iature map  of  the  engagements  there.  The  picture  at  the  top  of  the  page  represents  the 
mansion  of  Mr.  Neilson,  as  seen  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  looking  eastward.  It 
.stands  upon  the  east  side  of  the  highway  leading  to  Quaker  Springs,  about  one  hundred  rods 
north  of  the  road  from  Bemis's  Heights  to  the  watering  places  of  Ballston  and  Saratoga.  It 
is  a  frame  house,  and  the  part  next  to  the  road  is  modern  compared  with  the  other  and  smaller 
portion,  which  is  the  original  dwelling.  The  room  in  the  old  part  (a  sketch  of  which  is 
given  in  the  third  picture  from  the  top)  is  quite  large,  and  was  occupied  by  Brigadier-gen- 
eral Poor  and  Colonel  Morgan  as  quarters  at  the  time  of  the  encampments  there.  It  was  in 
this  room  that  Major  Ackland,  the  brave  commander  of  the  British  Grenadiers,  who  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October,  was  kindly  received  by  the  American 
officers,  and  visited  and  nursed  by  his  heroic  wife,  Lady  Harriet  Ackland,  of  whom,  and 
the  event  in  question,  I  shall  hereafter  speak.      The  bed  of  the  wounded  officer  was  beneath 

'  It  is  said  that  the  smoke  of  the  battle  of  Bennington,  thirty  miles  distant,  was  distinctly  seen  fiom 
Bemis's  Heights. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  47 


Localities  about  Bemis's  Heights.  Gates's  Quarters.  Willard's  Mountain.  Condition  of  the  Northern  Army. 

the  window  on  the  left.  The  door  in  the  center  opens  into  a  email  bed-room  ;  and  this 
as  well  as  every  thing  else  about  the  room,  is  carefully  preserved  in  its  original  condition. 
Where  the  smaller  poplar  tree  stands  was  a  building  which  General  Arnold  occupied  ;  and 
further  to  the  left  the  small  buildings  are  upon  the  spot  where  the  fortified  log  barn  stood, 
which  was  at  the  northwest  angle  of  the  American  works.  In  compliment  to  the  owner, 
the  rude  fortification  was  called  Fort  Neilson. 

Between  the  smaller  poplar  tree  and  the  house  is  seen  "Willard's  Mountam,  five  miles 
distant,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson.  This  eminence  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  valley 
for  many  miles.  From  its. summit  a  Mr.  Willard  and  a  few  others,  ^\'ith  a  good  spy-glass, 
watched  all  the  movements  of  Burgoyne,  and  made  regular  reports  to  General  Gates. 
This  service  was  exceedingly  valuable,  for  a  fair  estimate  of  the  number  of  troops,  their 
baggage,  stores,  artillery,  &c.,  was  made  from  his  observations.  His  name  is  immortalized 
by  a  gigantic  monument,  which  has  borne  it  ever  since. 

The  second  vignette  from  the  top  is  a  view  of  Gates  s  headquarters  at  the  time  of  the 
battle  of  the  7th  of  October.  He  first  made  his  headquarters  at  Bemis's  house,  but  after- 
ward removed  them  hither.  This  house  was  demolished  about  foiir  years  ago,  but,  from  a 
sketch  furnished  by  Mr.  Neilson,  I  am  enabled  to  give  a  correct  view.  The  old  well  curb 
is  still  there,  and  seems  as  though  it  might  survive  a  generation  yet.  This  house  stood 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  rods  south  of  Fort  Neilson,  and  the  traces  of  the  cellar  may  now 
be  seen  a  few  yards  to  the  left  of  the  Ballston  road,  ascending  from  the  river. 

The  third  vignette  represents  the  room  mentioned  above.  The  picture  at  the  bottom  of 
the  page  is  a  view  from  the  Bemis's  Heights  Hotel,  representing  the  Champlain  Canal,  the 
Hudson  River,  and  the  hills  on  the  eastern  side.  Near  the  large  trees  on  the  left  may  be 
seen  traces  of  a  redoubt  AA'hich  defended  a  floating  bridge  that  was  thro^^■n  across  the  river 
here,  and  so  constructed  that  one  end  could  be  detached  at  pleasure,  allowing  the  bridge  to 
swing  around  with  the  current,  and  thus  prevent  the  enemy  from  entering  upon  it.  The 
lumber  for  this  bridge  was  furnished  by  General  Schuyler,  at  his  0A\'n  private  expense,  and 
floated  down  the  river  from  Saratoga  or  Schuylerville. 

The  map  I  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to  when  noticing  the  fortifications  and  the  battles. 
The  halbert,  represented  on  the  left  of  the  picture,  was  plowed  up  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
is  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Neilson.  When  found,  it  had  a  small  British  flag  or  cloven  pen- 
non attached  to  it,  which  soon  occupied  the  utilitarian  and  more  peaceful  position  of  patches 
in  the  bed-quilt  of  a  prudent  house^wife. 

When  General  Gates  took  the  command  of  the  Northern  army,  a-  events  were  oc-  a^u^j^iD, 
curring  favorable  to  his  success.  Burgoyne  was  at  Fort  Edward,  paralyzed  with  iHL- 
alarm  and  perplexity  on  account  of  the  failure  of  an  expedition  to  Be^iuiington — a  failure, 
in  its  immediate  as  well  as  prospective  efiects,  extremely  disastrous.  The  obstructions  Avhich 
General  Schuyler  had  throAvn  in  the  way  on  his  retreat  from  Fort  Anne,  made  the  march 
of  the  enemy  slow  and  toilsome  in  the  extreme.'  The  plethora  of  the  commissariat  depart- 
ment was  rapidly  subsidmg  by  the  delay  ;  the  supplies  of  the  surrounding  country,  already 
heavily  levied  on,  were  totally  inadequate  to  the  demand,  and  the  capture  of  American 
stores  was  an  object  called  for  by  stern  necessity.  Burgoyne,  therefore,  halted  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward, and  sent  an  expedition  to  Bennington  to  seize  a  large  quantity  of  clothing  and  pro- 


'  General  Schuyler  felled  large  trees  across  the  roads  and  bridle-paths  through  the  woods,  sunk  deep 
ditches,  and  destroyed  all  the  bridges.  These  evils  Burgoyne  was  obliged  to  overcome  and  repair.  With 
immense  toil,  the  obstructions  were  removed,  and  no  less  than  lortv  bridges  over  streams  and  morasses  were 
constructed,  so  as  to  allow  the  passage  of  artillery.  It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that  a  soldier  in  actual 
service  is  not  so  lightly  acSoutered  asa  soldier  on  parade.  Besides  the  actual  fatigue  of  traveling  and  la- 
bors, he  has  a  heavy  back-burden  to  bear.  Respecting  this,  we  quote  Burgoyne's  own  words  :  '"  It  consists 
of  a  knapsack,  containing  his  bodily  necessaries,  a  blanket,  a  haversack  with  provisions,  a  canteen,  a  hatchet, 
and  a  fifth  share  of  the  general  camp  equipage  belonging  to  his  tent."  These  articles  (reckoning  the  pro- 
visions to  be  for  four  days),  added  to  his  accouterments,  arms,  and  sixty  rounds  of  ammunition,  make  a  bulk 
totally  incompatible  with  combat,  and  a  weight  of  about  sixty  poimds. 


48  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

British  Reverses  in  tiie  Moliawk  Valley.  Perplexity  of  Burgoyne.  Advance  of  Gates  to  Stillwater.  Kosciusko 

visions  vv^hich  the  Americans  had  collected  there.  The  detachment  sent  thither  so  weak- 
ened his  forces  that  he  dared  not  proceed  until  it  should  return,  bringing  back,  as  he  confi- 
dently expected,  ample  provisions  for  his  army  until  he  should  enter  Albany  triumphant. 
But  the  New  England  militia  were  on  the  alert,  and  they  not  only  saved  their  stores  and 
live  cattle  at  Bennington,  but  defeated  and  dispersed  the  enemy,  capturing  a  large  number, 
together  with  arms  and  ammunition,  then  much  needed  by  the  growing  ranks  of 

August  16.      ,1  ,       , 

the  volunteers. 
Burgoyne  had  hardly  recovered  from  this  shock,  before  a  courier,  guided  by  a  friendly 
Indian,  came  in  breathless  haste  by  the  way  of  Saratoga  Lake  and  Glenn's  Falls,  bearing 
the  direful  news  of  the  desertion  of  the  Indians,  the  defection  of  the  loyalists  of  the  Mohawk 

Valley,  and  the  complete  defeat  of  St.  Leger  at  Fort  Schuyler.      These  reverses 

Aujnist  22  .  .  .    .  p      .  ... 

fell  like  an  incubus  upon  the  spirits  of  his  army.  The  Indians  in  his  camp,  al- 
ready vexed  because  Burgoyne's  humanity  had  restrained  their  purposes  of  rapine  and  mur 
der,  began  to  waver  in  their  fidelity,  and  the  Canadians  and  timid  loyalists  became  luke 
warm  through  very  cowardice,  and  deserted  by  hundreds. 

Burgoyne  was  greatly  perplexed.  To  proceed  at  that  time  would  be  madness  ;  to  retreat 
would  not  only  lose  him  a  promised  order,  perhaps  a  peerage,  but  would  operate  powerfully 
in  giving  friends  to  the  republicans.  The  idea  of  British  invincibility  would  be  dissipated, 
and  thousands  who  favored  the  cause  of  the  king  on  account  of  that  supposed  invincibility 
and  the  hopelessness  of  resistance,  would  join  the  patriots,  or  would,  at  least,  become  mere 
jiassive  loyalists.  In  view  of  all  these  difficulties,  the  British  commander  wisely  resolved 
to  remain  at  Fort  Edward  until  the  panic  should  subside  and  stores  should  be  brought  for 
ward  from  his  posts  on  Lake  George  and  Lake  Champlain.  He  was  also  in  daily  expec- 
tation of  advices  from  General  Howe  or  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  at  Ncav  York,  announcing  a 
movement  upon  the  Hudson  for  the  purpose  of  producing  a  diversion  in  favor  of  Burgoyne, 
by  drawing  away  a  portion  of  the  American  army  from  the  North. 

These  disasters  of  the  enemy  greatly  inspirited  the  Americans,  and  the  Eastern  militia, 
among  whom  Gates  was  very  popular,  flocked  to  his  standard  with  great  alacrity.  The 
murder  of  Jane  M'Crea  at  Fort  Edward  (of  which  I  shall  hereafter  speak)  was  another 
powerful  agency  in  swelling  the  ranks  of  the  patriots.  Fierce  indignation  was  aroused  in 
every  honest  heart  by  the  highly-colored  recital  of  that  event,  and  loyalists  by  hundreds 
withdrew  their  support  from  a  cause  which  employed  such  instrumentalities  as  savage  war- 
riors to  execute  its  purposes. 

Perceiving  the  disposition  of  Burgoyne  to  halt  at  Fort  Edward,  and  the  difficulties  that 
were  gathering  around  him.  General  Gates  advanced  up  the  Hudson  to  Stillwater,  and  pre- 
pared to  act  ofi^ensively  or  defensively,  as  circumstances  should  dictate.  It  was  at  first  re- 
solved to  throw  up  fortifications  at  the  place  where  the  village  of  Stillwater  now  is  ;  but 
the  narrowness  of  the  valley  and  the  abruptness  of  the  bank  on  the  western  margin  of  the 
flat  at  Bemis's  offered  a  more  advantageous  position,  and  there,  by  the  advice  of  Kosciusko, 
who  was  an  engineer  in  the  army,  General  Gates  made  his  encampment  and  fortified  it.' 

'  Thaddeus  Kosciusko  was  born  in  Lithuania  in  1736,  of  an  ancient  and  noble  family.  He  was  educated 
at  the  military  school  of  Warsaw,  and  afterward  became  a  student  in  France.  There  he  became  acquainted 
with  Dr.  Franklin,  and  was  by  him  recommended  to  General  Washington.  Before  leaving  Poland,  he  had 
eloped  with  a  beautiful  lady  of  high  rank.  They  were  overtaken  in  their  flight  by  her  father,  who  made 
a  violent  attempt  to  rescue  his  daughter.  The  young  Pole  had  either  to  slay  the  father  or  abandon  the 
young  lady.  Abhorrmg  the  former  act,  he  sheathed  his  sword,  and  soon  after  obtained  permission  of  his 
sovereign  to  leave  his  country.  He  came  to  America,  and  presented  himself  to  the  commander-in-chief 
He  answered  the  inquiry  of  his  excellency,  "What  do  you  seek  here?"  by  saying,  "I  come  to  fight  as  a 
volunteer  for  American  independence."  '' What  can  you  do?"  asked  Washington.  "Try  me,"  was  Kos- 
ciusko's laconic  reply.  Greatly  pleased  with  him,  Washington  made  him  his  aid.  In  October,  1776,  he 
was  appointed  engineer  by  Congress,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  In  the  autumn  of  1777  he  fortified  the 
camp  of  Gates  at  Bemis's  Heights,  and  afterward  superintended  the  construction  of  the  works  at  West 
Point,  among  the  Hudson  Highlands.  He  was  greatly  esteemed  by  the  American  officers,  and  admitted 
a  member  of  the  Cincinnati  Society      At  the  close  of  our  Revolution  he  returned  to  Poland,  and  was  made 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION 


49 


Fortificacions  at  Bemis's  Heights. 


Their  present  Appearance. 


Preparations  for  Battle 


Thaddeus  Kosciusko. 


Alon?  the  brow  of  the  hill  toward  the  river  a  line  of  breast-works  was  thrown  up,  about 

three  fourths  of  a  mile  in  extent,  with  a  stronp; 
battery  at  each  extremity,  and  one  near  the 
center  m  such  position  as  to  completely  sweep 
the  valley,  and  command  even  the  hills  upon 
the  eastern  side  of  the  river.  Faint  traces  61" 
these  redoubts  and  the  connecting  breast-works 
are  still  visible.  At  the  northern  extremity, 
where  the  largest  and  strongest  battery  was 
erected,  the  mound  is  leveled,  but  the  ditch  is 
quite  deep,  and  may  be  traced  many  rods  west- 
ward from  the  brow  of  the  hill,  along  the  line 
of  breast-works  that  were  thrown  up  after  the 
first  battle.  But  every  year  the  plow  casts 
in  the  soil  of  its  furrows,  and  ere  long  no 
vestige  will  remain  of  these  intrenchments. 
Within  the  area  of  the  northeast  redoubt,  at 
the  time  of  my  visit,  potatoes  in  desecrating 
luxuriance  were  flourishing,  except  upon  a 
very  small  spot  occupied  as  a  burial-place  for  a  few  of  the  Vanderburgh  family.  It  really 
seemed  sacrilegious  for  the  vulgar  vines  of  the  nutritious  tuber  to  intertwine  with  the  long 
grass  and  beautiful  wild  flowers  that  covered  the  graves.  The  elder  one  of  those  buried 
there  was  an  active  republican,  and  had  his  house  burned  by  the  enemy.  A  few  plain  slabs 
with  inscriptions  tell  who  lie  beneath  the  several  mounds,  but  no  stone  marks  the  grave 
where  sleeps  that  venerable  patriot. 

From  the  foot  of  the  hill,  across  the  flats  to  the  river,  an  intrenchment  was  opened,  and 
at  the  extremity,  on  the  water's  edge,  a  strong  battery  was  erected,  which  guarded  the 
floating  bridge  constructed  there,  and  also  commanded  the  plain  on  the  east  side  of  the  river 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  enemy  might  have  been  terribly  enfiladed  in  case  they  had  at- 
tempted to  pass  down  the  river  or  the  valley. 

Near  where  the  road  crossed  Mill  Creek,  a  small  stream  nearly  half  a  mile  above  Bemis's 
tavern,  were  a  short  line  of  breast-works  and  a  strong  battery,  which,  with  those  mentioned 
above,  composed  all  the  fortifications  previous  to  the  first  battle.  These  being  completed 
about  the  1 5th  of  September,  and  the  enemy  approaching,  General  Gates  made  preparations 
for  resistance.  Brave  officers  and  determined  soldiers,  in  high  spirits,  were  gathered  around 
him,  and  the  latter  were  hourly  increasing  in  numbers.  The  counsels  of  General  Schuyler 
and  the  known  bravery  of  General  Arnold  were  at  his  command  ;  and  he  felt  confident  of 
victory,  aided  by  such  men  as  Poor,  Learned,  Stark,  Whipple,  Paterson,  Warner,  Fellows, 


a  major  general  under  Poniatowski.  He  commanded  judiciously  and  fought  l)raveiy  ;  and  when,  in  1794, 
a  new  revolution  broke  out  in  Poland,  he  was  made  generalis.simo,  and  vested  with  the  power  of  a  military 
ilictator.  In  October  of  that  year  he  was  o%'erpowered,  wounded,  and  taken  prisoner.  In  reference  to 
this  event,  Campbell,  in  hia  Pleasures  of  Hope,  says, 

"  Hope  for  a  sea-son  bade  the  world  farewell. 
And  freedom  shrieked  when  Kosciusko  fell." 

He  was  kept  in  prison  in  St.  Petersburg  until  the  death  of  the  Empress  Catharine,  when  he  was  liberated 
liy  Paul,  loaded  with  honors,  and  offered  a  command  in  the  Russian  service,  which  he  declined.  The  em- 
|)"eror  besought  him  to  accept  the  proffered  honor,  and  presented  him  with  his  own  sword.  But  bitterly 
reflecting  that  his  country  had  been  annihilated,  he  refused  to  receive  his  sword,  saying,  "  I  no  longer  need 
a  sword,  since  I  have  no' longer  a  country  to  defend."  He  visited  the  United  States  in  1797,  and  received 
from  Congress  a  grant  of  land  for  his  services.  He  returned  to  Switzerland  toward  the  close  of  his  life, 
and  died  There  October  the  16th,  1817.  His  remains  were  taken  to  Cracow,  and  at  Warsaw  a  public  fun- 
eral was  made  for  him.  At  West  Point,  on  the  Hudson,  the  cadets  erected  a  monument  to  his  memory. 
We  have  "iven  a  drawing  of  the  monument,  and  a  more  particular  notice,  on  page  TO.'i,  of  this  volume 

1) 


,-,0  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Rxpedition  against  the  Posts  on  Lakes  George  and  Champlain.  March  cf  Burgoyne  to  Saratoga  and  Stillwater 

Bailey,  Glover,  Wolcott,  Bricketls,  and  Tenbroeck,  with  their  full  brigades,  and  the  bravo 
Virginian,  Colonel  Morgan,  with  his  unerring  marksmen,  supported  by  the  regiments  of 
Dearborn,  Brooks,  Cilley,  Scammel,  and  Hull. 

Small  successes  about  this  time,  important  in  the  aggregate  result,  tended  materially  to 
keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  American  troops,  and  made  them  eager  to  encounter  the  main 
t>ody  of  the  enemy.  General  Lincoln,  with  about  two  thousand  militia,  got  in  the  rear  of 
Burgoyne,  and,  by  dividing  his  force  into  detachments,  operated  with  much  effect.  One 
detachment,  under  Colonel  Brown,  surprised  the  British  posts  on  Lake  George,  captured  a 
vessel  containing  provisions  for  the  enemy,  took  possession  of  Mount  Hope  and  Mount  De- 
fiance, and,  appearing  before  Ticonderoga,  demanded  its  surrender.  But  the  walls  and  gar- 
rison were  too  strong,  and,  after  a  cannonade  of  four  days,  the  siege  was  abandoned,  and  all 
the  troops  prepared  to  unite  and  attack  the  enemy  in  the  rear.  The  threatening  aspect  of 
this  movement  of  Lincoln  at  the  beginning,  and  the  probability  of  having  his  supplies  from 
the  lakes  cut  off,  induced  Burgoyne,  in  self-defense,  to  move  forward  and  execute  promptly 
what  he  intended  to  do.  Having,  by  great  diligence,  brought  forward  provisions  for  about 
thirty  days,  he  advanced  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Hudson  to  the  mouth  of  the  Batten 
Kill,  where  he  encamped  preparatory  to  crossing  the  river.'  His  officers  were  somewhat 
divided  in  opinion  in  regard  to  the  expediency  of  further  attempts  to  reach  Albany ;  and  it 
had  been  plainly  intimated  to  Burgoyne  that  it  might  be  greater  wisdom  to  fall  back  from 
Fort  Edward,  rather  than  advance,  for  it  was  evident  that  perils  of  no  ordinary  kind  were 
gathering  around  the  invading  army. 

Unwilling  to  act  in  opposition  to  the  ezj)ressed  opinions  of  his  officers,  Burgoyne  avoided 
any  intimations  of  judgment  on  their  part  by  omitting  to  consult  them  at  all ;  and  he  as- 
sumed the  responsibility  of  crossing  the  Hudson,  resting  for  his  defense,  if  adversity  should 
ensue,  upon  the  peremptory  nature  of  his  instructions.^  He  constructed  a  bridge  of  boats, 
and  on  the  13  th  and  14  th  of  September  passed  his  whole  army  over,  and  encamped  on  the 
heights  and  plains  of  Saratoga,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fish  Creek,  where  Schuylerville  now 
is,  and  v/ithin  about  five  miles  of  the  American  works  beloAv.  On  the  1 5th,  having  suc- 
r-eeded  in  getting  his  artillery,  baggage,  and  stores  across  the  river,  Burgoyne  moved  down 
as  far  as  Do-ve-gat  (now  Coveville),  where  he  halted  until  the  morning  of  the  17th,  for  the 
purpose  of  repairing  the  roads  and  bridges  before  him,  when  he  advanced  as  far  as  Swords's 
house  and  encamped  for  the  night.  On  the  morning  of  the  1 8th  he  moved  down  as  far  as 
the  place  now  called  Wilbur's  Basin,  within  two  miles  of  the  American  camp,  and  here  he 
made  preparations  for  battle.  His  chief  officers  were  Major-general  Phillips,  of  the  artillery, 
who  had  performed  signal  service  in  Germany  ;  Brigadier-general  Fraser,  commander  of 
the  grenadiers  and  light  infantry  ;  Brigadiers  Hamilton  and  Powell ;  and  the  Brunswick 
major  general.  Baron  de  Riedesel,  with  his  brigadiers,  Specht  and  Gall.  Earl  Balcarras, 
Colonel  Breyman,  Major  Ackland,  Lieutenant  Kingston,  and  others  of  minor  grade,  were 
men  of  tried  courage,  and  ardently  attached  to  their  general  and  the  service. 

When  the  defeat  of  Burgoyne,  a  few  days  later,  became  known  in  England,  the  crossing 
of  the  Hudson  River  and  his  persistence  in  pressing  toward  Albany,  with  the  American 
army  in  front  and  a  wilderness  filling  with  armed  republicans  in  his  rear,  formed  the  chief 
theme  for  the  vituperative  assaults  of  his  enemies  ;  and  to  these  steps  all  his  subsequent 
misfortunes  were  attributed.  But,  as  we  have  seen,  he  retreated  behind  the  peremptory 
instructions  of  ministers  ;   and  Botta  very  justly  observes,  "  that  at  that  time  he  had  not 

'  His  place  of  encampment  was  about  one  hundred  rods  north  of  Lansing's  saw-mill.  The  farm,  till 
within  a  few  years,  was  occupied  by  INIr.  Thomas  Rogers.  Burgoyne  had  quite  an  extensive  slaughter- 
vard  there,  which  so  enriched  the  soil,  that  its  effects  are  still  visible  on  the  corn  crops  and  other  produc 
lions. — C.  Ncilson. 

*  In  his  dispatch  to  Lord  George  Germain,  dated  at  Albany,  October  20th,  1777,  Burgoyne  alludes  to 
this  fact,  and  says,  "  1  did  not  think  myself  authorized  to  call  any  men  into  council,  where  the  peremptory 
tenor  of  my  orders  and  the  season  of  the  year  admitted  no  alternative.'' — State  of  the  Expedition,  &c.,  Ap- 
pendix, p.  Ixxxiv. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  5  1 

Material  of  the  American  Army  on  Bemis's  Heights.  Relative  Position  of  the  two  Armies.  Burgoyne's  Plan  of  Attack 

yet  received  any  intelligence  either  of  the  strength  of  the  army  left  at  New  York,  or  the 
movements  which  Sir  Henry  Clinton  intended  to  make,  or  had  made,  np  the  North  River 
toward  Albany.  He  calculated  on  a  powerful  co-operation  on  the  part  of  that  general. 
Such  was  the  plan  of  the  ministers,  and  such  the  tenor  of  their  peremptory  instructions."' 

Whether  the  movement  was  judicious  or  injudicious  we  will  not  stop  to  inquire,  but, 
having  arranged  the  two  armies  vidthin  cannon-shot  of  each  other,  will  pass  on  to  the  con- 
sideration of  an  event  which  solved  the  question  by  arguments  far  more  potential  than  logic 
can  command — 

THE   FIRST   BATTLE   OF   STILLWATER." 

The  morning  of  the  1 9th  of  September  was  clear  and  calm,  and  every  thing  without 
was  white  with  hoar-frost.  The  hostile  armies,  within  ear-shot  of  each  other's  re- 
veiUe,  were  disposed  in  similar  order,  each  extending  from  the  river  westward  over  the  hills. 
The  main  body  of  the  American  army  composing  the  right  wing,  which  consisted  chiefly  of 
Glover's,  Nixon's,  and  Patterson's  brigades,  was  under  the  immediate  command  of  General 
Gates,  and  occupied  the  hills  near  the  river  and  the  narrow  flats  below  them.  The  left 
wing,  composed  of  the  brigade  of  General  Poor,  consisting  of  Cilley's,  Scammel's,  and  Hale's 
regiments,  of  New  Hampshire  ;  Van  Courtlandt's  and  Henry  Livingston's,  of  New  York  : 
Latimer  and  Cook's  Connecticut  militia ;  the  corps  of  riflemen  under  Morgan,  and  infantry 
under  Dearborn,  was  posted  on  the  heights  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  river,  and 
commanded  by  General  Arnold.'  The  center,  on  the  elevated  plain  near  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Neilson,  was  composed  of  Learned's  brigade,  with  Bailey's,  Wesson's,  and  Jackson's 
regiments,  of  Massachusetts,  and  James  Livingston's,  of  New  York. 

The  left  wing  of  the  British  army,  which  included  the  immense  train  of  artillery  under 
Generals  Phillips  and  Riedesel,  rested  upon  the  flats  upon  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  cen- 
ter and  the  right  wing,  composed  principally  of  Hessians,*  extended  westward  upon  the  hills, 
and  were  commanded  by  Burgoyne  in  person,  covered  by  General  Fraser  and  Colonel  Brey- 
man,  with  the  grenadiers  and  light  infantry.  The  front  and  flanks  were  covered  by  the 
Indians,  Canadians,  and  loyalists,  who  still  remained  in  the  camp. 

General  Gates  resolved  to  maintain  a  defensive  position,  and  await  the  approach  of 
Burgoyne,  who,  on  the  contrary,  had  made  every  preparation  for  advancing.  Phillips  and 
Pv-eidesel  were  to  march  with  the  artillery  along  the  road  on  the  margin  of  the  river.  The 
Canadians  and  Indians  in  front  were  to  attack  the  central  outposts  of  the  Americans,  while 
Burgoyne  and  Fraser,  with  the  grenadiers  and  infantry,  in  separate  bodies,  and  strongly 
flanked  by  Indians,  were  to  make  a  circuitous  route  through  the  woods  back  of  the  river 
hills,  form  a  junction,  and  fall  upon  the  rear  of  the  American  camp.  It  was  arranged  that 
three  minute-guns  should  be  fired  when  Burgoyne  and  Fraser  should  join  their  forces,  as  a 
signal  for  the  artillery  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  American  front  and  right,  force  their 
way  through  the  lines,  and  scatter  them  in  confusion. 

At  an  early  hour  the  American  pickets  observed  great  activity  in  the  British  camp  ;  the 
glitter  of  bayonets  and  sabers  and  the  flashing  of  scarlet  uniforms  were  distinctly  seen  through 


'  Otis's  Botta,  vol.  ii..  p.  9. 

^  The  conflicts  at  this  point  are  known  by  the  several  titles  Bcmis''s  HdghU^  Stillwater,  and  Saratoga,  from 
•he  fact  that  the  battles  occurred  upon  Bemis's  Heijrhts,  in  the  town  of  Stillwater,  and  county  of  Saratoga. 

'  These  were  the  same  troops  which  formed  the  left  wing  of  the  army  when  encamped  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Mohawk.  They  were  stationed  at  Loudon's  feny,  five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  there 
Arnold  took  the  command  after  his  return  from  Fort  Schuyler. 

"*  The  Hessians  were  some  of  the  German  soldiers,  hired  by  Great  Britain  of  their  masters,  petty  German 
princes,  at  a  stipulated  sum  per  head,  to  come  to  America  and  butcher  her  children.  The  Landgrave  of 
Hesse-Cassel  furnished  the  larger  number,  and  from  that  circumstance  all  of  the  Germans  received  the 
seneral  appellation  of  Hessians.  I  have  given  a  minute  account  of  them,  and  of  the  debates  in  Parliament 
which  the  infamous  bill  providing  for  the  hiring  of  these  mercenaries  produced,  on  page  589,  of  this  vol- 
ume. 


52  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Approach  of  the  two  Armies.  Engagement  between  the  Advance  Corps.  Maneuvers  of  Arnold  and  Fraser 

the  vistas  of  the  forest  as  the  troops  of  the  enemy  marched  and  countermarched  to  form  the 
various  lines  for  battle.  These  movements  were  constantly  reported  to  General  Gates,  yei 
he  issued  no  orders  and  evinced  no  disposition  to  fight.  About  ten  o'clock  it  was  clearly 
perceived  that  the  whole  of  the  enemy's  force  was  in  motion,  and  separated  into  three  divi- 
sions. Phillips  and  Reidesel,  with  the  artillery,  commenced  marching  slowly  down  the  road 
along  the  river  ;  Burgoyne,  with  the  center  division,  followed  the  course  of  the  stream,  now 
forming  Wilbur's  Basin,  westward  ;  and  Fraser  and  Breyman  commenced  a  circuitous  route 
along  a  new  road  partially  opened  from  the  basin,  and  intersecting  the  road  from  Bemis's 
ibout  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  American  lines. 

Arnold  was  fully  apprised  of  all  this,  and  became  as  impatient  as  a  hound  in  the  leash 
His  opinion,  earnestly  and  repeatedly  expressed  to  the  commander  during  the  morning,  that 
d,  detachment  should  be  sent  out  to  make  an  attack,  was  at  length  heeded.  About  noon. 
Colonel  Morgan  with  his  light-horse,  and  Major  Dearborn  with  his  infantry,  were  detached 
Crom  Arnold's  division,  and,  marching  out,  made  a  vigorous  attack  upon  the  Canadians  and 
Indians  who  swarmed  upon  the  hills.  They  met  at  the  middle  ravine,  south  of  Freeman's 
cottage.'  The  enemy  was  repulsed  ;  but  so  furious  was  Morgan's  charge,  that  his  men 
became  scattered  in  the  woods,  and  a  re-enforcement  of  loyalists  under  Major  Forbes  soon 
drove  the  Americans  back.  Captain  Van  Swearingen  and  Lieutenant  Morris,  with  twenty 
privates,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  For  a  moment,  on  finding  himself  almost  alone, 
Morgan  felt  that  his  corps  was  ruined  ;  but  his  loud  signal-whistle  soon  gathered  his  brave 
followers  around  him,  and  the  charge  was  renewed.  Dearborn  seconded  him,  and  Cilley 
and  Scammel  hastened  to  their  support.  The  contest  was  quite  equal,  and  both  parties  at 
length  retired  within  their  respective  lines. 

About  the  same  time  a  party  of  Canadians,  savages,  and  loyalists  were  detached  through 
the  skirt  of  the  woods  along  the  margin  of  the  flats  near  the  river.  They  M'ere  met  by  the 
American  pickets  on  a  flat  piece  of  ground  near  Mill  Creek,  and  a  smart  skirmish  ensued. 
The  enemy  was  much  cut  up  and  broken,  and  finally  fled,  leaving  thirteen  dead  on  the 
field  and  thirty-five  taken  prisoners.  In  the  mean  while,  Burgoyne  and  Fraser  were  making 
rapid  movements  for  the  purpose  of  falling  upon  the  Americans  in  front  and  on  the  left  flank. 
The  center  division  marched  through  some  partial  clearings  to  Freeman's  farm,^  while  Fraser, 
having  reached  a  high  point  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  rods  north  of  the  "  cottage,"  moved 
rapidly  southward  for  the  purpose  of  turning  the  left  flank  of  the  Americans.  Arnold,  at 
the  same  time,  made  a  similar  attempt  upon  Fraser.  He  called  upon  Gates  for  a  re-en- 
forcement from  the  right  wing,  but  the  commander  deemed  it  prudent  not  to  weaken  it,  for 
the  left  of  Burgoyne's  army  was  then  within  half  a  mile  of  his  lines,  and  spreading  out  upon 
the  heights. 

Arnold  resolved  to  do  what  he  could  with  those  under  his  command,  which  consisted  of 
General  Learned's  brigade  and  the  New  York  troeps.  With  these  he  attempted  to  turn 
the  enemy's  right,  and,  if  possible,  cut  off"  the  detachment  of  Fraser  from  the  main  army. 
So  dense  was  the  forest  and  so  uneven  was  the  ground,  that  neither  party  fairly  compre- 
hended the  movements  of  the  other,  or  knew  that  each  was  attempting  the  same  maneuver. 
They  met  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  upon  the  level  ground  near  Mill  Creek,  or  Middle 
Ravine,  about  sixty  yards  west  of  Freeman's  cottage,  and  at  once  an  action,  warm  and  de- 
structive, began.  Arnold  led  the  van  of  his  men,  and  fell  upon  the  foe  with  the  fury  and 
impetuosity  of  a  tiger.  By  voice  and  action  he  encouraged  his  troops  ;  but  the  overwhelm- 
ing numbers  of  the  enemy  for  a  time  repulsed  them.  By  a  quick  movement,  Fraser  attacked 
the  left  flanlc  of  the  right  wing  of  the  American  army  ;   but  fearing  that  Arnold  (who  had 

'  The  attention  of  the  reader  is  called  to  the  small  map  or  plan  of  the  engagement,  upon  page  46,  while 
perusing  the  notices  of  the  battle. 

^  Freeman's  farm,  as  it  was  called,  was  a  small  cultivated  clearing,  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  present 
road  leading  to  Quaker  Springs.  The  farm  was  an  oblong  clearing  in  front  of  the  cottage,  about  sixty 
rods  in  length  from  east  to  west,  skirted  by  thick  woods,  and  sloping  south. — Neilson,  p.  141. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


o 


Approach  of  a  British  Re-enforcement  under  Phillips. 


View  of  the  Battle-ground. 


A  Lull  hi  the  Battle 


rallied  his  troops,  and  was  re-enforced  by  four  regiments  under  Lieutenant-colonels  Brooks, 
Cilley,  and  Scammel,  and  Majors  Dearborn  and  Hull)  might  cut  the  British  lines  and  sep- 
arate the  two  wings,  he  brought  up  the  twenty-fourth  regiment,  some  light  infantry,  and 
Breyman's  riflemen,  to  strengthen  the  point  of  attack.  The  Americans  made  such  a  vigor- 
ous resistance,  that  the  British  bepan  to  give  way  and  fall  into  confusion ;  but  General 
Phillips,  who,  from  his  position  bei<  v  the  heights,  heard  the  din  of  conflict  on  the  right 
wing  of  his  army,  hurried  over  the  hills,  through  the  thick  woods,  with  fresh  troops  and 
part  of  the  artillery  under  Captain  Jones,  and  appeared  upon  the  ground  at  the  very  mo- 
ment when  victory  seemed  within  the  grasp  of  the  Americans.  For  an  hour  the  repub- 
licans had  disputed  the  ground  inch  by  inch,  but  the  crushing  force  of  superior  number* 
pressed  them  back  to  their  lines. 


It  was  now  about  three  o'clock.  The  contest  suddenly  ceased,  but  it  was  only  the  lull 
which  precedes  a  more  furious  burst  of  the  tempest.  Each  army  took  breath,  and  gathered 
up  new  energies  for  a  more  desperate  conflict.  They  were  beyond  musket-shot  of  each  other, 
and  separated  by  a  thick  wood  and  a  narrow  clearing.  Each  was  upon  a  gentle  hill,  one 
sloping  toward  the  south,  the  other  toward  the  north.  The  Americans  were  sheltered  by 
the  intervening  wood  ;   the  British  were  within  an  open  pine  forest.      The  Americans  stood 


'  This  view  is  taken  from  near  the  house  of  Mr.  Neilson,  looking  northwest.  In  the  foreground,  on  the 
right,  are  seen  the  remains  of  the  intrenchments  which  here  crossed  the  road  from  Fort  Neilson,  the  forti- 
fied log  barn.  The  light  field  in  the  distance,  toward  the  right  of  the  picture,  with  a  small  house  within 
it,  is  the  old  clearing  called  "  Freeman's  farm."  On  the  rising  ground  over  the  tree  upon  the  slope,  near 
the  center  of  the  foreground,  is  the  place  where  Fraser  wheeled  southward  to  turn  the  right  flank  of  the 
Americans.  On  the  level  ground,  near  the  small  trees  on  the  right  of  the  large  tree  upon  the  slope,  is  the 
place  where  Arnold  and  Fraser  met  and  fought.  On  the  high  middle  ground  beyond  the  woods,  toward 
the  left,  where  several  small  houses  are  seen,  the  British  formed  their  line  for  the  second  battle  on  the  ?th 
of  October.  The  detachments  under  Poor,  Learned,  and  Morgan,  which  marched  to  the  attack  on  that 
day,  diverged  from  near  the  point  seen  in  the  foreground  on  the  right,  and  marched  down  the  slope  by  the 
sheep,  across  the  flat.  The  brigade  of  Learned  passed  on  where  are  seen  the  dark  trees  on  the  left.  Mor- 
gan kept  further  to  the  extreme  left,  and  Poor  made  a  direct  line  across  the  level  ground  and  up  the  hill 
in  the  direction  marked  by  the  four  slender  trees  by  the  fence  in  the  center  of  the  picture.  The  range  of 
mountains  in  the  extreme  distance  borders  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  George.  The  highest  peak  in  the 
center  is  Buck  Mountain,  and  that  upon  the  extreme  left  is  French  Mountain,  at  the  foot  of  which  are  the 
remains  of  Forts  George  and  William  Henry,  at  the  head  of  Lake  George. 


54  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Renewal  of  the  Battle.  Loss  sustained  by  both  Armies.  The  number  and  the  particular  Troops  engaged. 

in  determined  silence,  and  heard  distinctly  the  voices  of  the  officers  upon  the  opposite  hill 
as  they  gave  their  orders  along  the  lines. 

Again  the  enemy  made  the  first  hostile  movement,  and  from  a  powerful  battery  opened 
a  terrible  fire,  but  without  effect.  To  this  the  Americans  made  no  reply.  Burgoyne  then 
ordered  the  woods  to  be  cleared  by  the  bayonet,  and  soon,  across  the  open  field,  column  after 
column  of  infantry  steadily  advanced  toward  the  patriot  lines.  The  Americans  kept  close 
within  their  intrenchrnents  until  the  enemy  fired  a  volley  and  pressed  onward  to  the  charge, 
when  they  sprang  upon  their  assailants  with  a  force  that  drove  them  far  back  across  the 
clearing.  Like  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the  tide,  the  contending  armies  alternately  ad- 
vanced and  retreated,  and  for  more  than  three  hours  the  conflict  was  severe  and  the  result 
doubtful.  And  it  was  not  imtil  the  sun  went  down  and  darkness  came  upon  them,  that  the 
warriors  ceased  their  horrid  strife.  Even  amid  the  gloom  of  evening  there  were  furious  con- 
tentions. Just  at  dusk.  Lieutenant-colonel  Marshall,  with  the  tenth  Massachusetts  regi- 
ment, encountered  some  British  grenadiers  and  infantry  on  a  rise  of  ground  a  little  west 
of  Freeman's  cottage,  and  a  brisk  but  short  action  ensued.*  The  commander  of  the  enemy 
was  killed,  and  the  troops  fled  in  confusion.  Lieutenant-colonel  Brooks,  of  the  eighth  Mas- 
sachusetts regiment,  remained  upon  the  field  until  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  and  in  the  course 
of  the  evening  he  had  a  skirmish  on  the  extreme  left  with  some  of  Breyman's  riflemen,  whom 
he  knew  as  such  only  by  the  brass  match-cases  upon  their  breasts.  He  was  the  last  to  leave 
the  field  of  action.  The  conflict  at  length  ended.  The  Americans  retired  within  their 
lines,  and  the  British  rested  on  their  arms  all  night  upon  the  field  of  battle.'' 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  was,  officers  included,  sixty-four  killed,  two  hundred  and  seven- 
teen wounded,  and  thirty-eight  missing ;  in  all,  three  hundred  and  nineteen.'  The  British 
lost,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  "  rather  more  than  less  than  five  hundredJH^  Both 
parties  claimed  the  honor  of  victory.  The  British,  it  is  true,  remained  masters,  or,  at  least, 
possessors,  of  the  field,  but  this  was  not  their  ultimate  object.  It  was  to  advance,  and  that 
they  failed  to  do  ;  while  the  Americans  were  intent  only  upon  maintaining  their  ground, 
and  this  they  accomplished.  The  advantage,  therefore,  was  certainly  on  the  side  of  the 
republicans. 

Very  few  battles  have  been  marked  by  more  determined  bravery  and  patient  endurance 
jn  both  sides  than  this.  Phillips  and  Biedesel,  who  had  served  in  the  wars  in  Flanders 
and  other  parts  of  Europe,  said  they  never  knew  so  long  and  hot  a  fire ;  and  Burgoyne,  in 
his  defense  before  Parliament,  remarked,  "  few  actions  have  been  characterized  by  more  ob- 
stinacy in  attack  or  defense."  The  number  of  Americans  engaged  in  the  action  was  about 
two  thousand  five  hundred,  and  of  the  British  about  three  thousand.  The  whole  British 
army  in  camp  and  on  the  field  numbered  about  five  thousand,  and  that  of  the  American 
about  seven  thousand. 

Although  the  aggregate  number  of  killed  on  both  sides  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  and 
fifty,  the  slaughter  and  maiming  were  dreadful  in  particular  instances.  Major  Jones,  of 
the  British  army,  commanded  a  battery,  and  fell,  while  at  his  post,  during  the  swaying  to 
and  fro  of  the  armies  across  the  clearing,  toward  evening,  when  several  of  the  cannons  were 
taken  and  retaken  a  number  of  times.  Thirty-six  out  of  forty-eight  of  his  artillery-men  were 
killed  or  wounded.  Lieutenant  Hadden  was  the  only  officer  unhurt,  and  he  had  his  cap 
shot  from  his  head  by  a  musket-ball  while  spiking  the  cannon.      The  sixty -second  regiment^ 


'  At  the  urgent  solicitation  of  Arnold,  Gates  sent  out  this  feeble  re-enforcement,  which  was  all  that  was 
detached  from  the  right  wing  during  the  action.  Had  fresh  troops  been  supplied  to  support  the  left  wing, 
no  doubt  the  Americans  would  have  gained  a  decided  victory. 

*  See  Gordon,  Ramsay,  Botta,  Marshall,  Sparks,  Pictorial  History  of  the  Reign  of  George  III.,  Stedmau. 
Burgoyne's  State  of  the  Expedition,  Thatcher,  Neilson,  &c. 

3  Report  to  the  Board  of  War. 

■•  Lieutenant-colonel  Kingston,  the  adjutant  general,  before  a  committee  of  Parliament. 

'  The  particular  troops  engaged  in  this  action  were,  of  the  British,  the  ninth,  twenty-first,  sixty-seeoi«i, 
and  twentieth  of  Hamilton's  brigade ;  the  twenty-fourth,  belonging  to  Eraser's  brigade ;  Breyman's  rifle- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  6^ 

Baroness  Reidesel's  Notice  of  the  Battle.     Major  Hull.     Narrow  Escape  of  Burgoyne.     Arnold,  and  the  Testimony  of  History 

of  Hamilton's  brigade,  which  consisted  of  six  hundred  when  it  left  Canada,  was  so  cut  in 
jileces,  that  only  sixty  men  and  five  officers  were  left  capable  of  duty.  The  commander, 
Colonel  Anstruther,  and  Major  Harnage,  were  both  wounded. 

The  Baroness  E-iedesel,  wife  of  General  Riedesel,  who  accompanied  her  husband  through 
this  whole  campaign,  wrote  an  admirable  narrative  of  the  various  events  connected  there- 
with. In  relation  to  the  battle  of  the  19th  of  September,  she  says,  "An  affair  happened, 
which,  though  it  turned  out  to  our  advantage,  yet  obliged  us  to  halt  at  a  place  called  Free- 
man's farm.  I  was  an  eye-witness  to  the  whole  affair,  and,  as  my  husband  was  engaged 
in  it,  I  was  full  of  anxiety,  and  trembled  at  every  shot  I  heard.  I  saw  a  great  number  ol 
the  M'ounded,  and,  what  added  to  the  distress  of  the  scene,  three  of  them  were  brought  into 
the  house  in  which  I  took  shelter.  One  was  a  Major  Harnage,  of  the  sixty-second  regi- 
ment, the  husband  of  a  lady  of  my  acquaintance  ;  another  was  a  lieutenant,  married  to  a 
lady  with  whom  I  had  the  honor  to  be  on  terms  of  intimacy  ;  and  the  third  was  an  officer 
by  the  name  of  Young." 

More  than  one  half  of  an  American  detachment  under  Major  Hull,'  consisting  of  two 
hundred  men,  was  killed  or  wounded.  Some  of  the  Americans  ascended  high  trees,  and 
from  their  concealed  perches  picked  off  the  British  officers  in  detail.  Several  were  killed 
by  the  bullets  of  these  sure  marksinen.  Burgoyne  himself  came  very  near  being  made  a 
victim  to  this  mode  of  warfare.  A  bullet,  intended  for  him,  shattered  the  arm  of  Captain 
Green,  aid-de-camp  to  General  Phillips,  who  at  that  moment  was  handing  a  letter  to  Bur- 
goyne. The  captain  fell  from  his  horse.  In  the  confusion  of  the  smoke  and  noise,  it  was 
supposed  to  be  Burgoyne,  and  such  was  the  belief,  for  some  hours,  in  the  American  camp. 
Among  the  Americans  who  were  killed  in  the  battle  were  Colonels  Adams  and  Colburn, 
valuable  officers.  But  it  is  unpleasant  and  unprofitable  to  ponder  upon  the  painful  details 
of  a  battle,  and  we  will  pass  on  to  the  consideration  of  subsequent  events. 

Let  us  pause  a  moment,  however,  and  render  justice  to  as  brave  a  soldier  as  ever  drew 
blade  for  freedom.  Although  in  after  years  he  was  recreant  to  the  high  and  sacred  responsi- 
bilities that  rested  upon  him,  and  committed  an  act  deserving  the  execrations  of  all  good  men , 
strict  justice  demands  a  fair  acknowledgment  of  his  brave  deeds.      I  mean  Benedict  Arnold 

The  testimony  of  historians  is  in  conflict  respecting  the  part  which  Arnold  performed  in 
the  battle  just  noticed  ;  and  prejudice  and  evident  falsehood  have  denied  him  the  honor  ol' 
being  personally  engaged  in  it.  Gordon  says,  "  Arnold's  division  was  out  in  the  action,  but 
he  himself  did  not  head  them  ;  he  remained  in  the  camp  the  whole  time."  General  Wil- 
kinson, the  adjutant  general  of  Gates  at  that  time,  says  in  his  Memoirs  that  "  no  genera! 
officer  was  on  the  field  of  battle  during  the  day,"  and  intimates  that  he  himself  chiefly  con 
ducted  affairs.  He  further  says,  that  when,  toward  evening.  Gates  and  Arnold  were  to- 
gether in  front  of  the  camp.  Major  Lewis'*  came  in  from  the  scene  of  action,  and  announced 
that  its  progress  was  undecisive.  Arnold  immediately  exclaimed,  "  I  will  soon  put  an  end 
to  it,"  and  set  off  in  a  full  gallop  from  the  camp.  Gates  dispatched  an  officer  after  him', 
and  ordered  him  back.  Botta,  who  was  acquainted  with  many  of  the  foreign  officers  who 
served  in  this  war,  and  whose  sources  of  correct  information  were  very  ample,  observes, 

men ;  a  corps  of  grenadiers ;  a  part  of  the  artillery,  and  a  motley  swarm  of  Indians  and  loyalists.  Tht- 
American  troops  in  action  were  those  under  Morgan  and  Dearborn ;  the  first,  second,  and  third  New  Hamp- 
shire regiments ;  the  eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  Massachusetts  regiments ;  the  second  and  third  of  New  York, 
and  a  Connecticut  regiment  of  militia. 

^  He  was  a  major  general  in  our  war  with  Great  Britain  in  1812.  He  surrendered  his  whole  army,  with 
all  the  forts  and  garrisons  in  the  neighborhood -of  Detroit,  to  General  Brock  on  the  16th  of  August  of  that  year. 
His  wife,  Sarah  Hull,  to  whom  he  had  been  married  but  a  few  weeks  when  the  battle  of  Stillwater  occurred, 
determined  to  share  the  fortunes  and  perils  of  her  husband,  was  in  the  camp,  and  was  active  among  those  Amer- 
ican women  who  extended  comfort  and  kind  attentions  to  the  ladies  of  the  British  array  after  the  surrender 
of  Burgoyne.  Because  of  his  surrender  at  Detroit,  General  Hull  was  tried  for  cowardice,  treason,  &c.,  am! 
condemned  to  be  shot ;  but,  in  consideration  of  his  Revolutionary  services  and  his  age,  he  was  pardoned 
He  lived  to  see  his  character  vindicated,  and  died  in  1825.     His  wife  died  the  following  year. 

■^  Morgan  Lewis,  afterward  governor  of  the  state  of  New  York. 


56  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Colonel  Varick's  Letter  respecting  Arnold.  General  Gates's  Treatment  of  Arnold.  Rupture  between  them 

''  Arnold  exhibited  upon  this  occasion  all  the  impetuosity  of  his  courage  ;  he  encouraged  his 
men  by  voice  and  example."  Stedman,  a  British  officer  who  served  under  Cornwallis  here, 
says,  in  his  "  History  of  the  American  War,"  "  The  enemy  were  led  to  the  battle  by  Gen- 
eral Arnold,  who  distinguished  himself  in  an  extraordinary  manner."  Allen,  in  his  Bio- 
graphical Dictionary,  says,  "  In  the  battle  near  Stillwater,  September  the  19th,  he  conducted 
nimself  with  his  usual  intrepidity,  being  engaged  incessantly  for  four  hours."  M'Farlane, 
in  the  Pictorial  History  of  England,  says,  "  Gates's  detachment,  being  re-enforced  and  led 
on  by  Arnold,  fell  upon  Burgoyne  and  the  right  wing."  Again  :  "  Arnold  behaved  with 
extraordinary  gallantry,  but  he  could  make  an  impression  nowhere."  Again  :  "  Every 
time  that  Arnold  was  beaten  back,  Gates  sent  him  more  men  from  the  star  redoubt."  The 
well-founded  traditions  of  the  vicinity  support  the  position  that  Arnold  was  actively  engaged 
in  the  conflict,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  locality  is  sufficient  to  cause  a  doubt  of  the  correct- 
ness of  Wilkinson's  statement. 

Finally,  Colonel  Varick,  writing  from  camp  to  General  Schuyler,  three  days  after  the 
action,  said,  "  He  [Gates]  seems  to  be  piqued  that  Arnold's  division  had  the  honor  of  beat- 
ing the  enemy  on  the  19th.  This  I  am  certain  of,  that  Arnold  has  all  the  credit  of  the 
action.  And  this  I  further  know,  that  Gates  asked  where  the  troops  were  going  when 
Scammel's  battalion  marched  out,  and,  upon  being  told,  he  declared  no  more  troops  shouW 
go  ;  he  would  not  sufier  the  camp  to  be  exposed.  Had  Gates  complied  with  Arnold's  re- 
peated desires,  he  would  have  obtained  a  general  and  complete  victory  over  the  enemy. 
But  it  is  evident  to  me  he  never  intended  to  fight  Burgoyne,  till  Arnold  urged,  begged,  and 
entreated  him  to  do  it."  In  another  letter  which  he  wrote  to  Schuyler,  about  a  month 
afterward,  from  Albany,  Colonel  Varick  observed,  "  During  Burgoyne's  stay  here,  he  gave 
Arnold  great  credit  for  his  bravery  and  military  abilities,  especially  in  the  action  of  the 
19th,  whenever  he  spoke  of  him,  and  once  in  the  presence  of  Gates." 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  the  statements  of  General  Wilkinson,  he  being  adjutant 
general  at  that  time,  and  presumed  to  be  cognizant  of  all  the  events  of  the  battle,  ought  to 
be  received  as  semi-official  ;  but  in  this  case  they  must  be  taken  with  great  allowance. 
Gates  was  evidently  jealous  of  Arnold's  well-earned  reputation  and  growing  popularity  with 
the  army  ;  and  Wilkinson,  who  was  his  favorite,  and  seemed  ever  ready  to  pander  to  his 
commander's  vanity,  caused,  by  his  officious  interference  at  that  very  time,  a  serious  mis- 
understanding between  the  two  generals,  which  resulted  in  an  open  rupture.  In  the  first 
place,  he  caused  a  part  of  Arnold's  division  to  be  withdrawn  without  his  knowledge,  and 
he  was  put  in  the  ridiculous  light  of  presuming  to  give  orders  which  were  contravened  by 
the  general  orders  of  the  commander-in-chief.  Wilkinson  also  insisted  on  the  return  of  a 
part  of  Arnold's  division  (Morgan's  corps)  being  made  directly  to  him,  and  Gates  sustained 
the  unjust  demand  in  general  orders.  And  then,  to  crown  his  injustice  toward  a  brave  of- 
ficer. Gates,  in  his  communication  to  Congress  respecting  the  battle,  said  nothing  of  Arnold 
or  his  division,  but  merely  observed  that  "  the  action  was  fought  by  detachments  from  the 
army."  This  was  ungenerous,  not  only  to  Arnold,  but  to  the  troops  under  his  command, 
and  he  justly  complained  of  the  neglect  when  it  became  known.  Harsh  words  passed  be- 
tween the  two  officers,  and  Gates  even  told  Arnold  that  he  thought  him  of  little  conse- 
quence in  the  army,  that  when  Lincoln  arrived  he  should  take  away  his  command,  and 
that  he  would  give  him  a  pass  to  leave  the  camp  as  soon  as  he  pleased.^ 

Under  the  excitement  of  his  feelings,  Arnold  demanded  a  pass  for  himself  and  suite  to 
join  General  Washington.  The  pass  was  granted,  but  in  his  cooler  moments  he  saw  how 
injurious  it  might  be  to  the  cause,  and  how  hazardous  to  his  reputation,  if  he  should  volun- 
tarily leave  the  army  when  another  battle  was  hourly  expected.  He  remained,  but  with- 
out any  employment  in  the  camp,  for  Gates  put  his  threat  into  execution,  took  command  of 
Arnold's  division  himself,  and,  on  the  arrival  of  General  Lincoln,  on  the  29th,  placed  him 
over  the  right  wing. 

'   Sparks's  Life  of  Arnold. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


57 


Condition  of  the  Annies  after  the  Battle. 


Burgoyne's  Encampment. 


Poverty  of  the  American  Commissariat 


The  morning  of  the  20th  of  September  was  cloudy,  dull,  and  cheerless,  and  with  the 
gloomy  aspect  of  nature  the  spirits  of  the  British  army  sympathized.  Th<;  combatairts  had 
slumbered  upon  the  field  during  the  night,  and  at  dawn,  seeing  no  disposition  on  the  part 
of  the  Americans  to  renew  the  conflict,  they  retired  to  their  camp  on  the  river  hills,  and 
upon  the  flats  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  now  Wilbur's  Basin. 


Burgoyne's  Encampment  on  the  West  Bank  of  the  Hudson,  September  20,  1777. 

From  a  print  published  in  London,  1779. 

Burgoyne  was  surprised  and  mortified  at  the  bold  and  successful  resistance  of  the  Amer- 
icans, and  saw  clearly  that  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt  to  carry  the  works  by  storm,  or 
in  any  other  way  to  push  forward  toward  Albany.  He  resolved  to  strengthen  his  position, 
endeavor  to  communicate  with  Howe  and  Clinton  at  New  York,  and  effect  by  their  co-op- 
eration what  his  own  unaided  troops  could  not  accomplish.  Had  he  been  aware  of  the 
true  condition  of  the  Americans  on  the  morning  after  the  battle,  he  might  easily  have  won 
a  victory,  for  the  soldiers  composing  the  left  wing,  which  sustained  the  conflict,  had  only  a 
single  round  of  cartridges  left.  Nor  was  the  magazine  in  a  condition  to  supply  them,  for 
such  was  the  difficulty  of  procuring  ammunition  at  that  time,  that  the  army  had  a  very 
meager  quantity  when  the  conflict  began  the  day  previous,  and  now  there  were  not  in  the 
magazine  forty  rounds  to  each  man  in  the  service.  At  no  time  was  there  more  than  three 
days'  provisions  in  the  camp,  and  on  the  day  of  action  there  was  no  flour.  A  supply  ar- 
rived on  the  20th,  and  the  disheartening  contingency  of  short  allowance  to  the  weary  sol- 
diers was  thus  prevented.  General  Gates  alone  was  privy  to  this  deplorable  deficiency,  and 
it  was  not  until  after  a  supply  of  powder  and  window-leads  for  bullets  was  received  from 
Albany  that  he  made  the  fact  known,  and  thus  gave  a  plausible  reason  for  not  complying 
with  Arnold's  urgent  request  to  commence  the  battle  early  again  the  next  morning. 

Both  parties  now  wrought  diligently  in  strengthening  their  respective  positions.  The 
Americans  extended  and  completed  their  line  of  breast-works  from  the  northeastern  angle 
on  the  river  hills,'  westward  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile,  to  the  heights,  a  few  rods  north 


'  Spf>  the  small  map  on  page  46. 


58  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Fortifications  of  both  Camps.  Junction  of  Lincoln  with  the  Army  at  Bemis's.  Relative  Position  of  the  Armies 

of  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Neilson.  From  this  point  they  were  extended  south  and  southwest 
to  a  large  ravine,  now  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  leading  to  Saratoga  Springs.  At  the 
northwest  angle,  near  Mr.  Neilson's,  stood  the  log  barn  before  alluded  to.  This  was 
strengthened  by  a  double  tier  of  logs  on  three  sides.  Strong  batteries,  in  circular  form,  ex- 
tended about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  south.  The  whole  was  encircled  by  a  deep  trench 
and  a  row  of  strong  palisades.  The  area  within  was  about  half  an  acre.  When  completed, 
it  formed  quite  a  strong  bulwark,  and  was  named  Fort  Neilson. 

About  fifty  rods  south  of  the  fort  was  a  strong  battery  ;  and  in  the  rear,  near  the  center 
of  the  encampment,  stood  the  magazine,  made  bomb-proof.  The  front  of  the  camp  was 
covered  by  a  deep  ravine  skirted  by  a  dense  forest,  running  nearly  parallel  with  the  lines, 
from  the  river  hills  westward.  For  some  distance  west  of  the  fort,  large  trees  were  felled, 
and  presented  a  strong  abatis  toward  the  enemy.' 

Burgoyne  was  equally  busy  in  strengthening  his  position.  His  camp  was  pitched  within 
cannon-shot  of  the  American  lines.  Across  the  plain  to  the  river  hills  a  line  of  intrench- 
ments,  with  batteries,  was  thrown  up,  crossing  the  north  ravine  not  far  from  its  junction 
with  the  Middle  F^-avine  or  Mill  Creek.  The  intrenchments  extended  northward  on  the 
west  side  of  Freeman's  farm.  The  Hessian  camp  was  pitched  upon  an  eminence  about 
half  a  mile  northwest  of  Freeman's  farm,  where  a  strong  redoubt  was  reared,  and  a  line  oi" 
intrenchments  of  a  horse-shoe  form  was  thrown  up.  Intrenchments  were  also  made  along 
the  hills  fronting  the  river  ;  and  four  redoubts,  upon  four  hills  or  huge  knolls,  were  erected, 
two  above  and  two  below  Wilbur's  Basin,  A  short  line  of  intrenchments,  with  a  battery, 
extended  across  the  flats  to  the  river,  and  covered  their  magazine  and  hospital  in  the  rear. 
These  composed  the  principal  defenses  of  the  enemy.  In  many  places  these  works  may 
still  be  traced,  especially  by  mounds  and  shallow  ditches  in  the  woods. 

As  soon  as  the  works  were  completed.  General  Gates  moved  his  quarters  from  Bemis's 
house  to  the  one  delineated  in  the  second  picture  from  the  top,  among  the  group  of  localities 
on  page  46.  The  house  belonged  to  Captain  Ephraim  Woodworth.  A  barn,  whic^i 
stood  about  fifteen  rods  east  of  the  house,  was  vised  for  a  hospital. 

September,  General  Lincoln,  with  two  thousand  New  England  troops,  joined  the  main  army 
^^^^-  on  the  29th.  Gates  at  once  gave  up  the  right  wing  to  him,  and  assumed  the 
(tommand  of  the  left,  which  was  composed  of  two  brigades  under  Generals  Poor  and  Learned, 
Colonel  Morgan's  rifle  corps,  and  a  part  of  the  fresh  New  England  militia.  Morgan  occu- 
pied the  heights  immediately  south  of  the  fort ;  Learned's  brigade  the  plain  on  the  east,  and 
General  Poor's  brigade  the  heights  south  of  Morgan,  between  him  and  Gates's  headquar- 
ters.' In  fact,  the  position  of  the  American  army  was  about  the  same  as  at  the  time  of 
the  battle  of  the  19th.  Burgoyne  disposed  his  troops  to  the  best  advantage.  The  Hes- 
sians, under  Colonel  Breyman,  occupied  a  height  on  the  extreme  right,  and  formed  a  flank 
defense  rather  than  a  wing  of  the  main  army.  The  liglit  infantry,  under  Earl  Balcarras, 
with  the  choicest  portion  of  Eraser's  corps,  flanked  on  the  left  by  the  grenadiers  and  Ham- 
ilton's brigade,  occupied  the  vicinity  of  Freeman's  farm  ;  the  remainder  of  the  army,  in- 
cluding the  artillery  under  Phillips  and  Heidesel,  occupied  the  plain  and  the  high  ground 
north  of  Wilbur's  Basin  ;  and  the  Hessians  of  Hanau,  the  forty-seventh  regiment,  and  some 
loyalists,  were  situated  upon  the  flats  near  the  river,  for  the  protection  of  the  bateaux,  hos- 
pital, and  magazine.  Thus  in  parallel  lines  to  each  other,  and  within  cannon-shot,  the  two 
armies  lay  in  menacing  attitude  from  the  20th  of  September  until  the  7th  of  October.  Each 
exercised  the  utmost  vigilance,  expecting*  the  other  to  fall  upon  them  in  full  power,  or  en- 
tangle them  by  strategy.  There  were  constant  skirmishes  between  small  detachments,  some- 
times foraging  parties,  and  at  others  a  few  pickets  ;   and  not  a  night  passed  without  the  per- 

'  Abatis  is  a  French  word  signifying  trees  cut  down.     It  is  a  phrase  used  in  fortifications  ;  and  an  abal- 
IS  which  is  composed  of  trees  felled,  so  as  to  present  their  branches  to  the  enemy,  is  frequently  found  in 
woody  country  one  of  the  most  avail  ble  and  efficient  kinds  of  defense. 

•^  Neilson,  p.  15,  35 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION  5  i) 


Effect  of  the  Battle  on  the  People.  Diminution  of  Burgoyne's  Army,  and  Increase  of  Gates's.  Condition  of  the  Enemy 

formance  of  some  daring  exploit,  either  for  the  sake  of  adventure,  or  to  annoy  each  other. 
The  Americans  were  constantly  gaining  strength,  and  their  superiority  of  numbers  enabled 
them  to  form  expeditions  to  harass  the  British,  without  weakening  their  lines  by  fatigue  or 
endangering  the  safety  of  the  camp. 

The  success  of  the  Americans  in  the  late  battle,  and  the  rapid  increment  of  the  army, 
almost  annihilated  loyalty  in  the  neighborhood,  and  made  every  republican,  whether  soldier 
or  citizen,  bold  and  adventurous.  At  one  time  about  twenty  young  Americans,  farmers  re- 
siding in  the  vicinity,  not  belonging  to  the  camp,  and  intent  on  having  a  frolic,  resolved  to 
capture  an  advance  picket-guard  of  the  enemy,  stationed  on  the  north  bank  of  the  middle 
ravine.  They  selected  their  officers,  and  each  being  armed  with  a  fowling-piece  and  plenty 
of  powder  and  shot,  they  marched  silently  through  the  woods  in  the  evening,  until  they  got 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  picket.  The  captain  of  the  party  then  gave  a  tremendous  blast 
upon  an  old  horse-trumpet  which  he  carried,  and,  with  yells  and  the  noise  of  a  whole  regi- 
ment, they  rushed  through  the  bushes  upon  the  frightened  enemy.  No  time  was  given  for 
the  sentinel's  hail,  for,  simultaneously  with  their  furious  onset,  the  captain  of  the  froUckers 
cried  out  lustily,  "  Grouiid  your  arms,  or  you  are  all  dead  men  !"  Supposing  half  the  Amer- 
ican army  was  upon  them,  the  astonished  pickets  obeyed,  and  thirty  British  soldiers  were 
taken  by  the  jolly  young  farmers  into  the  republican  camp  with  all  the  parade  of  regular 
prisoners  of  war.  This  was  one  of  many  similar  instances,  and  thus  the  British  camp  was 
kept  in  a  state  of  constant  alarm.' 

Burgoyne  saw,  with  deep  anxiety,  the  rapid  increase  of  the  American  forces,  while  his 
own  were  daily  diminishing  by  desertion.  Nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indian  warriors, 
from  the  tribes  of  the  Oiieidas,  Tuscaroras,  Onondagas,  and  Mohawks,  accepted  the  war- 
belt,  partook  of  the  feast,  and  joined  the  republican  army  within  three  days  after  the  battle 
of  the  19th.  The  Indians  with  Burgoyne  were  so  dissatisfied  with  the  results  of  that  bat- 
tle, and  so  disappointed  in  their  hopes  of  blood  and  plunder,  that  they  deserted  him  in  large 
numbers  in  that  hour  of  his  greatest  peril.  It  was  their  hunting  season,  too,  and  this  was 
another  strong  inducement  to  return  to  their  wives  and  children,  to  keep  starvation  from 
their  wigwams.      The  Canadians  and  loyaHsts  were  not  much  more  faithful.^ 

Burgoyne  used  every  means  in  his  power  to  transmit  intelligence  of  his  situation  to  Howe, 
and  to  implore  his  assistance  either  by  co-operation  or  a  diversion  in  his  favor.  But  the 
American  pickets,  vigilant  and  wary,  were  planted  in  all  directions  ;  and  it  was  by  the 
merest  chance  that  the  British  commander  received  a  letter  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  at 
New  York,'  written  in  cipher  on  the  1 0th,  informing  him  that  he  should  make  a  diversion 
in  his  favor  by  attacking  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery,  in  the  Hudson  Highlands,  on  the 
20th.  This  information  raised  the  hopes  of  Burgoyne,  for  he  supposed  that  the  attack  at 
those  points  would  draw  off  large  detachments  from  Gates  for  their  defense,  and  render  the 
belligerent  forces  at  Stillwater  nearly  equal  in  numbers.  He  immediately  dispatched  two 
officers  in  disguise,  and  several  other  persons  in  difTerent  directions,  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
with  a  letter,  urging  him  to  make  the  diversion  without  fail,  and  saying  that  he  had  pro- 
visions enough  to  hold  out  until  the  1 2th  of  October. 

Time  rolled  on,  and  Burgoyne  heard  nothing  further  from  Clinton.  His  provisions  began 
to  fail,  and  on  the  1st  of  October  he  was  obliged  to  put  his  troops  on  short  allowance.  Not 
a  man  or  a  biscuit  was  allowed  to  reach  him  from  any  quarter.  The  militia  were  flocking 
into  Gates's  camp  from  all  directions,  and  perils  of  every  kind  were  weaving  their  web 
around  the  proud  Briton.      At  last  he  was   reduced  to  the    alternative  to  fight  or  fly. 


1  "  I  do  not  believe  either  officer  or  soldier  ever  slept  during  that  interval  without  his  clothes,  or  that 
any  general  officer  or  commander  of  a  regiment  passed  a  single  night  without  being  upon  his  legs  occa-  ■ 
zionally  at  different  hours,  and  constantly  an  hour  before  daylight." — Burgoyne's  ''Review  of  the  Evi- 
dence,''  p.  166. 

*  Marshall's  Life  of  Washington. 

3  General  Howe  had  left  Clinton  in  command  at  New  York,  and  was  then  engaged  against  Washington 
on  the  Delaware,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  conquest  of  Philadelphia. 


60  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Hostile  Movementa  of  the  British.  Preparations  of  the  Americans  for  Battle.  Second  Battle  of  Stillwater. 

The  latter  was  both  impracticable  and  inglorious,  and  at  a  council  of  officers  it  was  re- 
solved to  fight. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  October,  Burgoyne,  at  the  head  of  fifteen  hundred  regular 
troops,  with  two  twelve  pounders,  two  howitzers,  and  six  six  pounders,  moved  toward  the 
American  left,  to  the  northern  part  of  a  low  ridge  of  land  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile 
northwest  from  the  American  camp,  where  they  formed  a  line  in  double  ranks.  He  was 
seconded  by  PhilHps,  Riedesel,  and  Fraser.  The  guard  of  the  camp  upon  the  high  grounds 
was  committed  to  Brigadiers  Hamilton  and  Specht,  and  that  of  the  redoubts  and  plain  near 
the  river  to  Brigadier-general  Gall.  This  movement  was  for  a  two-fold  purpose,  to  cover 
a  foraging  party  sent  out  to  supply  the  pressing  wants  of  the  camp,  and,  if  the  prospect  was 
favorable,  to  turn  the  left  of  the  American  army,  and  fall  upon  its  flank  and  rear.  Small 
parties  of  loyalists  and  Indians  were  sent  around  through  by-paths,  to  hang  upon  the  Amer- 
ican rear  and  keep  them  in  check. 

Before  this  movement  was  known  to  General  Gates,  he  had  ordered  out  a  detachment 
of  three  hundred  men  under  Colonel  Brooks,  to  gain  the  rear  of  the  enemy  and  fall  upon 
his  outposts.  While  Brooks  was  at  headquarters,  receiving  his  instructions,  a  sergeant  ar- 
rived with  intelligence  of  the  movement  of  the  British  army.  The  order  to  Colonel  Brooks 
was  revoked,  the  officers  in  camp  were  summoned  to  their  posts,  and  an  aid  was  sent  out 
by  the  commander-in-chief  to  ascertain  the  exact  position  and  probable  intentions  of  the  en- 
emy. He  proceeded  to  a  rise  of  ground  covered  with  woods,  half  a  mile  from  Fort  Neilson 
(near  the  house  of  Asa  Chatfield),  where  he  discovered  the  British  in  a  wheat  field  cutting 
straw,  and  several  officers  on  the  top  of  a  cabin  (Joseph  Hunger's)  with  a  spy-glass,  en- 
deavoring to  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  American  left.  The  aid  returned,  and  had  just 
reached  headquarters  with  his  intelligence,  when  a  party  of  Canadians,  Indians,  and  loyal- 
ists, who  had  been  sent  forward  to  scour  the  woods,  attacked  the  American  pickets  near  the 
middle  ravine.  They  were  soon  joined  by  a  detachment  of  grenadiers,  drove  the  Americans 
before  them,  and  pressed  forward  until  within  musket-shot  of  the  republican  lines.  For 
half  an  hour  a  hot  engagement  ensued  at  the  breast-work,  a  little  south  of  the  fort.  Mor- 
gan, with  his  riflemen,  supported  by  a  corps  of  infantry,  at  length  charged  the  assailants 
with  such  deadly  efiect,  that  they  retreated  in  confusion  to  the  British  line,  which  was 
forming  upon  a  newly-cleared  field,  preparatory  to  marching  into  action. 

It  was  now  two  o'clock,  about  the  same  hour  at  which  the  two  armies  summoned  their 
strength  for  combat  on  the  1 9th  of  September.  The  grenadiers,  under  Major  Ackland,  and 
the  artillery,  under  Major  Williams,  were  stationed  on  the  left,  upon  a  gentle  eminence  on 
the  borders  of  a  wood,  and  covered  in  front  by  Mill  Creek  or  Middle  Bavine.  The  light 
infantry,  under  Earl  Balcarras,  were  placed  on  the  extreme  right,  and  the  center  was  com- 
posed of  British  and  German  troops,  under  Generals  Phillips  and  Reidesel.  Near  the  cabin 
of  Mr.  Munger,  and  in  advance  of  the  right  wing,  General  Fraser  had  command  of  a  de- 
tachment of  five  hundred  picked  men,  destined  to  fall  upon  the  American  flank  as  soon  as 
the  action  in  front  should  commence. 

This  design  was  at  once  perceived,  and,  at  the  suggestion  of  Morgan,  Gates  dispatched 
that  sagacious  officer,  with  his  rifle  corps  and  other  troops  amounting  to  fifteen  hundred  men, 
in  a  circuitous  route  to  some  high  ground  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  enemy,  thence  to  fall 
upon  the  flanking  party  under  Fraser  at  the  same  moment  when  an  attack  should  be  made 
upon  the  British  left.  For  the  latter  service  the  brigade  of  General  Poor,  composed  of 
New  York  and  New  Hampshire  troops,  and  a  part  of  Learned's  brigade,  were  detached. 

About  half  past  two  the  conflict  began.  The  troops  of  Poor  and  Learned  marched 
steadily  up  the  gentle  slope  of  the  eminence  on  which  the  British  grenadiers,  and  part  of 
the  artillery  under  Ackland  and  Williams,  were  stationed,  and,  true  to  their  orders  not  to 
fire  until  after  the  first  discharge  of  the  enemy,  pressed  on  in  awful  silence  toward  the  bat- 
talions and  batteries  above  them.  Suddenly  a  terrible  discharge  of  musket-balls  and  grape- 
shot  made  great  havoc  among  the  branches  of  the  trees  over  their  heads,  but  scarcely  a  shot 
•^ook  effect  among  the  men.      This  was  the  signal  to  break  the  silence  of  our  troops,  and, 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION  61 


Bravery  of  both  Armies.        Quick  and  bold  Movements  of  Morgan.        Impetuosity  and  Bravery  of  Arnold.        General  Fraser 

with  a  loud  shout,  they  sprang  forward,  delivered  their  fire  in  rapid  volleys,  and  opened 
right  and  left  to  avail  themselves  of  the  covering  of  the  trees  on  the  margin  of  the  ridge  on 
which  the  artillery  was  posted. 

The  contest  now  became  fierce  and  destructive.  The  Americans  rushed  up  to  the  very 
mouths  of  the  cannon,  and  amid  the  carriages  of  the  heavy  field-pieces  they  struggled  for 
victory.  Valor  of  the  highest  order  on  both  sides  marked  the  conflict,  and  for  a  time  the 
scale  seemed  equipoised.  Five  times  one  of  the  cannon  was  taken  and  retaken,  but  at  last 
it  remained  in  possession  of  the  republicans  as  the  British  fell  back.  Colonel  Cilley,  who, 
during  the  whole  contest,  had  fought  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  leaped  upon  the  captured 
piece,  waved  his  sword  high  in  air,  dedicated  the  brazen  engine  of  death  to  "  the  American 
cause,"  wheeled  its  muzzle  toward  the  enemy,  and  with  their  own  ammunition  opened  its 
thunder  upon  them.  It  was  all  the  work  of  a  moment  of  exultation  when  the  enemy  fell 
back  from  their  vantage  ground.  The  efiect  was  electrical,  and  seemed  to  give  the  repub- 
licans stronger  sinews  and  fiercer  courage.  The  contest  was  long  and  obstinate,  for  the 
enemy  were  brave  and  skillful.  Major  Ackland,  who  was  foremost  in  the  conflict,  was  at 
last  severely  wounded,  and  Major  Williams  was  taken  prisoner.  Suddenly  deprived  of 
their  superior  officers,  the  grenadiers  and  artillery-men  fled  in  confusion,  and  left  the  field 
in  possession  of  the  Americans. 

Almost  simultaneously  with  the  attack  on  the  British  left,  Morgan  with  his  corps  rushed 
down  the  hills  that  skirted  the  flanking  party  of  Fraser  in  advance  of  the  enemy's  right, 
and  opened  upon  them  such  a  destructive  storm  of  well-aimed  bullets,  that  they  were  driven 
hastily  back  to  their  lines.  Then,  with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  Morgan  wheeled  and  fell 
upon  the  British  right  flank  with  such  appalling  force  and  impetuosity,  that  their  ranks 
were  at  once  thrown  into  confusion.  The  mode  and  power  of  attack  were  both  unexpected 
to  the  enemy,  and  they  were  greatly  alarmed.  While  thus  in  confusion.  Major  Dearborn, 
with  some  fresh  troops,  came  up  and  attacked  them  in  front.  Thus  assailed,  they  broke 
and  fled  in  terror,  but  were  rallied  by  Earl  Balcarras,  and  again  led  into  action.  The 
shock  on  right  and  left  shook  the  British  center,  which  was  composed  chiefly  of  Germans 
and  Hessians,  yet  it  stood  firm. 

General  Arnold  had  watched  with  eager  eye  and  excited  spirit  the  course  of  the  battle 
thus  far.  Deprived  of  all  command,  he  had  no  authority  even  to  fight,  much  less  to  order 
Smarting  under  the  indignity  heaped  upon  him  by  his  commander  ;  thirsting  for  that  glory 
which  beckoned  him  to  the  field  ;  burning  with  a  patriotic  desire  to  serve  his  country,  now 
bleeding  at  every  pore  ;  and  stirred  by  the  din  of  battle  around  him,  the  brave  soldier  be- 
came fairly  maddened  by  his  emotions,  and,  leaping  upon  his  large  brown  horse,  he  started 
off"  on  a  full  gallop  for  the  field  of  conflict.  Gates  immediately  sent  Major  Armstrong'  after 
iiim  to  order  him  back.  Arnold  saw  him  approaching,  and,  anticipating  his  errand,  spurred 
his  horse  and  left  his  pursuer  far  behind,  while  he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  three  regi- 
ments of  Learned's  brigade,  who  received  their  former  commander  with  loud  huzzas.  He 
immediately  led  them  against  the  British  center,  and,  with  the  desperation  of  a  madman, 
rushed  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  or  rode  along  the  lines  in  rapid  and  erratic  movements, 
brandishing  his  broadsword  above  his  head,  and  delivering  his  orders  every  where  in  person. 
Armstrong  kept  up  the  chase  for  half  an  hour,  but  Arnold's  course  was  so  varied  and  peril- 
ous that  he  gave  it  up. 

The  Hessians  received  the  first  assault  of  Arnold's  troops  upon  the  British  center  with  a 
brave  resistance ;  but  when,  upon  a  second  charge,  he  dashed  furiously  among  them  at  the 
head  of  his  men,  they  broke  and  fled  in  dismay.  And  now  the  battle  became  general  along 
the  whole  lines.  Arnold  and  Morgan  were  the  ruling  spirits  that  controlled  the  storm  on 
the  part  of  the  Americans,  and  the  gallant  General  Fraser  was  the  directing  soul  of  the 
British  troops  in  action.      His  skill  and  courage  were  every  where  conspicuous.      When  the 

^  The  author  of  the  celebrated  "Newbnrgb  letters,"  written  in  the  spring  of  17S3.  See  pages  G?"::  to 
678,  inclusive,  of  this  volume. 


62  PICTORIAL   FIELU-BOOK 

Death  of  General  Fraser.  Censure  of  Morgan.  Panic  in  the  British  Line.  Timothy  Murphy 

lines  gave  way,  he  brought  order  out  of  confusion  ;  when  regiments  began  to  waver,  he  in- 
fused courage  into  them  by  voice  and  example.  He  was  mounted  upon  a  splendid  iron- 
trray  gelding  ;  and,  dressed  in  the  full  uniform  of  a  field  officer,  he  was  a  conspicuous  object 
for  the  Americans.  It  was  evident  that  the  fate  of  the  battle  rested  upon  him,  and  this 
the  keen  eye  and  sure  judgment  of  Morgan  perceived.'  In  an  instant  his  purpose  was  con- 
ceived, and,  calling  a  file  of  his  best  men  around  him,  he  said,  as  he  pointed  toward  the 
British  right,  "  That  gallant  officer  is  General  Fraser.  I  admire  and  honor  him,  but  it  is 
necessary  he  should  die ;  victory  for  the  enemy  depends  upon  him.  Take  your  stations  in 
that  clump  of  bushes,  and  do  your  duty."  Within  five  minutes  Fraser  fell  mortally  wound- 
ed, and  was  carried  to  the  camp  by  two  grenadiers.  Just  previous  to  being  hit  by  the  fatal 
bullet,  the  crupper  of  his  horse  was  cut  by  a  rifle-ball,  and  immediately  afterward  another 
passed  through  the  horse's  mane,  a  little  back  of  his  ears.  The  aid  of  Fraser  noticed  this. 
and  said,  "It  is  evident  that  you  are  marked  out  for  particular  aim  ;  would  it  not  be  pru- 
dent for  you  to  retire  from  this  place  ?"  Fraser  replied,  "  My  duty  forbids  m^e  to  fly  from 
danger,"  and  the  next  moment  he  fell.* 

Morgan  has  been  censured  for  this  order,  by  those  who  profess  to  understand  the  rules  of 
war,  as  guilty  of  a  highly  dishonorable  act  ;  and  others,  who  gloat  over  the  horrid  details 
of  the  slaying  of  thousands  of  humble  rank-and-file  men  as  deeds  worthy  of  a  shout  for  glory, 
and  drop  no  tear  for  the  slaughtered  ones,  affect  to  shudder  at  such  a  cold-blooded  murder 
of  an  officer  upon  the  battle-field.  "War  is  a  monstrous  wrong  and  cruel  injustice  at  all 
times  ;  but  if  it  is  right  to  kill  at  all  upon  the  field  of  battle,  I  can  perceive  no  greater 
wrong  in  slaying  a  general  than  a  private.  True,  he  wears  the  badge  of  distinction,  and 
the  trumpet  of  Pwenown  speaks  his  name  to  the  world,  but  his  life  is  no  dearer  to  himself, 
and  wife,  and  children,  and  friends,  than  that  of  the  humblest  private  who  obeys  his  com- 
mands. If  Daniel  Morgan  was  guilty  of  no  sin,  no  dishonor,  in  ordering  his  men  to  fall 
upon  and  slay  those  under  the  command  of  Fraser,  he  was  also  guiltless  of  sin  and  dishonor 
in  ordering  the  sacrifice  of  their  chief.  Indeed,  it  is  probable  that  the  sacrifice  of  his  life 
saved  that  of  hundreds,  for  the  slaughter  was  stayed. 

As  soon  as  Fraser  fell,  a  panic  spread  along  the  British  line.  It  was  increased  by  the 
appearance,  at  that  moment,  of  three  thousand  New  York  troops,  under  General  Tenbroeck. 
Burgoyne,  who  now  took  command  in  person,  could  not  keep  up  the  sinking  courage  of  his 
men.      The  whole  Hne  gave  way,  and  fled  precipitately  within  the  intrenchments  of  the 

'  Samuel  Woodruff,  Esq.,  of  Connecticut,  a  volunteer  in  the  army  at  the  time,  visited  Bemis's  Heights 
some  years  since,  and  wrote  an  interesting  account  of  some  of  the  transactions  of  the  day.  He  says  the 
importance  of  the  death  of  Fraser  was  suggested  to  Morgan  by  Arnold. 

^  The  name  of  the  rifleman  who  killed  General  Fraser  was  Timothy  Murphy.  He  took  sure  aim  from 
a  small  tree  in  which  he  was  posted,  and  saw  Fraser  fall  on  the  discharge  of  his  rifle.  Fraser  told  his 
friends  before  he  died  that  he  saw  the  man  who  shot  him,  and  that  he  -was  in  a  tree.  Murphy  afterward 
accompanied  General  Sullivan  in  his  expedition  against  the  Indians  in  Central  and  Western  New  York 
where  he  had  a  narrow  escape  from  death.  In  the  fall  of  1778  he  was  stationed  in  Schoharie  county, 
where  he  became  enamored  of  a  young  girl  of  sixteen,  named  Margaret  Feeck.  He  was  twelve  years 
her  senior,  yet  his  love  was  reciprocated.  Her  parents  "denied  the  bans,"  and  attempted  to  break  off  the 
engagement  by  a  forcible  confinement.  But  ''love  laughs  at  locksmiths,"  and,  under  pretense  of  going 
after  a  cow  some  distance  from  home  to  milk  her,  she  stole  away  one  evening  barefooted,  to  meet  her  lover, 
according  to  an  appointment  through  a  trusty  young  friend,  upon  the  bank  of  the  Schoharie  Creek.  He 
was  not  there,  and  she  forded  the  stream,  determined  to  go  to  the  fort  where  Murphy  was  stationed.  She 
found  him,  however,  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  and,  mounting  his  horse  behind  him,  they  en- 
tered the  fort  amid  the  cheering  of  the  inmates.  The  young  females  there  fitted  her  up  with  comfortable 
attire,  and  the  next  day  they  set  out  for  Schenectady.  There  the  soldier  purchased  for  his  intended  bride 
silk  for  a  gown,  and  several  dress-makers  soon  completed  it.  They  repaired  to  the  house  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Johnson,  where  they  were  married,  and  then  returned  to  Schoharie.  The  parents  became  reconciled,  and 
they  lived  happily  together  many  years.  Murphy  was  an  uneducated  man,  but  was  possessed  of  a  strong 
intellect,  and  had  a  good  deal  of  influence  over  a  certain  class.  He  was  an  early  friend  of  the  Hon.  William 
C.  Bouck,  late  governor  of  New  York,  and  was  among  the  most  active  in  bringing  him  forward  in  public 
life.  He  lost  his  Margaret  in  1807,  and  in  1812  married  Mary  Robertson.  He  died  of  a  cancer  in  his 
throat  in  1818  — S-f  Simm't  "■History  of  Schoharie  Comity.''' 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  fi3 

Bravery  of  General  Arnold.  Assault  on  the  German  Works.  Arnold  Wounded.  Gates  and  Sir  Francis  Clarke 

camp.  The  tumultuous  retreat  was  covered  by  Phillips  and  Reidesel.  The  Americans 
pursued  them  up  to  their  very  intrenchments  in  the  face  of  a  furious  storm  of  grape-shot  and 
musket-balls,  and  assaulted  their  works  vigorously  without  the  aid  of  field  pieces  or  other 
artillery. 

The  conflict  was  now  terrible  indeed,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  flame,  and  smoke,  and  metal 
hail,  Arnold  was  conspicuous.  His  voice,  clear  as  a  trumpet,  animated  the  soldiers,  and, 
as  if  ubiquitous,  he  seemed  to  be  every  where  amid  the  perils  at  the  same  moment.  With 
a  part  of  the  brigades  of  Patterson  and  Glover,  he  assaulted  the  works  occupied  by  the  light 
infantry  under  Earl  Balcarras,  and  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  drove  the  enemy  from  a 
strong  abatis,  through  which  he  attempted  to  force  his  -way  into  the  camp.  He  was  obliged 
to  abandon  the  efibrt,  and,  dashing  forward  toward  the  right  flank  of  the  enemy,  exposed  to 
the  cross-fire  of  the  contending  armies,  he  met  Learned's  brigade  advancing  to  make  an 
assault  upon  the  British  works  at  an  opening  in  the  abatis,  between  Balcarras's  light  in- 
fantry and  the  German  right  flank  defense  under  Colonel  Breyman.  Canadians  and  loyal- 
ists defended  this  part  of  the  line,  and  were  flanked  by  a  stockade  redoubt  on  each  side. 

Arnold  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  brigade,  and  moved  rapidly  on  to  the  attack 
He  directed  Colonel  Brooks  to  assault  the  redoubt,  while  the  remainder  of  the  brigade  fell 
upon  the  front.  The  contest  was  furious,  and  the  enemy  at  length  gave  way,  leaving  Brey- 
man and  his  Germans  completely  exposed.  At  this  moment  Arnold  galloped  to  the  left, 
and  ordered  the  regiments  of  Wesson  and  Livingston,  and  Morgan's  corps  of  riflemen,  to 
advance  and  make  a  general  assault.  At  the  head  of  Brooks's  regiment,  he  attacked  the 
German  works.  Having  found  the  sally-port,  he  rushed  within  the  enemy's  intrenchments. 
The  Germans,  who  had  seen  him  upon  his  steed  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  for  more  than 
two  hours,  terrified  at  his  approach,  fled  in  dismay,  delivering  a  volley  in  their  retreat,  which 
killed  Arnold's  horse  under  him,  and  wounded  the  general  himself  very  severely,  in  the  same 
I'"g  which  had  been  badly  lacerated  by  a  musket-ball  at  the  storming  of  Quebec,  two  years 
before.  Here,  wounded  and  disabled,  at  the  head  of  conquering  troops  led  on  by  his  valor 
to  the  threshold  of  victory,  Arnold  was  overtaken  by  Major  Armstrong,  who  delivered  to 
him  Gates's  order  to  return  to  camp,  fearing  he  "  might  do  some  rash  thing  I"  He  indeed 
did  a  rash  thing  in  the  eye  of  military  discipline.  He  led  troops  to  victory  without  an  order 
from  his  commander.  His  conduct  was  rash  indeed,  compared  with  the  stately  method  of 
General  Gates,  who  directed  by  orders  from  his  camp  what  his  presence  should  have  sanc- 
tioned. While  Arnold  was  wielding  the  fierce  sickle  of  war  without,  and  reaping  golden 
sheaves  for  Gates's  garner,  the  latter  (according  to  Wilkinson)  was  within  his  camp,  more 
intent  upon  discussing  the  merits  of  the  Revolution  with  Sir  Francis  Clarke,  Burgoyne's 
aid-de-camp,  who  had  been  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  and  was  lying  upon  the  command- 
er's bed  at  his  quarters,  than  upon  winning  a  battle,  all-important  to  the  ultimate  triumph 
of  those  principles  for  which  he  professed  so  warm  an  attachment.  When  one  of  Gates's 
aids  came  up  from  the  field  of  battle  for  orders,  he  found  the  general  very  angry  because 
Sir  Francis  would  not  allow  the  force  of  his  arguments.  He  left  the  room,  and,  calling 
his  aid  after  him,  asked,  as  they  went  out,  "  Did  you  ever  hear  so  impudent  a  son  of  a 
b — h  ?"      Poor  Sir  Francis  died  that  night  upon  Gates's  bed. 

"It  is  a  curious  fact,"  says  Sparks,  "  that  an  officer  who  really  had  not  command  in  the 
army  was  the  leader  of  one  of  the  most  spirited  and  important  battles  of  the  Revolution. 
His  madness,  or  rashness,  or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  resulted  most  fortunately  for  him- 
self The  wound  he  received  at  the  moment  of  rushing  into  the  arms  of  danger  and  of 
death  added  fresh  luster  to  his  military  glory,  and  was  a  new  claim  to  public  favor  and 
applause.  In  the  heat  of  the  action,  he  struck  an  officer  on  the  head  with  his  sword,  an 
indignity  and  offense  which  might  justly  have  been  retaliated  upon  the  spot  in  the  most 
i'atal  manner.  The  officer  forbore  ;  and  the  next  day,  when  he  demanded  redress,  Arnold 
declared  his  entire  ignorance  of  the  act,  and  expressed  his  regret."' 

'  Life  of  Arnold,  p.  118. 


64 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Retreat  of  the  Germans,  and  Close  of  the  Battle. 


Preparations  of  Burgoyne  to  Retreat. 


The  Killed  and  Wounded 


It  was  twilight  when  Arnold  was  wounded  and  conveyed  by  Major  Armstrong  and  a 
sergeant  (Samuel  Woodruff)  from  the  field.  The  Germans  who  fled  at  his  approach,  find- 
ing the  assault  general,  threw  down  their  arms  and  retreated  to  the  interior  of  the  camp, 
leaving  their  commander,  Colonel  Breyman,  mortally  wounded.  The  camp  of  Burgoyne 
was  thus  left  exposed  at  a  strong  point.  He  endeavored  to  rally  the  panic-stricken  Germans 
in  the  midst  of  the  increasing  darkness,  but  they  could  not  be  again  brought  into  action.' 
In  truth,  both  armies  were  thoroughly  fatigued,  and  the  Americans  were  as  loth  to  follow 
rip  the  advantage  thus  presented  as  were  the  British  to  repair  their  discomfiture.  As  night 
drew  its  curtain  over  the  scene,  the  conflict  ended,  the  clangor  of  battle  Avas  hushed,  and  all 
was  silent  except  the  groans  of  the  wounded,  an  occasional  word  of  command,  and  the  heavy 
tread  of  retiring  columns,  seeking  for  a  place  of  repose. 

About  midnight.  General  Lincoln,  with  his  division,  which  had  remained  in  camp  during 
the  action,  marched  out  to  relieve  those  upon  the  field,  and  to  maintain  the  ground  acquired. 
Perceiving  this,  and  knowing  the  advantage  the  Americans  would  possess  with  fresh  troops 
and  such  an  easy  access  to  his  camp,  Burgoyne  felt  the  necessity  of  guarding  against  the 
peril  at  once  by  changing  his  position.  Before  dawn  he  removed  the  whole  of  his  army, 
camp,  and  artillery  about  a  mile  north  of  his  first  position,  above  Wilbur's  Basin,  whence 
he  contemplated  a  speedy  retreat  toward  Fort  Edward. 

October,         Early  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  the  Americans  took  possession  of  the  evacuated 
1777.      British  camp,  and  skirmishes  took  place  between  detachments  from  the  two  armies 
during  the  day,  in  one  of  which  General  Lincoln  was  badly  wounded  in  the  leg.      As  the 
news  that  the  British  had  retreated  spread  over  the  surrounding  country,  a  great  number 
of  men,  women,  and  children  came  flocking  into  camp  to  join  in  the  general  joy,  or  to  per- 
form the  more  sorrowful  duty  of  seeking  for  relatives  or  friends  among  the  wounded  and  slain. 
The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  killed  and  wounded  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  and  fifty. 
Arnold  was  the  only  commissioned  officer  who  received  a  wound.      The  British  army  suf 
fe-ed  severely,  and  their  loss  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners  was  about  seven  hundred. "•' 
Among  the  officers  killed  were  the  gallant  Eraser,  Sir  Francis  Clarke  (Burgoyne's  aid-de- 
camp,) Colonel  Breyman,  and  Lieutenant  ReyneU.      The  latter  two  died  on  the  field  ;   Sir 
Francis  Clarke  was  taken  prisoner  and  carried  to  Gates's  quarters,  where  he  died  that  night. 
Major  Ackland.  who  was  severely  wounded,  was  also  taken  prisoner,  and,  with  Major  Will- 
iams, was  carried  into  the  American  camp  ;   and  Eraser,  who  was 
conveyed  to  the  house  of  John  Taylor,  near  Wilbur's 
Basin,  expired  the  next  morning  at  about  eight  o'clock 
Burgoyne  had  several  narrow  escapes.      One  ball  passed  through 
his  hat  and  another  his  coat. 

The  house  in  which  General  Eraser  died  stood  until  1846,  upon 
the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson,  about  three  miles  above  Bemis's 
Heights,  near  Ensign's  store,  and  exhibited  the  marks  of  the  con- 
flict there  in  numerous  bullet-holes.      It  was   used  by  Burgoyne 


Ho  us 


:  IN  WHICH  General 
Frasek  died. 


'  Evidence  of  Captain  Money  before  a  committee  of  Parliament  in  the  case  of  Burgoyne. 

Tlie  British  and  Hessian  troops  killed  in  the  foregoing  actions  were  slightly  covered  with  earth  and  brush 


on  the  battle-field.  It  was  not  uncom- 
mon, after  the  land  was  clen  -ed  and  cul- 
tivated, to  see  many,  soniuumes  twen- 
ty, human  skulls  piled  upon  stumps  in 
the  fields.  I  have  mj^self,  when  a  boy, 
seen  human  bones  thickly  strewn  about 
the  ground,  which  had  been  turned 
up  by  the  plow." — C.  Neilson.  Bur- 
goyne''s  Campaign^  p.  182. 

I  saw,  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Neilson,  many  relics  plowed  up  from 
the  battle-field,  such  as  cannon-balls, 


No.  2. 


grape-shot,  tomahawks,  arrow-heads, 
buttons,  knives,  &c.,  and  among  them 
were  some  teeth,  evidently  front  ones, 
but  double.  It  is  supposed  that  they 
belonged  to  the  Hessians,  for  it  is  said 
that  many  of  them  had  double  teeth  all 
around,  in  both  jaws.  The  annexed 
are  drawings  of  two  tomahawks  in  my 
possession.  No.  1  is  made  of  iron,  No 
2  of  stone.  It  is  graywacke,  and  is 
creased  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the 
handle  by  a  string  or  b)'  green  withes 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION  6  5 


Place  of  General  Fraser's  Death.  Account  of  his  Death  by  the  Baroness  Reidesel.  Fraser's  last  Request  granted. 

for  quarters  when  he  first  pitched  his  camp  there,  and  it  was  a  shelter  to  several  ladies 
attached  to  the  British  army,  among  whom  were  the  Baroness  Riedesel  and  Lady  Harriet 
Ackland.  General  Fraser  was  laid  upon  a  camp-bed  near  the  first  window  on  the  right 
of  the  door,  where  he  expired.  I  can  not  narrate  this  event  and  its  attendant  circumstances 
better  than  by  quoting  the  simple  language  of  the  Baroness  Riedesel. 

"  But,"  she  says,  "  severer  trials  awaited  us,  and  on  the  7th  of  October  our  misfortunes 
began.  I  was  at  breakfast  with  my  husband,  and  heard  that  something  was  intended. 
On  the  same  day  I  expected  Generals  Burgoyne,  Phillips,  and  Fraser  to  dine  with  us.  I 
saw  a  great  movement  among  the  troops  ;  my  husband  told  me  it  was  merely  a  reconnois- 
sance,  which  gave  me  no  concern,  as  it  often  happened.  I  walked  out  of  the  house,  and 
met  several  Indians  in  their  war  dresses,  with  guns  in  their  hands.  When  I  asked  them 
where  they  were  going,  they  cried  out,  '  War  I  war  I'  meaning  that  they  were  going  to 
battle.  This  filled  me  with  apprehension,  and  I  had  scarcely  got  home  before  I  heard 
reports  of  cannon  and  musketry,  which  grew  louder  by  degrees,  till  at  last  the  noise  became 
excessive. 

"  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  instead  of  the  guests  whom  I  expected,  General 
Fraser  was  brought  on  a  litter,  mortally  wounded.  The  table,  which  was  already  set,  was 
instantly  removed,  and  a  bed  placed  in  its  stead  for  the  wounded  general.  I  sat  trembling 
m  a  corner  ;  the  noise  grew  louder,  and  the  alarm  increased  ;  the  thought  that  my  husband 
might,  perhaps,  be  brought  in,  wounded  in  the  same  manner,  was  terrible  to  me,  and  dis- 
tressed me  exceedingly.  General  Fraser  said  to  the  surgeon,  '  Tell  me  if  my  icound  is 
'mortal ;  do  not  flatter  me.'  The  ball  had  passed  through  his  body,  and,  unhappily  for  the 
general,  he  had  eaten  a  very  hearty  breakfast,  by  which  the  stomach  was  distended,  and 
the  ball,  as  the  surgeon  said,  had  passed  through  it.  I  heard  him  often  exclaim,  with  a 
sigh,  '  O  fatal  ambition  !  Poor  General  Burgoijne  !  Oh  !  my  poor  icife .''  He  was 
asked  if  he  had  any  request  to  make,  to  which  he  replied  that,  if  General  Burgoyne  toould 
'permit  it,  he  shoidd  like  to  be  buried  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  on  the  top  of  a  onount- 
ai7i,  in  a  redoubt  which  had  been  built  there.  I  did  not  know  which  way  to  turn  ;  all 
the  other  rooms  were  full  of  sick.  Toward  evening  I  saw  my  husband  coming ;  then  I 
forgot  all  my  sorrows,  and  thanked  God  that  he  was  spared  to  me.  He  ate  in  great  haste, 
with  me  and  his  aid-de-camp,  behind  the  house.  We  had  been  told  that  we  had  the  ad- 
vantage over  the  enemy,  but  the  sorrowful  faces  I  beheld  told  a  different  tale  ;  and  before 
my  husband  went  away,  he  took  me  aside,  and  said  every  thing  was  going  very  badly,  and 
that  I  must  keep  myself  in  readiness  to  leave  the  place,  but  not  to  mention  it  to  any  one 
I  made  the  pretense  that  I  would  move  the  next  morning  into  my  new  house,  and  had 
every  thing  packed  up  ready. 

"  I  could  not  go  to  sleep,  as  I  had  General  Fraser  and  all  the  other  wounded  gentlemen 
in  my  room,  and  I  was  sadly  afraid  my  children  would  wake,  and,  by  their  crying,  disturb 
the  dying  man  in  his  last  moments,  who  often  addressed  me  and  apologized  'for  the  trouble 
he  gave  me.'  About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  was  told  that  he  could  not  hold  out 
much  longer  ;  I  had  desired  to  be  informed  of  the  near  approach  of  this  sad  crisis,  and  I 
then  wrapped  up  my  children  in  their  clothes,  and  went  with  them  into  the  room  below 
About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  died. 

"  After  he  was  laid  out,  and  his  corpse  wrspped  up  in  a  sheet,  we  came  again  into  the 
room,  and  had  this  sorrowful  sight  before  us  the  whole  day  ;  and,  to  add  to  the  melancholy 
scene,  almost  every  moment  some  officer  of  my  acquaintance  was  brought  in  wounded.  The 
cannonade  commenced  again  ;  a  retreat  was  spoken  of,  but  not  the  smallest  motion  was 
made  toward  it.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I  saw  the  house  which  had  just  been 
built  for  me  in  flames,  and  the  enemy  was  now  not  far  off.  We  knew  that  General  Bur- 
goyne would  not  refuse  the  last  request  of  General  Fraser,  though,  by  his  acceding  to  it,  an 
unnecessary  delay  was  occasioned,  by  which  the  inconvenience  of  the  army  was  much  in- 
cieased.  At  six  o'clock  the  corpse  was  brought  out,  and  we  saw  all  the  generals  attend  it 
to  the  mountaiu.      The  chaplain,  Mr.  Brudenell,  performed  the  funeral  service,  rendered 

E 


66 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Burial  of  Fraser. 


Humanity  of  the  Americans. 


Lady  Harriet  Ackland. 


FRASER  S    liUKIAL-PLACE. 


unusually  solemn  and  awful  from  its  being  accompanied  by  constant  peals  from  the  enemy's 
artillery.  Many  cannon-balls  flew  close  by  me,  but  I  had  my  eyes  directed  toward  the 
mountain'  where  my  husband  was  standing  amid  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  of  course  I 
could  not  think  of  my  own  danger." 

It  was  just  at  sunset,  on  that  calm  October  evening,  that  the  corpse  of  General  Fraser 
was  carried  up  the  hill  to  the  place  of  burial  within  the  "  great  redoubt."  It  was  attended 
only  by  the  members  of  his  military  family  and  Mr.  Brudenell,  the  chaplain  ;   yet  the  eyes 

of  hundreds  of  both  armies  followed 
the  solemn  procession,  while  the 
Americans,  ignorant  of  its  true  char- 
acter, kept  up  a  constant  cannonade 
upon  the  redoubt.  The  chaplain, 
unawed  by  the  danger  to  which 
he  was  exposed,  as  the  cannon- 
balls  that  struck  the  hill  threw  the 
loose  soil  over  him,  pronounced  the 
impressive  funeral  service  of  the 
Church  of  England  with  an  unfal- 
tering voice. ^  The  growing  dark- 
ness added  solemnity  to  the  scene. 
Suddenly  the  irregular  firing  ceased, 
and  the  solemn  voice  of  a  smgle  cannon,  at  measured  intervals,  boomed  along  the  valley, 
and  awakened  the  responses  of  the  hills.  It  was  a  minute-gun  fired  by  the  Americans  in 
honor  of  the  gallant  dead.  The  moment  information  was  given  that  the  gathering  at  the 
redoubt  was  a  funeral  company,  fulfilling,  amid  imminent  perils,  the  last-breathed  wishes 
of  the  noble  Fraser,  orders  were  issued  to  withhold  the  carmonade  Mdth  balls,  and  to  render 
military  homage  to  the  fallen  brave. 

How  such  incidents  smooth  the  rough  features  of  war  I  In  contrast  with  fiercer  ages  gone 
by,  when  human  sympathy  never  formed  a  holy  communion  between  enemies  on  the  battle- 
field, they  seem  to  reflect  the  radiance  of  the  future,  and  exhibit  a  glimpse  of  the  time  to 
which  a  hopeful  faith  directs  our  vision,  when  "  nation  shall  not  war  against  nation,"  when 
''  one  law  shall  bind  all  people,  kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  that  law  shall  be  the  law  of 

UNIVERSAL  BROTHERHOOD." 

The  case  of  Major  Ackland  and  his  heroic  wife  presents  kindred  features.  He  belonged 
to  the  corps  of  grenadiers,  and  was  an  accomplished  soldier.  His  wife  accompanied  him  to 
Canada  in  1776,  and  during  the  whole  campaign  of  that  year,  and  until  his  return  to  En- 
gland after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  in  the  autumn  of  1777,  endured  all  the  hardships, 
dangers,  and  privations  of  an  active  campaign  in  an  enemy's  country.  At  Chambly,  on  the 
Sorel,  she  attended  him  in  illness,  in  a  miserable  hut ;  and  when  he  was  wounded  in  the 
battle  of  Hubbardton,  Vermont,  she  hastened  to  him  at  Skenesborough  from  Montreal,  where 
she  had  been  persuaded  to  remain,  and  resolved  to  follow  the  army  thereafter.  Just  before 
crossing  the  Hudson,  she  and  her  husband  came  near  losing  their  lives  in  consequence  of 
their  tent  taking  fire  from  a  candle  overturned  by  a  pet  dog.  During  the  terrible  engage- 
ment of  the  7th  of  October  she  heard  all  the  tumult  and  dreadful  thunder  of  the  battle  in 
which  her  husband  was  engaged  ;   and  when,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  the  British  fell 


^  The  height  occupied  by  Burgoyne  on  the  18th,  which  ran  parallel  with  the  river  till  it  approached 
General  Gates's  camp. 

*  The  hill  on  which  the  "great  redoubt"  was  erected,  and  where  General  Fraser  was  buried,  is  about 
one  hundred  feet  high,  and  almost  directly  west  from  the  house  wherein  he  died.  The  relative  situation 
of  this  eminence  to  the  Hudson  will  be  best  understood  by  looking  at  the  view  of  Burgoyne's  encampment, 
page  57.  The  center  hill  in  that  drawing  is  the  one  here  represented.  The  grave  is  within  the  inclosure 
on  the  summit  of  the  hill. 

*  Burgoyne's  "State  of  the  Expedition,"  p.  169.     Lieutenant  Kingston's  Evidence,  p.  107. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  67 


Courage  and  Fortitude  of  Lady  Harriet  Ackland.  Burgoyne'a  Request  and  Gates's  Generosity. 

back  in  confusion  to  Wilbur's  Basin,  she,  with  the  other  women,  was  obliged  to  take  refuge 
among  the  dead  and  dying,  for  the  tents  were  all  struck,  and  hardly  a  shed  was  left  stand- 
ing. Her  husband  was  wounded,  and  a  prisoner  in  the  American  camp.  That  gallant 
officer  Avas  shot  through  both  legs  when  Poor  and  Learned' s  troops  assaulted  the  grenadiers 
and  artillery  on  the  British  left,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  7th.  Wilkinson,  Gates's  adjutant 
general,  while  pursuing  the  flying  enemy  when  they  abandoned  their  battery,  heard  a  feeble 
voice  exclaim,  "  Protect  me,  sir,  against  that  boy."  He  turned  and  saw  a  lad  with  a  musket, 
taking  deliberate  aim  at  a  wounded  British  officer,  lying  in  a  corner  of  a  worm  fence.  Wil- 
kinson ordered  the  boy  to  desist,  and  discovered  the  wounded  man  to  be  Major  Ackland. 
He  had  him  conveyed  to  the  quarters  of  General  Poor  (now  the  residence  of  Mr.  Neilson), 
on  the  heights,  where  every  attention  was  paid  to  his  wants. 

When  the  intelligence  that  he  was  wounded  and  a  prisoner  reached  his  wife,  she  was 
greatly  distressed,  and,  by  the  advice  of  her  friend,  the  Baroness  Riedesel,  resolved  to  visit 
the  American  camp,  and  implore  the  favor  of  a  personal  attendance  upon  her  husband.  On 
the  9th  she  sent  a  message  to  Burgoyne  by  Lord  Petersham,  his  aid,  asking  per-  October, 
mission  to  depart.  "  Though  I  was  ready  to  believe,"  says  Burgoyne,  "  that  pa-  •'^'''^• 
tience  and  fortitude,  in  a  supreme  degree,  were  to  be  found,  as  well  as  every  other  virtue, 
under  the  most  tender  forms,  I  was  astonished  at  this  proposal.  After  so  long  an  agitation 
of  spirits,  exhausted  not  only  for  want  of  rest,  but  absolutely  want  of  food,  drenched  in  rains 
for  twelve  hours  together,  that  a  woman  should  be  capable  of  such  an  undertaking  as  de- 
livermg  herself  to  an  enemy,  probably  in  the  night,  and  uncertain  of  what  hands  she  might 
fall  into,  appeared  an  effort  above  human  nature.  The  assistance  I  was  enabled  to  give 
was  small  indeed  ;  I  had  not  even  a  cup  of  wine  to  offer  her  ;  but  I  was  told  she  had  found, 
from  some  kind  and  fortunate  hand,  a  little  rum  and  dirty  water.  All  I  could  furnish  to 
her  was  an  open  boat  and  a  few  lines,  written  upon  dirty  wet  paper,  to  General  Gates, 
recommending  her  to  his  protection."^ 

She  set  out  in  an  open  boat  upon  the  Hudson,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Brudenell  the  chap- 
lain, Sarah  Pollard  her  waiting-maid,  and  her  husband's  valet,  who  had  been  severely 
wounded  while  searching  for  his  master  upon  the  battle-field.  It  was  about  sunset  when 
they  started,  and  a  violent  storm  of  rain  and  wind,  which  had  been  increasing  since  morn- 
ing, rendered  the  voyage  tedious  and  perilous  in  the  extreme.  It  was  long  after  dark  when 
they  reached  the  American  outposts.  The  sentinel  heard  their  oars  and  hailed  them. 
Lady  Harriet  returned  the  answer  herself  The  clear,  silvery  tones  of  a  woman's  voice 
amid  the  darkness  filled  the  soldier  on  duty  with  superstitious  fear,  and  he  called  a  comrade 
to  accompany  him  to  the  river  bank.  The  errand  of  the  voyagers  was  made  known,  but 
the  faithful  guard,  apprehensive  of  treachery,  would  not  allow  them  to  land  until  they  sent 
for  Major  Dearborn.  This  delay  was  only  for  a  few  minutes,  not  "  seven  or  eight  dark  and 
cold  hours,"  as  asserted  by  Burgoyne.  They  were  invited  by  that  officer  to  his  quarters, 
where  a  cup  of  tea  and  other  comforts  were  provided  ;  and  Lady  Harriet  was  also  comforted 
by  the  joyful  tidings  that  her  husband  was  safe.  In  the  morning  she  experienced  parental 
tenderness  from  General  Gates,  who  sent  her  to  her  husband  at  Poor's  quarters,  under  a 
suitable  escort.      There  she  remained  until  he  was  removed  to  Albany.^ 

^  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  note  from  Burgoyne  to  General  Gates :  "  Sir — Lady  Harriet  Ackland, 
a  lady  of  the  first  distinction  of  family,  rank,  and  personal  virtues,  is  under  such  concern  on  account  of 
Major  Ackland,  her  husband,  wounded  and  a  prisoner  in  your  hands,  that  I  can  not  refuse  her  request  to 
commit  her  to  your  protection.  Whatever  general  impropriety  there  may  be  in  persons  in  my  situation 
and  yours  to  solicit  favors,  I  can  not  see  the  uncommon  perseverance  in  every  female  grace  and  exaltation 
of  character  of  this  lady,  and  her  very  hard  fortune,  without  testifying  that  your  attentions  to  her  will  lay 
me  under  obligations.  "  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  J.  Burgoyne."* 

^  Major  Ackland  reciprocated  the  generous  treatment  here  extended,  by  doing  all  in  his  power,  while 
on  parole  in  New  York,  to  alleviate  the  condition  of  distinguished  American  prisoners  there.     After  his 

*  The  original  is  among  Gates's  papers  (voL  x.),  in  the  possession  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  from  which  this  was 
copied. 


68 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Lines  by  Mrs.  Morton. 


Death  of  Major  Ackland. 


Second  Marriage  of  Lady  Harriet 


When  we  consider  the  delicate  form,  the  gentleness  and  refinement  in  which  she  had 
been  nurtured  in  the  lap  of  rank  and  fortune,  the  shining  virtues  of  connubial  constancy, 
heroic  devotion,  and  unbending  fortitude  stand  out  in  bold  relief  in  the  character  of  Lady 
Harriet  Ackland ;  and  these,  in  their  practical  development  in  her  case,  furnish  romance 
with  a  stranger  page  than  imagination  can  command,  and  lend  to  poetry  half  its  inspiration. 
They  gave  impulse  to  the  lyre  of  the  accomplished  lady  of  Perez  Morton,  Esq. ;  and  I  will 
close  this  chapter  with  an  extract  from  her  poem,  suggested  by  the  events  above  noticed. 

"  To  gallant  Gates,  in  war  serenely  brave, 
The  tide  of  fortune  turns  its  refluent  wave ; 
Forced  by  his  arms,  the  bold  invaders  yield 
The  prize  and  glory  of  the  well-fought  field : 
Bleeding  and  lost,  the  captured  Ackland  lies, 
While  leaden  slumber  seals  his  Fraser's  eyes ; 
Fraser  !  whose  deeds  unfading  glories  claim, 
Endeared  by  virtues  and  adorned  by  fame. 

Tf  tP  tP  "TT  tF  W  TT 

'Twas  now  the  time,  when  twilight's  misty  ray 

Drops  the  brown  curtain  of  retiring  day, 

The  clouds  of  heaven,  like  midnight  mountains,  lower, 

Waft  the  wild  blast  and  dash  the  drizzly  shower, 

Through  the  wet  path  her  restless  footsteps  roam, 

To  where  the  leader  spread  his  spacious  dome. 

Low  at  his  feet  she  pours  the  desperate  prayer — 

Give  my  lost  husband  to  my  soothing  care, 

Give  me  in  yonder  solitary  cave, 

With  duteous  love,  his  burning  wounds  to  lave ; 

On  the  warm  pillow  which  his  breast  supplies. 

Catch  his  faint  breath  and  close  his  languid  eyes, 

Or  in  his  cause  my  proflered  life  resign — 

Mine  were  his  blessings,  and  his  pains  were  mine." 


return  to  England,  he  warmly  defended  American  courage,  at  a  dinner  party,  against  the  aspersions  of  a 
Lieutenant  Lloyd.  High  words  passed,  and  a  duel  ensued.  The  major  was  shot  dead  ;  Lady  Harriet  be- 
came a  maniac,  and  remained  so  two  years.  After  her  recovery,  she  married  Mr  Brudenell,  the  chaplain 
already  mentioned. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  69 


Present  Peacefulness  at  Saratoga.  Curious  Meteorological  Phenomena.  Departure  for  Schuylerville. 


CHAPTER  III. 

URGOYNE  and  his  army  are  at  Wilbur's  Basin,  prepared  to  retreat 
^  '  toward  Lake  Champlain,  but  lingering  to  pay  a  last  sad  tribute  of 
affectionate  regard  to  the  remains  of  the  accomplished  Eraser.  Night 
has  drawn  its  veil  over  the  scene,  and  we  will  turn  away  for  a  moment 
from  the  sorroAvful  contemplation  of  war  and  its  horrid  retinue,  to  glance 
at  a  picture  lovely  to  the  eye,  ennobling  to  the  spirit,  and  fruitful  of  pleas- 
ant impressions  upon  the  heart  and  memory. 
Like  a  "  dissolving  view,"  the  smoking  ruins,  the  sodden  field,  the  trailing  ban- 
ner, the  tent  and  breast-work  and  abatis,  and  slaughtered  hundreds,  and  wailing 
families,  painted  in  gore  by  the  hand  of  human  discord  ;  and  the  roar  of  cannon, 
ike  rattle  of  musketry,  the  roll  of  drums,  the  hiss  and  detonation  of  bombs,  the  sav- 
'  age  yell,  the  loud  huzza,  the  shriek  and  groan,  the  prayer  and  curse  made  audible 
by  the  boastful  voice  of  physical  strength,  have  all  passed  away  with  the  darkness,  and  a 
bright  summer's  sunlight  is  upon  the  landscape.  Turning  the  eye  northward  from  the 
American  camp,  there  are  the  same  gentle  slopes,  and  deep  ravines,  and  clustering  hills, 
and  flowing  river  ;  and  the  heights  of  Saratoga  in  the  far  distance  loom  up  as  of  yore.  But 
herds  are  grazing  upon  the  lowlands,  and  flocks  are  dotting  the  hills  ;  the  ring  of  the  mower's 
scythe  is  heard  in  the  meadow,  and  the  merry  laugh  goes  up  from  the  russet  harvest-field. 
Art,  with  its  strong  arm  of  industry,  has  dug  another  river  along  the  plain  for  the  use  of 
commerce  ;  the  forest  has  been  reaped  by  agriculture,  habitations  of  prosperity  are  on  every 
hand,  and  the  white  wing  of  peace  is  spread  out  over  all.  It  is  a  pleasant  sight ;  therefore 
let  us  enjoy  it,  and,  for  a  while,  forget  the  dark  picture  of  the  past  which  we  have  been 
contemplating. 

. I  spent  nearly  the  whole  of  the  day  rambling  and  sketching  upon  the  camp  and     juiysi 

battle  grounds  of  Stillwater.  It  was  excessively  warm,  although  a  strong  breeze  ■^^'^^■ 
from  the  south  constantly  prevailed.  As  early  as  ten  o'clock  dark  clouds  began  to  rise  in  the 
west,  and  the  rumbling  of  distant  thunder  was  audible.  All  day  long,  shower  after  shower 
arose  threateningly,  sometimes  approaching  so  near  that  sharp  claps  of  thunder  would  startle 
us  ;  but  they  all  swept  along  the  horizon  west  and  north,  and  disappeared  behind  the  eastern 
hills.  Not  a  drop  of  rain  fell  at  Bemis's.  I  remarked  the  phenomenon,  and  was  told  that 
showers  never  reached  there  from  the  west.  Their  birth-place  seems  to  be  Saratoga  Lake, 
about  six  miles  westward  from  the  Hudson,  and  the  summer  rain-clouds  which  rise  there 
generally  pass  up  the  lake  to  its  outlet,  the  Fish  Creek,  and,  traversing  that  stream  until  it 
falls  into  the  Hudson,  cross  the  valley  and  pass  on  to  the  Green  Mountains,  or  spend  their 
treasures  upon  the  intervening  country. 

About  half  past  three  in  the  afternoon  a  canal  packet  arrived  from  the  south,  and  we 
embarked  for  Schuylerville,  nine  miles  above  Bemis's.  As  usual,  the  boat  was  crowded  to 
excess,  and,  the  sun  being  veiled  by  the  clouds  in  the  west,  the  passengers  covered  the  deck. 
As  we  passed  quietly  along  the  base  of  the  hills  whereon  was  Gates's  camp,  crossed  Mill 
Creek  or  Middle  Ravine,  and  approached  Wilbur's  Basin,  it  required  but  small  exercise  of 
the  imagination,  while  listening  to  the  constant  roll  of  thunder  beyond  the  heights,  to  realize 
the  appalling  sounds  of  that  strife  of  armies  which  shook  those  hills  seventy  years  before,  as 
it  fell  upon  the  eager  ears  of  wives,  and  sisters,  and  children  whose  cherished  ones  were  in 
the  midst  of  the  storm. 

Proceeding  northv.'ard,  we  approached   the  track  of  the  showers,  and,  just  before  we 


70  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Approach  of  a  Tempest.  A  violent  Gale.  Misfortunes  of  an  Irish  Way-passenger 

reached  Wilbur's  Basin,  a  cloud,  black  as  Erebus,  and  so  low  that  it  seemed  to  rest  upon 
the  hill-tops,  spread  out  above  us  like  the  wings  of  a  monster  bird  ;  and  in  its  wake  huge 
masses  of  vapor,  wheeling  like  the  eddies  of  a  whirlpool,  came  hastening  on.  The  experi- 
enced boatmen  understood  these  portents,  and  covering  the  baggage  with  strong  canvas, 
lashed  it  tightly  to  the  vessel.  The  breeze  was  still,  and  a  hot,  suffocating  calm  ensued. 
The  passengers,  warned  by  the  helmsman,  retreated  into  the  cabin,  and  the  windows  were 
closed.  The  cattle  in  the  fields  huddled  in  groups,  and  every  bird  and  fowl,  conscious  of 
impending  danger,  sought  shelter.  A  flash  of  lightning,  followed  instantly  by  a  crashing 
thunder-peal,  broke  over  the  valley,  and  seemed  to  sever  the  fetters  of  the  wind.  A  sullen 
roar  was  heard  in  the  distance,  like  the  rush  of  great  waters  ;  the  trees  of  the  forest  began 
to  rock,  and  from  the  roads  behind  us  clouds  of  dust  arose  and  filled  the  air.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments a  tornado  was  upon  us  in  its  strength.  It  lasted  only  two  minutes,  but  in  its  track 
the  results  of  the  labor  of  the  farmer  for  many  days  were  destroyed.  Hay-cocks  and  wheat 
sheaves  were  scattered  like  thistle-down,  and  the  standing  grain  was  laid  upon  the  earth  as 
by  the  tread  of  a  giant  footstep.  As  the  wind  passed  by,  the  rain  came  down  gently,  and 
continued  to  fall  until  we  reached  Schuylerville. 

There  came  on  the  boat  at  Bemis's  "  a  poor  exile  from  Erin,"  with  a  patched  coat  and 
pair  of  thin  pantaloons  hanging  over  one  arm.  He  was  immediately  introduced  to  the 
captain  by  the  attentive  steward,  when  he  pleaded  poverty,  and  declared  that  he  hadn't  a 
"  cint  in  the  world."  He  was  ordered  ashore,  and  the  boat  was  guided  accommodatingly 
near  the  bank.  The  poor  fellow  urged  fatigue,  and  the  weight  of  his  brogans  testified  to 
the  truth  of  the  appeal,  if  he  had  walked  a  mile.  It  was  cruel  to  doubt  the  honesty  of 
that  hard-favored  face,  and  fifty  cents  were  soon  collected  for  him  as  a  peace-offering  to  the 
captain.  When  the  gust  came  on,  he  refused  to  go  into  the  cabin.  He  had  been  in  a 
three  days'  gale  upon  the  Atlantic,  and  was  not  to  be  frightened  by  a  squall  on  land.  The 
first  blast  of  the  hurricane  wheeled  him  several  times  around  upon  deck,  and  came  very  near 
putting  him  ashore,  willing  or  not  willing.  While  he  was  endeavoring  to  seize  a  support, 
the  wind  grasped  his  extra  pantaloons,  and,  in  utter  dismay,  he  saw  them  gyrating,  like  a 
spread  eagle,  high  in  air,  and  becoming  "  small  by  degrees  and  beautifully  less"  in  the  dis- 
tance. The  loss  distressed  him  greatly — far  more  than  the  helmsman  thought  necessary, 
and  he  ordered  hira  to  be  quiet.  "  Indade,"  said  the  poor  fellow,  "  do  ye  think  a  man  can 
be  quiet  when  the  wind  is  rolling  him  like  a  bag  o'  feathers  tied  fast  at  one  end,  and  all  he 
has  in  the  world  snatched  from  him  by  the  blackguard  gale  ?"  and  he  looked  agonizingly 
toward  the  point  where  his  pantaloons  had  vanished. 

"  Precious  small  estate,"  answered  the  amused  helmsman,  "  if  a  pair  of  old  pantaloons  is 
all  you  have  in  the  world.      I'll  give  you  a  better  pair  than  that  if  you'll  stop  your  noise." 

"  An'  wid  three  Vickeys  sowed  up  in  the  waistbands  ?"   eagerly  inquired  the  exile. 

His  cautiousness  was  here  at  fault.  He  hadn't  a  "  cint  in  the  world,"  but  he  had  three 
sovereigns  sewed  up  in  the  waistbands  of  the  pantaloons  which  had  gone  a-ballooning.  As 
soon  as  the  gale  passed  by,  a  child  of  the  Green  Isle  was  a  foot-passenger  upon  the  tow- 
path,  bearing  sorrowful  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  ethical  maxim,  that  retributive  justice 
is  always  swift  to  punish  offenders  against  truth  and  honesty.  No  doubt  his  thoughts  were 
all  with  his  absconded  sub-treasurer,  and  the  prose  of  Holmes's  poem  evidently  engrossed 
his  mind  : 

"  I  saw  them  straddling  through  the  au", 
Alas  !  too  late  to  win  them ; 
I  saw  them  chase  the  clouds  as  if 

The  devil  had  been  in  them. 
They  were  my  darlings  and  my  pride, 

They  carried  all  my  riches  : 
'Farewell,  farewell!'  I  faintly  cried, 
'  My  breeches  !   0  my  breeches  !'  " 

It  was  about  four  o  clock  when  we  passed  the  burial-place  of  General  Eraser.  It  had 
been  my  intention  to  stop  there  for  an  hour,  and  visit  the  last  earth-home  of  the  illustrious 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  7] 


Fraser's  Grave      Do-ve-gat  or  Coveville.      Colonel  Van  Vechten.      Origin  of  "  Whig"  and  "  Tory."      Arrival  at  Schuylerville. 

dead.  But  the  rain  fell  fast,  and  the  day  was  so  far  consumed  that  I  was  obliged  to  forego 
the  melancholy  pleasure.  The  canal  is  so  near  the  base  of  the  hill,  that  I  easily  made  the 
sketch  of  it  (printed  on  page  67)  from  the  cabin- window.  Many  years  ago  a  distant  rela- 
tive of  the  general  proposed  to  remove  his  remains  to  Scotland,  and  lay  them  beside  those 
of  his  mother ;  but  they  are  still  undisturbed  where  his  sorrowing  comrades  laid  them. 

We  reached  the  little  settlement  of  Coveville  at  half  past  four,  the  rain  still  falling  gently. 
This  was  formerly  Do-ve-gat,  or  Van  Vechten's  Cove,  as  it  was  sometimes  called,  the  place 
where  the  British  tarried  from  the  loth  till  the  17th  of  September,  while  a  working 
party  repaired  the  roads  and  bridges  in  advance  to  Wilbur's  Basin.  Here  was  the 
residence  of  Colonel  Van  Vechten,  of  the  Saratoga  militia,  one  of  General  Gates's  staff.  He 
was  a  zealous  Whig,  and  the  active  Tories,  whose  plans  his  vigilance  often  frustrated,  were 
greatly  imbittered  against  him  politically,  while  they  honored  him  as  a  brave  man  and  good 
neighbor.'      Burgoyne,  on  his  retreat  to  Saratoga  after  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October, 

.  .  .      .  1777 

ordered  the  dwellings  of  several  Whigs  to  be  destroyed  ;  and  at  Do-ve-gat  the  buildings 
of  Colonel  Van  Vechten  were  the  first  to  which  the  torch  of  the  invader  was  laid.      His  family 
fled  to  Albany  on  the  approach  of  Burgoyne  from  Fort  Edward  ;   and  when  they  returned, 
late  in  October,  their  fine  estate  was  a  perfect  wreck,  and  they  had  no  shelter  for  their  heads. 

Colonel  Van  Vechten  was  at  Albany,  on  public  business,  at  the  time  of  the  first  battle 
on  Bemis's  Heights.  He  had  received  an  order  from  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  that  city, 
when  Burgoyne  marched  from  Fort  Edward,  to  remove  every  Tory  or  disaffected  person 
from  his  vicinage  into  Connecticut.  This  order  touched  his  excellent  heart  with  grief,  for 
many  of  those  included  in  the  proscription  were  his  neighbors,  and  some  were  his  personal 
friends,  who  honestly  differed  from  him  in  relation  to  the  momentous  political  questions  at 
issue.  Within  six  hours  after  receiving  the  order  he  was  in  Albany,  and  procured  its  re- 
call. The  humanity,  policy,  and  sound  wisdom  of  that  step  were  soon  illustrated  by  the  firm 
support  which  some  of  these  disaffected  ones  gave  to  the  American  cause. 

We  landed  at  Schuylerville  in  the  midst  of  "  sun  and  shower,"  for  the  sky  was  clear  in 
the  west,  yet  the  rain-drops  came  glittering  dovrai  profusely.  The  Fish  Creek,  which  here 
has  a  succession  of  falls  and  rapids  for  nearly  a  mile,  afibrding  fine  water-power  for  several 
mills,  was  brimful  with  the  showers  of  the  day,  and  poured  its  flood,  roaring  and  foaming, 
under  the  canal  viaduct  with  such  force  as  to  shake  the  solid  masonry.  It  empties  its  waters 
into  the  Hudson  about  one  hundred  rods  east  of  the  canal,  at  the  southeast  angle  of  Old  Fort 
Hardy,  now  among  the  buried  things  of  the  past.  Upon  the  plain  north  of  the  creek,  near 
the  old  fort,  the  forces  of  Burgoyne  laid  down  their  arms  ;  and  on  every  side  of  that  pleas- 
ant village  scenes  of  historic  interest  lie  scattered.  The  earth  was  too  wet  to  invite  a  sun- 
set ramble,  and  we  contented  ourselves  with  viewing  the  beauty  of  the  scene  that  spread 
out  before  us  eastward  while  loitering  upon  the  upper  piazza  of  the  Schuylerville  House. 

'  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  use  the  terras  Whig  and  Tory,  and  shall  do  so  often  in  the  course  of  this 
work.  They  were  copied  by  us  from  the  political  vocabulary  of  Great  Britain,  and  were  first  used  here, 
to  distinguish  the  opposing  parties  in  the  Revolution,  about  1770.  The  term  originated  during  the  reign 
of  Charles  II.,  or  about  that  time.  Bishop  Burnet,  in  his  History  of  his  own  Times,  gives  the  following 
explanation  :  "  The  southwest  counties  of  Scotland  have  seldom  corn  enough  to  serve  them  round  the  year : 
and  the  northern  parts  producing  more  than  they  need,  those  in  the  west  come  in  the  summer  to  buy  at 
Leith  the  stores  that  come  from  the  north ;  and,  from  a  word,  loliiggam,  used  in  driving  their  horses,  ail 
that  drove  were  called  whiggamores,  and  shorter,  ivhiggs.  Now  in  that  year,  after  the  news  came  down 
of  Duke  Hamilton's  defeat,  the  ministers  animated  their  people  to  rise  and  march  to  Edinburgh,  and  then 
came  up  marching  at  the  head  of  their  parishes,  with  unheard-of  fury,  praying  and  preaching  all  the  way 
as  they  came.  The  Marquis  of  Argyle  and  his  party  came  and  headed  them,  they  being  about  six  thou- 
sand. This  was  called  the  Whiggamore's  inroad,  and  ever  after  that  all  that  opposed  the  courts  came,  in 
contempt,  to  be  called  Whigg ;  and  from  Scotland  the  word  was  brought  into  England,  where  it  is  now 
one  of  our  unhappy  terms  of  distinction."  Subsequently  all  whose  party  bias  was  democratic  were  called 
Whigs.  The  origin  of  the  word  Tory  is  not  so  well  attested.  The  Irish  malcontents,  half  robbers  and 
half  insurgents,  who  harassed  the  English  in  Ireland  at  the  time  of  the  massacre  in  1640,  were  the  first  to 
whom  this  epithet  was  applied.  It  was  also  applied  to  the  court  party  as  a  term  of  reproach. — See,  also, 
Macaulay^s  History  of  England,  i.,  240. 


72  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Beautiful  Evening  Scene.  Commencement  of  Burgoyne's  Retreat  toward  Saratoga.  Hia  Retreat  anticipated  by  Gates. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  charming  scene, 'enhanced  by  the  associations  of  the  vicinity.  The  face 
of  nature  was  washed  clean  by  the  drenching  showers  ;  the  trees  and  shrubs  were  brilHant 
green  ;  and  from  the  clustering  knolls  or  loftier  hills  beyond  the  Hudson,  once  bristling  with 
bayonets  or  wreathed  by  the  smoke  of  cannon,  the  evening  sunlight  was  reflected  back  by 
the  myriad  rain-drops  lying  upon  trees,  and  grass,  and  blooming  corn.  Nor  was  this  all. 
Upon  the  dark  background  of  the  hills  was  Iris, 

"  That  beautiful  one, 
"Whose  arch  is  refraction,  whose  keystone  the  sun ; 
In  the  hues  of  its  grandeur  sublimely  it  stood 
O'er  the  river,  the  village,  the  field,  and  the  wood." 

Charles  Swain. 

Springmg  from  the  plain,  its  double  arch  spanned  the  whole  ground  where  British  pride 
was  humbled  and  American  valor  acknowledged.  I  never  gazed  upon  the  "  bow  of  prom- 
ise" with  so  much  interest,  for  thought  unconsciously  bridged  over  the  chasm  of  seventy 
buried  years,  and  it  seemed  for  a  moment  as  if  the  dark  hours  of  our  rebellious  conflict  had 
returned,  and  that  in  the  covenant  seal  before  me  the  eye  of  hope  read  prophetically  the  his- 
tory of  the  happy  present.  As  the  sun  went  down  and  the  bow  faded,  the  Spirit  of  Beauty 
left  traces  of  its  pencil  on  my  thoughts,  and  I  felt,  with  "  Amelia,"  that 

"  There  are  moments,  bright  moments,  when  the  spirit  receives 
Whole  volumes  of  thought  on  its  unwritten  leaves, 
When  the  folds  of  the  heart  in  a  moment  unclose, 
Like  the  innermost  leaves  from  the  heart  of  the  rose ; 
And  thus,  when  the  rainbow  had  passed  from  the  sky, 
The  thoughts  it  awoke  were  too  deep  to  pass  by ; 
It  left  my  full  soul  like  the  wings  of  a  dove, 
All  flutt'ring  with  pleasure,  and  fiutt'ring  with  love." 

In  the  evening  I  visited  the  son  of  Colonel  Van  Vechten  just  named,  a  man  of  three 
score  and  ten  years.  His  memory  is  unclouded,  and  extends  back  to  the  closing  scenes  of 
the  Revolution.  His  father  stored  that  memory  with  the  verbal  history  of  his  times,  and 
every  noteworthy  locality  of  Saratoga  is  as  familiar  to  him  as  the  flower-beds  of  his  beautiful 
garden.  He  kindly  offered  to  be  my  guide  in  the  morning  to  all  the  places  here  made  mem- 
orable by  the  events  connected  with  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 

While  awaiting  the  dawn,  let  us  turn  to  the  past,  and  view  occurrences  from  the  burial 
of  Fraser  to  the  closing  scenes  of  the  drama. 

Qpfpi,gj.  As  soon  as  the  funeral  ceremonies  at  Fraser's  burial  were  ended  on  the  evening 

i'''^'^'-  of  the  8th,  Burgoyne,  fearing  that  the  Americans  (whose  forces  constantly  increased, 
and  whose  activity  denoted  preparations  for  some  bold  movement)  might  succeed  in  turning 
his  right  and  surrounding  him,  commenced  a  night  march  toward  Saratoga.  A  retreat 
was  anticipated  by  General  Gates,  and,  previous  to  the  action  on  the  7th,  he  sent  General 
Fellows  with  a  detachment  of  fourteen  hundred  men  to  occupy  the  high  grounds  east  of  the 
Hudson,  opposite  the  Saratoga  ford,  intending,  in  case  the  enemy  retreated,  to  follow  so 
closely  in  pursuit  as  to  be  able  to  re-enforce  that  officer  from  the  ranks  of  the  main  army. 
He  also  sent  another  detachment,  after  the  action,  to  occupy  ground  higher  up  near  Fort 
Miller,  and  ordered  a  selected  corps  of  two  thousaiid  men  to  push  forward  and  occupy  the 
heights  beyond  Saratoga,  in  the  direction  of  Lake  George.  But  the  retreat  of  Burgoyne 
was  at  a  time  when  Gates  least  expected  it.  The  troops  of  the  former  had  been  in  motion 
all  the  night  before,  and  under  arms  all  day  on  the  8th,  and  he  supposed  that  they  would 
tarry  for  rest  until  the  morning  of  the  9th. 

At  sunset  on  the  8th  a  lurid  haziness  in  the  west  indicated  an  approaching  storm,  and 
before  midnight  the  rain  began  to  fall.  The  enemy  felt  that  his  situation  was  too  perilous 
to  be  maintained,  and  the  whole  British  army  commenced  its  march  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  The  loss  of  Fraser  was  now  severely  felt,  for  he  had  always  showed  as  consum- 
mate skill  in  managing  a  retreat  as  bravery  in  leading  to  an  attack       General  Riedesel 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION  73 

Melancholy  Condition  of  the  British  Array.       Gates's  Kindness  to  the  Invalids.       Destruction  of  Schuyler's  Mills  and  Mansion. 

commanded  the  van-guard  and  General  Phillips  the  rear-guard.  The  night  was  so  dark, 
the  rain  so  incessant  in  the  morning,  and  the  roads  were  so  bad,  that  the  royal  army  did 
not  reach  Saratoga  until  the  evening  of  the  9th.  They  made  a  halt  about  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  General  Riedesel,  exhausted  by  fatigue,  went  into  the  caleche  in  which 
his  wife  and  children  were,  and  slept  soundly  for  about  three  hours.  Wet  and  weary,  and 
harassed  by  the  Americans  all  the  way,  the  poor  soldiers  were  too  much  exhausted  even  to 
cut  wood  for  fires,  and  they  lay  down  upon  the  cold,  wet  ground  and  slept.  The  generals 
reposed  in  the  open  air,  upon  mattresses,  with  no  other  covering  than  oil-cloth.  The  Bar- 
oness Reidesel  and  other  women  of  the  British  camp  were  obliged  to  submit  to  these  priva- 
tions. "  My  dress,"  the  former  says,  "  was  wet  through  and  through  with  rain,  and  in  this 
state  I  had  to  remain  the  whole  night,  having  no  place  to  change  it ;  I,  however,  got  close 
to  a  large  fire,  and  at  last  lay  down  on  some  straw.  At  this  moment  General  Phillips 
came  up  to  me,  and  I  asked  him  why  he  had  not  continued  our  retreat,  as  my  husband  had 
promised  to  cover  it  and  bring  the  army  through.  '  Poor  dear  woman,'  he  said,  '  I  wonder 
how,  drenched  as  you  are,  you  have  the  courage  still  to  persevere,  and  venture  further  in 
this  kind  of  weather.  I  wish,'  he  continued,  '  you  were  our  commanding  general ;  General 
Burgoyne  is  tired,  and  means  to  halt  here  to-night  and  give  us  our  supper.'  "*  No  doubt 
there  was  more  sincerity  than  compliment  in  General  Phillips's  wish,  for  the  frequent  halts 
and  great  delays  of  Burgoyne  had  dissatisfied  his  officers,  and  were,  doubtless,  chief  causes 
of  his  misfortunes.  His  ambition  and  his  love  of  ease  were  often  wrestling,  and  the  latter 
too  frequently  gained  the  mastery. 

The  retreat  of  Burgoyne  was  so  sudden,  that  he  left  all  his  sick  and  wounded  in  the  hos- 
pital behind  him,  together  with  a  great  number  of  wheel  carriages  and  other  things  collected 
at  Wilbur's  Basin.  The  invalids,  amounting  to  about  three  hundred,  were  treated  by  Gen- 
eral Gates  with  the  utmost  humanity,  which  Burgoyne  afterward  gratefully  acknowledged. 
On  retiring,  the  English  burned  the  houses  they  had  occupied,  and  many  other  things  which 
they  could  not  carry  away  with  them'.  They  also  wantonly  set  fire  to  several  buildings  on 
the  way,  by  order  of  Burgoyne  himself;  and  among  others,  when  they  crossed  the  Fish 
Creek,  the  mansion  of  General  Schuyler,  his  mills  and  other  property,  amounting  in  value 
to  twenty  thousand  dollars,  were  destroyed  by  them. 

The  house  of  General  Schuyler  was  elegant  for  the  times,  and  was  very  pleasantly  situ- 
ated upon  the  south  bank  of  the  Fish  Kill  or  Fish  Creek.  It  was  rebuilt  after  the  war, 
but  in  a  style  much  inferior  in  beauty  and  expense.      It  is  still  standing,         „^  _^ 

and  in  the  present  possession  of  George  Strover,  Esq.      The  broad  lawn         -^  -^~~''  ^ 
in  front  is  beautifully  shaded  with  venerable  trees  ;  and  the  falls  of  the  -  -   '^;':g^ 

Fish  Creek  close  by  contribute,  by  their  music  and  wild  beauty,    ,      "         "w^^^M 
much  to  the  interest  of  the  scene       The  mill  was  also  rebuilt  in  ^  i'" 

the  same  style.      In  the  engiaving  is  given  a  correct  represertation 
of  it.      Many  of  the  logs  in  the  dam  are  the  same  that 
curbed  the  stream  in  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion ;   and  I  was  told  that 
little  was  wanted  to  make 
the  whole  appear  as  at  that 
period,   but  that  the   sur- 
rounding   hills    should   be 
covered  with  dense  woods. 

The  rain  was  so  heavy 
on  the  9th,  that  General 

Gates  did  not   commence  "         ^"^  "'*'' 

his    pursuit    until    nearly 
noon  on  the  tenth.      The 


Schuyler's  Mills,  Saratog 


'  Letters  of  the  Baroness  Riedesel 


74 


PECTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Situation  of  Fellows'e  Detachment.  Conduct  of  the  American  Militia.  Burgoyne's  Attempt  to  Retreat 

detacliment  under  Fellows  was  unconsciously  in  a  perilous  situation  for  want  of  re-enforce- 
ments. Resting  in  supposed  security  on  the 
night  of  the  9th,  his  camp  was  left  so  entirely 
imguarded  that  an  officer,  who  had  been  sent 
forward  by  Burgoyne  to  reconnoiter,  marched 
all  around  it  without  meeting  a  sentinel  I  This 
neglect  would  have  been  fatal  if  Burgoyne  had 
known  the  exact  position  of  his  enemies  around 
him.  The  officer  urged  him  to  allow  him  to  sur- 
prise Fellows,  but  misfortune  had  made  the  Brit- 
ish general  wary  and  suspicious,  and,  fortunately 
for  the  Americans,  the  request  was  denied. 
„  ^  ,   -^  The  main  army  of  Gates  reached  the  high 

General  Schuyler's  Mansion.  .  •'  .f 

ridge  between  Saratoga  Church  and  the  Fish 
Creek  at  about  four  in  the  afternoon  of  the  1 0th.  The  British  had  crossed  over  the  creek, 
and  were  encamped  upon  the  high  grounds  on  the  slope  of  which  Schuylerville  is  now  built." 
The  two  armies  were  within  the  sound  of  each  other's  music.  The  boats  of  Burgoyne, 
with  his  baggage  and  provisions,  were  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  A  fatigue  party  began 
to  carry  the  stores  from  the  boats  to  the  heights,  but  Fellows  constantly  played  upon  them 
with  two  field  pieces  stationed  on  the  fl.ats  beyond  the  river,  and  they  were  obliged  to  retreat 
to  the  camp.  Several  of  the  bateaux  of  the  enemy,  with  their  provisions,  were  captured, 
and  immediately  became  objects  of  plunder  for  the  raw  militia  and  motley  followers  of  the  • 
army.  Even  the  Continental  troops  were  implicated  in  taking  "  pay  and  rations"  for  serv- 
ices, directly  from  the  enemy,  instead  of  receiving  them  through  the  paymaster.  These 
irregularities  became  so  extensive  that  General  Gates  issued  an  order  on  the  1 2th,  in  which 
he  declared  that  he  "  saw  so  many  scandalous  and  mean  transactions  committed  by  persons 
who  sought  more  after  plunder  than  the  honor  of  doing  their  duty,  that  it  was  his  unalter- 
able resolution  to  have  the  first  person  who  should  thereafter  be  detected  in  pillaging  the 
baggage  and  stores  taken  from  the  enemy,  tried  and  punished  with  the  utmost  severity  of 
the  military  law.'"^ 

Finding  the  ford  across  the  Hudson  strongly  guarded  by  the  Americans,  Burgoyne  re- 
solved to  continue  his  retreat  up  the  right  bank  of  the  river  to  the  front  of  Fort  Edward, 
force  his  way  across,  and  take  possession  of  that  fortress.  He  sent  forward  a  working  party, 
consisting  chiefly  of  loyalists,  guarded  by  Fraser's  marksmen,  to  repair  the  bridges  and  open 
the  roads,  and  also  a  detachment  of  troops  to  take  possession  of  the  fort.  The  Americans, 
who  were  spreading  out  in  small  detachments  upon  every  height,  on  all  sides,  soon  drove 
the  workmen  back  into  the  camp  ;  and  the  British  troops  found  the  fort  in  the  possession 
of  two  hundred  Americans,  under  Colonel  Cochrane.  The  militia  were  flocking  to  the  fort 
to  strengthen  the  garrison,  and  the  enemy,  believing  the  Americans  to  be  as  numerous  in 
front  as  in  rear,  hastily  retreated  back  to  their  lines. 

'  The  village  of  Schuylerville  is  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Fish  Creek.  Old  Saratoga,  with  its  church, 
was  on  the  south  side.     The  church  was  about  eight  hundred  yards  south  of  the  creek,  on  the  road  to  Albany. 

2  It  is  said  that  when  Burgoyne  proposed  in  council,  on  the  13th,  to  retreat  precipitately,  he  mildly  re- 
proached Major  Skene,  a  stanch  loyalist,  with  having  brought  him  into  this  difficulty  by  injudicious  advice, 
particularly  with  regard  to  the  expedition  to  Bennington.  "  You  have  brought  me  into  this  difficulty,"  he 
said;  "now  advise  me  how  to  get  out  of  it."  "  Scatter  your  baggage,  stores,  and  every  thing  else  that 
can  be  spared,  at  proper  distances,"  replied  the  major,  "and  the  militia  will  be  so  engaged  in  collecting 
and  securing  the  same,  that  the  troops  will  have  an  opportunity  of  getting  clear  off." 

^  The  two  victories  on  Bemis's  Heights  greatly  inspirited  the  Americans,  and  when,  after  the  last  battle, 
General  Gates,  in  order  to  make  victory  secure,  applied  to  the  Legislature  of  New  Hampshire  for  more 
troops,  the  militia  turned  out  with  alacrity.  The  speaker  of  the  Assembly,  John  Langdon,  Esq.,  upon  re- 
ceiving the  application,  immediately  proposed  an  adjournment,  and  that  as  many  members  as  could  should 
set  off  directly  as  volunteers  for  the  cause,  taking  with  them  all  the  men  they  could  collect.  It  was  agreed 
to,  and  done  by  himself  and  others. — Gordon^  ii.,  262. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  75 


Unauccessful  Stratagem  of  Burgoyne.  Perilous  Situation  of  two  American  Brigade^i.  Deserters  from  the  British  Army. 

Thus  the  cloud  of  perils  thickened  around  Burgoyne.  He  now  abandoned  all  idea  of 
saving  his  artillery  and  baggage,  and  saw  no  other  mode  of  escape  than  a  precipitate  retreat. 
The  provisions  and  other  stores  in  his  bateaux  were  captured  or  destroyed  by  the  republicans, 
and  from  every  direction  he  was  galled  by  a  desultory  fire  from  cannon  and  small  arms. 
So  overwhelming  was  the  number  of  the  Americans,  that  to  fight  would  be  madness,  and 
Burgoyne  lost  all  hope  of  saving  his  doomed  army. 

But  in  the  midst  of  all  these  perils  and  despondencies,  a  stratagem  of  the  British  com- 
mander, suggested  by  an  erring  apprehension  on  the  part  of  General  Gates,  aided  by  the 
occurrence  of  a  natural  phenomenon,  came  very  near  being  successful,  and  for  a  time  greatly 
cheered  the  drooping  spirits  of  the  enemy.  Rumor  reached  General  Gates  that  the  whole 
British  army  had  moved  toward  Fort  Edward,  leaving  only  a  small  detachment,  as  a  rear- 
guard, in  defense  of  the  camp.  This  rumor  originated  from  the  march  of  the  detachment 
already  mentioned,  which  was  sent  forward  to  Fort  Edward.  General  Gates,  therefore, 
determined  to  cross  the  Fish  Creek  on  the  morning  of  the  1 1  th,  fall  in  full  force  upon  and 
crush  the  British  rear-guard,  and  make  a  vigorous  pursuit  after  the  main  body. 

By  some  means  this  determination  of  Gates's  became  known  to  Burgoyne,  and  he  resolved 
to  profit  by  the  false  rumor.  He  left  a  strong  guard  at  the  battery  on  the  creek,  and  con- 
cealed his  troops  in  the  thicket,  a  few  rods  in  the  rear.  In  the  morning  the  sky  was  cloud- 
less, but  a  thick  fog  rested  upon  the  whole  country  and  obscured  every  object.  This  was 
hailed  as  a  favorable  event  by  both  generals.  Gates  supposing  that  it  would  veil  his  move- 
ments from  the  British  rear-guard,  and  Burgoyne  confidently  believing  that  it  would  conceal 
his  ambush,  and  that  victory  was  now  certain. 

The  brigades  of  Generals  Nixon  and  Glover,  and  Morgan's  corps,  were  ordered  to  cross 
the  creek  and  fall  upon  the  enemy's  camp.  Morgan  advanced  at  about  daylight,  the  fog 
being  so  thick  that  he  could  see  but  a  few  rods  around  him.  He  at  once  fell  in  with  the 
British  pickets,  who  poured  in  a  volley  upon  him  and  killed  a  lieutenant  and  several  privates. 
Morgan  instantly  conceived  that  the  rumor  was  false,  and  that  the  enemy  was  in  force  near. 
At  that  moment  Deputy  Adjutant-general  Wilkinson,  who  had  been  sent  by  Gates  to  re- 
connoiter,  rode  up,  and,  coinciding  in  opinion  with  Morgan,  hastened  to  report  to  his  com- 
mander the  supposed  peril  of  his  corps.  The  brigades  of  Patterson  and  Learned  were  im- 
mediately dispatched  to  its  support.  Nixon  and  Glover  were  at  the  same  time  pressing 
forward  to  attack  the  camp,  while  the  whole  army  advanced  to  the  heights  immediatel}' 
south  of  the  creek.  Nixon  crossed  the  creek  to  the  plain,  and  surprised  a  picket  guard  at 
Fort  Hardy  ;  and  Glover  was  about  to  follow  him,  when  a  British  soldier  was  seen  hastily 
fording  the  stream.  He  was  captured,  and  professed  to  be  a  deserter.  Glover  questioned 
him,  and  was  informed  that  the  entire  British  army  were  in  their  camp,  drawn  ixp  in  order 
of  battle.  The  general  suspected  him  of  untruth,  and  threatened  him  with  instant  death 
if  he  should  deceive  him.  The  soldier  declared  that  he  was  an  honest  deserter,  and  sol- 
emnly affirmed  the  truth  of  his  tale,  which  was  soon  confirmed  by  a  German  deserter,  and  by 
the  capture  of  a  reconnoitering  party,  consisting  of  .^ 

a  subaltern  and  thirty-five  men,  by  the  advance  ;--"  ■ 

guard,  under  Captain  Goodale,  of  Putnam's  regi- 
ment. The  deserter  was  immediately  sent  with 
one  of  Glover's  aids  to  General  Gates,  and  infor- 
mation was  forwarded  to  General  Nixon,  with 
urgent  advice  to  halt.  Satisfied  of  the  deserter's 
truth.  Gates  revoked  all  the  orders  of  the  evening 
previous,  and  directed  the  troops  to  return  to  their 
respective  positions.  His  headquarters  were  near- 
ly a  mile  in  the  rear  of  his  army,  and  his  order 
came  almost  too  late  to  save  the  troops,  who  had  General  Gates's  Headquabtebs  at  Saeatoga.i 

'  This  house  is  still  standing.     The  view  is  taken  from  the  road,  a  few  rods  southwest  of  the  building. 


76  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Retreat  of  the  Americans  to  their  Camp.  Perplexity  of  Burgoyne.  A  scattered  Retreat  proposed 

already  crossed  the  creek,  from  destruction,  for  the  fog  soon  passed  away  and  discovered  them 
to  the  enemy,  then  in  full  view,  and  under  arms  upon  the  heights.  Nixon,  however,  had 
retreated,  and  the  cannonade  opened  upon  him  by  the  British  took  effect  only  upon  the  rear 
of  his  brigade.* 

General  Learned,  in  the  mean  while,  with  his  own  and  Patterson's  brigades,  had  reached 
Morgan's  corps,  and  was  pressing  on  rapidly  to  the  attack  when  Wilkinson  came  up,  not 
with  a  counter  order  from  Gates,  but  with  the  intelligence  that  the  right  wing  of  the  Amer- 
icans had  given  way.  The  brave  veteran  disliked  the  idea  of  retreating,  preferring  to  carry 
out  the  standing  order  of  the  previous  day  to  the  very  letter  ;"  but,  on  counseling  with  Colonels 
Brooks  and  Tupper,  and  some  other  officers,  a  retreat  was  deemed  advisable.  As  they  turn 
ed,  the  British,  who  were  awaiting  an  attack,  opened  a  fire  upon  them  ;  but  the  Americans 
were  soon  masked  by  the  woods,  and  Morgan  took  post  upon  the  flank  and  rear  of  the  enemy. 

Thus,  by  the  providential  circumstance  of  a  deserter  flying  to  our  camp,  our  army  was 
saved  from  a  terrible,  perhaps  fatal,  loss  ;  for,  had  the  several  brigades  of  Nixon,  Glover, 
Learned,  and  Patterson  been  cut  off,  Burgoyne  might  have  so  much  weakened  the  Ameri- 
can army,  and  strengthened  his  own  by  the  adherence  of  the  now  wavering  loyalists  and 
Indians,  as  to  scatter  the  remainder  of  the  Continental  forces  and  reach  Albany,  the  darling 
object  of  all  his  efforts.  But  the  breath  of  the  deserter  blasted  all  his  hopes,  and  the  incident 
was,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  one  of  the  most  adverse  strokes  of  fortune  during  the  campaign."' 

Burgoyne  now  saw  no  way  of  escape.  He  sent  out  scouts  toward  the  north,  who  reported 
the  roads  impassable  and  the  woods  swarming  with  republicans.  The  few  Indians  who  had 
remained  now  left  him,  utterly  disheartened  ;  and  the  loyalists,  feeling  that  their  personal 
security  would  be  jeoparded  in  case  of  a  surrender,  left  the  army  every  hour.  It  was  pro- 
posed to  make  a  scattered  retreat,  each  soldier  carrying  in  his  knapsack  provisions  enough 
for  two  or  three  days.  Fort  George  being  the  place  of  rendezvous  ;  but  such  a  step  would 
be  perilous  in  the  extreme,  for  the  Americans,  apparently  as  numerous  as  the  leaves  upon 
the  trees,  and  ever  on  the  alert,  would  cut  them  off  in  detail.  In  battle,  a  fortunate  cir- 
cumstance might  occur  in  their  favor  ;  but  General  Gates,  assured  that  he  had  his  enemy 
in  his  power,  could  not  be  induced  to  jeopard  the  lives  of  his  troops  by  an  engagement. 
Burgoyne's  only  hope  rested  upon  aid  from  Clinton  below.  Not  a  word,  however,  could  he 
get  from  that  general ;  yet,  clinging  with  desperation  to  every  hope,  however  feeble,  he  re- 
solved to  await  that  succor  quietly  in  his  strong  camp  as  long  as  his  exhausted  stores  and  a 
powerful  enemy  would  allow. 

Burgoyne's  camp,  upon  the  heights  near  the  Fish  Creek,  was  fortified,  and,  extending 
more  than  half  a  mile  in  the  rear,  was  strengthened  by  artillery.  On  an  elevated  plain, 
northwest  of  the  village  of  Schuylerville,  his  heavy  guns  were  chiefly  posted.  Directly  in 
his  rear  Morgan  and  his  corps  were  stationed.      In  front,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson, 


It  is  of  wood,  and  has  been  somewhat  enlarged  since  the  Revolution.  It  was  used  uy  General  Gates  for 
his  quarters  from  the  1 0th  of  October  until  after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  on  the  1 7th.  It  belonged  to  a 
Widow  Kershaw,  and  General  Gates  amply  compensated  her  for  all  he  had.  on  leaving  it.  It  is  now  well 
preserved.  It  stands  on  the  east  side  of  the  Albany  and  Whitehall  turnpike,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  the  Fish  Creek.  The  Champlain  Canal  passes  immediately  in  the  rear  of  it ;  and  nearly  half  a  mile 
eastward  is  the  Hudson  River. 

*  John  Nixon  was  born  at  Framingham,  Massachusetts,  March  4th,  1725.  He  was  at  the  siege  of 
Louisburg  in  1745,  was  captain  in  the  provincial  troops  under  Abercrombie  at  Ticonderoga,  and  was  es- 
teemed a  valiant  soldier  during  the  whole  of  the  French  and  Indian  war.  He  took  the  patriot  side  when 
our  Revolution  broke  out.  He  was  one  of  the  minute  men  at  the  Lexington  battle,  was  at  the  head  of  a 
regiment  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  was  made  a  brigadier  in  the  Continental  army  in  August,  1776. 
He  was  then  placed  in  command  at  Governor's  Island,  near  New  York.  In  the  battle  of  Bemis's  Heights 
a  cannon-ball  passed  so  near  his  head  it  impaired  the  sight  of  one  eye  and  the  hearing  of  one  ear.  On  ac- 
count of  ill  health,  he  resigned  his  commission  in  1780.     He  died  March  24th,  1815,  aged  90  years. 

*  The  standing  order  was,  "  In  case  of  an  attack  against  any  point,  whether  front,  flank,  or  rear,  the 
troops  are  to  fall  on  the  enemy  at  all  quarters." 

^  Letter  to  Lord  George  Germain,  dated  Albany  20th,  1777. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


77 


Relative  Position  of  the  two  Camps. 


Exposed  Condition  of  tie  British  Camp. 


Burgoyue  determines  to  Surrender 


Fellows,  with  three  thousand  troops,  was  strongly  intrenched.  The  main  body  of  the  Amer 
ican  army,  under  Gates,  was  on  the  south  side  of  the  Fish  Creek ;  and  in  every  direction 
small  detachments  of  Continentals  or  republican  militia  were  vigorously  watching  the  enemy 
at  bay.'  Fort  Edward  was  in  possession  of  the  Americans,  and  upon  high  ground  in  the 
vicinity  of  Glenn's  Falls  they  had  a  fortified  camp. 

Burgoyne  was  completely  environed,  and  every  part  of  the  royal  camp  was  exposed  to 

the  fire  of  cannon  and  musketry.  The 
soldiers  slept  under  arms  continually. 
There  was  not  a  place  of  safety  for  the 
sick,  wounded,  and  dying,  or  for  the  wom- 
en and  children  of  the  officers  and  soldiers. 
There  was  no  secure  place  for  a  council. 
None  dared  go  to  the  river  for  water,  and 
thirst  began  to  distress  the  camp."  The 
desertions  of  the  Indians  and  Canadians, 
the  cowardice  and  disaffection  of  the  loy- 
alists, and  the  losses  in  killed  and  wound- 
ed, had  so  thinned  Burgoyne's  ranks,  that 
his  army  was  reduced  one  half,  and  a  large 
proportion  of  those  who  remained  were 
not  Englishmen.  There  was  not  bread 
for  three  days  in  store,  and  of  course  none 
could  be  obtained.  Not  a  word  came 
from  General  Clinton,  and  Burgoyne  was 
totally  ignorant  of  his  having  made  any 
movement  up  the  Hudson.  The  last  ray 
of  hope  faded  away,  and  toward  the  even 
ing  of  the  12th  the  British  commander 
held  a  council  with  Generals  Reidesel, 
Phillips,  and  Hamilton.  It  was  decided 
to  retreat  before  morning,  if  possible  ;  but 
returning  scouts  brought  only  hopeless  in- 
telligence respecting  the  roads  and  the 
strength  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1 3th  Burgoyne 
called  a  general  council  of  all  officers,  in- 
cluding captains  of  companies.  Their  de- 
liberations were  held  in  a  large  tent,  which 
was  several  times  perforated  by  musket- 
balls  from  the  Americans.  Several  grape- 
shot  struck  near  the  tent,  and  an  eighteen 
pound  cannon-ball  swept  across  the  table 
at  which  sat  Burgoyne  and  the  other  gen- 
erals. Their  deliberations  were  short,  as 
might  be  expected,  and  it  was  unanimous- 
ly resolved  to  open  a  treaty  with  General 
It  was  a  bitter  pill  for  the  proud  lieutenant  general,  but 


Gates  for  an  honorable  surrender, 
there  was  no  alternative. 


'  By  reference  to  the  above  map,  the  position  of  the  two  armies  at  this  juncture  will  be  more  clearly  un- 
derstood.    They  held  the  same  relative  position  until  the  surrender  on  the  17th. 

*  The  consideration  of  Americans  for  women  was  conspicuously  displayed  at  this  time.  While  every 
man  who  went  to  the  river  for  water  became  a  target  for  the  sure  marksmen  of  the  Americans,  a  soldier's 
wife  went  back  and  forth  as  often  as  she  pleased,  and  not  a  gun  was  pointed  at  her. 


78  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Proposition  of  Burgoyne  to  surrender  his  Troops.  Terms  proposed  by  Gates.  Terms  finally  agreed  upon. 

Toward  evening  a  flag  was  sent  to  General  Gates,  with  a  note,  intimating  that  General 
Burgoyne  was  desirous  of  sending  a  field  officer  to  him  upon  a  matter  of  great  moment  to 
both  armies,  and  wishing  to  know  at  what  hour  the  next  morning  it  would  suit  General 
Gates  to  receive  him.  The  reply  was,  "  At  ten  o'clock,  at  the  advanced  post  of  the  army 
of  the  United  States."  Accordingly,  Lieutenant  Kingston,  Burgoyne's  adjutant  general,  ap- 
peared at  the  appointed  hour  and  delivered  the  following  note  from  his  commander  :  "  After 
having  fought  you  twice.  Lieutenant-general  Burgoyne  has  waited  some  days  in  his  present 
position,  determined  to  try  a  third  conflict  against  any  force  you  could  bring  against  him. 
He  is  apprized  of  your  superiority  of  numbers,  and  the  disposition  of  your  troops  to  impede 
his  supplies,  and  render  his  retreat  a  scene  of  carnage  on  both  sides.  In  this  situation,  he 
is  impelled  by  humanity,  and  thinks  himself  justified  by  established  principles  and  precedents 
of  state  and  war,  to  spare  the  lives  of  brave  men  upon  honorable  terms.  Should  Major 
general  Gates  be  inclined  to  treat  upon  that  idea,  General  Burgoyne  would  propose  a  cessa 
tion  of  arms  during  the  time  necessary  to  communicate  the  preliminary  terms  by  which,  in 
any  extremity,  he  and  his  army  mean  to  abide." 

General  Gates  had  already  prepared  a  schedule  of  terms  upon  which  he  was  willing  to 
treat.  It  enumerated  the  distresses  of  the  British  army,  and  declared  that  they  could  only 
be  allowed  to  surrender  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  that  they  must  lay  down  their  arms  in 
their  camp.  Burgoyne  replied,  with  spirit,  that  he  would  not  admit  that  the  retreat  of  his 
army  was  cut  off*  while  they  had  arms  in  their  hands,  and  that  the  degrading  act  of  laying 
down  their  arms  within  their  own  camp  would  not  be  submitted  to.  The  latter  condition 
was  waived,  and  in  the  afternoon  General  Gates  ordered  a  cessation  of  hostilities  till  sunset. 
Negotiations  continued  until  the  16th,  when  every  thing  was  agreed  upon  and  adjusted, 
ready  for  the  signatures  of  the  contracting  parties.  This  last  act  was  to  be  performed  on 
the  morning  of  the  17th. 

The  substance  of  the  "  Conventio7i  hetiveen  Lieutenant-general  Burgoyne  and  Majm- 
general  Gates,"  as  the  British  commander  superscribed  it,  was,  1st.  That  Burgoyne's  troops 
were  to  march  out  of  their  camp  with  all  the  honors  of  war,  the  artillery  to  be  moved  to  the 
verge  of  the  Hudson,  and  there  left,  together  with  the  soldiers'  arms — the  said  arms  to  be 
piled  by  word  of  command  from  their  own  officers  ;  2d.  That  a  free  passage  should  be 
granted  the  troops  to  Great  Britain,  on  condition  of  their  not  serving  again  during  the  war  ; 
3d.  That  if  any  cartel  should  take  place  by  which  Burgoyne's  army,  or  any  part  of  it,  should 
be  exchanged,  the  foregoing  article  should  be  void  as  far  as  such  exchange  should  extend  ; 
4th.  That  the  army  should  march  to  the  neighborhood  of  Boston  by  the  most  expeditious 
and  convenient  route,  and  not  be  delayed  when  transports  should  arrive  to  receive  them  , 
5th.  That  every  care  should  be  taken  for  the  proper  subsistence  of  the  troops  till  they  should 
be  embarked  ;  6th.  That  all  officers  should  retain  their  carriages,  horses,  bat-horses,  &c., 
and  their  baggage,  and  be  exempt  from  molestation  or  search  ;  7th.  That  on  the  march, 
and  while  the  army  should  remain  at  Boston  (the  port  selected  for  their  embarkation),  the 
officers  should  not  be  separated  from  their  men  ;  8th.  That  all  corps  whatsoever,  whether 
composed  of  sailors,  bateaux-men,  artificers,  drivers,  independent  companies,  or  followers  of 
the  army,  of  whatever  country,  they  might  be,  should  be  included  in  the  fullest  sense  and  to 
the  utmost  extent  of  the  articles,  and  comprehended  in  every  respect  as  British  subjects, 
whose  general  had  capitulated  for  them  ;'  9th.  That  all  Canadians  and  persons  belonging 
to  the  Canadian  establishment  should  be  permitted  a  free  return  to  Canada,  should  be  con- 
ducted by  the  shortest  route  to  the  British  posts  on  Lake  George,  should  be  treated  in  all 
respects  like  the  rest  of  the  army,  and  should  be  bound  by  the  same  conditions  not  to  serve 
during  the  war,  unless  exchanged  ;  1 0th.  That  passports  should  be  immediately  granted 
for  three  officers,  to  carry  Burgoyne's  dispatches  to  General  Howe  at  Philadelphia,  to  Sir 
Guy  Carleton  in  Canada,  and  to  the  government  of  Great  Britain  by  way  of  New  York ; 
1 1th.  That  all  officers,  during  their  stay  in  Boston,  should  be  admitted  to  parole,  and  from 

'  This  was  to  afford  protection  to  the  loyalists  or  Tories. 


i 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  79 


Message  to  Burgoyne  from  General  Clinton.         Disposition  of  Burgoyne  to  withhold  his  Signature.        Laying  down  of  Arms. 

first  to  last  be  permitted  to  wear  their  side-arms  ;  12th.  That  if  the  army  found  it  necessary 
to  send  for  their  clothing  and  other  baggage  from  Canada,  they  should  be  permitted  to  do 
so,  and  have  the  necessary  passports  granted  them  ;  1 3th.  That  these  articles  should  be 
signed  and  exchanged  on  the  following  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  the  troops  to 
march  out  of  their  intrenchments  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Appended 
to  these  articles  was  an  addendum  or  postscript,  signed  by  General  Gates,  declaring  that 
General  Burgoyne,  whose  name  was  not  mentioned  in  the  above  treaty,  was  fully  compre- 
hended in  it.' 


^^n^oCZct 


Fac-simile  of  the  Signatures  of  Burgoyne  and  Gates 
TO  THE  "  Convention." 

/  /Y^  During  the  night  of  the  16th  Captain  Campbell 
/  /  /  succeeded  in  eluding  the  American  sentinels,  and 
reached  the  British  camp  with  dispatches  from  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  announcing  his  capture  of  the  forts  among  the  Hudson  Highlands,  and  the 
expedition  of  Vaughan  and  Wallace  as  far  up  the  river  as  Esopus.  Here  was  a  ray  of 
hope,  and  Burgoyne  felt  disposed  to  withhold  his  signature  from  the  "  convention."  Gen- 
eral Gates  was  apprized  of  this,  and  of  the  cause  which  had  excited  new  hopes  in  the  Brit- 
ish commander.  He  was  better  acquainted,  too,  with  the  threatening  aspect  below  than 
Burgoyne,  and  he  knew  that  "  delays  are  dangerous."  He  drew  up  his  army  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  17th  in  order  of  battle,  and  then  sent  a  peremptory  message  to  Burgoyne,  that 
if  the  articles  were  not  signed  by  him  immediately,  he  should  open  a  fire  upon  him.  Under 
the  circumstances,  the  terms  were  exceedingly  humane  and  honorable  ;  far  more  so  than 
might  be  expected  if  the  negotiation  should  be  here  broken  off  and  again  commenced. 
With  reluctance  Burgoyne  subscribed  his  name,  and  preparations  were  immediately  made 
for  the  ceremonies  of  surrender. 

The  British  army  left  their  camp  upon  the  hills,  and  marched  sorrowfully  down  upon 
the  "green"  or  level  plain  in  front  of  old  Fort  Hardy,''  where  the  different  companies  were 
drawn  up  in  parallel  lines,  and,  by  order  of  their  several  commanders,  grounded  their  arms 
and  emptied  their  cartridge-boxes.  They  were  not  subject  to  the  mortification  of  thus  sub- 
mitting under  the  gaze  of  an  exulting  foe,  for  General  Gates,  with  a  delicacy  and  magna- 

'  A  copy  of  these  articles,  said  to  be  in  the  handwriting  of  General  Gates,  and  signed  by  the  two  com- 
manders, is  in  the  possession  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  from  which  the  above  fac-similes  were 
copied. 

*  Fort  Hardy  was  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Fish  Creek  with  the  Hudson  River,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  former.  It  was  built  of  earth  and  logs,  and  was  thrown  up  by  the  French,  under  Baron  Dieskau, 
in  1755,  when  Sir  William  Johnson  was  making  preparations  at  Albany  to  march  against  the  French  on 
Lakes  Champlain  and  George.  It  was  abandoned  by  the  French,  and  named  by  the  English  Fort  Hardy, 
in  honor  of  Sir  Charles  Hardy,  who  was  that  year  appointed  Governor  of  New  York.  The  lines  of  the  in- 
trenchments of  the  fort  inclosed  about  fifteen  acres,  bounded  south  by  the  Fish  Creek  and  east  by  the  Hud- 
son River.  This  fort  was  a  ruin  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution  ;  yet,  when  I  visited  it  (July,  1848),  many 
traces  of  its  outworks  were  still  visible.  Its  form  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  map,  page  77.  Many 
military  relics  have  been  found  near  the  fort,  and  I  was  told  that,  in  excavating  for  the  Champlain  Canal, 
a  great  number  of  human  skeletons  were  found.  The  workmen  had,  doubtless,  struck  upon  the  burial- 
place  of  the  garrison. 


80 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Courtesy  of  General  Gates. 


The  Place  of  Surrender. 


First  personal  Meeting  of  Gates  and  Burgoyne 


nimity  of  feeling  which  drew  forth  the  expressed  admiration  of  Burgoyne  and  his  officers, 
had  ordered  all  his  army  within  his  camp,  out  of  sight  of  the  vanquished  Britons/  Col- 
onel Wilkinson,  who  had  been  sent  to  the  British  camp,  and,  in  company  with  Burgoyne, 
selected  the  place  where  the  troops  were  to  lay  down  their  arms,  was  the  only  American 
officer  present  at  the  scene. ^ 

The  sketch  here  presented,  of  the  place  where  the  British  army  sur- 
rendered, was  made  from  one  of  the  canal  bridges  at  Schuyler- 
'-.,^_^;>  ville,   looking  east-northeast.      The  stream  of  water  in  the 
"'—^  fore-ground  is  Fish  Creek,  and  the  level  ground  seen  between 
"  it  and  the  distant  hills  on  the  left  is  the  place  where  the 

humiliation  of  the  Britons   occurred.      The  tree  by  the 
fence,  m  the  center  of  the  picture,  designates  the  north- 
west angle  of  Fort  Hardy,  and  the  other  three  trees 
on  the  right  stand  nearly  on  the  line  of  the  north- 
ern breast- works.      The  row  of  small  trees,  ap- 


VlEW   OF   THE   PLACE   WHERE   THE   BRITISH   LAID   DOWN   THEIR  ARMS. 

parently  at  the  foot  of  the  distant  hills,  marks  the  course  of  the  Hudson  ,  and  the  hills 
that  bound  the  view  are  those  on  which  the  Americans  were  posted.  This  plain  is  directly 
in  front  of  Schuylerville,  between  that  village  and  the  Hudson.  General  Fellows  was  sta- 
tioned upon  the  high  ground  seen  over  the  barn  on  the  right,  and  the  eminence  on.  the  ex- 
treme left  is  the  place  whence  the  American  cannon  played  upon  the  house  wherein  the 
Baroness  P^eidesel  and  other  ladies  sought  refuge. 

As  soon  as  the  troops  had  laid  down  their  arms.  General  Burgoyne  proposed  to  be  intro- 
duced to  General  Gates.  They  crossed  Fish  Creek,  and  proceeded  toward  headquarters, 
Burgoyne  in  front  with  his  adjutant  general,  Kingston,  and  his  aids-de-camp,  Captain  Lord 
Petersham  and  Lieutenant  Wilford,  behind  him.  Then  followed  Generals  Phillips,  Riede- 
sel,  and  Hamilton,  and  other  officers  and  suites,  according  to  rank.  General  Gates  was 
informed  of  the  approach  of  Burgoyne,  and  with  his  staff  met  him  at  the  head  of  his  camp, 
about  a  mile  south  of  the  Fish  Creek,  Burgoyne  in  a  rich  uniform  of  scarlet  and  gold,  and 
Gates  in  a  plain  blue  frock-coat.  When  within  about  a  sword's  length,  they  reined  up  and 
halted.  Colonel  Wilkinson  then  named  the  gentlemen,  and  General  Burgoyne,  raising  his 
hat  gracefully,  said,  "  The  fortune  of  war.  General  Gates,  has  made  me  your  prisoner." 
The  victor  promptly  replied,  "  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  bear  testimony  that  it  has  not 


Letter  of  Burgoyne  to  the  Earl  of  Derby.     Stedman,  i.,  352.     Botta,  ii.,  21. 


*  See  Wilkinson. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


ilumiliatin"  Review  of  the  British  Prisoners.     Burgoyne's  Surrender  of  his  Sword.     The  Spoils  of  Victory.     Yankee  Doodle. 


been  through  any  fault  of  your  exRellency." 


Site  of  the  first  interview  between  Gates  and  Burgoyne.^ 


The  other  officers  were  introduced  in  turn,  and 
the  whole  party  repaired 
to  Gates's  headquarters, 
where  a  sumptuous  dinner 
was  served.' 

After  dinner  the  Ameri- 
can army  was  drawn  up  in 
parallel  lines  on  each  side 
of  the  road,  extending  near- 
ly a  mile.  Between  these 
victorious  troops  the  Brit- 
ish army,  with  light  infan- 
try in  front,  and  escorted 
by  a  company  of  light 
dragoons,  preceded  by  two 
mounted  officers  bearing 
the  American  flag,  marched  to  the  lively  tune  of  Yankee  Doodle.''  Just  as  they  passed,  the 
two  commanding  generals,  who  were  in  Gates's  marquee,  came  out  together,  and,  fronting 
the  procession,  gazed  upon  it  in  silence  a  few  moments.  What  a  contrast,  in  every  partic 
ular,  did  the  two  present  I  Burgoyne,  though  possessed  of  coarse  features,  had  a  large  and 
commanding  person ;  Gates  was  smaller  and  far  less  dignified  in  appearance.  Burgoyne 
was  arrayed  in  the  splendid  military  trappings  of  his  rank ;  Gates  was  clad  in  a  plain  and 
unassuming  dress.  Burgoyne  was  the  victim  of  disappointed  hopes  and  foiled  ambition,  and 
looked  upon  the  scene  with  exceeding  sorrow ;  Gates  was  buoyant  with  the  first  flush  of  a 
great  victory.  Without  exchanging  a  word,  Burgoyne,  according  to  previous  understand- 
ing, stepped  back,  drew  his  sword,  and,  in  the  presence  of  the  two  armies,  presented  it  to 
General  Gates.  He  received  it  with  a  courteous  inclination  of  the  head,  and  instantly  re 
turned  it  to  the  vanquished  general.  They  then  retired  to  the  marquee  together,  the  Brit- 
ish army  filed  oft"  and  took  up  their  line  of  march  for  Boston,  and  thus  ended  the  drama 
upon  the  heights  of  Saratoga.  r 

The  whole  number  of  prisoners  surrendered  was  five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety- 
one,  of  whom  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  twelve  were  Germans  and  Hessians.  The 
force  of  the  Americans,  at  the  time  of  the  surrender,  was,  according  to  a  statement  which 
General  Gates  furnished  to  Burgoyne,  thirteen  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-two,  of 
which  number  nine  thousand  and  ninety-three  were  Continentals,  or  regular  soldiers,  and 
four  thousand  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  were  militia.  The  arms  and  ammunition  which 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  Americans  were,  a  fine  train  of  brass  artillery,  consisting  of 
2  twenty-four  pounders,  4  twelve  pounders,  20  sixes,  6  threes,  2  eight  inch  howitzers,  5  five 
and  a  half  inch  royal  howitzers,  and  3  five  and  a  half  inch  royal  mortars  ;''  in  all  forty-two 

'  See  Wilkinson. 

'  This  view  is  taken  from  the  turnpike,  looking  south.  The  old  road  was  where  the  canal  now  is,  and 
ihe  place  of  meeting  was  about  at  the  point  where  the  bridge  is  seen. 

*  Thatcher,  in  his  Military  Journal  (p.  19),  gives  the  following  account  of  the  origin  of  the  word  Yan- 
kee and  of  Yankee  Doodle  :  '•  A  farmer  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  named  Jonathan  Hastings,  who  lived 
about  the  year  1713,  used  it  as  a  favorite  cant  word  to  express  excellence,  as  a  yankee  good  horse  or  yan- 
kee  good  cider.  The  students  of  the  college,  hearing  him  use  it  a  great  deal,  adopted  it,  and  called  him 
Yankee  Jonathan ;  and  as  he  was  a  rather  weak  man,  the  students,  when  they  wished  to  denote  a  charac- 
ter of  that  kind,  would  call  him  Yankee  Jonathan.  Like  other  cant  words,  it  spread,  and  came  finally  to 
be  applied  to  the  New  Englanders  as  a  term  of  reproach.  Some  suppose  the  term  to  be  the  Indian  cor- 
ruption of  the  word  English — Ycnglees,  Yangles,  YankUs,  and  finally  Yankee. 

"A  song,  called  Yatikee  Doodle,  was  written  by  a  British  sergeant  at  Boston,  in  1775,  to  ridicule  the 
people  there,  when  the  American  army,  under  Washington,  was  encamped  at  Cambridge  and  Roxbury." 
See  "  Origin  of  Yankee  Doodle,"  page  480,  of  this  volume. 

*  Two  of  these,  drawings  of  which  will  be  found  on  page  700,  are  now  in  the  court  of  the  laborator' 
'•i  the  West  Point  Military  Academy,  on  the  Hudson. 


82  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

The  Germans  and  Hessians.  Their  Arrival  at  Cambridge  and  wretched  Appearance.  Kindness  of  the  Peopla 

pieces  of  ordnance.  There  were  four  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-seven  muskets,  and 
six  thousand  dozens  of  cartridges,  besides  shot,  carcasses,  cases,  shells,  &c.  Among  the  En- 
glish prisoners  were  six  members  of  Parliament.' 

Cotemporary  writers  represent  the  appearance  of  the  poor  German  and  Hessian  troops  as 
extremely  miserable  and  ludicrous.  They  deserved  commiseration,  but  they  received  none. 
They  came  not  here  voluntarily  to  fight  our  people  ;  they  were  sent  as  slaves  by  their  mas- 
ters, who  received  the  price  of  their  hire.  They  were  caught,  it  is  said,  while  congregated 
in  their  churches  and  elsewhere,  and  forced  into  the  service.  Most  of  them  were  torn  re- 
luctantly from  their  families  and  friends  ;  hundreds  of  them  deserted  here  before  the  close 
of  the  war  ;  and  many  of  their  descendants  are  now  living  among  us.  Many  had  their 
wives  with  them,  and  these  helped  to  make  up  the  pitiable  procession  through  the  country. 
Their  advent  into  Cambridge,  near  Boston,  is  thus  noticed  by  the  lady  of  Dr.  Winthrop  of 
that  town,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Mercy  Warren,  an  early  historian  of  our  Revolution  :  "On 
Friday  we  heard  the  Hessians  were  to  make  a  procession  on  the  same  route.  We  thought 
we  should  have  nothing  to  do  but  view  them  as  they  passed.  To  be  sure,  the  sight  was 
truly  astonishing.  I  never  had  the  least  idea  that  the  creation  produced  such  a  sordid  set 
of  creatures  in  human  figure — poor,  dirty,  emaciated  men.  Great  numbers  of  women,  who 
seemed  to  be  the  beasts  of  burden,  having  bushel  baskets  on  their  backs,  by  which  they  were 
bent  double.  The  contents  seemed  to  be  pots  and  kettles,  various  sorts  of  furniture,  children 
peeping  through  gridirons  and  other  utensils.  Some  very  young  infants,  who  were  born  on 
the  road  ;  the  women  barefooted,  clothed  in  dirty  rags.  Such  effluvia  filled  the  air  while 
they  were  passing,  that,  had  they  not  been  smoking  all  the  time,  I  should  have  been  appre- 
hensive of  being  contaminated. "° 

The  whole  view  of  the  vanquished  army,  as  it  marched  through  the  country  from  Saratoga 
to  Boston,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles,  escorted  by  two  or  three  American  officers  and 
a  handful  of  soldiers,  was  a  spectacle  of  extraordinary  interest.  Generals  of  the  first  order 
of  talent ;  young  gentlemen  of  noble  and  wealthy  families,  aspiring  to  military  renown  ;  legis- 
lators of  the  British  realm,  and  a  vast  concourse  of  other  men,  lately  confident  of  victory  and 
of  freedom  to  plunder  and  destroy,  were  led  captive  through  the  pleasant  land  they  had  covet- 
ed, to  be  gazed  at  with  mingled  joy  and  scorn  by  those  whose  homes  they  came  to  make  des- 
olate. "  Their  march  was  solemn,  sullen,  and  silent ;  but  they  were  every  where  treated 
with  such  humanity,  and  even  delicacy,  that  they  were  overwhelmed  with  astonishment  and 
gratitude.  Not  one  insult  was  offered,  not  an  opprobrious  reflection  cast ;"'  and  in  all  their 
long  captivity"*  they  experienced  the  generous  kindness  of  a  people  warring  only  to  be  free. 


1  Gordon,  ii.,  267. 

'  Women  of  the  Bevolution,  i.,  97 

'  Mercy  Warren,  ii.,  40. 

*  Although  Congress  ratified  the  generous  terms  entered  into  by  Gates  with  Burgoyne  in  the  convention 
at  Saratoga,  circumstances  made  them  suspicious  that  the  terms  would  not  be  strictly  complied  with. 
They  feared  that  the  Britons  would  break  their  parole,  and  Burgoyne  was  required  to  furnish  a  complete 
roll  of  his  army,  the  name  and  rank  of  every  officer,  and  the  name,  former  place  of  abode,  occupation,  age, 
and  size  of  every  non-commissioned  officer  and  private  soldier.  Burgoyne  murmured  and  hesitated.  Gen- 
eral Howe,  at  the  same  time,  was  very  illiberal  in  the  exchange  of  prisoners,  and  exhibited  considerable 
duplicity.  Congress  became  alarmed,  and  resolved  not  to  allow  the  army  of  Burgoyne  to  leave  our  shores 
until  a  formal  ratification  of  the  convention  should  be  made  by  the  British  government.  Burgoyne  alone 
was  allowed  to  go  home  on  parole,  and  the  other  officers,  with  the  army,  were  marched  into  the  interior 
of  Virginia,  to  await  the  future  action  of  the  two  governments.  The  I5ritish  ministry  charged  Congress 
with  positive  perfidy,  and  Congress  justified  their  acts  by  charging  the  ministers  with  meditated  perfidy. 
That  this  suspicion  was  well  founded  is  proved  by  subsequent  events.  In  the  autumn  of  1778,  Isaac  Og- 
den,  a  prominent  loyalist  of  New  Jersey,  and  then  a  refugee  in  New  York,  thus  wrote  to  Joseph  Galloway, 
an  American  Tory  in  London,  respecting  an  expedition  of  four  thousand  British  troops  which  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  sent  up  the  Hudson  a  week  previous  :  "  Another  object  of  this  expedition  was  to  open  the  country 
for  many  of  Burgoyne's  troops  that  had  escaped  the  vigilance  of  their  guard,  to  come  in.  About  forty  of 
these  have  got  safe  in.  If  this  expedition  had  been  a  week  sooner,  greater  part  of  Burgoyne's  troops  prob- 
ably would  have  arrived  here,  as  a  disposition  of  rising  on  their  guard  strongly  prevailed,  and  all  they 
wanted  to  eflTect  it  was  some  support  near  at  hand." 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


83 


Relative  Condition  and  Prospect  of  the  Americans  before  the  Capture  of  Burgoyne. 


Eflect  of  that  Event 


The  surrender  of  Burgoyne  was  an  event  of  infinite  importance  to  the  struggling  republic- 
ans. Hitherto  the  preponderance  of  success  had  been  on  the  side  of  the  English,  and  only 
a  few  partial  victories  had  been  won  by  the  Americans.  The  defeat  on  Long  Island  had 
eclipsed  the  glory  of  the  siege  of  Boston  ;  the  capture  of  Fort  Washington  and  its  garrison 
had  overmatched  the  brilliant  defense  of  Charleston  ;  the  defeat  at  Brandy  wine  had  balanced 
the  victory  at  Trenton  ;  White  Plains  and  Princeton  were  in  fair  juxtaposition  in  the  ac- 
count current ;  and  at  the  very  time  when  the  hostile  armies  at  the  north  were  fighting  for 
the  mastery,  Washington  was  suffering  defeats  in  Pennsylvania,  and  Forts  Clinton,  Mont- 
gomery, and  Constitution  were  passing  into  the  hands  of  the  royal  forces.  Congress  had 
fled  from  Philadelphia  to  York,  and  its  sittings  were  in  the  midst  of  loyalists,  ready  to  at- 
tack or  betray.  Its  treasury  was  nearly  exhausted  ;  its  credit  utterly  so.  Its  bills  to  the 
amount  of  forty  millions  of  dollars  were  scattered  over  the  country.  Its  frequent  issues  were 
inadequate  to  the  demands  of  the  commissariat,  and  distrust  was  rapidly  depreciating  their 
value  in  the  pubUc  mind.  Loyalists  rejoiced  ;  the  middlemen  were  in  a  dilemma  ;  the 
patriots  trembled.  Thick  clouds  of  doubt  and  dismay  were  gathering  in  every  part  of  the 
political  horizon,  and  the  acclamations  which  had  followed  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
the  year  before,  died  away  like  mere  whispers  upon  the  wind. 

All  eyes  were  turned  anxiously  to  the  army  of  the  north,  and  upon  that  strong  arm  of 
Congress,  wielded,  for  the  time,  by  Gates,  the  hopes  of  the  patriots  leaned.  How  eagerly 
they  listened  to  every  breath  of  rumor  from  Saratoga  I  How  enraptured  were  they  when  the 
cry  of  victory  fell  upon  their  ears  I  All  over  the  land  a  shout  of  triumph  went  up,  and 
from  the  furrows,  and  workshops,  and  marts  of  commerce  ;  from  the  pulpit,  from  provincial 
halls  of  legislation,  from  partisan  camps,  and  from  the  shattered  ranks  of  the  chief  at  White 
Marsh,  it  was  echoed  and  re-echoed.  Toryism,  which  had  begun  to  lift  high  its  head,  re- 
treated behind  the  defense  of  inaction  ;  the  bills  of  Congress  rose  twenty  per  cent,  in  value  ; 
capital  came  forth  from  its  hiding-places  ;  the  militia  readily  obeyed  the  summons  to  the 
camp,  and  the  great  patriot  heart  of  America  beat  strongly  with  pulsations  of  hope.  Amid 
the  joy  of  the  moment,  Gates  was  apotheosized  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,  and  they 


Medal  struck  in  honor  of  Geneeal  Gates  and  his  army. 


The  engraving  exhibits  a  view  of  both  sides  of  the  medal,  drawn  the  size  of  the  original.  On  one 
side  is  a  bust  of  General  Gates,  with  the  Latin  inscription,  "  Horatio  Gates  Duci  Strenuo  Comitia 
Americana;"  The  American  Congress,  to  Horatio  Gates,  the  valiant  leader.  On  the  other  side,  or 
reverse,  Burgoyne  is  represented  in  the  attitude  of  delivering  up  his  sword ;  and  in  the  background,  or 
either  side  of  them,  are  seen  the  two  armies  of  England  and  America,  the  former  laying  down  their  arms. 
At  the  top  is  the  Latin  inscription,  "  Salus  regionum  Septentrional  :"  literal  English,  Safety  of  th: 
northern  region  or  department.  Below  is  the  inscription,  "  Hoste  ad  Saratogam  in  dedition,  accepto 
DiF  xvn.  Oct.    mS  CCLxxvii.  ;"   English,  Enemy  at  Saratoga  surrendered  October  )7lh,  1777. 


84  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Wilkinson  before  Congress.      Gold  Medal  awarded  to  Gates.       Proceedings  of  the  British  Parliament.       Speech  of  Chatham. 

generously  overlooked  the  indignity  offered  by  him  to  the  commander-in-chief  when  he  re- 
fused, in  the  haughty  pride  of  his  heart  in  that  hour  of  victory,  to  report,  as  in  duty  bound, 
his  success  to  the  national  council  through  him.  Congress,  too,  overjoyed  at  the  result,  for- 
got its  own  dignity,  and  allowed  Colonel  Wilkinson,'  the  messenger  of  the  glad  tidings,  to 
stand  upon  their  floor  and  proclaim,  "  The  whole  British  army  have  laid  down  their  arms 
at  Saratoga  ;  our  own,  full  of  vigor  and  courage,  expect  your  orders  ;  it  is  for  your  wisdom 
to  decide  where  the  country  may  still  have  need  of  their  services."  Congress  voted  thanks 
to  General  Gates  and  his  army,  and  decreed  that  he  should  be  presented  with  a  medal  of 
gold,  to  be  struck  expressly  in  commemoration  of  so  glorious  a  victory. 

This  victory  was  also  of  infinite  importance  to  the  republicans  on  account  of  its  effects 
beyond  the  Atlantic.  The  highest  hopes  of  the  British  nation,  and  the  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations of  the  king  and  his  ministers,  rested  on  the  success  of  this  campaign.  It  had 
been  a  favorite  object  with  the  administration,  and  the  people  were  confidently  assured  that, 
with  the  undoubted  success  of  Burgoyne,  the  turbulent  spirit  of  rebellion  would  be  quelled, 
and  the  insurgents  would  be  forced  to  return  to  their  allegiance. 

Parliament  was  in  session  when  the  intelligence  of  Burgoyne's  defeat  reached  England  ; 
December  3    ^.nd  when  the  mournful  tidings  were  communicated  to  that  body,  it  instantly 

i''"'"^-  aroused  all  the  fire  of  opposing  parties.''  The  opposition  opened  anew  their  elo- 
quent batteries  upon  the  ministers.  For  several  days  misfortune  had  been  suspected.  The 
last  arrival  from  America  brought  tidings  of  gloom.  The  Earl  of  Chatham,  with  far-reach- 
ing comprehension,  and  thorough  knowledge  of  American  affairs,  had  denounced  the  mode  of 
warfare  and  the  material  used  against  the  Americans.  He  refused  to  vote  for  the  lauda- 
tory address  to  the  king.  Leaning  upon  his  crutch,  he  poured  forth  his  vigorous  denuncia- 
tions against  the  course  of  the  ministers  like  a  mountain  torrent.  "  This,  my  lords,"  he 
said,  "  is  a  perilous  and  tremendous  moment !  It  is  no  time  for  adulation.  The  smooth- 
ness of  flattery  can  not  now  avail — can  not  save  us  in  this  rugged  and  awful  crisis.      It  is 

now  necessary  to  instruct  the  throne  in  the  language  of  truth You  can  not. 

I  venture  to  say  it,  you  can  not  conquer  America.  What  is  your  present  situation  there  ? 
We  do  not  know  the  worst,  but  we  know  that  in  three  campaigns  we  have  suffered  much 
and  gained  nothing,  and  perhaps  at  this  moment  the  northern  army  (Burgoyne's)  may  be  a 
total  loss You  may  swell  every  expense,  and  every  effort,  still  more  extrava- 
gantly ;  pile  and  accumulate  every  assistance  you  can  buy  or  bori'ow  ;  traffic  and  barter 
with  every  little  pitiful  German  prince  that  sells  and  sends  his  subjects  to  the  shambles  of 
a  foreign  power  ;  your  efforts  are  forever  vain  and  impotent  ;  doubly  so  from  this  mercenary 
aid  on  which  you  rely,  for  it  irritates  to  an  incurable  resentment  the  minds  of  your  enemies. 
To  overrun  with  the  mercenary  sons  of  rapine  and  plunder,  devoting  them  and  their  posses- 
sions to  the  rapacity  of  hireling  cruelty  I  If  I  M'ere  an  American,  as  I  am  an  Englishman, 
while  a  foreign  troop  was  landed  in  my  country,  I  never  would  lay  down  my  arms — never, 
never,  never  I"^ 

The  Earl  of  Coventry,  Earl  Temple  Chatham's  brother-in-law,  and  the  Duke  of  Rich- 
mond, all  spoke  in  coincidence  with  Chatham.  Lord  Sufiblk,  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  State, 
undertook  the  defense  of  ministers  for  the  employment  of  Indians,  and  concluded  by  saying, 
"  It  is  perfectly  justifiable  to  use  all  the  means  that  God  and  nature  have  put  into  our 
hands."      This  sentiment  brought  Chatham  upon  the  floor.      "  That  God  and  nature  put 

'  James  Wilkinson  was  born  in  Maryland  about  1757,  and,  by  education,  was  prepared  for  the  practice 
of  medicine.  He  repaired  to  Cambridge  as  a  volunteer  m  1775.  He  was  captain  of  a  company  in  a  *gi- 
ment  that  went  to  Canada  in  1776.  He  was  appointed  deputy  adjutant  general  by  Gates,  and,  after  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne,  Congress  made  him  a  brigadier  general  by  brevet.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  war 
he  settled  in  Kentucky,  but  entered  the  army  in  1806,  and  had  the  command  on  the  Mississippi.  He  com- 
manded on  the  northern  frontier  during  our  last  war  with  Great  Britain.  At  the  age  of  56  he  married  a 
young  lady  of  26.     He  died  of  diarrhea,  in  Mexico,  December  28th,  1825,  aged  68  years. 

2  Pitkin,  i.,  399. 

*  Parliamentarv  Debates. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


85 


The  Opposition  in  the  House  of  Commons.    Policy  of  Lord  North.     Exalted  Position  of  the  American  Commissioners  at  Paris. 


into  our  hands  I"  he  reiterated,  with  bitter  scorn.  '<  I  know  not  what  idea  that  lord  may 
entertain  of  God  and  nature,  but  I  know  that  such  abominable  principles  are  equally  abhor- 
rent to  religion  and  humanity.  What  I  attribute  the  sacred  sanction  of  God  and  nature  to 
the  massacres  of  the  Indian  scalping-knife,  to  the  cannibal  and  savage,  torturing,  murdering, 
roasting,  and  eating — literally,  my  lords,  eating — the  mangled  victims  of  his  barbarous  bat- 
tles  These  abominable  principles,  and  this  most  abominable  avowal  of  them, 

demand  most  decisive  indignation.  I  call  upon  that  right  reverend  bench  (pointing  to  the 
bishops),  those  holy  ministers  of  the  Gospel  and  pious  pastors  of  the  Church — I  conjure 
them  to  join  in  the  holy  work,  and  to  vindicate  the  religion  of  their  God." 

In  the  Lower  House,  Burke,  Fox,  and  Barre  were  equally  severe  upon  the  ministers  ; 
and  on  the  3d  of  December,  when  the  news  of  Burgoyne's  defeat  reached  London,  the  lat- 
ter arose  in  his  place  in  the  Commons,  and,  with  a  severe  and  solemn  countenance,  asked 
Lord  George  Germain,  the  Secretary  of  "War,  what  news  he  had  received  by  his  last  ex- 
presses from  Quebec,  and  to  say,  upon  his  word  of  honor,  what  had  become  of  Burgoyne 
and  his  brave  army.  The  haughty  secretary  was  irritated  by  the  cool  irony  of  the  ques- 
tion, but  he  was  obliged  to  unbend  and  to  confess  that  the  unhappy  intelligence  had  reached 
him,  but  added  it  was  not  yet  authenticated.' 

Lord  North,  the  premier,  with  his  usual  adroitness,  admitted  that  misfortune  had  befallen  the 


1778. 


British  arms,  but  denied  that 
any  blame  could  be  imputed 
to  ministers  themselves,  and 
proposed  an  adjournment  of 
December,  Parliament  on  the 
1^"-  '  nth  (which  was 
carried)  until  the  20  th  of 
January.^  It  was  a 
clever  trick  of  the 
premier  to  escape  the  cas- 
tigations  which  he  knew 
the  opposition  would  inflict 
while  the  nation  was  smart- 
ing under  the  goadings  of 
mortified  pride. 

The  victory  over  Bur- 
goyne, unassisted  as  our 


troops  were  by  foreign  aid, 
placed  the  prowess  of  the 
United  States  in  the  most 
favorable  light  upon  the 
Continent.  Our  urgent  so- 
licitations for  aid,  hitherto 
but  little  noticed  except  by 
France,  were  now  listened 
to  with  respect,  and  the 
American  commissioners  at 
Paris.  Dr.  Franklin,  Silas 
Deane,'  and  Arthur  Lee,^ 
occupied  a  commanding  po- 
sition among  the  diploma 
tists  of  Europe.  France, 
Spain,  the  States  Gen- 
eral   of    Holland,    the 


Prince  of  Orange,  and  even  Catharine  of  Russia  and  Pope  Clement  XIV.  (Ganganelli),  all 


'  History  of  the  Reign  of  George  HI.,  i.,  326. 

2  Pitkin,  i.,  397.     Annual  Register,  1778,  p.  74. 

'  Silas  Deane  was  a  native  of  Groton,  Connecticut.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College,  1758,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  first  Congress,  1774.  He  was  sent  to  France  Early  in  1776,  as  political  and  commercial 
agent  for  the  United  Colonies,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  was  associated  with  Franklin  and  Lee  as 
commissioner.  He  seems  to  have  been  unfit,  in  a  great  degree,  for  the  station  he  held,  and  his  defective 
judgment  and  extravagant  promises  greatly  embarrassed  Congress.  He  was  recalled  at  the  close  of  1777, 
and  John  Adams  appointed  in  his  place.  He  published  a  defense  of  his  character  in  1778,  and  charged 
Thomas  Paine  and  others  connected  with  public  affairs  with  using  their  official  influence  for  purposes  of 
private  gain.  This  was  the  charge  made  against  himself,  and  he  never  fully  wiped  out  all  suspicion.  He 
went  to  England  toward  the  close  of  1784,  and  died  in  extreme  poverty  at  Deal,  1789. 

*  Dr.  Lee  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1740 — a  brother  to  the  celebrated  Richard  Henry  Lee.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Edinburgh,  and,  on  returning  to  America,  practiced  medicine  at  Williamsburgh  about  five  years. 
He  went  to  London  in  1766,  and  studied  law  in  the  Temple.  He  kept  his  brother  and  other  patriots  of 
the  Revolution  fully  informed  of  all  political  matters  of  importance  abroad,  and  particularly  the  movements 
of  the  British  ministry.  He  wrote  a  great  deal,  and  stood  high  as  an  essayist  and  political  pamphleteer. 
He  was  colonial  agent  for  Virginia  in  1775.  In  1776  he  was  associated  with  Franklin  and  Deane,  as  min- 
ister at  the  court  of  Versailles.  He  and  John  Adams  were  recalled  in  1779.  On  returning  to  the  United 
States,  he  was  appointed  to  offices  of  trust.     He  died  of  pleurisy,  December  14th,  1782,  aged  nearly  42. 


86  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Our  relative  Position  to  the  GovemmentB  of  Europe.  Policy  of  Vergennes.  Beaumarchais's  Commercial  Operatiozui 

of  whom  feared  and  hated  England  because  of  her  increasing  potency  in  arms,  commerce, 
diplomacy,  and  the  Protestant  faith,  thought  kindly  of  us  and  spoke  kindly  to  us.  We 
were  loved  because  England  was  hated  ;  we  were  respected  because  we  could  injure  En- 
gland by  dividing  her  realm  and  impairing  her  growing  strength  beyond  the  seas.  There 
was  a  perfect  reciprocity  of  service  ;  and  when  peace  was  ordained  by  treaty,  and  our  inde- 
pendence was  established,  the  balance-sheet  showed  nothing  against  us,  so  far  as  the  govern- 
naents  of  continental  Europe  were  concerned. 

In  the  autumn  of  1776,  Frankhn  and  Lee  were  appointed,  jointly  with  Deane, 
resident  commissioners  at  the  court  of  Versailles,  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  amity 
and  commerce  with  the  French  king.  They  opened  negotiations  early  in  December  with 
the  Count  De  Vergennes,  the  premier  of  Louis  XVI.  He  was  distinguished  for  sound  wis- 
dom, extensive  political  knowledge,  remarkable  sagacity,  and  true  greatness  of  mind.  lie 
foresaw  that  generous  dealings  with  the  insurgent  colonists  at  the  outset  would  be  the  surest 
means  of  perpetuating  the  rebellion  until  a  total  separation  from  the  parent  state  would  be 
accomplished — an  event  eagerly  coveted  by  the  French  government.  France  hated  En- 
gland cordially,  and  feared  her  power.  She  had  no  special  love  for  the  Anglo-American 
colonies,  but  she  was  ready  to  aid  them  in  reducing,  by  disunion,  the  puissance  of  the  Brit- 
ish empire.  To  widen  the  breach  was  the  chief  aim  of  Vergennes.  A  haughty  reserve, 
he  knew,  would  discourage  the  Americans,  while  an  open  reception,  or  even  countenance, 
of  their  deputies  might  alarm  the  rulers  of  Great  Britain,  and  dispose  them  to  a  compromise 
with  the  colonies,  or  bring  on  an  immediate  rupture  between  France  and  England.  A 
middle  line  was,  therefore,  pursued  by  him.* 

While  the  French  government  was  thus  vacillating  during  the  first  three  quarters  of 
1777,  secret  aid  was  given  to  the  republicans,  and  great  quantities  of  arms  and  ammunition 
were  sent  to  this  country,  by  an  agent  of  the  French  government,  toward  the  close  of  the 
year,  ostensibly  through  the  channel  of  commercial  operations."      But  when  the  capture  of 

'■  Ramsay,  ii.,  62,  63. 

^  In  the  summer  of  1776,  Arthur  Lee,  agent  of  the  Secret  Committee  of  Congress,  made  an  arrange- 
ment by  which  the  French  king  provided  money  and  arms  secretly  for  the  Americans.  An  agent  named 
Beaumarchais  was  sent  to  London  to  confer  with  Lee,  and  it  was  arranged  that  two  hundred  thousand 
Louis  d'ors,  in  arms,  ammunition,  and  specie,  should  be  sent  to  the  Americans,  but  in  a  manner  to  make  it 
appear  as  a  commercial  transaction.  Mr.  Lee  assumed  the  name  of  Mary  Johnson,  and  Beaumarchais  that 
of  Roderique,  Hortales,  &  Co.  Lee,  fearing  discovery  if  he  should  send  a  written  notice  to  Congress  of 
the  arrangement,  communicated  the  fact  verbally  through  Captain  Thomas  Story,  who  had  been  upon  the 
continent  in  the  service  of  the  Secret  Committee.  Yet,  after  all  the  arrangements  were  made,  there  was 
hesitation,  and  it  was  not  until  the  autumn  of  1777  that  the  articles  were  sent  to  the  Americans.  They 
were  shipped  on  board  Le  Henreiix,  in  the  fictitious  name  of  Hortales,  by  the  way  of  Cape  Francois,  and 
arrived  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  on  the  1st  of  November  of  that  year.  The  brave  and  efficient 
Baron  Steuben  was  a  passenger  in  that  ship. 

This  arrangement,  under  the  disguise  of  a  mercantile  operation,  subsequently  produced  a  great  deal  of 
trouble,  a  more  minute  account  of  which  is  given  in  the  Supplement  to  this  work. 

Beaumarchais  was  one  of  the  most  active  business  men  of  his  time,  and  became  quite  distinguished  in 
the  literary  and  political  world  by  his  "Marriage  of  Figaro,"  and  his  connection  with  the  French  Revolu- 
tion in  1793.  Borne,  in  one  of  his  charming  Letters  from  Paris,  after  describing  his  visit  to  the  house 
where  Beaumarchais  had  lived,  where  "  they  now  sell  kitchen  salt,"  thus  speaks  of  him  :  "  By  his  bold  and 
fortunate  commercial  undertakings,  he  had  become  one  of  the  richest  men  in  France.  In  the  war  of  Amer- 
ican liberty,  he  furnished,  through  an  understanding  with  the  French  government,  supplies  of  arms  to  the 
insurgents.  As  in  all  such  undert;ilf!n<fs,  there  were  captures,  shipwrecks,  payments  deferred  or  refused, 
vet  Beaumarchais,  by  his  dexterity,  .succeeded  in  extricating  himself  with  personal  advantage  from  all 
these  difficulties. 

"  Yet  this  same  Beaumarchais  showed  himself,  in  the  (French)  revolution,  as  inexperienced  as  a  child 
and  as  timid  as  a  German  closet-scholar.  He  contracted  to  furnish  weapons  to  the  revolutionary  govern- 
ment, and  not  only  lost  his  money,  but  was  near  losing  his  head  into  the  bargain.  Formerly  he  had  to 
deal  with  the  ministers  of  an  absolute  monarchy.  The  doors  of  great  men's  cabinets  open  and  close  softly 
and  easily  to  him  who  knows  how  to  oil  the  locks  and  hinges.  Afterward  Beaumarchais  had  to  do  with 
honest,  in  other  words  with  dangerous  people ;  he  had  not  learned  to  make  the  distinction,  and  accordingly- 
he  was  ruined."     He  died  in  1799,  in  his  70th  vear,  and  his  death,  his  friends  suppose,  was  voluntary. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  67 


Unmasking  of  tho  French  King.  InJepenJeuce  of  tlio  United  Stutea  acknowledged  by  Franco.  Letter  of  Louis  XVL 

Burgoyne  and  his  army  (intelligence  of  which  arrived  at  Paris  by  express  on  the  4th  of  De- 
cember) reached  Versailles,  and  the  ultimate  success  of  the  Americans  was  hardly  problem- 
atical, Louis  cast  oil'  all  disguise,  and  informed  the  American  commissioners,  through  M. 
Gerard,  one  of  his  Secretaries  of  State,  that  the  treaty  of  alliance  and  commerce,  already 
negotiated,  would  be  ratified,  and  "  that  it  was  decided  to  acknowledge  the  independence 
of  the  United  States."  lie  wrote  to  his  uncle,  Charles  IV.  of  Spain,  urging  his  co-opera- 
tion ;  for,  according  to  the  family  compact  of  the  Bourbons,  made  in  17C1,  the  King  of 
Spain  was  to  be  consulted  before  such  a  treaty  could  be  ratified.'  Charles  refused  to  co- 
operate, but  Louis  persevered,  and  in  February,  1778,  he  acknowledged  the  in- 
dependence of  the  United  States,  and  entered  into  treaties  of  alliance  and  com- 
merce  with  them  on  a  footing  of  perfect  equality  and  reciprocity.  War  against  England 
was  to  be  made  a  common  cause,  and  it  was  agreed  that  neither  contracting  party  should 
conclude  truce  or  peace  with  Great  Britain  without  the  formal  consent  of  the  other  first  ob- 
tained ;  and  it  was  mutually  covenanted  not  to  lay  down  their  arms  until  the  independence 
of  the  United  States  should  be  formally  or  tacitly  assured  by  the  treaty  or  treaties  that 
should  terminate  the  war.'  Thus  allied,  by  treaty,  with  the  ancient  and  powerful  French 
nation,  the  Americans  felt  certain  of  success. 


'  This  letter  of  Louis  was  brought  to  light  during  tho  Revolution  of  1793.  It  is  a  curious  document, 
and  illustrates  the  consummate  duplicity  practiced  by  that  monarch  and  his  ministers.  Disclosing,  as  it 
does,  the  policy  which  governed  the  action  of  the  French  court,  and  the  reasons  which  induced  the  king 
to  accede  to  the  wishes  of  the  Americans,  its  insertion  here  will  doubtless  be  acceptable  to  tho  reader.  It 
was  dated  January  8th,  1778. 

"  The  sincere  desire,"  said  Louis,  "  which  I  feci  of  maintaining  the  true  harmony  and  unity  of  our  sys- 
tem of  alliance,  which  must  always  have  an  imposing  character  for  our  enemies,  induces  me  to  state  to 
your  majesty  my  way  of  thinking  on  the  present  condition  of  ad'uirs.  England,  our  common  and  inveterate 
enemy,  has  been  engaged  for  three  years  in  a  war  with  her  American  colonies.  We  had  agreed  not  to 
intermeddle  with  it,  and,  viewing  both  sides  as  English,  we  made  our  trade  free  to  the  one  that  found  most 
advantace  in  commercial  intercourse.  In  this  manner  America  provided  herself  with  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion, of  which  she  was  destitute  ;  I  do  not  speak  of  the  suceors  of  moneij  and  other  kinds  which  we  have  given 
her,  the  tchole  ostensibly  on  the  score  of  trade.  England  has  taken  umbrage  at  these  succors,  and  has  not 
concealed  from  us  that  she  will  be  revenged  sooner  or  later.  She  has  already,  indeed,  seized  several  of 
our  merchant  vessels,  and  refused  restitution.  We  have  lost  no  time  on  our  part.  We  have  fortified  our 
most  exposed  colonies,  and  placed  our  fleets  upon  a  respectable  footing,  which  has  continued  to  aggravate 
the  ill  humor  of  England. 

"  Such  was  the  posture  of  affairs  in  November  last.  The  destruction  of  the  army  of  Burgoyne  and  the 
straitened  condition  of  Howe  have  lately  changed  the  face  of  things.  America  is  triumphant  and  England 
cast  down ;  but  the  latter  has  still  a  great,  unbroken  maritime  force,  and  the  hope  of  forming  a  beneficial 
alliance  with  the  colonics,  the  impossibility  of  their  being  subdued  by  arms  being  now  demonstrated.  All 
the  English  parties  agree  on  this  point.  Lord  North  has  himself  announced  in  full  Parliament  a  plan  of 
pacification  for  the  first  session,  and  all  sides  are  assiduously  employed  upon  it.  Thus  it  is  the  same  to  us 
whether  this  minister  or  any  other  be  in  power.  From  dilfcrent  motives  they  join  against  us,  and  do  not 
forget  our  bad  otHces.  They  will  fall  upon  us  m  as  great  strength  as  if  the  war  had  not  existed.  This 
being  understood,  and  our  grievances  against  England  notorious,  I  have  thought,  after  taking  the  advice 
of  my  council,  and  particularly  that  of  M.  D'Ossune,  and  having  consulted  upon  the  propositions  which  the 
insurgents  make,  to  treat  with  them,  to  prevent  their  reunion  tvith  the  mother  country.  I  lay  before  your 
majesty  my  views  of  tho  subject.  I  have  ordered  a  memorial  to  be  submitted  to  you,  in  which  they  are 
presented  in  more  detail.  I  desire  eagerly  that  they  should  meet  your  approbation.  Knowing  the  weight 
of  your  probity,  your  majesty  will  not  doubt  the  lively  and  sincere  friendship  with  which  I  am  yours,"'  &c. — 
Qttoted  by  Pithin  (i.,  399)  from  Histoire,  &c.,  de  la  Diplomatique  Fran^ciisc,  vol.  vii, 

«  Sparks's  Life  of  Franklin,  430,  433. 


88  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

A  Lady  of  the  Revolution.  Sufferings  of  herself  and  Family.  Her  Husband's  Pension  allowed  her 


CHAPTER  IV. 

"  The  sun  has  drunk 
The  dew  that  lay  upon  the  morning  grass ; 
There  is  no  rustling  in  the  lofty  elra 
That  canopies  my  dwelling,  and  its  shade 
Scarce  cools  me.     All  is  silent  save  the  faint 
And  interrupted  murmur  of  the  bee, 
Sitting  on  the  sick  flowers,  and  then  agam 
Instantly  on  the  wing.     The  plants  around 
Feel  the  too  potent  fervors ;  the  tall  mnize 
Rolls  up  its  long  green  leaves ;  the  clover  droops 
Its  tender  foliage,  and  declines  its  blooms. 
But  far  in  the  fierce  sunshine  tower  the  hills, 
With  all  their  growth  of  woods,  silent  and  stem. 
As  if  the  scorching  heat  and  dazzling  light 
Were  but  an  element  they  loved." 

Bryant. 

T  was  early  in  the  morning  of  such  a  day  as  the  poet  refers  to  that  we 
'^'  commenced  a  ride  and  a  ramble  over  the  historic  grounds  of  Saratoga  near 
Schuylerville,  accompanied  by  the  friendly  guide  whose  proffered  services  I  have 
'  already  mentioned.      We  first  rode  to  the  residence  of  Mrs.  J — n,  one  of  the  al- 
most centenarian  representatives  of  the  generation  cotemporary  with  our  Revo- 
lution, now  so  few  and  hoary.      She  was  in  her  ninety-second  year  of  life,  yet  her 
mental  faculties  were  quite  vigorous,  and  she  related  her  sad  experience  of  the 
trials  of  that  war  with  a  memory  remarkably  tenacious  and  correct.      Her  sight 
and  hearing  were  defective,  and  her  skin  wrinkled  ;   but  in  her  soft  blue  eye,  reg- 
ular features,  and  delicate  form  were  lingering  many  traces  of  the  beauty  of  her 
early  womanhood.      She  was  a  young  lady  of  twenty  years  when  Independence 
was  declared,  and  was  living  with  her  parents  at  Do-ve-gat  (Coveville)  when  Bur- 
goyne  came  dovvm  the  valley.      She  was  then  betrothed,  but  her  lover  had  shouldered 
his  musket,  and  was  in  Schuyler's  camp. 

While  Burgoyne  was  pressing  onward  toward  Fort  Edward  from  Skenesborough,  the 
people  of  the  valley  below,  who  were  attached  to  the  patriot  cause,  fled  hastily  to  Albany. 
Mrs.  J — n  and  her  parents  were  among  the  fugitives.  So  fearful  were  they  of  the  Indian 
scouts  sent  forward,  and  of  the  resident  Tories,  not  a  whit  less  savage,  who  were  emboldened 
by  the  proximity  of  the  invader,  that  for  several  nights  previous  to  their  flight  they  slept  in 
a  swamp,  apprehending  that  their  dwelling  would  be  burned  over  their  heads  or  that  murder 
would  break  m  upon  their  repose.  And  when  they  returned  home,  after  the  surrender  of 
Burgoyne,  all  was  desolation.  Tears  filled  her  eyes  when  she  spoke  of  that  sad  return. 
"  We  had  but  little  to  come  home  to,"  she  said.  "  Our  crops  and  our  cattle,  our  sheep, 
hogs,  and  horses,  were  all  gone,  yet  we  knelt  down  in  our  desolate  room  and  thanked  God 
sincerely  that  our  house  and  barns  were  not  destroyed."  She  wedded  her  soldier  soon  after- 
ward, and  during  the  long  widowhood  of  her  evening  of  life  his  pension  has  been  secured  to 
her,  and  a  few  years  ago  it  was  increased  in  amount.  She  referred  to  it,  and  with  quiver 
ing  lijj — quivering  with  the  emotions  of  her  full  heart — said,  "  The  government  has  been 
very  kind  to  me  in  my  poverty  and  old  age."  She  was  personally  acquainted  with  General 
Schuyler,  and  spoke  feelingly  of  the  noble-heartedness  of  himself  and  lady  in  all  the  relations 
of  life.      While  pressing  her  hand  in  bidding  her  farewell,  the  thought  occurred  that  we 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION 


89 


Remains  of  the  Fortifications  of  Burgoyne's  Camp. 


The  Riedesel  House. 


Narrative  of  the  Baroness  Riedesel. 


represented  the  linking  of  the  hving,  vigorous,  active  present,  and  the  half-buried,  decajang 
past ;  and  that  between  her  early  womanhood  and  now  all  the  grandeur  and  glory  of  our 
Republic  had  dawned  and  brightened  into  perfect  day. 

From  Mrs.  J n's  we  rode  to  the  residence  of  her  brother,  the  house  wherein  the  Baron- 
ess Riedesel,  with  her  children  and  female  companions,  was  sheltered  just  before  the  sur- 
render of  Burgoyne.  It  is  about  a  mile  above  Schuylerville,  and  nearly  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Batten  Kill.  On  our  way  we  paused  to  view  the  remains  of  the  fortifications  of 
Burgoyne's  camp,  upon  the  heights  a  little  west  of  the  village.  Prominent  traces  of  the 
mounds  and  ditches  are  there  visible  in  the  woods.  A  little  northwest  of  the  village  the 
lines  of  the  defenses  thrown  up  by  the  Germans,  and  Hessians  of  Hanau  may  be  distinctly 
seen.      (See  map,  page  77.) 

The  house  made  memorable  by  the  presence  and  the  pen  of  the  wife  of  the  Brunswick 

general  is  well  preserved.  At  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  it  was  owned  by  Peter  Lan- 
sing, a  relative  of  the  chancellor  of  that  name, 
and  now  belongs  to  Mr.  Samuel  Mar- 

1848 

shall,  who  has  the  good  taste  to  keep 
up  its  original  character.  It  is  upon  the  high 
bank  west  of  the  road  from  Schuylerville  to 
Fort  Miller,  pleasantly  shaded  in  front  by  lo- 
custs, and  fairly  embowered  in  shrubbery  and 
fruit  trees. 

We  will  listen  to  the  story  of  the  sufferings 
of  some  of  the  women  of  Burgoyne's  camp  in 
that  house,  as  told  by  the  baroness  herself : 
"About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  again 
heard  a  firing  of  cannon  and  small  arras  ;  in- 
stantly all  was  alarm,  and  every  thing  in  motion.  My  husband  told  me  to  go  to  a  house 
not  far  off.  I  immediately  seated  myself  in  my  caleche,  with  my  children,  and  drove  off ; 
but  scarcely  had  we  reached  it  before  I  discovered  five  or  six  armed  men  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Hudson.  Instinctively  I  threw  my  children  down  in  the  caleche,  and  then  concealed 
myself  with  them.  At  this  moment  the  fellows  fired,  and  wounded  an  already  wounded 
English  soldier,  who  was  behind  me.  Poor  fellow  !  I  pitied  him  exceedingly,  but  at  this 
moment  had  no  power  to  relieve  him. 

"  A  terrible  cannonade  was  commenced  by  the  enemy  against  the  house  in  which  I  sought 
to  obtain  shelter  for  myself  and  children,  under  the  mistaken  idea  that  all  the  generals  were 
in  it.  Alas  I  it  contained  none  but  wounded  and  women.  We  were  at  last  obliged  to  re- 
sort to  the  cellar  for  refuge,  and  in  one  corner  of  this  I 
remained  the  whole  day,  my  children  sleeping  on  the  earth 
with  their  heads  in  my  lap  ;  and  in  the  same  situation  I 
passed  a  sleepless  night.'  Eleven  cannon-balls  passed 
through  the  house,  and  we  could  distinctly  hear  them  roll 
away.  One  poor  soldier,  who  was  lying  on  a  table  for 
the  purpose  of  having  his  leg  amputated,  was  struck  by 
a  shot,  which  carried  away  his  other  ;  his  comrades  had 
left  him,  and  when  we  went  to  his  assistance  we  found  him  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  into 
which  he  had  crept,  more  dead  than  alive,  scarcely  breathing."  My  reflections  on  the  dan- 
ger to  which  my  husband  was  exposed  now  agonized  me  exceedingly,  and  the  thoughts  of 
my  children,  and  the  necessity  of  struggling  for  their  preservation,  alone  sustained  me. 


The  Riedesel  House,  Saratoga. 


Cellar  of  the  Riedesel  House. 


'  The  cellar  is  about  fifteen  by  thirty  feet  in  size,  and  lighted  and  ventilated  by  two  small  windows  only. 
*  The  place  where  this  ball  entered  is  seen  under  the  window  near  the  corner,  and  designated  in  the 
;iicture  by  a  small  black  spot. 


90  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

CompanionB  in  Misery  of  the  Baronesa  Riedesel.  Wounded  Soldiers.  Kindness  of  General  Scliuyler. 

«'  The  ladies  of  the  army  who  were  with  me  were  Mrs.  Harnage,  a  Mrs.  Kennels  the 
widow  of  a  lieutenant  who  was  killed,  and  the  lady  of  the  commissary.  Major  Harnage, 
his  wife,  and  Mrs.  Kennels  made  a  little  room  in  a  corner  with  curtains  to  it,  and  wished  to 
do  the  same  for  me,  but  I  preferred  being  near  the  door,  in  case  of  fire.  Not  far  ofT  my 
women  slept,  and  opposite  to  us  three  English  officers,  who,  though  wounded,  were  determ- 
ined not  to  be  left  behind  ;  one  of  them  was  Captain  Green,  an  aid-de-camp  to  Major-gen- 
eral Pliillips,  a  very  valuable  officer  and  most  agreeable  man.  They  each  made  me  a  most 
sacred  promise  not  to  leave  me  behind,  and,  in  case  of  sudden  retreat,  that  they  would  each 
of  them  take  one  of  my  children  on  his  horse  ;   and  for  myself  one  of  my  husband's  was  in 

constant  readiness The  want  of  water  distressed  us  much  ;   at  length  we 

found  a  soldier's  wife  who  had  courage  enough-  to  fetch  us  some  from  the  river,  an  office 
nobody  else  would  undertake,  as  the  Americans  shot  at  every  person  who  approached  it ; 
but,  out  of  respect  for  her  sex,  they  never  molested  her. 

"  I  now  occupied  myself  through  the  day  in  attending  the  wounded ;  I  made  them  tea 
and  coffee,  and  often  shared  my  dinner  with  them,  for  which  they  offered  me  a  thousand 
expressions  of  gratitude.  One  day  a  Canadian  officer  came  to  our  cellar,  who  had  scarcely 
the  power  of  holding  himself  upright,  and  we  concluded  he  was  dying  for  want  of  nourish- 
ment ;  I  was  happy  in  offering  him  my  dinner,  which  strengthened  him,  and  procured  me 
his  friendship.  I  now  undertook  the  care  of  Major  Bloorafield,  another  aid-de-camp  of  Gen- 
eral Phillips  ;  he  had  received  a  musket-ball  through  both  cheeks,  which  in  its  course  had 
knocked  out  several  of  his  teeth  and  cut  his  tongue  ;  he  could  hold  nothing  in  his  mouth, 
the  matter  which  ran  from  his  wound  almost  choked  him,  and  he  was  not  able  to  take  any 
nourishment  except  a  little  soup  or  something  liquid.  We  had  some  Rhenish  wine,  and,  in 
the  hope  that  tlie  acidity  of  it  would  cleanse  his  wound,  I  gave  him  a  bottle  of  it.  He 
took  a  little  now  and  then,  and  with  such  effect  that  his  cure  soon  followed ;  thus  I  added 
another  to  my  stock  of  friends,  and  derived  a  satisfaction  which,  in  the  midst  of  sufferings, 
served  to  tranquilize  me  and  diminish  their  acuteness. 

"  One  day  General  Phillips  accompanied  my  husband,  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  on  a  visit 
to  us.  The  general,  after  having  beheld  our  situation,  said  to  him,  '  I  would  not  for  ten 
thousand  guineas  come  again  to  this  place  ;  my  heart  is  almost  broken.' 

"  In  this  horrid  situation  we  remained  six  days  ;  a  cessation  of  hostilities  was  now  spoken 
of,  and  eventually  took  place." 

The  baroness,  in  the  simple  language  of  her  narrative,  thus  bears  testimony  to  the  gen- 
erous courtesy  of  the  American  officers,  and  to  the  true  nobility  of  character  of  General 
Schuyler  in  particular  :  "  My  husband  sent  a  message  to  me  to  come  over  to  him  with  my 
children.  I  seated  myself  once  more  in  my  dear  caleche,  and  then  rode  through  the  Amer- 
ican camp.  As  I  passed  on  I  observed,  and  this  was  a  great  consolation  to  me,  that  no  one 
eyed  me  with  looks  of  resentment,  but  they  all  greeted  us,  and  even  showed  compassion  in 
their  countenances  at  the  sight  of  a  woman  with  small  children  I  was,  I  confess,  afraid 
to  go  over  to  the  enemy,  as  it  was  quite  a  new  situation  to  me.  When  I  drew  near  the 
tents  a  handsome  man  approached  and  met  me,  took  my  children  from  the  caleche,  and 
hugged  and  kissed  them,  ivhich  affected  me  almost  to  tears.  '  You  tremble,'  said  he,  ad- 
dressing himself  to  me  ;  '  be  not  afraid.'  '  No,'  I  answered,  '  you  seem  so  kind  and  tender 
to  my  children,  it  inspires  me  with  courage.'  He  now  led  me  to  the  tent  of  General  Gates, 
where  I  found  Generals  Burgoyne  and  Phillips,  who  were  on  a  friendly  footing  with  the 
former,  Burgoyne  said  to  me,  '  Never  mind  ;  your  sorrows  have  now  an  end.'  I  answered 
him  that  I  should  be  reprehensible  to  have  any  cares,  as  he  had  none  ;  and  I  was  pleased 
to  see  him  on  such  friendly  footing  with  General  Gates.  All  the  generals  remained  to  dine 
with  General  Gates. 

"  The  same  gentleman  who  received  me  so  kindly  now  came  and  said  to  me,  '  You  will 
be  very  much  embarrassed  to  eat  with  all  these  gentlemen  ;  come  ivith  your  children  to 
my  tent,  ivhere  I  tvill  prepare  for  you  a  frugal  dinner,  and  give  it  with  a  free  will.'  I 
said,  '  You  are  certainly  a  husband  and  a  father,  you  have  shown  me  so  much  kindness.' 


OF  THE    REVOLUTION. 


91 


Arrival  of  the  British  OflScera  and  Women  at  Albany. 


Courtesy  of  General  Schuyler  and  Family. 


r  now  found  that  he  was  General   Schuyler.      He  treated  me  with  excellent  smoked 


General  Schuyler  and  Baroness  Riedesel. 

tongue,  beef-steaks,  potatoes,  and  good  bread  and  butter  !  Never  could  I  have  wished  to  eat 
a  better  dinner ;  I  was  content ;  I  saw  all  around  me  were  so  likewise ;  and,  what  was 
better  than  all,  my  husband  was  out  of  danger. 

"  When  we  had  dined  he  told  me  his  residence  was  at  Albany,  and  that  General  Bur- 
goyne  intended  to  honor  him  as  his  guest,  and  invited  myself  and  children  to  do  bo  likewise.  I 
asked  my  husband  how  I  should  act ;  he  told  me  to  accept  the  invitation.  As  it  was  two 
days'  journey  there,  he  advised  me  to  go  to  a  place  which  was  about  three  hours'  ride  distant. 

"  Some  days  after  this  we  arrived  at  Albany,  where  we  so  often  wished  ourselves ;  but 
we  did  not  enter  it  as  we  expected  we  should — victors  !'  We  were  received  by  the  good 
General  Schuyler,  his  wife,  and  daughters,  not  as  enemies,  but  kind  friends  ;  and  they  treated 
us  with  the  most  marked  attention  and  politeness,  as  they  did  General  Burgoyne,  who  had 
caused  General  Schuyler's  beautifully-finished  house  to  be  burned.  In  fact,  they  behaved 
like  persons  of  exalted  minds,  who  determined  to  bury  all  recollections  of  their  own  injuries 
in  the  contemplation  of  our  misfortunes.  General  Burgoyne  was  struck  with  General  Schuy- 
ler's generosity,  and  said  to  him,  '  You  show  me  great  kindness,  though  I  have  done  you 
much  injury.'  «  That  was  the  fate  of  war,'  replied  the  brave  man  ;  '  let  us  say  no  more 
about  it.'  " 

General  Schuyler  was  detained  at  Saratoga  when  Burgoyne  and  suite  started  for  Albany. 


'  General  Burgoyne  boasted  at  Fort  Edward  that  he  should  eat  a  Christmas  dinner  in  Albany,  surrounded 
by  his  victorious  army. 


92  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

British  Officers  at  Schuyler's  House.      Execution-place  of  Lovelace.      Active  and  Passive  Tories.       Rendezvous  of  Lovelace. 

He  wrote  to  his  wife  to  give  the  English  general  the  very  best  reception  in  her  power. 
"  The  British  commander  was  well  received,"  says  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux,*  in  his  Trav- 
els in  America,  "  by  Mrs.  Schuyler,  and  lodged  in  the  best  apartment  in  the  house.  An 
excellent  supper  was  served  him  in  the  evening,  the  honors  of  which  were  done  with  so 
much  grace  that  he  was  affected  even  to  tears,  and  said,  with  a  deep  sigh,  '  Indeed,  this  is 
doing  too  much  for  the  man  who  has  ravaged  their  lands  and  burned  their  dwellings.'  The 
next  morning  he  was  reminded  of  his  misfortunes  by  an  incident  that  would  have  amused  any 
one  else.  His  bed  was  prepared  in  a  large  room  ;  but  as  he  had  a  numerous  suite,  or  family, 
several  mattresses  were  spread  on  the  floor  for  some  officers  to  sleep  near  him.  Schuyler's 
second  son,  a  little  fellow  about  seven  years  old,  very  arch  and  forward,  but  very  amiable, 
was  running  all  the  morning  about  the  house.  Opening  the  door  of  the  saloon,  he  burst  out 
a  laughing  on  seeing  all  the  English  collected,  and  shut  it  after  him,  exclaiming,  '  You  are 
all  my  prisoners  I'  This  innocent  cruelty  rendered  them  more  melancholy  than  before." 
We  next  visited  the  headquarters  of  General  Gates,  south  of  the  Fish  Creek,  delineated  on 

page  75.      On  our  way  we  passed  the  spot,  a  few  rods  south  of  the  creek,  

where  Lovelace,  a  prominent  Tory,  was  hung.      It  is  upon  the  high  bluff    _^^^^^^^^p-_ 
seen  on  the  right  of  the  road  in  the  annexed  sketch,  which  was  taken       =^^^^=^^^Jfc 
from  the  lawn  in  front  of  the  rebuilt  mansion  of  General  Schuyler.      ^    — ^----^he-^  ^ 
^       Lovelace  was  a  fair  type  of  his  class,  the  bitterest  and  most  impla- 
cable foes  of  the  republicans.      There  were  manv 
Tories  who  were  so  from  principle,  and  re-      -^^ 
fused  to  take  sides  against  the  parent  coun- 
try from  honest  convictions  of  the  wrong- 
fulness of  such  a  course.      They  looked  upon 
the  Whigs  as  rebels  against  their  sovereign  ; 
condemned  the  war  as  unnatural,  and  re- 
garded the  final  result  as  surely  disastrous  -^  ,  ^ 

°  ■,  ^  Place  where  Lovelace  was  Executed. 

to  those  who  had  lifted  up  the  arm  of  oppo- 
sition. Their  opinions  were  courteously  but  firmly  expressed  ;  they  took  every  opportunity 
to  dissuade  their  friends  and  neighbors  from  participation  in  the  rebellion  ;  and  by  all  their 
words  and  acts  discouraged  the  insurgent  movement.  But  they  shouldered  no  musket,  girded 
on  no  sword,  piloted  no  secret  expedition  against  the  republicans.  They  were  passive,  noble- 
minded  men,  and  deserve  our  respect  for  their  consistency  and  our  commiseration  for  their 
sufferings  at  the  hands  of  those  who  made  no  distinction  between  the  man  of  honest  opin- 
ions and  the  marauder  with  no  opinions  at  all. 

There  was  another  class  of  Tories,  governed  by  the  footpad's  axiom,  that  "  might  makes 
right."  They  were  Whigs  when  royal  power  was  weak,  and  Tories  when  royal  power  was 
strong.  Their  god  was  mammon,  and  they  offered  up  human  sacrifices  in  abundance  upon 
its  altars.  Cupidity  and  its  concomitant  vices  governed  all  their  acts,  and  the  bonds  of  con- 
sanguinity and  aflection  were  too  weak  to  restrain  their  fostered  barbarism.  Those  born  in 
the  same  neighborhood  ;  educated  (if  at  all)  in  the  same  school ;  admonished,  it  may  be,  by 
the  same  pastor,  seemed  to  have  their  hearts  suddenly  closed  to  every  feeling  of  friendship  or 
of  love,  and  became  as  relentless  robbers  and  murderers  of  neighbors  and  friends  as  the  sav- 
ages of  the  wilderness.  Of  this  class  was  Thomas  Lovelace,  who,  for  a  time,  became  a  ter- 
ror to  his  old  neighbors  and  friends  in  Saratoga,  his  native  district. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war  Lovelace  went  to  Canada,  and  there  confederated  with 
five  other  persons  from  his  own  county  to  come  down  into  Saratoga  and  abduct,  plunder,  oi 
betray  their  former  neighbors.  He  was  brave,  expert,  and  cautious.  His  quarters  were  in 
a  large  swamp  about  five  miles  from  the  residence  of  Colonel  Van  Vechten  at  Do-ve-gat, 
but  his  place  of  rendezvous  was  cunningly  concealed.  Robberies  were  frequent,  and  several 
inhabitants  were  carried  off.      General  Schuyler's  house  was  robbed,  and  an  attempt  was 

'  A  French  officer,  who  served  in  the  array  in  this  country  during  a  part  of  the  Revolution. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


Capture  and  Death  of  Lovelace.  Daring  Adventure  of  an  American  Soldier.  Departure  from  Schuylerville 

made  by  Lovelace  and'hia  companions  to  carry  off  Colonel  Van  Vecliten  ;  but  the  active 
vigilance  of  General  Stark,  then  in  command  of  the  barracks  north  of  the  Fish  Creek,'  in 
furnishing  the  colonel  with  a  guard,  frustrated  the  marauder's  plans.  Intirhations  of  his  in- 
tentions and  of  his  place  of  concealment  were  given  to  Captain  Dunham,  who  commanded 
a  company  of  militia  in  the  neighborhood,  and  he  at  once  summoned  his  lieutenant,  ensign, 
orderly,  and  one  private  to  his  house. ^  At  dark  they  proceeded  to  the  "  Big  Swamp,"  three 
miles  distant,  where  two  Tory  families  resided.  They  separated  to  reconnoiter,  but  two  of 
them.  Green  and  Guiles,  were  lost.  The  other  three  kept  together,  and  at  dawn  discovered 
Lovelace  and  his  party  in  a  hut  covered  over  with  boughs,  just  drawing  on  their  stockings. 
The  three  Americans  crawled  cautiously  forward  till  near  the  hut,  when  they  sprang  upon  a 
log  with  a  shout,  leveled  their  muskets,  and  Dunham  exclaimed,  "  Surrender,  or  you  are  all 
•lead  men  I"  There  was  no  time  for  parley,  and,  believing  that  the  Americans  were  upon 
them  in  force,  they  came  out  one  by  one  without  arms,  and  were  marched  by  their  captors  to 
General  Stark  at  the  barracks.  They  were  tried  by  a  court-martial  as  spies,  traitors,  and 
robbers,  and  Lovelace,  who  was  considered  too  dangerous  to  be  allowed  to  escape,  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  hung.  He  complained  of  injustice,  and  claimed  the  leniency  due  to  a  prisoner 
of  war  ;  but  his  plea  was  disallowed,  and  three  days  afterward  he  was  hung  upon  the  brow 
of  the  hill  at  the  place  delineated,  during  a  tremendous  storm  of  rain  and  wind,  accompanied 
by  vivid  lightning  and  clashing  thunder-peals.  These  facts  were  communicated  to  me  by 
the  son  of  Colonel  Van  Vechten,  who  accompanied  me  to  the  spot,  and  who  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  captors  of  Lovelace  and  his  accomplices. 

The  place  where  Gates  and  Burgoyne  had  their  first  interview  (delineated  on  page  81) 
is  about  half  way  between  the  Fish  Creek  and  Gates's  headquarters.  After  visiting  these 
localities,  we  returned  to  the  village,  and  spent  an  hour  upon  the  ground  where  the  British 
army  laid  doAvn  their  arms.  This  locality  I  have  already  noted,  and  will  not  detain  the 
reader  longer  than  to  mention  the  fact  that  the  plain  whereon  this  event  took  place  formed 
a  part  of  the  extensive  meadows  of  General  Schuyler,  and  to  relate  a  characteristic  adven- 
ture which  occurred  there. 

While  the  British  camp  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  Fish  Creek,  a  number  of  the  offi- 
cers' horses  were  let  loose  in  the  meadows  to  feed.  An  expert  swimmer  among  the  Amer- 
icans who  swarmed  upon  the  hills  east  of  the  Hudson,  obtained  permission  to  go  across  and 
capture  one  of  the  horses.  He  swam  the  river,  seized  and  mounted  a  fine  bay  gelding,  and 
in  a  few  moments  was  recrossing  the  stream  unharmed,  amid  a  volley  of  bullets  from  a  party 
of  British  soldiers.  Shouts  greeted  him  as  he  returned  ;  and,  when  rested,  he  asked  per- 
mission to  go  for  another,  telling  the  captain  that  he  ought  to  have  a  horse  to  ride  as  well 
as  a  private.  Again  the  adventurous  soldier  was  among  the  herd,  and,  unscathed,  returned 
with  an  exceedingly  good  match  for  the  first,  and  presented  it  to  his  commander.' 

Bidding  our  kind  friend  and  guide  adieu,  we  left  Schuylerville  toward  evening,  in  a  pri- 
vate carriage,  for  Fort  Miller,  six  miles  further  up  the  Hudson.  The  same  beautiful  and 
diversified  scenery,  the  same  prevailing  quiet  that  charmed  us  all  the  way  from  Watcrford, 
still  surrounded  us  ;  and  the  river  and  the  narrow  alluvial  plain  through  which  it  flows, 
bounded  on  either  side  by  high  undulations  or  abrupt  pyramidal  hills,  which  cast  lengthened 
shadows  in  the  evening  sun  across  the  meadows,  presented  a  beautiful  picture  of  luxurious 
repose.  We  crossed  the  Hudson  upon  a  long  bridge  built  on  strong  abutments,  two  miles 
and  a  half  above  Schuylerville,  at  the  place  where  Burgoyne  and  his  army  crossed  on  the 
12th  of  September,  1777.  The  river  is  here  quite  broad  and  shallow,  and  broken  by  fre- 
quent rifts  and  rapids. 

We  arrived  at  Fort  Miller  village,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  between  five  and  six 
o'clock  ;  and  while  awaiting  supper,  preparatory  to  an  evening  canal  voyage  to  Fort  Ed- 
ward, nine  miles  above,  I  engaged  a  water-man  to  row  me  across  to  the  western  bank,  to 

'  The  place  where  these  barracks  were  located  is  just  within  the  northern  suburbs  of  Schuylerville. 
^  Davis,  Green,  Guiles,  and  Burden.  '  Neilson,  223 


94 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Visit  to  the  Site  of  old  Fort  Edward.        Tragedy  of  "  Bloody  Run."         Daring  Feat  by  Putnam.        Fort  Miller  Fording-place. 

view  the  site  of  the  old  fort.  He  was  a  very  obliging  man,  and  well  acquainted  with  the 
localities  in  the  neighborhood,  but  was  rather  deficient  in  historical  knowledge.  His  at- 
tempts to  relate 'the  events  connected  with  the  old  fort  and  its  vicinity  were  amusing  ;  for 
Putnam's  ambush  on  Lake  Charaplain,  and  the  defeat  of  Pyles  by  Lee,  in  North  Carolina, 
with  a  slight  tincture  of  correct  narrative,  were  blended  together  as  pai  u-  of  an  event  which 
occurred  at  Fort  Miller. 

We  crossed  the  Hudson  just  above  the  rapids.  A  dam  for  milling  purposes  spans  the 
stream,  causing  a  sluggish  current  and  deeper  water  for  more  than  two  miles  above.  Here 
was  the  scene  of  one  of  Putnam's  daring  exploits.  While  a  major  in  the  English  provincial 
army,  nearly  twenty  years  before  the  Revolution,  he  was  lying  in  -a  bateau  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  and  was  suddenly  surprised  by  a  party  of  Indians.  He  could  not  cross  the 
river  swiftly  enough  to  escape  the  balls  of  their  rifles,  and  there  was  no  alternative  but  to 
go  down  the  foaming  rapids.  In  an  instant  his  purpose  was  fixed,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of 
the  savages,  he  steered  directly  down  the  current,  amid  whirling  eddies  and  over  shelving  rocks. 
In  a  few  moments  his  vessel  cleared  the  rush  of  waters,  and  was  gliding  upon  the  smooth  cur- 
rent below,  far  out  of  reach  of  the  weapons  of  the  Indians.  It  was  a  feat  they  never  dared  at- 
tempt, and  superstition  convinced  them  that  he  was  so  favored  by  the  Great  Spirit  that  it  would 
be  an  afiront  to  Manitou  to  attempt  to  Idll  him  with  powder  and  ball.      Other  Indians  of  the 

tribe,  however,  soon  afterward  gave  practical 

evidence  of  their  unbelief  in  such  interposition. 
There  is  not  a  vestige  of  Fort  Miller  left, 
and  maize,  and  potatoes,  and  pumpkin  vines 
were  flourishing  where  the  rival  forces  of  Sir 
William  Johnson  and  the  Baron  Dieskau  al- 
ternately paraded.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill,  a 
few  rods  below  where  the  fort  stood,  is  a  part 
of  the  trench  and  bank  of  a  redoubt,  and  this 
is  all  that  remains  even  of  the  outworks  of 
the  fortification. 

An  eighth  of  a  mile  westward  is  Bloody 
Run,  a  stream  which  comes  leaping  in  spark- 
ling cascades  from  the  hills,  and  aflbrds  fine 
trout  fishing.  It  derives  its  name  from  the 
fact  that,  while  the  English  had  possession  of 
the  fort  in  1 759,  a  party  of  soldiers  from  the  gar- 
rison went  out  to  fish  at  the  place  represented 
in  the  picture.  The  hills,  now  cultivated,  were 
then  covered  with  dense  forests,  and  afforded  the 
Indians  excellent  ambush.  A  troop  of  savages, 
lying  near,  sprang  silently  from  their  covert  upon 
the  fishers,  and  bore  off'  nine  reeking  scalps  be- 
fore those  who  escaped  could  reach  the  fort  and 
give  the  alarm. 

This  clear  mountain  stream  enters  the  Hudson 
a  little  above  Fort  Miller,  where  the  river  makes 
a  sudden  curve,  and  where,  before  the  erection  of 
the  dam  at  the  rapids,  it  was  quite  shallow,  and 
usually  fordable.  This  was  the  crossing-place 
for  the  armies  ;  and  there  are  still  to  be  seen  some  of  the  logs  and  stones  upon  the  shore  which 
formed  a  part  of  the  old  "  King's  Pwoad"  leading  to  the  fording-place.      They  are  now  sub- 


BlOODY    Kb'N. 


Fort  Miller  Fording-place. i 


'  This  view  is  taken  from  the  site  of  the  fort,  looking  northward.     The  fort  was  in  the  town  of  Northnm 
berland.     It  was  built  of  logs  and  earth,  and  was  never  a  post  of  great  importance 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


95 


Canal  Voyage  to  Fort  Edward. 


Scene  on  Board. 


Fort  Edward. 


National  Debt  of  England. 


merged,  the  river  having  been  made  deeper  by  the  dam  ;  but  when  the  water  is  limpid  they 
can  be  plainly  seen.  It  was  twilight  before  we  reached  the  village  on  the  eastern  shore 
We  supped  and  repaired  to  the  packet  office,  where  we  waited  until  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening  before  the  shrill  notes  of  a  tin  horn  brayed  out  the  annunciation  of  a  packet  near. 
Its  deck  was  covered  with  passengers,  for  the  interesting  ceremony  of  converting  the  dining- 
room  into  a  dormitory,  or  swinging  the  hammocks  or  berths  and  selecting  their  occupants,  . 
had  commenced,  and  all  were  driven  out,  much  to  their  own  comfort,  but,  strange  to  say, 
to  the  dissatisfaction  of  many  who  lazily  preferred  a  sweltering  lounge  in  the  cabin  to  the 
dehghts  of  fresh  air  and  the  bright  starlight.  Having  no  interest  in  the  scramble  for  beds, 
we  enjoyed  the  evening  breeze  and  the  excitement  of  the  tiny  tumult.  My  companion,  fear- 
ing the  exhalations  upon  the  night  air,  did  indeed  finally  seek  shelter  in  one  end  of  the  cabin, 
but  was  driven,  with  two  other  young  ladies,  into  the  captain's  state-room,  to  allow  the 
"  hands"  to  have  full  play  in  making  the  beds.  Imprisoned  against  their  will,  the  ladies 
made  prompt  restitution  to  themselves  by  drawing  the  cork  of  a  bottle  of  sarsaparilla  and 
sipping  its  contents,  greatly  to  the  consternation  of  a  meek  old  dame,  the  mother  of  one  of 

the  girls,  who  was  sure  it  was  "  bed-bug  pizen,  or  some- 
thing a  pesky  sight  worse."  We  landed  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward at  midnight,  and  took  lodgings  at  a  small  but 
tidily-kept  tavern  close  by  the  canal. 

Fort  Edward  was  a  military  post  of  considerable  im 
portance  during  the  French  and  Indian  wars  and  the 
Revolution. '  The  locality,  previouB  to  the  erection  of 
the  fortress,  was  called  the  first  carrymg-'place,  being 
the  first  and  nearest  point  on  the  Hudson  where  the 
troops,  stores,  &c.,  were  landed  while  passing  to  or  from 
the  south  end  of  Lake  Champlain,  a  distance  of  about 
twenty -five  miles.  The  fort  was  built  in  1755,  when 
six  thousand  troops  were  collected  there,  under  General 
Lyman,  waiting  the  arrival  of  General  Johnson,  the  com 
mander-in-chief  of  an  expedition  against  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point.  It  was  at  first  called  Fort  Lyman,  in 
Fort  Edward.-  honor  of  the  general  who  superintended  its  erection.      It 


'  I  refer  particularly  to  the  war  between  England  and  France,  commonly  called,  in  Europe,  the  Seven 
Years^  War.  It  was  declared  on  the  9th  of  June,  1756,  and  ended  with  the  treaty  at  Paris,  concluded 
and  signed  February  10th,  1763.  It  extended  to  the  colonies  of  the  two  nations  in  America,  and  was  car- 
ried on  with  much  vigor  here  until  the  victory  of  Wolfe  at  Quebec,  in  1759,  and  the  entire  subjugation  of 
Canada  by  the  English.  The  French  managed  to  enlist  a  large  proportion  of  the  Indian  tribes  in  their 
favor,  who  were  allied  with  them  against  the  Britons.  It  is  for  that  reason  that  the  section  of  the  Se.vin 
Years'  War  in  America  was  called  by  the  colonists  the  "  French  ^.^ 

and  Indian  War."  I  would  here  mention  incidentally  that  that 
war  cost  Great  Britain  five  hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  dol- 
lars, and  laid  one  of  the  largest  foundation  stones  of  that  national 
debt  under  which  she  now  groans.  It  was  twenty  millions  in 
the  reign  of  William  and  iNIary,  in  1697,  and  was  then  thought 
to  be  enormous  ;  in  1840  it  was  about  four  thousand  millions 
of  dollars  ! 

"  Explanation  :  a  a  a  a  a  a,  six  cannons  ;  A,  the  barracks  ; 
B,  the  store-house ;  C,  the  hospital ;  D,  the  magazine ;  E,  a 
flanker;  F,  a  bridge  across  Fort  Edward  Creek;  and  G,  a 
balm  of  Gilead  tree  which  then  overshadowed  the  massive 
water-gate.  That  tree  is  still  standing,  a  majestic  relic  of  the 
past,  amid  the  surrounding  changes  in  nature  and  art.  It  is 
directly  upon  the  high  bank  of  the  Hudson,  and  its  branches, 
heavily  foliated  when  1  was  there,  spread  very  high  and  wide. 
At  the  union  below  its  three  trunks  it  measures  more  than 
twenty  feet  in  circumference. 


GiLEAD  AT  Fort  Edward 


96  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Daring  Feat  of  Putnam  at  Fort  Edward.  Jane  M'Crea  Tree.  Sir  William  Johnson  and  his  Title.  Fortifications. 

was  built  of  logs  and  earth,  sixteen  feet  high  and  twenty-two  feet  thick,  and  stood  at  the 
junction  of  Fort  Edward  Creek  and  the  Hudson  River.  From  the  creek,  around  the  fort  to 
the  river,  was  a  deep  fosse  or  ditch,  designated  in  the  engraving  by  the  dark  dotted  part 
outside  of  the  black  lines. 

There  are  still  very  prominent  traces  of  the  banks  and  fosse  of  the  fort,  but  the  growing 
village  will  soon  spread  over  and  obliterate  them  forever.  Already  a  garden  was  within 
the  lines  ;  and  the  old  parade-ground,  wherein  Sir  William  Johnson  strutted  in  the  haughty 
pride  of  a  victor  by  accident,'  was  desecrated  by  beds  of  beets,  parsley,  radishes,  and  onions 

Fort  Edward  was  the  theater  of  another  daring  achievement  by  Putnam.  In  the  win- 
ter of  1756  the  barracks,  then  near  the  northwestern  bastion,  took  fire.  The  magazine  was 
only  twelve  feet  distant,  and  contair>ed  three  hundred  barrels  of  gunpowder.  Attempts  were 
made  to  batter  the  barracks  to  the  ground  with  heavy  cannons,  but  without  success.  Put- 
lam,  who  was  stationed  upon  Rogers's  Island,  in  the  Hudson,  opposite  the  fort,  hurried 
■.hither,  and,  taking  his  station  on  the  roof  of  the  barracks,  ordered  a  line  of  soldiers  to  hand 
him  water.  But,  despite  his  efforts,  the  flames  raged  and  approached  nearer  and  nearer  to 
the  magazine.  The  commandant.  Colonel  Haviland,  seeing  his  danger,  ordered  him  down  ; 
but  the  brave  major  did  not  leave  his  perilous  post  imtil  the  fabric  began  to  totter.  He 
then  leaped  to  the  ground,  placed  himself  between  the  falling  building  and  the  magazine, 
and  poured  on  water  with  all  his  might.  The  external  planks  of  the  magazine  jwere  con- 
sumed, and  there  was  only  a  thin  partition  between  the  flames  and  the  powder.  But  Put- 
nam succeeded  in  subduing  the  flames  and  saving  the  ammunition.  His  hands  and  face 
were  dreadfully  burned,  his  whole  body  was  more  or  less  blistered,  and  it  was  several  weeks 
before  he  recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  daring  conflict  with  the  fire. 

The  first  place  of  historic  interest  that  we  visited  at  Fort  Edward  was  the  venerable  and 
blasted  pine  tree  near  which,  tradition  asserts,  the  unfortunate  Jane  M'Crea  lost  her  life 
while  General  Burgoyne  had  his  encampment  near  Sandy  Hill.  It  stands  upon  the  west 
side  of  the  road  leading  from  Fort  Edward  to  Sandy  Hill,  and  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
canal-lock  in  the  former  village.  The  tree  had  exhibited  unaccountable  signs  of  decadence 
for  several  years,  and  when  we  visited  it,  it  was  sapless  and  bare.  Its  top  was  torn  off  by 
a  November  gale,  and  almost  every  breeze  diminishes  its  size  by  scattering  its  decayed  twigs. 
The  trunk  is  about  five  feet  in  diameter,  and  upon  the  bark  is  engraved,  in  bold  letters, 
Jane  M'Crea,  1777.  The  names  of  many  ambitious  visitors  are  intaglioed  upon  it,  and 
reminded  me  of  the  line  "  Run,  run,  Orlando,  carve  on  every  tree."  I  carefully  sketched 
all  its  branches,  and  the  engraving  is  a  faithful  portraiture  of  the  interesting  relic,  as  viewed 
I'rom  the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  In  a  few  years  this  tree,  around  which  history  and  ro- 
mance have  clustered  so  many  associations,  will  crumble  and  pass  away  forever.^ 

The  sad  story  of  the  unfortunate  girl  is  so  interwoven  in  our  history  that  it  has  become  a 
component  part ;   but  it  is  told  with  so  many  variations,  in  essential  and  non-essential  par- 

'  Sir  William  Johnson  had  command  of  the  Enorlish  forces  in  1755,  destined  to  act  against  Crown  Point 
He  was  not  remarkable  for  courage  or  activity.  He  was  attacked  at  the  south  end  of  Lake  George  by  the 
French  general,  Deiskau,  and  was  wounded  at  the  outset.  The  command  then  devolved  on  Major-general 
Lyman,  of  the  Connecticut  troops,  who,  by  his  skill  and  bravery,  secured  a  victory  over  the  French  and 
Indians.  General  Johnson,  however,  had  the  honor  and  reward  thereof.  In  his  mean  jealousy  he  gave 
General  Lyman  no  praise ;  and  the  British  king  (George  II.)  made  him  a  baronet,  and  a  present  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars  to  give  the  title  becoming  dignity, 
Note. — As  I  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to  employ  technical  terms  used  in  fortifications,  I  here  give  a  diagram,  which,  with 

the  explanation,  will  make  those  terms  clear  to  the  reader.    The  figure  is  a  vertical 
section  of  a  fortification.     The  mass  of  earth,  abcdefgh,  forms  the  rampart  with 
its  parapet ;  a  i  is  the  interior  slope  of  the  rampart ;  6  c  is  the  terre-plein  of  the  ram- 
1  part,  on  which  the  troops  and  cannon  are  jdaced  ;  d  e  is  the  banquette,  or  step,  on 

which  the  soldiers  mount  to  fire  over  the  parapet ;  efg  is  the  parapet ;  g  his  the 
exterior  slope  of  the  parapet;  hiia  the  revetment,  or  wall  of  masonry,  supporting  the  rampart ;  h  h,  the  exterior  front  covered 
with  the  revetment,  is  called  the  escarp ;  i  klmis  the  ditch  ;  I  m  is  the  counterscarp  ;  m  re  is  the  covered  way,  having  a  banquette 
nop;  s  r  is  the  glacis.  When  there  are  two  ditches,  the  works  between  the  inner  and  the  outer  ditch  are  called  ravelins,  and 
uU  outside  of  the  ditches,  outworks. — See  Brande's  Cyc,  art.  Fortification. 
^  It  was  cut  down  in  1853,  and  converted  into  canes,  boxes,  &c. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION 


ITie  Fort  Edward  Rcxnance. 


Mrs.  M'NeQ  and  her  Grand-daughter. 


Narrative  of  the  latter 


ticulars,  that  much  of  the  narratives  we  have  is  evidently  pure  fiction  ;  a  simple  tale  of  In- 
dian abduction,  resulting  in  death, 
having  its  counterpart  in  a  hund- 
red like  occurrences,  has  been  gar- 
nished with  all  the  high  coloring 
of  a  romantic  love  story.  It  seems 
a  pity  to  spoil  the  romance  of  the 
matter,  but  truth  always  makes  sad 
havoc  with  the  frost-work  of  the  im- 
agination, and  sternly  demands  the 
homage  of  the  historian's  pen. 

All  accounts  agree  that  Miss 
M'Crea  was  staying  at  the  house 
of  a  Mrs.  M'Neil,  near  the  fort,  at 
the  time  of  the  tragedy.  A  grand- 
daughter   of   Mrs.  M'Neil    (Mrs 

F — n)  is  now  living  at  Fort 

Edward,  and  from  her  I  re- 
ceived a  minute  account  .of  the 
whole  transaction,  as  she  had  heard 
it  a  "  thousand  times"  from  her 
grandmother.  She  is  a  woman  of 
remarkable  intelligence,  about  sixty 
years  old.  AVhen  I  was  at  Fort 
Edward  she  was  on  a  visit  with 
her  sister  at  Glenn's  Falls.  It  had 
been  my  intention  to  go  direct  to 
Whitehall,  on  Lake  Champlam 
by  way  of  Fort  Ann,  but  the  tra- 
ditionary accounts  in  the  neigh 


Jane  M'Ckea  Trf.e,  Fort  Edward. 

Dorhood  of  the  event  in  question  were  so  contradictory  of  the  books,  and  I  received  such  as- 
surances that  perfect  reliance  might  be  placed  upon  the  statements  of  Mrs.  F — n,  that,  anx- 
ious to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  matter,  if  possible,  we  went  to  Lake  Champlain  by  way  oi 
Glenn's  Falls  and  Lake  George.  After  considerable  search  at  the  falls,  I  found  Mrs.  F — n, 
and  the  following  is  her  relation  of  the  tragedy  at  Fort  Edward  . 

Jane  M'Crea  was  the  daughter  of  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  clergyman  of  Jersey  City,  oppo 
site  New  York  ;  and  while  Mrs.  M'Neil  (then  the  wife  of  a  former  husband  named  Camp- 
bell) was  a  resident  of  New  York  City,  an  acquaintance  and  intimacy  had  grown  up  between 
Jenny  and  her  daughter.  After  the  death  of  Campbell  (which  occurred  at  sea)  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell married  M'Neil.      He,  tco,  was  lost  at  sea,  and  she  removed  with  her  family  to  an  estate 

G 


98  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Residence  of  Jane  M'Crea  at  Fort  Edward.  Her  Betrothal.  Abduction  of  Mrs.  M'Keil  and  Jane. 

owned  by  him  at  Fort  Edward.  Mr.  M'Crea,  who  was  a  widower,  died,  and  Jane  went  to 
live  with  her  brother  near  Fort  Edward,  where  the  intimacy  of  former  years  with  Mrs. 
M'Neil  and  her  daughter  was  renewed,  and  Jane  spent  much  of  her  time  at  Mrs.  M'Neil's 
house.  Near  her  brother's  Hved  a  family  named  Jones,  consisting  of  a  widow  and  six  sons, 
and  between  Jenny  and  David  Jones,  a  gay  young  man,  a  feding  of  friendship  budded  and 
ripened  into  reciprocal  love.  When  the  war  broke  out  the  Joneses  took  the  royal  side  of  the 
question,  and  David  and  his  brother  Jonathan  went  to  Canada  in  the  autumn  of  1776. 
They  raised  a  company  of  about  sixty  men,  under  pretext  of  re-enforcing  the  American  gar- 
rison at  Ticonderoga,  but  they  went  further  down  the  lake  and  joined  the  British  garrison  at 
June  1  Crown  Point.  When  Burgoyne  collected  his  forces  at  St.  John's,  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
^^^''^-  Champlain,  David  and  Jonathan  Jones  were  among  them.  Jonathan  was  made 
captain  and  David  a  lieutenant  in  the  division  under  General  Eraser,  and  at  the  time  in  ques- 
tion they  were  with  the  British  army  near  Sandy  Hill.  Thus  far  all  accounts  nearly  agree. 
The  brother  of  Jenny  was  a  Whig,  and  prepared  to  move  to  Albany  ;  but  Mrs.  M'Neil, 
who  was  a  cousin  of  General  Eraser  (killed  at  Stillwater),  was  a  stanch  loyalist,  and  intended 
to  remain  at  Fort  Edward.  When  the  British  were  near,  Jenny  was  at  Mrs.  M'Neil's,  and 
lingered  there  even  after  repeated  solicitations  from  her  brother  to  return  to  his  house,  five 
miles  further  down  the  river,  to  be  ready  to  flee  when  necessity  should  compel.  A  faint 
hope  that  she  might  meet  her  lover  doubtless  was  the  secret  of  her  tarrying.      At  last  her 

brother  sent  a  peremptory  order  for  her  to  join 
him,  and  she  promised  to  go  down  in  a  large 
bateau'  which  was  expected  to  leave  with 
several  families  on  the  following  day. 

Early  the  next  morning  a  black  j^iy  37, 
servant  boy  belonging  to  Mrs.  M'Neil  ■'^^^^• 
espied  some  Indians  stealthily  approaching  the 
house,  and,  giving  the  alarm  to  the  inmates, 
he  fled  to  the  fort,  about  eighty  rods  distant. 
Mrs.  M'Neil's  daughter,  the  young  friend  of  Jenny,  and  mother  of  my  informant,  was  with 
some  friends  in  Argyle,  and  the  family  consisted  of  only  the  widow  and  Jenny,  two  small 
children,  and  a  black  female  servant.  As  usual  at  that  time,  the  kitchen  stood  a  few  feet 
from  the  house  ;  and  when  the  alarm  was  given  the  black  woman  snatched  up  the  children, 
fled  to  the  kitchen,  and  retreated  through  a  trap-door  to  the  cellar."  Mrs.  M'Neil  and  Jenny 
followed,  but  the  former  being  aged  and  very  corpulent,  and  the  latter  young  and  agile,  Jenny 
reached  the  trap-door  first.  Before  Mrs.  M'Neil  could  fully  descend,  the  Indians  were  in 
the  house,  and  a  powerful  savage  seized  her  by  the  hair  and  dragged  her  up.  Another 
went  into  the  cellar  and  brought  out  Jenny,  but  the  black  face  of  the  negro  woman  was 
not  seen  in  the  dark,  and  she  and  the  children  remained  unharmed. 

With  the  two  women  the  savages  started  off^,  on  the  road  toward  Sandy  Hill,  for  Bur- 
goyne's  camp  ;  and  when  they  came  to  the  foot  of  the  ascent  on  which  the  pi^e  tree  stands, 
where  the  road  forked,  they  caught  two  horses  that  were  grazing,  and  attempted  to  place 
their  prisoners  upon  them.  Mrs.  M'Neil  was  too  heavy  to  be  lifted  on  the  horse  easily,  and 
as  she  signified  by  signs  that  she  could  not  ride,  two  stout  Indians  took  her  by  the  arms  and 
hurried  her  up  the  road  over  the  hill,  while  the  others,  with  Jenny  on  the  horse,  went  along 
the  road  running  west  of  the  tree. 

The  negro  boy  who  ran  to  the  fort  gave  the  alarm,  and  a  small  detachment  was  imme- 

'  Bateaux  were  rudely  constructed  of  loirs  and  planks,  broad  and  without  a  keel.  They  had  small  draught, 
and  would  carry  large  loads  in  quite  shallow  water.  In  still  water  and  against  currents  they  were  pro- 
pelled by  long  driving-poles.  The  ferry-scows  or  flats  on  the  southern  and  western  rivers  are  very  much 
like  the  old  bateaux.  They  were  sometimes  furnished  with  a  mast  for  lakes  and  other  deep  water,  and 
had  cabins  erected  on  them. 

'  Traces  of  this  cellar  and  of  th- ;  foundation  of  the  house  are  still  visible  in  the  garden  of  Dr.  Norton,  in 
Fort  Edward  village,  who  is  a  relative  of  the  family  by  marriage. 


A  River  Bateau. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


99 


Flight  of  the  Indians  toward  Sandy  Hill.        Treatment  of  Mrs.  M'Neil.        Indian  Account  of  the  Death  of  Jane.        The  Spring. 

diately  sent  out  to  effect  a  rescue.  They  fired  several  volleys  at  the  Indians,  but  the  sav- 
ages escaped  unharmed.  Mrs.  M'Neil  said  that  the  Indians,  who  were  hurrying  her  up  the 
hill,  seemed  to  watch  the  flash  of  the  guns,  and  several  times  they  threw  her  upon  her  face 
at  the  same  time  falling  down  themseh'^es,  and  she  distinctly  heard  the  balls  whistle  above 
them.  When  they  got  above"  the  second  hill  from  the  village  the  firing  ceased  ;  they-  then 
stopped,  stripped  her  of  all  her  garments  except  her  chemise,  and  in  that  plight  led  her  into 
the  British  camp.  There  she  met  her  kinsman,  General  Fraser,  and  reproached  him  bit- 
terly for  sending  his  "  scoiuidrel  Indians"  after  her.  He  denied  all  knowledge  of  her  being 
away  from  the  city  of  New  York,  and  took  every  pains  to  make  her  comfortable.  She  was 
so  large  that  not  a  woman  in  camp  had  a  goAvn  big  enough  for  her,  so  Fraser  lent  her  his 
camp-coat  for  a  garment,  and  a  pocket-handkerchief  as  a  substitute  for  her  stolen  cap. 

Very  soon  after  Mrs.  M'Neil  was  taken  into  the  British  camp,  two  parties  of  Indians  ar- 
rived with  scalps.  She  at  once  recognised  the  long  glossy  hair  of  Jenny,'  and,  though  shud- 
dering with  horror,  boldly  charged  the  savages  with  her  murder,  which  they  stoutly  denied. 

They  averred  that,  while  hurrying  her  along  the  road  on 
horseback,  near  the  spring  west  of  the  j^ine  tree,  a  bullet 
from  one  of  the  American  guns,  intended  for  them,  mortally 
wounded  the  poor  girl,  and  she  fell  from  the  horse.  Sure 
of  losing  a  prisoner  by  death,  they  took  her  scalp  as  the  next 
best  thing  for  them  to  do,  and  that  they  bore  in  triumph  to 
the  camp,  to  obtain  the  promised  reward  for  such  trophies. 
Mrs.  M'Neil  always  believed  the  story  of  the  Indians  to  be 
true,  for  she  knew  that  they  were  fired  upon  by  the  detach 
ment  from  the  fort,  and  it  was  far  more  to  their  interest  to 
carry  a  prisoner  than  a  scalp  to  the  British  commander,  the 
price  for  the  former  being  much  greater.  In  fact,  the  In- 
dians were  so  restricted  by  Burgoyne's  humane  instructione 
respecting  the  taking  of  scalps,  that  their  chief  solicitude 
was  to  bring  a  prisoner  alive  and  unharmed  into  the  camp.' 
And  the  probability  that  Miss  M'Crea  was  killed  as  they 
alleged  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  they  took  the  cor- 
pulent Mrs.  M'Neil,  with  much  fatigue  and  diflliculty,  un- 
injured to  the  British  lines,  while  Miss  M'Crea,  quite  light 
and  already  on  horseback,  might  have  been  carried  off  with  far  greater  ease. 

It  was  known  in  camp  that  Lieutenant  J«nes  was  betrothed  to  Jenny,  and  the  story  got 
abroad  that  he  had  sent  the  Indians  for  her,  that  they  quarreled  on  the  way  respecting  the 
reward  he  had  offered,  and  murdered  her  to  settle  the  dispute.  Receiving  high  touches  of 
coloring  as  it  went  from  one  narrator  to  another,  the  sad  story  became  a  tale  of  darkest  hor- 
ror, and  produced  a  deep  and  wide-spread  indignation.  This  was  heightened  by  September  o, 
a  published  letter  from  Gates  to  Burgoyne,  charging  him  with  allowing  the  In-  ^'^^^• 

'  It  was  of  extraordinary  length  and  beauty,  measuring  a  yard  and  a  quarter.  She  was  then  about 
twenty  years  old,  and  a  very  lovely  girl ;  not  lovely  in  beauty  of  face,  according  to  the  common  standard 
of  beauty,  but  so  lovely  in  disposition,  so  graceful  in  manners,  and  so  intelligent  in  features,  that  she  was 
a  favorite  of  all  who  knew  her. 

'  "  I  positively  forbid  bloodshed  when  you  are  not  opposed  in  arms.  Aged  men,  women,  children,  and 
prisoners  must  be  held  sacred  from  the  knife  and  hatchet,  even  in  the  time  of  actual  conflict.  You  shall 
receive  compensation  for  the  prisoners  you  take,  but  you  shall  be  called  to  account  for  scalps.  In  con- 
formity and  indulgence  of  your  customs,  which  have  affixed  an  idea  of  honor  to  such  badpes  of  victory,  you 
shall  be  allowed  to  take  the  scalps  of  the  dead  when  killed  by  your  fire  and  in  fair  opposition  ;  but  on  no 
account,  or  pretense,  or  subtilty,  or  prevarication  are  they  to  be  taken  from  the  wounded,  or  even  the  dy- 
ing ;  and  still  less  pardonable,  if  possible,  will  it  be  held  to  kill  men  in  that  condition  on  purpose,  and  upon 
a  supposition  that  this  protection  to  the  wounded  would  be  thereby  evaded.'" — Extract  from  the  Speech  of 
Burgoyne  to  the  Indians  assembled  upon  the  Bouquet  River,  June  21,  1777. 

'  This  is  a  view  of  a  living  spring,  a  few  feet  below  the  noted  pine  tree,  the  lower  portion  of  which  is 
seen  near  the  top  of  the  engraving.     The  spring  is  beside  the  old  road,  traces  of  which  may  be  seen. 


'""^^K 


The  Spring. 3 


100  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Massacre  of  the  Allen  Family.     Gates's  Letter.     Inquiry  respecting  the  Death  of  Miss  M'Crea.    Desertion  of  Lieutenant  Jones 

dians  to  butcher  with  impunity  defenseless  women  and  children.  "  Upward  of  one  hund- 
red men,  women,  and  children,"  said  Gates,  "  have  perished  by  the  hands  of  the  ruffians,  to 
whom,  it  is  asserted,  you  have  paid  the  price  of  blood."  Burgoyne  flatly  denied  this  asser- 
tion, and  declared  that  the  case  of  Jane  M'Crea  was  the  only  act  of  Indian  cruelty  of  which 
he  was  informed.  His  information  must  have  been  exceedingly  limited,  for  on  the  same 
day  when  Jenny  lost  her  life  a  party  of  savages  murdered  the  whole  family,  of  John  Allen, 
of  Argyle,  consisting  of  himself,  his  wife,  three  children,  a  sister-in-law,  and  three  negroes. 
The  daughter  of  Mrs.  M'Neil,  already  mentioned,  was  then  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Allen's 
father-in-law,  Mr.  Gilmer,  who,  as  well  as  Mr.  Allen,  was  a  Tory.  Both  were  afraid  of 
the  savages,  nevertheless,  and  were  preparing  to  flee  to  Albany.  On  the  morning  of  the 
massacre  a  younger  daughter  of  Mr.  Gilmer  went  to  assist  Mrs.  Allen  in  preparing  to  move. 
Not  returning  when  expected,  her  father  sent  a  negro  boy  down  for  her.  He  soon  returned, 
screaming,  "  They  are  all  dead — father,  mother,  young  missus,  and  all  I"  It  was  too  true. 
That  morning,  while  the  family  were  at  breakfast,  the  Indians  burst  in  upon  them  and 
slaughtered  every  one.  Mr.  Gilmer  and  his  family  left  in  great  haste  for  Fort  Edward, 
but  proceeded  very  cautiously  for  fear  of  the  savages.  When  near  the  fort,  and  creeping 
warily  along  a  ravine,  they  discovered  a  portion  of  the  very  party  who  had  plundered  Mrs. 
M'Neil's  house  in  the  morning.  They  had  emptied  the  straw  from  the  beds  and  filled  the 
ticks  with  stolen  articles.  Mrs.  M'Neil's  daughter,  who  accompanied  the  fugitive  family, 
saw  her  mother's  looking-glass  tied  upon  the  back  of  one  of  the  savages.  They  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  fort  in  safety. 

Burgoyne  must  soon  have  forgotten  this  event  and  the  alarm  among  the  loyalists  because 
of  the  murder  of  a  Tory  and  his  family  ;  forgotten  how  they  flocked  to  his  camp  for  protec- 
tion, and  Fraser's  remark  to  the  frightened  loyalists,  "It  is  a  conquered  country,  and  we 
must  wink  at  these  things  ;"  and  how  his  own  positive  orders  to  the  Indians,  not  to  molest 
those  having  protection,  caused  many  of  them  to  leave  him  and  return  to  their  hunting- 
grounds  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  It  was  all  dark  and  dreadful,  and  Burgoyne  was  willing  to 
retreat  behind  a  false  assertion,  to  escape  the  perils  which  were  sure  to  grow  out  of  an  ad- 
mission of  half  the  truth  of  Gates's  letter.  That  letter,  as  Sparks  justly  remarks,  was  more 
ornate  than  forcible,  and  abounded  more  in  bad  taste  than  simplicity  and  pathos  ;  yet  it  was 
suited  to  the  feelings  of  the  moment,  and  produced  a  lively  impression  in  every  part  of  Amer- 
ica. Burke,  in  the  exercise  of  all  his  glowing  eloquence,  used  the  story  with  powerful  effect 
in  the  British  House  of  Commons,  and  made  the  dreadful  tale  familiar  throughout  Europe. 

Burgoyne,  who  was  at  Fort  Ann,  instituted  an  inquiry  into  the  matter.  He  summoned 
the  Indians  to  council,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  man  who  bore  off"  the  scalp,  to 
be  punished  as  a  murderer.  Lieutenant  Jones  denied  all  knowledge  of  the  matter,  and  ut- 
terly disclaimed  any  such  participation  as  the  sending  of  a  letter  to  Jenny,  or  of  an  Indian 
escort  to  bring  her  to  camp.  He  had  no  motive  for  so  doing,  for  the  American  army  was 
then  retreating  ;  a  small  guard  only  was  at  Fort  Edward,  and  in  a  day  or  two  the  British 
would  have  full  possession  of  that  fort,  when  he  could  have  a  personal  interview  with  her. 
Burgoyne,  instigated  by  motives  of  policy  rather  than  by  judgment  and  inclination,  pardoned 
the  savage  who  scalped  poor  Jenny,  fearing  that  a  total  defection  of  the  Indians  would  be 
the  result  of  his  punishment.' 

Lieutenant  Jones,  chilled  with  horror  and  broken  in  spirit  by  the  event,  tendered  a  resig- 
nation of  his  commission,  but  it  was  refused.  He  purchased  the  scalp  of  his  Jenny,  and 
with  this  cherished  memento  deserted,  with  his  brother,  before  the  army  reached  Saratoga, 
and  retired  to  Canada.  Various  accounts  have  been  given  respecting  the  subsequent  fate 
of  Lieutenant  Jones.  Some  assert  that,  perfectly  desperate  and  careless  of  life,  he  rushed 
into  the  thickest  of  the  battle  on  Bemis's  Heights,  and  was  slain  ;  while  others  allege  that 
he  died  within  three  years  afterward,  heart-broken  and  insane.  But  neither  assertion  is 
true.      While  searching  for  Mrs.  F — n  among  her  friends  at  Glenn's  Falls,  I  called  at  the 

'  Earl  of  Harrington's  Evidence  in  Burgoyne's  ^^ State  of  the  Expedition,'^  p.  66. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  IQI 


Eftect  of  Miss  M'Crea's  Death  on  Lieutenant  Jones.     Attack  of  Indians  upon  American  Troops.      Reinterment  of  Miss  M'Crea 

house  of  Judge  R — s,  whose  lady  is  related  by  marriage  to  the  family  of  Jones.  Her  aunt 
married  a  brother  of  Lieutenant  Jones,  and  she  often  heard  this  lady  speak  of  him.  He 
lived  in  Canada  to  be  an  old  man,  and  died  but  a  few  years  ago.  The  death  of  Jenny  was 
a  heavy  blow,  and  he  never  recovered  from  it.  In  youth  he  was  gay  and  exceedingly  gar- 
rulous, but  after  that  terrible  event  he  was  melancholy  and  taciturn.  He  never  married, 
and  avoided  society  as  much  as  business  would  permit.  Toward  the  close  of  July  in  every 
year,  when  the  anniversary  of  the  tragedy  approached,  he  would  shut  himself  in  his  room 
and  refuse  the  sight  of  any  one  ;  and  at  all  times  his  friends  avoided  any  reference  to  the 
Revolution  in  his  presence. 

At  the  time  of  this  tragical  event  the  American  army  under  General  Schuyler  was  en- 
camped at  Moses's  Creek,  five  miles  below  Fort  Edward.  One  of  its  two  divisions  was 
placed  under  the  command  of  Arnold,  who  had  just  reached  the  army.  His  divi-  juiy  23_ 
sion  included  the  rear-guard  left  at  the  fort.  A  picket-guard  of  one  hundred  men,  ■'■'^"• 
under  Lieutenant  Van  Vechten,  was  stationed  on  the  hill  a  little  north  of  the  pine  tree  ; 
and  at  the  moment  when  the  house  of  Mrs.  M'Neil  was  attacked  and  plundered,  and  her 
self  and  Jenny  were  carried  off,  other  parties  of  Indians,  belonging  to  the  same  expedition, 
came  rushing  through  the  woods  from  different  points,  and  fell  upon  the  Americans.  Lieu- 
tenant Van  Vechten  and  several  others  were  killed  and  their  scalps  borne  off.  Their  bodies, 
with  that  of  Jenny,  were  found  by  the  party  that  went  out  from  the  fort  in  pursuit.  She 
and  the  officer  were  lying  near  together,  close  by  the  spring  already  mentioned,  and  only  a 
few  feet  from  the  pine  tree.  They  were  stripped  of  clothing,  for  plunder  was  the  chief  in- 
centive of  the  savages  to  war.  They  were  borne  immediately  to  the  fort,  which  the  Amer- 
icans at  once  evacuated,  and  Jane  did  indeed  go  down  the  river  in  the  bateau  in  which  she 
had  intended  to  embark,  but  not  glowing  with  life  and  beauty,  as  was  expected  by  her  fond 
brother.  With  the  deepest  grief,  he  took  charge  of  her  mutilated  corse,  which  was  buried 
at  the  same  time  and  place  with  that  of  the  lieutenant,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson., 
near  the  mouth  of  a  small  creek  about  three  miles  below  Fort  Edward. 

Mrs.  M'Neil  lived  many  years,  and  was  buried  in  the  small  village  cemetery,  very  near 
the  ruins  of  the  fort.  In  the  summer  of  1826  the  remains  of  Jenny  were  taken  up  and  de- 
posited in  the  same  grave  with  her.  They  were  followed  by  a  long  train  of  young  men  and 
maidens,  and  the  funeral  ceremonies  were  conducted  by  the  eloquent  but  unfortunate  Hooper 
Cummings,  of  Albany,  at  that  time  a  brilliant  light  in  the  American  pulpit,  but  destined, 
like  a  glowing  meteor,  to  go  suddenly  do^vn  into  darkness  and  gloom.  Many  who  were  then 
young  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  pathetic  discourse  of  that  gifted  man,  who  on  that  oc- 
casion "  made  all  Fort  Edward  weep,"  as  he  delineated  anew  the  sorrowful  picture  of  the 
immolation  of  youth  and  innocence  upon  the  horrid  altar  of  war. 

A  plain  white  marble  slab,  about  three  feet  high, 
with  the  simple  inscription  Jane  M'Crea,  marks 
the  spot  of  her  interment.  Near  by,  as  seen  in  the 
picture,  is  an  antique  brown  stone  slab,  erected  to 
the  memory  of  Duncan  Campbell,  a  relative  of  Mrs. 
M'Neil's  first  husband,  who  was  mortally  wounded 
at  Ticonderoga  in  1758.*  Several  others  of  the 
same  name  lie  near,  members  of  the  family  of  Don- 
ald Campbell,  a  brave  Scotchman  who  was  with 
Montgomery  at  the  storming  of  Quebec  in  1775. 
"VVe  lingered  long  in  the  cool  shade  at  the  spring  before  departing  for  the  village  burial- 
ground  where  the  remains  of  Jenny  rest.      As  we  emerged  from  the  woods  we  saw  two  or 

^  The  following  is  the  inscription  : 

Here  Lyes  The  Body  of  Duncan  Campbell,  of  Inversaw.  Esqr.,  Major  to  the  Old  Highland 
Regt.,  Aged  55  Years,  Who  Died  The  17th  July,  1758.  of  The  Wounds  He  Received  in  tut 
Attack  of  The  Retrenchments  of  Ticonderoga  or  Carillon  the  8th  July,  1758. 


102 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Young  Girl  struck  by  Lightning.  Village  Burial-ground.  Colonel  Cochran  and  his  Adventures.  Rogers's  Island. 


three  persons  with  a  horse  and  wagon,  slowly  ascending  the  hill  from  the  village.  In  the 
wagon,  upon  a  mattress,  was  a  young  girl  who  had  been  struck  by  lightning,  two  days  be- 
fore, while  drawing  water  from  a  well.'  Although  alive,  her  senses  were  all  paralyzed  by 
the  shock,  and  her  sorrowing  father  was  carrying  her  home,  perhaps  to  die.  With  brief 
words  of  consoling  hope,  we  stepped  up  and  looked  upon  the  stricken  one.  Her  breathing 
was  soft  and  slow — a  hectic  glow  was  upon  each  cheek  ;  but  all  else  of  her  fair  young  face 
was  pale  as  alabaster  except  her  lips.  It  was  grievous,  even  to  a  stranger,  to  look  upon  a 
young  life  so  suddenly  prostrated,  and  we  turned  sadly  away  to  go  to  the  grave  of  another, 
who  in  the  bloom  of  young  womanhood  was  also  smitten  to  the  earth,  not  by  the  lightning 
from  Heaven,  but  by  the  arm  of  warring  man. 

The  village  burial-ground  is  near  the  site  of  the  fort,  and  was  thickly  strewn  with  wild 
flowers.  We  gathered  a  bouquet  from  the  grave  of  Jenny,  and  preserved  it  for  the  eye  of 
the  curious  in  an  impromptu  herbarium  made  of  a  city  newspaper.  A  few  feet  from  her 
"  narrow  house"  is  the  grave  of  Colonel  Robert  Cochran,  whom  I  have 
already  mentioned  as  commanding  a  detachment  of  militia  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  surrender.  He  was  a  brave  officer,  and 
was  warmly  attached  to  the  American  cause.  In  1778  he  was  sent  to 
Canada  as  a  spy.  'His  errand  being  suspected,  a  large  bounty  was  offered 
for  his  head.  He  was  obliged  to  conceal  himself,  and  while  doing  so  at 
one  time  in  a  brush-heap,  he  was  taken  dangerously  ill.  Hunger  and  dis- 
ease made  him  venture  to  a  log  cabin  in  sight.  As  he  approached  he 
heard  three  men  and  a  woman  conversing  on  the  subject  of  the  reward  for 
his  head,  and  discovered  that  they  were  actually  forming  plans  for  his  cap- 
ture. The  men  soon  left  the  cabin  in  pursuit  of  him,  and  he  immediately 
crept  into  the  presence  of  the  woman,  who  was  the  wife  of  one  of  the  men,  frankly  told  her 
his  name,  and  asked  her  protection.  That  she  kindly  promised  him,  and  gave  him  some 
nourishing  food  and  a  bed  to  rest  upon.  The  men  returned  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours, 
and  she  concealed  Cochran  in  a  cupboard,  where  he  overheard  expressions  of  their  confident 
anticipations  that  before  another  sun  they  would  have  the  rebel  spy,  and  claim  the  reward. 
They  refreshed  themselves,  and  set  off  again  in  search  of  him.  The  kind  woman  directed  him 
to  a  place  of  concealment,  some  distance  from  her  cabin,  where  she  fed  and  nourished  him  until 
he  was  able  to  travel,  and  then  he  escaped  beyond  the  British  lines.  Several  years  afterward, 
when  the  war  had  closed,  the  colonel  lived  at  Ticonderoga,  and  there  he  accidentally  met  his 
deliverer,  and  rewarded  her  handsomely  for  her  generous  fidelity  in  the  cause  of  suflering 
humanity.      Colonel  Cochran  died  in  1812,  at  Sandy  Hill,  and  was  buried  at  Fort  Edward. 

It  was  hot  noon  when  I  left  the  village  cemetery,  and  took  shelter  under  the  shadow 
of  the  venerable  balm  of  Gilead  tree  at  the  place  of  the  water-gate  of  the  fort.      A  few  rods  be- 
low is  the  mouth  of  Fort  Edward  Creek,  on 
'"^  the  south  of  which  the  British  army  were 


Mouth  of  Fort  Edwakd  Ckeek.* 


encamped  when  Burgoyne  tarried  there  to 
send  an  expedition  to  Bennington,  and,  aft- 
er that  disastrous  affair,  to  recruit  and  dis- 
cipline his  forces.  Dividing  the  waters  of 
the  Hudson  in  front  of  the  fort  is  Rogers's 
Island,  a  beautiful  and  romantic  spot,  which 
was  used  as  a  camp-ground  by  the  English 
and  French  alternately  during  the  French 
and  Indian  war.      Almost  every  year  the 


'  This  mournful  event  occurred  in  the  village,  very  near  the  same  spot  where,  a  year  before,  five  men 
in  a  store  were  instantly  killed  by  one  thunder-bolt. 

^  This  sketch  is  taken  from  within  the  intrenchments  of  Fort  Edward,  near  the  magazine,  looking  south- 
west. On  the  left,  just  beyond  the  balm  of  Gilead  tree,  is  seen  the  creek,  and  on  the  right,  across  the 
water,  Rogers's  Island. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


10 


Relics  found  on  Rogers's  Island. 


A  remarkable  Skull. 


Silver  Coin  found  at  Fort  Edward 


plow  turns  up  some  curious  relics  of  the  past  upon  the  island,  such  as  bayonets,  tomahawks, 
buttons,  bullets,  cannon-balls,  coin,  arrow-heads,  &c.  Dr.  Norton,  of  Fort  Edward,  pave 
me  a  skull  that  had  been  exhumed  there,  which  is  remarkable  for  its 
excessive  thickness  ;  not  so  thick,  hoAvever,  as  to  resist  the  force  of  a 
musket-ball  which  penetrated  it,  and  doubtless  deprived  its  owner  of 
life.  It  is  three  eighths  of  an  inch  thick  where  the  bullet  entered  in 
front,  and,  notAvithstanding  its  long  inhumation,  the  sutures  are  per- 
fect. Its  form  is  that  of  the  negro,  and  it  probably  belonged  to  the 
servant  of  some  officer  stationed  there. 

The  silver  coin  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Edward  is  called  by  the  people 

The  derivation  of  this  name  I  could 
obtained  two  pieces  of  it,  both  of  which  are  Spanish 
coin.  The  larger  one  is  a  cross-pistareen,  of  the  value 
of  sixteen  cents  ;  the  other  is  a  quarter  fraction  of  the 
same  coin.  They  are  very  irregular  in  form,  and  the 
devices  and  dates  are  quite  imperfect.  The  two  in 
my  possession  are  dated  respectively  1741,  1743 
These  Spanish  small  coins  composed  the  bulk  of  specie 
circulation  amonjr  the  French  in  Canada  at  that  time 


cob  money." 
not  learn.      I 


Two  Sihes  of  a  Cros.s-pistaeeeii. 


104  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


RU1»  from  Fort  Edward  to  Glenn's  Falls.  Appearance  of  the  Country.  Interesting  Character  of  the  Region. 


CHAPTER  V. 

"  Though  of  the  past  from  no  carved  shrines. 
Canvass,  or  deathless  lyres,  we  learn, 
Yet  arbor'd  streams  and  shadowy  pines 

Are  hung  with  legends  wild  and  stern  : 
In  deep  dark  glen — on  mountain  side. 

Are  graves  whence  stately  pines  have  sprung, 
Naught  telling  how  the  victims  died. 
Save  faint  tradition's  faltering  tongue." 

Street. 

E  dined  at  three,  and  immediately  left  the  pleasant  little 
•    village  of  Fort  Edward  in  a  barouche  for  Glenn's  Falls,  by 


the  way  of  Sandy  Hill,  a  distance  of  six  miles.  The  latter  village 
is  beautifully  situated  upon  the  high  left  bank  of  the  Hudson,  where  the 
river  makes  a  sudden  sweep  fi'om  an  easterly  to  a  southerly  course. 
^^  Here  is  the  termination  of  the  Hudson  Valley,  and  above  it  the  river 
courses  its  way  in  a  narrow  channel,  among  rugged  rocks  and  high,  wooden 
bluffs,  through  as  wild  and  romantic  a  region  as  the  most  enthusiastic 
traveler  could  desire. 
It  was  early  in  the  afternoon  when  we  reached  the  Mansion  House  at  Glenn's 
Falls,  near  the  cataract.  All  was  bustle  and  confusion,  for  here  is  the  brief 
tarrying-place  of  fashionable  tourists  on  their  way  from  Saratoga  Springs  to  Lake  George. 
There  was  a  constant  arrival  and  departure  of  visitors.  Few  remained  longer  than  to  dine 
or  sup,  view  the  falls  at  a  glance,  and  then  hasten  away  to  the  grand  summer  lounge  at 
Caldwell,  to  hunt,  fish,  eat,  drink,  dance,  and  sleep  to  their  heart's  content.  We  were 
thoroughly  wearied  by  the  day's  ramble  and  ride,  but  time  was  too  precious  to  allow  a  mo- 
ment of  pleasant  weather  to  pass  by  unimproved.  Comforted  by  the  anticipation  of  a  Sab- 
bath rest  the  next  day,  we  brushed  the  dust  from  our  clothes,  made  a  hasty  toilet,  and  started 
out  to  view  the  falls,  and  search  for  the  tarrying-place  of  Mrs.  F — n,  of  Fort  Edward. 

Here  the  whole  aspect  of  things  is  changed.  Hitherto  our  journey  had  been  among  the 
quiet  and  beautiful ;  now  every  thing  in  nature  was  turbulent  and  grand.  The  placid  river 
was  here  a  foaming  cataract,  and  gentle  slopes,  yellow  with  the  ripe  harvest,  were  exchanged 
for  high,  broken  hills,  some  rocky  and  bare,  others  green  with  the  oak  and  pine  or  dark  with 
the  cedar  and  spruce.  Here  nature,  histoiy,  and  romance  combine  to  interest  and  please, 
and  geology  spreads  out  one  of  its  most  wonderful  pages  for  the  scrutiny  of  the  student  and 
philosopher.  All  over  those  rugged  hills  Indian  warriors  and  hunters  scouted  for  ages  before 
the  pale  face  made  his  advent  among  them  ;  and  the  slumbering  echoes  were  often  awaken- 
ed in  the  last  century  by  the  crack  of  musketry  and  the  roar  of  cannon,  mingled  with  the 
loud  war-hoop  of  the  Huron,  the  Iroquois,  the  Algonquin,  the  Mohegan,  the  Delaware,  the 
Adirondack,  and  the  Mohawk,  when  the  French  and  English  battled  for  mastery  in  the  vast 
forests  that  skirted  the  lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence.  Here,  arr^id  the  roar  of  this  very  cataract, 
if  romance  may  be  believed,  the  voice  of  Uncas,  the  last  of  the  Mohegans,  was  heard  and 
heeded  ;  here  Hawk  Eye  kept  his  vigils  ;  here  David  breathed  his  nasal  melody  ;  and  here 
Duncan  Heyward,  with  his  lovely  and  precious  wards,  Alice  and  Cora  Monroe,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  dark  and  bitter  Min^o  chief 


^  See  Cooper's  "  Last  of  the  Mohicans.'' 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION 


105 


Scenery  about  the  Falls. 


'  Indian  Cave"  and  "  Big  Snake." 


Departure  for  Lake  Qoorge 


The  natural  scenery  about  the  falls  is  very  picturesque,  but  the  accompaniments  of  puny 
art  are  exceedingly  incongruous,  sinking  the  grand  and  beautiful  into  mere  burlesque.  How 
expertly  the  genius  of  man,  quickened  by  acquisitiveness,  fuses  the  beautiful  and  useful  in 
the  crucible  of  gain,  and,  by  the  subtle  alchemy  of  profit,  transmutes  the  glorious  cascade 
and  its  fringes  of  rock  and  shrub  into  broad  arable  acres,  or  lofty  houses,  or  speeding  ships, 
simply  by  catching  the  bright  stream  in  the  toils  of  a  mill-wheel.  Such  meshes  are  here 
spread  out  on  every  side  to  ensnare  the  leaping  Hudson,  and  the  rickety  buildings,  the  clat- 
ter of  machinery,  and  the  harsh  grating  of  saws,  slabbing  the  huge  black  marble  rocks  of  the 
shores  into  city  mantels,  make  horrid  dissonance  of  that  harmony  which  the  eye  and  ear  ex- 
pect and  covet  where  nature  is  thiis  beautiful  and  musical. 

A  bridge,  nearly  six  hundred  feet  long,  and  resting  in  the  center  upon  a  marble  island, 
spans  the  river  at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  and  from  its  center  there  is  a  fine  view  of  the  cata- 
ract. The  entire  descent  of  the  river  is  about  sixty  feet.  The  undivided  stream  first  pours 
over  a  precipice  nine  hundred  feet  long,  and  is  then  separated  into  three  channels  by  rocks 
piled  in  confusion,  and  carved,  and  fnrroAved,  and  welled,  and  polished  by  the  rushing  waters. 

Below,  the  channels  unite,  and  in  one 
deep  stream  the  waters  flow  on  gently 
between  the  quarried  clifls  of  fine  black 
marble,  which  rise  in  some  places  from 
thirty  to  seventy  feet  in  height,  and  are 
beautifully  stratified.  Many  fossils  are 
imbedded  in  the  rocks,  among  which 
the  trilobite  is  quite  plentiful.  Here 
the  heads  (so  exceedingly  rare)  are  fre 
quently  found. 

By  the  contribution  of  a  York  shil- 
Img  to  an  intelligent  lad  who  kept  "watch  and  ward" 
at  a  flight  of  steps  below  the  bridge,  we  procured  his 
permission  to  descend  to  the  rocks  below,  aiid  his  serv- 
ices as  guide  to  the  "  Big  Snake"  and  the  "  Indian  Cave."  The 
former  is  a  petrifaction  on  the  surface  of  a  flat  rock,  having  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  huge  serpent ;  the  latter  extends  through  the  small 
island  from  one  channel  to  the  other,  and  is  pointed  out  as  the  place  where  Cooper's  sweet 
young  heroines,  Cora  and  Alice,  with  Major  Heyward  and  the  singing-master,  were  conceal- 
ed. The  melody  of  a  female  voice,  chanting  an  air  in  a  minor  key,  came  up  from  the  cav- 
ern, and  we  expected  every  moment  to  hear  the  pitch-pipe  of  David  and  the  "  Isle  of  Wight." 
The  spell  was  soon  broken  by  a  merry  laugh,  and  three  young  girls,  one  with  a  torn  barege, 
came  clambering  up  from  the  narrow  entrance  over  which  Uncas  and  Hawk  Eye  cast  the 
green  branches  to  conceal  the  fugitives.  In  time  of  floods  this  cave  is  filled,  and  all  the 
dividing  rocks  below  the  main  fall  are  covered  with  water,  presenting  one  vast  foaming 
sheet.  A  long  drought  had  greatly  diminished  the  volume  of  the  stream  when  we  were 
there,  and  materially  lessened  the  usual  grandeur  of  the  picture. 

We  passed  the  Sabbath  at  the  falls.  On  Monday  morning  I  arose  at  four,  and  went 
down  to  the  bridge  to  sketch  the  cascade.  The  whole  heavens  were  overcast,  and  a  fresh 
breeze  from  the  southeast  was  driving  portentous  scuds  before  it,  and  piling  them  in  dark 
masses  along  the  western  horizon.  Rain  soon  began  to  fall,  and  I  was  obliged  to  retreat 
under  the  bridge,  and  content  myself  with  sketching  the  more  quiet  scene  of  the  river  and 
bhore  below  the  cataract. 

We  left  Glenn's  Falls  in  a  "  Pvockaway"  for  Caldwell,  on  Lake  George,  nine  miles  north- 
ward, at  nine  in  the  morning,  the  rain  falling  copiously.      The  road  passes  over  a  wild, 


View  below  the  Falls i 


'  This  view  was  taken  from  under  the  bridge,  looking  down  the  river, 
river  just  below  where  the  figures  stand. 


The  noted  cave  opens  upon  the 


J  06 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Williams's  Rock. 


Approach  of  Dieskau. 


Hendrick,  the  Mohawk  Sachem. 


broken,  and  romantic  region.  Our  driver  was  a  perfect.  Jehu.  The  plank  road  (since  fin- 
ished) was  laid  a  small  part  of  the  way,  and  the  speed  he  accomplished  thereon  he  tried  to 
keep  up  over  the  stony  ground  of  the  old  track,  to  "  prevent  jolti7ig !" 

On  the  right  side  of  the  road,  within  four  miles  of  Lake  George,  is  a  huge  boulder  called 


"Williams's  Pvock."  It  was  so 
named  from  the  fact  that  near  it 
Colonel  Ephraim  Williams  was 
killed  on  the  8  th  of  September, 
1755,  in  an  engagement  with 
the  French  and  Indians  under 
Baron  Dieskau.  Major-general 
(afterward  Sir  William)  John- 
son was  at  that  time  at  the  head 
of  Lake  George,  with  a  body  of 
provincial   troops,    and    a   large 


Williams's  Rock.* 


party  of  Indians  under  Hendrick, 
the  famous  Mohawk  sachem. 
Dieskau,  who  was  at  Skenesbor- 
ough,  marched  along  the  course 
of  Wood  Creek  to  attack  Fort 
Edward,  but  the  Canadians  and 
Indians  were  so  afraid  of  cannon 
that,  when  within  two  miles  of 
the  fort,  they  urged  him  to  change 
his  course,  and  attack  Johnson  in 
his  camp  on  Lake  George.      To 


1755. 


this  request  he  acceded,  for  he  ascertained  by  his  scouts  that  Johnson  was  rather  carelessly 

encamped,  and  was  probably  unsuspicious  of  danger. 
Information  of  his  march  was  communicated  to  the 
English  commander  at  midnight,  September  7th, 
and  early  in  the  morning  a  council  of  war  was 
held.  It  was  determined  to  send  out  a  small  party  to 
meet  the  French,  and  the  opinion  of  Hendrick  was  ask- 
ed. He  shrewdly  said,  "  If  they  are  to  fight,  they  are 
too  few  ;  if  they  are  to  be  killed,  they  are  too  many." 
His  objection  to  the  proposition  to  separate  them  into 
three  divisions  was  quite  as  sensibly  and  laconically  ex- 
pressed. Taking  three  sticks  and  putting  them  togeth- 
er, he  remarked,  "  Put  them  together,  and  you  can't 
break  them.  Take  them  one  by  one,  and  you  can  break 
them  easily."  Johnson  was  guided  by  the  opinion  of 
Hendrick,  and  a  detachment  of  twelve  hundred  men  in 
one  body,  under  Colonel  Williams,  was  sent  out  to  meet 
the  approaching  enemy. 

Before  commencing  their  march,  Hendrick  moimted 
a  gun-carriage  and  harangued  his  warriors  in  a  strain 
of  eloquence  which  had  a  powerful  efi^ect  upon  them.  He  was  then  about  sixty-five  years 
old.  His  head  was  covered  with  long  white  locks,  and  every  warrior  loved  him  with  the 
deepest  veneration.'     Pi-esident  Dwight,  referring  to  this  speech,  says,  "  Lieutenant-colonel 


Hendkick.2 


^  This  view  is  taken  from  the  road,  looking  northward.  In  the  distance  is  seen  the  highest  point  of  the 
French  Mountain,  on  the  left  of  which  is  Lake  George.  Frona  this  commanding  height  the  French  scouts 
had  a  fine  view  of  all  the  English  movements  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 

^  The  portrait  here  given  of  the  chief  is  from  a  colored  print  published  in  London  during  the  lifetime  of 
ihe  sachem.  It  M'as  taken  while  he  was  in  England,  and  habited  in  the  full  court  dress  presented  to  him 
by  the  king.  Beneath  the  picture  is  engraved,  "  The  brave  old  Hendrick,  the  great  sachem  or  chief  of  the 
Mohawk  Indians,  one  of  the  six  nations  now  in  alliance  with,  and  subject  to,  the  King  of  Great  Britain." 

^  Hendrick  (sometimes  called  King  Hendrick)  was  born  about  1680,  and  generally  lived  at  the  Upper 
Castle,  upon  the  Mohawk.  He  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  and  was  one  of  the 
most  active  and  sagacious  sachems  of  his  time.  When  the  tidings  of  his  death  were  communicated  to  his 
son,  the  young  chief  gave  the  usual  groan  upon  such  occasions,  and,  placing  his  hand  over  his  heart,  ex- 
claimed, "  My  father  still  alive  here.  The  son  is  now  the  father,  and  stands  here  ready  to  fight." — Gen- 
tlemen's  Magazine. 

Sir  William  Johnson  obtained  from  Hendrick  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  acres  of  choice  land,  now 
lying  chiefly  in  Herkimer  county,  north  of  the  Mohawk,  in  the  following  manner :  The  sachem,  being  at 
the  baronet's  house,  saw  a  richly-embroidered  coat  and  coveted  it.  The  next  morning  he  said  to  Sir  Will- 
iam, "Brother,  me  dream  last  night."      "Indeed,"  answered  Sir  William;   "what  did  my  red  brother 


OFTHE    REVOLUTION.  jq? 


Speech  of  Hendrick.  Fight  with  the  French,  and  Death  of  Colonel  Williams  and  Hendiick.  Bloody  Pond. 

Pomeroy,  who  was  present  and  heard  this  efiusion  of  Indian  eloquence,  told  me  that,  al- 
though he  did  not  understand  a  word  of  the  language,  such  were  the  animation  of  Hendrick. 
the  fire  of  his  eye,  the  force  of  his  gestures,  the  strength  of  his  emphasis,  the  apparent  pro- 
priety of  the  inflections  of  his  voice,  and  the  natural  appearance  of  his  whole  manner,  that 
himself  was  more  deeply  affected  with  this  speech  than  with  any  other  he  had  ever  heard." 

The  French,  advised  by  scouts  of  the  march  of  the  English,  approached  with  their  line 
in  the  form  of  a  half  moon,  the  road  cutting  the  center.  The  country  was  so  thickly  wooded 
that  all  correct  observation  was  precluded,  and  at  Rocky  Brook,  four  miles  from  Lake  Geor"-e, 
Colonel  Williams  and  his  detachment  found  themselves  directly  in  the  hollow  of  the  half 
moon.  A  heavy  fire  was  opened  upon  them  in  front  and  on  both  flanks  at  the  same  mo- 
ment, and  the  slaughter  was  dreadful.  Colonel  Williams  was  shot  dead  near  the  rock  be- 
fore mentioned,  and  Hendrick  fell,  mortally  wounded  by  a  musket-ball  in  the  back.  This 
circumstance  gave  him  great  uneasiness,  for  it  seemed  to  imply  that  he  had  turned  his  back 
upon  his  enemy.  The  fatal  bullet  came  from  one  of  the  extreme  flanks.  On  the  fall  of 
Williams,  Lieutenant-colonel  Whiting  succeeded  to  the  command,  and  effected  a  retreat  so 
judiciously  that  he  saved  nearly  all  of  the  detachment  who  were  not  killed  or  wounded  by 
the  first  onslaught.' 

So  careless  and  apathetic  was  General  Johnson,  that  he  did  not  commence  throwing  up 
breast-works  at  his  camp  until  after  Colonel  Williams  had  marched,  and  Dieskau  was  on 
the  road  to  meet  him.  The  firing  was  heard  at  Lake  George,  and  then  the  alarmed  com- 
mander began  in  earnest  to  raise  defenses,  by  forming  a  breast-work  of  trees,  and  mounting 
two  cannon  which  he  had  fortunately  received 
from  Fort  Edward  the  day  before,  when  his  men 
thus  employed  should  have  been  sent  out  to  re- 
enforce  the  retreating  regiment.  Three  hund- 
red were,  indeed,  sent  out,  but  were  totally  in- 
adequate. They  met  the  flying  English,  and, 
joining  in  the  retreat,  hastened  back  to  the  camp, 
closely  pursued  by  the  French. 

A  short  distance  from  Williams's  Rock  is  a 
small,  slimy,  bowl-shaped  pond,  about  three 
hundred  feet  in  diameter,  and  thickly  covered 
with  the  leaves  of  the  water-lily.  It  is  near  the 
battle-ground  where  Williams  and  his  men  were 
slain,  and  the  French  made  it  the  sepulcher  for 
the  slaughtered  Englishmen.  Tradition  avers 
that  for  many  years  its  waters  bore  a  bloody  hue,  Bloody  Pond. 

dream?"  "  Me  dream  that  coat  be  mine."  "  It  i.s  yours,"  said  the  shrewd  baronet.  Not  long  afterward 
Sir  William  visited  the  sachem,  and  he  too  had  a  dream.  "Brother,"  he  said,  "I  dreamed  last  night." 
"  What  did  my  pale-faced  brother  dream  ?"  asked  Hendrick.  "  I  dreamed  that  this  tract  of  land  was 
mine,"  describing  a  square  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Mohawk,  on  the  east  by  Canada  Creek,  and  north 
and  west  by  objects  equally  well  known.  Hendrick  was  astonished.  He  saw  the  enormity  of  the  request, 
but  was  not  to  be  outdone  in  generosity.  He  sat  thoughtfully  for  a  moment,  and  then  said,  "  Brother,  the 
land  is  yours,  but  you  must  not  dream  again."  The  title  was  confirmed  by  the  British  government,  and 
the  tract  was  called  the  Royal  Grant. — Simms^s  Schoharie  County,  p.  1 24. 

^  Colonel  Ephraim  Williams  was  born  in  1715,  at  Newton,  Massachusetts.  He  made  several  voyages 
to  Europe  in  early  life.  Being  settled  at  Stockbridge  when  the  war  with  France,  in  1740,  commenced, 
and  possessed  of  great  military  talent,  he  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  line  of  Massachusetts 
forts  on  the  west  side  of  the  Connecticut  River.  He  joined  General  Johnson,  at  the  head  of  a  regiment, 
in  1755,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  fell  while  gallantly  leading  his  men  against  the  enemy.  By  his  will,  made 
before  joining  Johnson,  he  bequeathed  his  property  to  a  township  west  of  Fort  Massachusetts,  on  the  con 
dition  that  it  should  be  called  Williamstown,  and  the  money  used  for  the  establishmen-t  and  maintenance 
of  a  free  school.  The  terms  were  complied  with,  and  the  school  was  afterward  incorporated  (1793)  as  a 
college.  Such  was  the  origin  of  Williams's  College.  Colonel  Williams  was  forty  years  old  at  the  tima 
of  his  death. 


108 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Arrival  at  Caldwell.     Indian  and  French  Names  of  Lake  George.     Fort  William  Henry.     Attack  upon  Johnson's  Camp,  1755 


and  it  has  ever  since  been  called  Bloody  Pond.  I  alighted  in  the  rain,  and  made  my  way 
through  tall  wet  grass  and  tangled  vines,  over  a  newly-cleared  field,  until  I  got  a  favorable 
view  for  the  sketch  here  presented,  which  I  hope  the  reader  will  highly  prize,  for  it  cost  a 
pair  of  boots,  a  linen  "  sack"  ruined  by  the  dark  droppings  from  a  cotton  umbrella,  and  a 
box  of  cough  lozenges. 

It  was  almost  noon  when  we  reined  up  at  the  Lake  House  at  Caldwell.  We  had  an- 
ticipated Hiuch  pleasure  from  the  first  sight  of  Horicon,  but  a  mist  covered  its  waters,  and 
its  mountain  frame-work  was  enveloped  in  fog ;  so  we  reserved  our  sentiment  for  use  the 
next  fair  day,  donned  dry  clothing,  and  sat  quietly  down  in  the  parlor  to  await  the  sover- 
eign pleasure  of  the  storm. 

Lake  George  is  indeed  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  and  along  its  whole  length  of  thirty-six 
miles  almost  every  island,  bay,  and  blufi'  is  clustered  with  historic  associations.  On  account 
of  the  purity  of  its  waters,  the  Indians  gave  it  the  name  o^  Horicon,  or  Silver  Water.  They 
also  called  it  Canideri-oit,  or  The  Tail  of  the  Lake,  on  account  of  its  connection  with  Lake 
Champlain.^  It  was  visited  by  Samuel  Champlain  in  1609,  and  some  suppose  that  he  gave 
his  name  to  this  lake  instead  of  the  one  which  now  bears  it.  It  is  fair  to  infer,  from  his 
own  account,  that  he  penetrated  southward  as  far  as  Glenn's  Falls  ;  and  it  is  not  a  Little 
remarkable  that  in  the  same  year,  and  possibly  at  the  same  season,  Hendrick  Hudson  was 
exploring  below  the  very  stream  near  the  head-waters  of  which  the  French  navigator  was 
resting.  Strange  that  two  adventurers,  in  the  service  of  different  sovereigns  ruling  three 
thousand  miles  away,  and  approaching  from  diflerent  points  of  the  compass,  so  nearly  met 
in  the  vast  forests  of  wild  America.  The  French,  who  afterward  settled  at  Chimney  Point, 
on  Lake  Champlain,  frequently  visited  this  lake,  and  gave  it  the  name  of  Sacrament,  its 
pure  waters  suggesting  the  idea.* 

The  little  village  of  Caldwell  contains  about  two  hundred  inhabitants,  and  is  situated 

near  the  site  of  Fort  William  Henry,  at  the  head  of 
the  lake,  a  fortress  erected  by  General  Johnson  to- 
ward the  close  of  1755,  after  his  battle  there  with 
the  French  under  Dieskau.  That  battle  occurred 
on  the  same  day  when  Colonel  Williams  and  his  de- 
tachment were  routed  at  Rocky  Brook.  The  French 
pursued  the  retreating  English  vigorously,  and  about 
noon  they  were  seen  approaching  in  considerable  force 
and  regular  order,  aiming  directly  toward  the  center 
of  the  British  encampment.  When  within  one  hund- 
red rods  of  the  breast-works,  in  the  open  valley  in 
front  of  the  elevation  on  which  Fort  George  (now  a 
picturesque  ruin)  was  afterward  built,  Dieskau  halt- 
ed and  disposed  his  Indians  and  Canadians  upon  the 
right  and  left  flanks.  The  regular  troops,  under  the 
immediate  command  of  the  baron,  attacked  the  En- 
glish center,  but,  having  only  small  arms,  the  effect  was  trifling.  The  English  reserved 
their  fire  until  the  Indians  and  Canadians  were  close  upon  them,  when  with  sure  aim  they 
poured  upon  them  a  volley  of  musket-balls  which  mowed  them  down  like  grass  before  the 


Fort  William  Henry. 3 


^  Spafford's  Gazetteer  of  New  York. 

'^  The  bed  of  the  lake  is  a  yellowish  sand,  and  the  water  is  so  transparent  that  a  white  object,  such  as 
an  earthen  plate,  may  be  seen  upon  the  bottom  at  a  depth  of  nearly  forty  feet.  The  delicious  salmon 
trout,  that  weigh  from  five  to  twenty  pounds,  silver  trout,  pike,  pickerel,  and  perch  are  found  here  in  great 
abundance,  and  afford  fine  sport  and  dainty  food  for  the  swarms  of  visitors  at  the  Lake  House  during  the 
summer  season. 

^  The  extent  of  the  embankments  and  fosse  of  this  fort  was  fourteen  hundred  feet,  and  the  barracks  were 
built  of  wood  upon  a  strong  foundation  of  lime-stone,  which  abounds  in  the  neighborhood.  This  plan  is 
copied  from  a  curious  old  j)icture  by  Blodget,  called  a  "  Prospective  Plan  of  the  Battles  near  Lake  George 
1755." 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION  iQy 


Battle  of  Lnke  George,  and  Death  of  Dieskau.      Weakness  of  British  Commanders.      The  Six  Nations.       Hendrick's  Rebuke. 

scythe.  At  the  same  moment  a  bomb-shell  was  thrown  among  them  by  a  howitzer,  while 
two  field  pieces  showered  upon  them  a  quantity  of  fjrapc-shot.  The  savage  allies,  and  al- 
most as  savage  colonists,  greatly  terrified,  broke  and  fled  to  the  swamps  in  the  neighborhood. 
The  regulars  maintained  their  ground  for  some  time,  but,  abandoned  by  their  companions, 
and  terribly  galled  by  the  steady  fire  from  the  breast-works,  at  length  gave  way,  and  Dies- 
kau attempted  a  retreat.  Observing  this,  the  English  leaped  over  their  breast-works  and 
pursued  therri.  The  French  were  dispersed  in  all  directions,  and  Dieskau,  wounded  and 
helpless,  was  found  leaning  upon  the  stump  of  a  tree.  As  the  provincial  soldier'  who  dis- 
covered him  approached,  he  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  to  draw  out  his  watch  as  a  bribe  to 
allow  him  to  escape.  Supposing  that  he  was  feeling  for  a  pocket  pistol,  the  soldier  gave 
him  a  severe  wound  in  the  hip  Avith  a  musket-ball.  He  was  carried  into  the  English  camp 
in  a  blanket  and  tenderly  treated,  and  was  soon  afterward  taken  to  Albany,  then  to  New 
York,  and  finally  to  England,  where  he  died  from  the  efiects  of  his  wounds.  Johnson  was 
wounded  at  the  commencement  of  the  conflict  in  the  fleshy  part  of  his  thigh,  in  which  a 
musket-ball  lodged,  and  the  whole  battle  was  directed  for  five  consecutive  hours  by  General 
Lyman,  the  second  in  command.' 

Johnson's  Indians,  burning  with  a  fierce  desire  to  avenge  the  death  of  Hendrick,  were 
eager  to  follow  the  retreating  enemy  ;  and  General  Lyman  proposed  a  vigorous  continuation 
of  efforts  by  attacking  the  French  posts  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  But  Johnson,  either  through  fear,  a  love  of  ease,  or  some  other  inexplicable  cause, 
withheld  his  consent,  and  the  residue  of  the  autumn  was  spent  in  erecting  Fort  William 
Henry. 

In  the  colonial  wars,  as  well  as  in  the  war  of  our  Revolution,  the  British  government 
was  often  unfortunate  in  its  choice  of  commanders.  Total  inaction,  or,  at  best,  great  tardi- 
ness, frequently  marked  their  administration  of  military  affairs.  They  could  not  comprehend 
the  elastic  activity  of  the  provincials,  and  were  too  proud  to  listen  to  their  counsels.  This 
tardiness  and  pride  cost  them  many  misfortunes,  either  by  absolute  defeat  in  battle,  or  the 
theft  of  glorious  opportunities  for  victory  through  procrastination.  Their  shrewd  savage 
allies  saw  and  lamented  this,  and  before  the  commissioners  of  the  several  colonies,  who  met 
at  Albany  in  1754  to  consult  upon  a  plan  of  colonial  alliance,  in  which  the  Six  Nations' 
were  invited  to  join,  Hendrick  administered  a  pointed  rebuke  to  the  governor  and  military 
commanders.  The  sachems  were  first  addressed  by  James  Delancy,  then  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of  New  York  ;  and  Hendrick,  who  was  a  principal  speaker,  in  the  course  of  a  reply 
remarked,  "  Brethren,  we  have  not  as  yet  confirmed  the  peace  with  them  (meaning  the 
French-Indian  allies).  'Tis  your  fault,  brethren  ;  we  are  not  strengthened  by  conquest,  for 
we  should  have  gone  and  taken  Crown  Point,  but  you  hindered  us.  We  had  concluded  to 
go  and  take  it,  but  were  told  it  was  too  late,  that  the  ice  would  not  bear  us.  Instead  of 
this,  you  burned  your  own  fort  at  Sar-ragh-to-gee  [near  old  Fort  Hardy],  and  ran  away 
from  it,  which  was  a  shame  and  a  scandal  to  you.  Look  about  your  country,  and  see  ; 
you  have  no  fortifications  about  you — no,  not  even  to  this  city.  'Tis  but  one  step  from 
Canada  hither,  and  the  French  may  easily  come  and  turn  you  out  of  doors. 

"  Brethren,  you  were  desirous  we  should  open  our  minds  and  our  hearts  to  you  :   look  at 

'  This  soldier  is  believed  to  have  been  General  Seth  Pomeroy,  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts. — Ever- 
nit's  Life  of  Stark. 

'  At  this  battle  General  Stark,  the  hero  of  Bennington,  then  a  lieutenant  in  the  corps  of  Rogers's  Rangers, 
was  first  initiated  in  the  perils  and  excitements  of  regular  warfare. 

^  The  Six  Nations  consisted  of  the  tribes  of  the  Mohmvks,  Onondagas,  Oneidas,  Senecas,  Cayugas,  and 
Tuscaroras.  The  first  five  were  a  long  time  allied,  and  known  as  the  Five  Nations.  They  were  joined 
by  the  Tuscaroras  of  North  Carolina  in  1714,  and  from  that  time  the  confederation  was  knoii\-n  by  the  title 
of  the  Six  Nations.  Their  great  council  fire  was  in  the  special  keeping  of  the  Onondagas,  by  whom  it 
was  always  kept  burning.  This  confederacy  was  a  terror  to  the  other  Indian  tribes,  and  extended  its  eon- 
quests  even  as  far  as  South  Carolina,  where  it  waged  war  against,  and  nearly  exterminated,  the  once  pow- 
erful Catawbas.  When,  in  1744,  the  Six  Nations  ceded  a  portion  of  their  lands  to  Virginia,  they  insisted 
on  I'ne  continuance  of  a  free  war-path  through  the  ceded  territory. 


110  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Lord  Loudon.        Montcalm's  first  Attack  on  Fort  William  Henry.        Perfidy  and  Cowardice  of  Webb.        Vigilance  of  Stark 

the  French,  they  are  men — they  are  fortifying  every  where  ;  but,  we  are  ashamed  to  say  it, 
you  are  hke  women,  bare  and  open,  without  any  fortifications.'" 

The  head  of  Lake  George  was  the  theater  of  a  terrible  massacre  m  1757.  Lord  Lou- 
don, a  man  of  no  energy  of  character,  and  totally  deficient  in  the  requisites  for  a  military 
leader,  was  appointed  that  year  governor  of  Virginia,  and  commander-in-chief  of  all  the 
British  forces  in  North  America.  A  habit  of  procrastination,  and  his  utter  indecision, 
thwarted  all  his  active  intentions,  if  he  ever  had  any,  and,  after  wasting  the  whole  season  in 
getting  here  and  preparing  to  do  something,  he  was  recalled  by  Pitt,  then  prime  minister, 
who  gave  as  a  reason  for  appointing  Lord  Amherst  in  his  place,  that  tloe  minister  nevei 
heard  from  liim,  and  could  not  tell  tvhat  he  teas  doing? 

Opposed  to  him  was  the  skillful  and  active  French  commander,  the  Marquis  Montcalm, 
who  succeeded  Dieskau.  Early  in  the  spring  he  made  an  attempt  to  capture  Fort  William 
March  16  Henry.  He  passed  up  Lake  George  on  St.  Patrick's  eve,  landed  stealthily  behind 
1757.  Long  Point,  and  the  next  afternoon  appeared  suddenly  before  the  fort.  A  part  of 
the  garrison  made  a  vigorous  defense,  and  Montcalm  succeeded  only  in  burning  some  build- 
ings and  vessels  which  were  out  of  reach  of  the  guns  at  the  fort.'  He  returned  to  Ticon- 
deroga,  at  which  post  and  at  Crown  Point  he  mustered  all  his  forces,  amounting  to  nine 
thousand  men,  including  Canadians  and  Indians,  and  in  July  prepared  for  another  attempt 
to  capture  Fort  William  Henry. 

General  Webb,  who  was  commander  of  the  forces  in  that  quarter,  was  at  Fort  Edward 
with  four  thousand  men.  He  visited  Fort  William  Henry  under  an  escort  of  two  hundred 
men  commanded  by  Major  Putnam,  and  while  there  he  sent  that  officer  with  eighteen 
Rangers  down  the  lake,  to  ascertain  the  position  of  the  enemy  on  Champlain.  They  were 
discovered  to  be  more  numerous  than  was  supposed,  for  the  islands  at  the  entrance  of  North- 
west Bay  were  swarming  with  French  and  Indians.  Putnam  returned,  and  begged  Gen- 
eral Webb  to  let  him  go  down  with  his  Ptangers  in  full  force  and  attack  them,  but  he  was 
allowed  only  to  make  another  reconnoissance,  and  bring  off  two  boats  and  their  crews  which 
he  left  fishing.  The  enemy  gave  chase  in  canoes,  and  at  times  nearly  surrounded  them, 
but  they  reached  the  fort  in  safety. 

Webb  caused  Putnam  to  administer  an  oath  of  secrecy  to  his  Rangers  respecting  the 
proximity  of  the  enemy,  and  then  ordered  him  to  escort  him  back  immediately  to  Fort  Ed- 
ward. This  order  was  so  repugnant  to  Putnam,  both  as  to  its  perfidy  and  unsoldierly  char- 
acter, that  he  ventured  to  remonstrate  by  saying,  "  I  hope  your  excellency  does  not  intend 
to  neglect  so  fair  an  opportunity  of  giving  battle  should  the  enemy  presume  to  land."  Webb 
coolly  and  cowardly  replied,  "  What  do  you  think  we  should  do  here  ?"  The  near  approach 
of  the  enemy  was  cruelly  concealed  from  the  garrison,  and  under  his  escort  the  general  re- 
turned to  Fort  Edward.  The  next  day  he  sent  Colonel  Monroe  with  a  regiment  to  re-en- 
force and  to  take  command  of  the  garrison  at  Lake  George. 

Montcalm,  with  more  than  nine  thousand  men,  and  a  powerful  train  of  artillery,  landed 

'  Reported  for  the  Gentlemen'' s  Magazine,  London,  1755. 

*  This  is  asserted  by  Dr.  Franklin  in  his  Autobiography  (Sparks's  Life,  219),  where  he  gives  an  anec- 
dote illustrative  of  the  character  of  Loudon.  Franklin  had  occasion  to  go  to  his  office  in  New  York,  where 
he  met  a  Mr.  Innis,  who  had  brought  dispatches  from  Philadelphia  from  Governor  Denny,  and  was  await- 
in"-  his  lordship's  answer,  promised  the  following  day.  A  fortnight  afterward  he  met  Innis,  and  expressed 
his  surprise  at  his  speedy  return.  But  he  had  not  yet  gone,  and  averred  that  he  had  called  at  Loudon's 
office  every  morning  during  the  fortnight,  but  the  letters  were  not  yet  ready.  "  Is  it  possible,"  said  Frank 
lin  "  when  he  is  so  great  a  writer  ?  I  see  him  constantly  at  his  escritoire."  "  Yes,"  said  Innis,  "  but  he 
is  like  St.  George  on  the  signs,  always  on  horseback,  but  never  i  ides  forward. ^^ 

^  The  frarrison  and  fort  were  saved  by  the  vigilance  of  Lieutenant  Stark,  who,  in  the  absence  of  Rogers, 
had  command  of  the  Rangers,  a  large  portion  of  which  were  Irishmen.  On  the  evening  of  the  1 6lh  he 
overheard  some  of  these  jilanning  a  celebration  of  St.  Patrick's  (the  following  day).  He  ordered  the  sutler 
not  to  issue  spirituous  liquors  the  next  day  without  a  written  order.  When  applied  to  he  pleaded  a  lame 
wrist  as  an  excuse  for  not  writing,  and  his  Rangers  were  kept  sober.  The  Irish  in  the  regular  regiments 
pot  drunk,  as  usual  on  such  an  occasion.  Montcalm  anticipated  this,  and  planned  his  attack  on  the  night 
of  St.  Patrick's  day.     Stark,  with  his  sober  Rangers,  gallantly  defended  and  saved  the  fort. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  Ill 


Montcalm's  second  Attack  on  Fort  William  Henry.  Surrender  of  the  Garrison.  Perfidy  of  the  French  and  Indians. 

at  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  beleaguered  the  garrison,  consisting  of  less  than  three  thousand 
men.'  He  sent  in  proposals  to  Monroe  for  a  surrender  of  the  fort,  urging  his  humane  desire 
to  prevent  the  bloodshed  which  a  stubborn  resistance  would  assuredly  cause.  Monroe,  con- 
fidently expecting  re-enforcements  from  Webb,  refused  to  listen  to  any  such  proposals.  The 
French  then  commenced  the  siege,  which  lasted  six  consecutive  days,  without  much  slaugh- 
ter on  either  side.  Expresses  were  frequently  sent  to  General  Webb  in  the  mean  while, 
imploring  aid,  but  he  remained  inactive  and  indifferent  in  his  camp  at  Fort  Edward.  Gen- 
eral Johnson  was  at  last  alloM'ed  to  march,  with  Putnam  and  his  Rangers,  to  the  relief  of 
the  beleaguered  garrison  ;  but  when  about  three  miles  from  Fort  Edward,  Webb  recalled 
them,  and  sent  a  letter  to  Monroe,  saying  he  could  render  him  no  assistance,  and  advising 
him  to  surrender.  This  letter  Avas  intercepted  by  Montcalm,  and  gave  him  great  joy,  for 
he  had  been  informed  by  some  Indians  of  the  movements  of  the  provincials  under  Johnson 
and  Putnam,  who  represented  them  to  be  as  numerous  as  the  leaves  on  the  trees.  Alarmed 
at  this,  Montcalm  was  beginning  to  suspend  the  operations  of  the  siege  preparatory  to  a  re- 
treat, Avhen  the  letter  from  the  pusillanimous  Webb  fell  into  his  hands.  He  at  once  sent  it 
in  to  Monroe,  with  proposals  for  an  immediate  surrender. 

Monroe  saw  that  his  case  was  hopeless,  for  two  of  his  cannon  had  bursted,  and  his  ammu- 
nition and  stores  were  nearly  exhausted.  Articles  of  capitulation  were  agreed  upon,  and, 
under  promise  of  protection,  the  garrison  marched  out  of  the  fort  preparatory  to  being  es- 
corted to  Fort  Edward." 

The  savages,  two  thousand  warriors  in  number,  were  enraged  at  the  terms  of  capitula- 
tion, for  they  were  induced  to  serve  in  this  expedition  by  a  promise  of  plunder.^  This  was 
denied  them,  and  they  felt  at  liberty  to  throw  off  all  restraint.  As  soon  as  the  last  man 
left  the  gate  of  the  fort,  they  raised  the  hideous  war-M'hoop,  and  fell  upon  the  English  with 
the  fury  of  demons.  The  massacre  was  indiscriminate  and  terrible,  and  the  French  were 
idle  spectators  of  the  perfidy  of  their  allies.  They  refused  interference,  withheld  the  prom- 
ised escort,  and  the  savages  pursued  the  poor  Britons  with  great  slaughter,  half  way  te 
Fort  Edward. ■*  Fifteen  hundred  of  them  were  butchered  or  carried  into  hopeless  captivity. 
Montcalm  utterly  disclaimed  all  connivance,  and  declared  his  inability  to  prevent  the  mas- 
sacre without  ordering  his  men  to  fire  upon  the  Indians.  But  it  left  a  deep  stain  upon  his 
otherwise  humane  character,  and  the  indignation  excited  by  the  event  aroused  the  English 
colonists  to  more  united  and  vigorous  action. 

Montcalm  burned  and  otherwise  destroyed  every  thing  connected  with  the  forti-  August !), 
fication.  Major  Putnam,  who  had  been  sent  with  his  Rangers  from  Fort  Edward  ^^■^'• 
to  watch  the  movements  of  Montcalm,  reached  Lake  George  just  as  the  rear  of  the  enemy 
left  the  shore,  and  truly  awful  was  the  scene  there  presented,  as  described  by  himself :  "  The 
fort  was  entirely  demolished  ;  the  barracks,  out-houses,  and  buildings  were  a  heap  of  ruins  ; 
the  cannon,  stores,  boats,  and  vessels  were  all  carried  away.  The  fires  were  still  burning, 
the  smoke  and  stench  ofiensive  and  suffocating.  Innumerable  fragments,  liuman  skulls  and 
bones,  and  carcasses  half  consumed,  were  still  frying  and  broiling  in  the  decaying  fires. 

^  The  place  where  Montcalm  landed  is  a  little  north  of  the  Lake  House,  at  Caldwell,  and  about  a  mile 
from  the  site  of  the  fort. 

*  It  was  stipulated,  1st.  That  the  garrison  should  march  out  with  their  arms  and  baggage;  2d.  Should 
be  escorted  to  Fort  Edward  by  a  detachment  of  French  troops,  and  should  not  serve  against  the  French  for 
a  term  of  eighteen  months  ;  3d.  The  works  and  all  the  warlike  stores  should  be  delivered  to  the  French  , 
4th.  That  the  sick  and  wounded  of  the  garrison  should  remain  under  the  protection  of  ^lontcalm,  and  should 
be  permitted  to  return  as  soon  as  they  were  recovered. 

3  Dr.  Belknap. 

*  The  defile  through  which  the  English  retreated,  and  in  which  so  many  were  slaughtered,  is  called  the 
Bloody  Defile.  It  is  a  deep  gorge  between  the  road  from  Glenn's  Falls  to  Lake  George  and  the  high  range 
of  hills  northward,  called  the  French  Mountain.  In  excavations  for  the  plank  road  near  the  defile  a  large 
number  of  skeletons  were  exhumed.  I  saw  the  skull  of  one,  which  was  of  an  enormous  size,  at  least  one 
third  larger  than  any  other  human  head  I  ever  saw.  The  occipital  portion  exhibited  a  long  fracture  evi- 
dently made  by  a  tomahawk. 


112  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Destmction  of  Fort  William  Henry.  Brilliant  Expedition  under  Abercrombie.  Visit  to  the  Ruins  of  Fort  George 

Dead  bodies,  mangled  with  scalping-knives  and  tomahawks  in  all  the  wantonness  of  Indian 
fierceness  and  barbarity,  were  every  where  to  be  seen.  More  than  one  hundred  women, 
butchered  and  shockingly  mangled,  lay  upon  the  ground,  still  weltering  in  their  gore.  Dev- 
astation, barbarity,  and  horror  every  where  appeared,  and  the  spectacle  presented  was  too 
diabolical  and  awful  either  to  be  endured  or  described." 

Fort  William  Henry  was  never  rebuilt.  Upon  an  eminence  about  a  mile  southeast  of  it, 
and  half  a  mile  from  the  lake,  Fort  George  was  erected,  but  it  was  never  a  scene  of  very 
stirring  events.  A  little  south  of  Fort  George  was  a  small  fortification  called  Fort  Gage, 
so  named  in  honor  of  General  Gage,  who  served  under  Lord  Amherst,  and  succeeded  him  in 
the  command  of  the  forces  in  America  in  1760,  and  was  Governor  of  Massachusetts  when 
the  Revolution  broke  out.      Hardly  a  vestige  of  this  fort  can  now  be  seen. 

The  English,  under  General  Abercrombie  and  the  young  Lord  Howe,  quartered  at  Fort 
George  in  1758,  preparatory  to  an  attack  upon  the  French  posts  upon  Lake  Champlain. 
Seven  thousand  regulars  and  nine  thousand  provincial  troops  were  there  assembled,  with  a 
one  train  of  artillery  and  all  necessary  military  stores,  the  largest  and  best-appointed  army 
vet  seen  in  America.  On  the  5th  of  July  they  embarked  on  Lake  George,  on  board  nine 
hundred  bateaux  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  whale-boats,  and  the  next  day  landed  at 
the  foot  of  the  lake  and  pushed  on  toward  Ticonderoga.  Of  the  events  which  befell  them 
there  I  shall  hereafter  write.      Let  us  glance  a  moment  at  the  present. 

Toward  evening  the  rain  abated,  and,  accompanied  by  an  old  resident  shoemaker  as  guide, 
1  made  a  visit  to  the  remains  of  the  two  English  forts.  The  elder  one  (Fort  William  Henry) 
stood  directly  upon  the  lake  shore,  on  the  west  side  of  a  clear  mountain  stream  called  West 
Creek,  the  main  inlet  of  Lake  George.  Nothing  of  it  now  remains  but  a  few  mounds  and 
shallow  ditches,  so  leveled  and  filled  that  the  form  of  the  vi^orks  can  not  be  distinctly  traced. 
The  road  along  the  lake  shore  passes  across  the  northeast  and  northwest  angles,  but  the  feat- 
ures of  the  past  are  hardly  tangible  enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  a  passer-by.  A  little 
southwest  of  the  fort,  at  the  base  of  Pvattlesnake  or  Prospect  Hill,  is  a  level  clearing  called 
the  French  Field.  It  is  the  place  where  Dieskau  halted  and  disposed  his  troops  for  action. 
Many  of  the  slain  were  buried  there  ;  and  I  saw  a  rough-hewn  stone  at  the  head  of  a  grave, 
upon  which  was  inscribed,  in  rude  characters,  "Jacques  Cortois,  1755." 

Fort  George,  the  remains  of  which  are  scattered  over  several  acres,  was  situated  about  a 
mile  southeast  from  William  Henry,  upon  an  eminence  gently  sloping  back  from  the  lake. 
The  dark  limestone  or  black  marble,  such  as  is  found  at  Glenn's  Falls,  here  every  where 
approaching  near  the  surface  or  protruding  above,  formed  a  solid  foundation,  and  supplied 
ample  materials  for  a  fortress.      A  quadrangular  citadel,  or  sort  of  castle,  was  built  within 
the  lines  of  breast-works,  and  the  ruins  of  this  constitute  all  that  is  left  of  the  old  fort.      I 
observed  vestiges  of  the  foundations  of  the  barracks  and  other  buildings  ;   and  the  quarries 
whence  materials  were  taken  for  the  buildings  and  ramparts  seem  almost  as  fresh  as  if  just 
opened.      The  wall  of  the  citadel,  on  the  east- 
ern side  (the  left  of  the  picture),  is  now  about 
twenty  feet  high.      Within  the  ancient  area 
of  the  fort  there  is  just  sufficient  earth  to  nour- 
ish a  thick  growth  of  dark  juniper  bushes, 
which,  with  the  black  rocks  and  crumbling 
masonry,  presented  a  somber  aspect.      Both 
forts  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  lake  for 
ten  miles  north. 

The  indications  of  fair  weather  which  lured 
me  out  suddenly  disappeared,  and  before  I 
reached  the  Lake  House  the  heavy  clouds 
that  came  rolling  up  from  the  south  poured  ruins  of  the  Citadel  of  Fort  George. 

iovm  their  contents  copiously.      Dark  masses 
of  vapor  bovered  upon  the  mountains  that  begirt  the  lake,  and  about  sunset  the  tops  of  all 


OF  THE    REVOLUTION 


1  13 


Storm  upon  Lake  George. 


Arrivals  from  Ticonderoga. 


Departure  from  Caldwell. 


were  buried  in  the  driving  mists.  We  seemed  to  be  completely  shut  up  within  mighty 
prison  walls,  and  early  in  the  evening  vivid  lightning  and  heavy  thunder-peals  contributed 
to  produce  a  scene  of  singular  grandeur  and  awe.  In  the  midst  of  the  elemental  strife  the 
steam-boat  arrived  with  passengers  from  Ticonderoga,  and  those  pleasure  seekers  who  came 
in  her,  bedraggled  and  weary,  were  capital  studies  for  an  artistic  Jeremiah  in  search  of  1am- 
antations  personified.  But  an  excellent  supper,  in  dry  quarters,  soon  brought  the  sunshine 
of  gladness  to  every  face,  and  before  ten  o'clock  more  than  half  the  new-comers  were  among 
the  liveliest  in  quadrille,  cotillion,  waltz,  or  gallopade. 

I  arose  the  next  morning  at  four.      The  scene  from  my  chamber  window  was  one  of  quiet 
beauty.      The  sky  was  cloudless,  and  the  lake,  without  a  ripple,  was  spread  out  before  me, 

"  A  glorious 'mirror  of  the  Almighty's  form." 

The  east  was  all  glowing  with  the  soft  radiance  of  approaching  sunlight,  giving  a  deeper 
gray  to  the  lofty  hills  that  intervened,  and  every  tree  was  musical  with  the  morning  song 
of  the  birds. 

"  The  south  wind  was  like  a  gentle  friend, 

Parting  the  hair  so  softly  on  my  brow. 

It  had  come  o'er  the  gardens,  and  the  flowers 

That  kissed  it  were  betrayed ;  for  as  it  parted 

With  its  invisible  fingei-s  my  loose  hair, 

I  knew  it  had  been  trifling  with  the  rose 

And  stooping  to  the  violet.     There  is  joy 

For  all  God's  creatures  in  it." 

Willis. 


From   the    piazza    of   the   Lako 
House,  fronting  the  water,  a  compre- 
hensive view  of  the  historic  grounds 
in  the  vicinage  may  be  seen,  as  delin- 
eated in  the  picture.      In  the  extreme 
distance  on  the  left  is  the  range  of  the 
French  Mountain,  and  on  the  right 
is  Rattlesnake  Hill   (one   thousand 
five  hundred  feet  high),  with  other  lofty  elevations,  heavily  wooded  to 
their  very  summits.      By  the  trees  on  the  shore,  in  the  center  of  the 
picture,  is  the  site  of  Fort  William  Henry  ;   and  further  on  the  left,  and 
directly  over  the  flag-stafi^  is  the  site  of  Fort  George. 

We  left  this  fine  summer  resort  in  the  steam-boat  William  Caldwell, 
at  eight  in  the  morning.  The  air  was  clear  and  cool,  the  company  agree- 
able, and  the  voyage  down  the  lake  delightful.  The  mountain  shores,  the  deep  bays,  and 
the  numerous  islands  (said  to  be  three  hundred  and  sixty-five,  the  number  of  days  in  the 
year)  present  a  constant  variety,  and  all  that  the  eye  takes  in  on  every  side  is  one  vision  of 
beauty.  I  procured  a  seat  in  the  pilot's  room  aloft,  whence  I  had  a  broad  view  of  the  whole 
ever-changing  panorama  of  the  lake  in  the  course  of  the  voyage. 

The  first  island  which  we  passed,  of  any  considerable  size,  was  Diamond  Island,'  lying 

'  This  name  was  given  it  on  account  of  the  number  and  beauty  of  the  quartz  crystals  which  are  found 
apon  it.     In  shape  and  brilliancy  they  resemble  pure  diamonds. 

H 


114  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Diamond  Island.  Successful  Expedition  under  Colonel  Brown.  Long  Point,  Dome  Island,  and  the  Narrows. 

directly  in  front  of  Dunham's  Bay.  Here  was  a  depot  of  military  stores  for  Burgoyne's 
army  in  1777,  and  the  scene  of  a  sharp  conflict  between  the  small  garrison  that  defended 
it  and  a  detachment  of  Americans  under  Colonel  Brown.  Between  the  actions  of  the  1  9th 
of  September  and  7th  of  October  at  Bemis's  Heights,  General  Lincoln,  with  a  body  of  New 
England  militia,  got  in  the  rear  of  Burgoyne  near  Lake  Champlain.  He  sent  Colonel  BrowTi 
with  a  strong  division  to  attempt  the  recapture  of  Ticonderoga  and  the  posts  in  the  vicinity, 
and  thus  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  British  as  well  as  their  supplies.  It  was  a  service 
September  25,  exactly  Suited  to  Brown's  active  and  energetic  character,  and,  by  a  rapid  and 
^'''^'^-  stealthy  movement  on  a  stormy  night,  he  surprised  and  captured  all  the  Brit- 

ish outposts  between  the  landing-place  at  the  north  end  of  Lake  George  and  the  main  for- 
tress at  Ticonderoga.  Mount  Hope,  Mount  Defiance,*  the  French  lines,  and  a  block-house, 
with  an  armed  sloop,  two  hundred* bateaux,  and  several  gun-boats,  fell  into  his  hands.  He 
also  captured  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  prisoners,  and  released  one  hundred  Americans  ;  , 
and,  among  other  things,  he  retook  the  old  Continental  standard  which  St.  Clair  left  at  Ti- 
conderoga when  he  evacuated  that  post.  He  then  attacked  the  fortress,  but  its  walls  were 
impregnable,  and  he  withdrew. 

Flushed  with  success.  Colonel  Brown  determined  to  sweep  Lake  George,  and  in  the  ves- 
.sels  they  had  captured  the  Americans  proceeded  to  Diamond  Island.  The  little  garrison 
there  made  a  vigorous  resistance,  and  the  republicans  were  repulsed  with  some  loss.  They 
then  pushed  for  the  shore  on  the  south  side  of  Dunham's  Bay,  where  they  burned  all  the 
vessels  they  had  captured,  and  returned  to  Lincoln's  camp. 

A  little  north  of  Diamond  Island  is  Long  Island,  which  lies  directly  in  front  of  Long 


'i^^f^-  ~--^£>. 


Lo.NG  Point  axd  ViciNiry.i 

Point,  a  narrow,  fertile  strip  of  land  that  projects  far  into  the  lake  from  the  eastern  shore. 
The  estuary  between  the  north  side  of  the  point  and  the  mountains  is  Harris's  Bay,  the 
place  where  Montcalm  moored  his  bateaux  and  landed  on  the  16th  of  March,  1757. 

About  twelve  miles  from  Caldwell,  in  the  center  of  the  lake,  is  Dome  Island,  which,  at 
the  distance  of  two  or  three  miles,  has  the  appearance  of  the  upper  portion  of  a  large  dome, 
with  an  arch  as  regular  as  if  made  by  art.  This  island  was  the  shelter  for  Putnam's  men 
whom  he  left  in  the  two  boats  w'hile  he  informed  General  Webb  of  the  presence  of  the  French 
and  Indians  upon  the  two  islands  near  the  entrance  of  Northwest  Bay,  and  nearly  in  front 
of  the  landing-place  at  Bolton,  on  the  western  shore. 

Shelving  Pvock,  a  lofty  cliff  on  the  eastern  shore,  and  Tongue  Mountain,  a  bold,  rocky 
promontory  on  the  west,  flank  the  entrance  to  the  Narrow^s,  where  the  islands  are  so  numer- 
ous, varying  in  size  from  a  few  rods  to  an  acre,  that  there  is  only  a  very  narrow  channel  for 
a  steam-boat  to  pass  through.  A  little  north  of  Shelving  Pwock  is  the  Black  Mountain,  its 
summit  twenty -two  hundred  feet  high,  thickly  covered  with  the  dark  spruce,  and  its  sides 
robed  with  the  cedar,  fir,  pine,  and  tamarac.  There  the  wild  deer,  the  bear,  and  the  cata- 
mount have  free  range,  for  the  hunter  seldom  toils  up  its  weary  ascent. 

*  This  little  sketch  was  taken  from  the  steam-boat,  near  the  south  end  of  Long  Island,  which  appears  in 
the  foreground.  Long  Point  is  seen  in  the  center,  and  on  the  right  are  Dunham's  Bay  and  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  French  Mountain.     The  highest  peak  on  the  left  is  Deer  Pasture,  or  Buck  Mountain 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


1  1 


Sabbath  Day  Point 


Skirmish  in  175fi. 


Halt  of  Abercrombie's  Army. 


Splendid  Appearance  of  the  ArmampnU 


A  few  miles  beyond  the  entrance  to  the  Narrows,  on  the  western  shore,  is  another  fertile 

strip  of  land  projecting  into  the  lake,  called  Sab 

-.-—,=  -"  ""fe-  bath  Day  Point.      It  is  between  three  and  four 

3^*^*-—  miles  from  the  little  village  of  Hague,  in  the 

midst  of  the  most  picturesque  scenery  imagina- 
ble. Here,  in  1756,  a  small  provincial  force, 
pressed  by  a  party  of  French  and  Indians,  and 
unable  to  escape  across  the  lake,  made  a  des- 
perate resistance,  and  defeated  the  enemy  with 
Here,  in  the  summer  of  1758,  General  Abercrombie,  with  his  fine 


Sabbath  Day  Point. 


considerable  slaughter. 
army,  already  noticed  as  having 
embarked  in  bateaux  and  whale- 
boats  at  the  head  of  the  lake, 
landed  for  refreshments.  It  was 
just  at  dark,  on  a  sultry  Saturday 
jyj  5  evening,  when  the  troops 
1758.  debarked  and  spread  over 
the  beautiful  cape  for  a  few  hours' 
repose.  The  young  Lord  HoAve, 
the  well-beloved  of  both  officers 
and  soldiers,  was  there,  and  call- 
ed around  him,  in  serious  consul- 
tation, some  of  the  bravest  of  the 
youthful  partisans  who  accom- 
panied the  expedition.  Captain 
Stark  (the  Revolutionary  gener- 
al) was  invited  to  sup  with  him  ; 
and  long  and  anxious  were  the 
inquiries  the  young  nobleman 
made  respecting  the  fortress  of 
Ticonderoga  and  its  outposts, 
which  they  were  about  to  assail, 
as  if  a  presentiment  of  personal 
disaster  posse.ssed  his  mind. 

It  was  after  midnight  when 
the  whole  armament  moved  slow- 
ly down  the  lake,  and  it  was  late  on  the  Sabbath  morning  before  they  reached  the  landing- 
place  at  the  foot  of  it.^  The  scene  exhibited  by  this  strong  and  well-armed  force  of  sixteen 
thousand  men  was  very  imposing.  "  The  order  of  march,"  says  Major  Rogers,  '■  exhibited 
a  splendid  military  show."  Howe,  in  a  large  boat,  led  the  van  of  the  flotilla.  He  was 
accompanied  by  a  guard  of  Rangers  and  boatmen.  The  regular  troops  occupied  the  center 
and  the  provincials  the  wings.  The  sky  was  clear  and  starry,  and  not  a  breeze  ruffled  the 
dark  waters  as  they  slept  quietly  in  the  shadows  of  the  mountains.      Their  oars  were  muf- 


Lake  George  and  part  of  Lake  Champlain.' 


'Explanation  of  "the  references:  1.  Fort  Ticondero£ja.  2.  Fort  Howe.  3.  Mount  Defiance.  4. 
Mount  Independence.  5.  Village  of  Alexandria.  7.  Black  Point.  8.  Juniper  Island.  9.  Anthony's 
Nose.  10.  M'Donald's  Bay.  11.  Rogers's  retreat  on  the  ice  to  Fort  William  Henry.  12.  Cook's  Isl- 
ands. 13.  Search  Bonnet.  14.  Odell  Island.  15.  Buck  Mountain  and  Rattlesnake  Dens.  16.  Shelv- 
ing Rock.  17.  Phelps'.s  Point.  18.  Long  Point.  19.  Long  Island.  20.  Dome  Island.  21.  Diamond 
Island.  22.  Dunham's  Bay.  23.  Harris's  Bay.  24.  The  route  of  Dieskau  from  Skenesborough  to  Fort 
William  Henry. 

^  It  being  early  on  Sunday  morning  when  the  army  left  the  point,  General  Abercrombie  named  the  place 
Sabbath  Day  Point.  The  little  sketch  here  given  was  taken  from  the  steam-boat,  half  a  mile  above,  look 
ing  northeast. 


116  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Skirmish  at  Sabbath  Day  Point,  1776.  Rogers's  Slide.  Narrow  Escape  of  Major  Rogers.  Prisoners'  Island. 

fled  ;  and  so  silently  did  they  move  on  in  the  darkness,  that  not  a  scout  upon  the  hills  ob- 
served them.  Day  dawned  just  as  they  were  abreast  of  the  Blue  Mountain,  four  miles 
from  the  landing-place  ;  and  the  first  intimation  which  the  outposts  of  the  enemy,  stationed 
there,  had  of  the  approach  of  the  English  was  the  full  blaze  of  red  uniforms  which  burst 
upon  their  sight  as  the  British  army  swept  around  a  point  and  prepared  to  land. 

At  Sabbath  Day  Point  a  party  of  American  militia  of  Saratoga  county  had  a  severe  bat- 
tle with  Tories  and  Indians  in  1776.  Both  were  scouting  parties,  and  came  upon  each 
other  unexpectedly.  The  Americans  repulsed  the  enemy,  and  killed  and  wounded  about 
forty.  There  are  now  a  few  buildings  upon  the  point,  and  the  more  peaceful  heroism  of 
the  culturist,  in  conflict  with  the  unkindness  of  nature,  is  beautifying  and  enriching  it. 
On  the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  three  miles  northward  of  the  little  village  of  Hague,  is 

Pwogers's  Rock,  or  Rogers's  Slide.  The  lake 
is  here  quite  narrow,  and  huge  masses  of  rocks, 
some  a  hundred  feet  high,  are  piled  in  wild 
confusion  on  every  side.  The  whole  height 
_  _  _  of  Rogers's  Rock  is  about  four  hundred  feet, 

and  the  "  slide,"  almost  a  smooth  surface,  with 
I  a  descent  on  an  angle  of  about  twenty-five 
degrees  from  meridian,  is  two  hundred  feet. 
This  hill  derives  its  name  from  the  fact,  that 
from  its  summit  Major  Rogers,  commander  of 
a  corps  of  Rangers,  escaped  from  Indian  pur- 
,    „       ,  suers.      With  a  small  party  who  were  recon- 

ROGERS  S    ROCK.I  .  .  f  •  1  • 

noitermg  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  in  the  win 
ter  ot  1758,  he  was  surprised  and  put  to  flight  by  a  band  of  Indians.  He  was  equipped 
with  snow-shoes,  and  eluded  pursuit  until  he  came  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  Aware 
that  they  would  follow  his  track,  he  descended  to  the  top  of  the  smooth  rock,  and,  casting 
his  knapsack  and  his  haversack  of  provisions  down  upon  the  ice,  slipped  ofl'  his  snow-shoes, 
and,  without  moving  them,  turned  himself  about  and  put  them  on  his  feet  again.  He  then 
retreated  along  the  southern  brow  of  the  rock  several  rods,  and  down  a  ravine  he  made  his 
way  safely  to  the  lake  below,  snatched  up  his  pack,  and  fled  on  the  ice  to  Fort  George. 
The  Indians,  in  the  mean  while,  coming  to  the  spot,  saw  the  two  tracks,  both  apparently 
approaching  the  precipice,  and  concluded  that  two  persons  had  cast  themselves  down  the 
rock  rather  than  fall  into  their  hands.  Just  then  they  saw  the  bold  leader  of  the  Rangers 
making  his  way  across  the  ice,  and  believing  that  he  had  slid  down  the  steep  face  of  the 
rock,  considered  him  (as  did  the  Indians  Major  Putnam  at  Fort  Miller)  under  the  special 
protection  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  made  no  attempt  at  pursuit.^ 

In  consequence  of  a  detention  at  Bolton,  we  did  not  reach  the  landing-place  at  the  outlet 
of  the  lake  until  noon.  Within  a  mile  of  the  landing  is  a  small  island  covered  with  shrub- 
bery, called  Prisoners'  Island,  where  the  French,  in  the  Seven  Years'  War,  kept  their  En- 
glish captives  who  were  taken  in  that  vicinity.      The  first  party  confined  there  easily  es- 

'  This  sketch  is  from  the  lake,  a  little  south  of  Cook's  Point,  seen  just  over  the  boat  on  the  left.  Imme- 
diately beyond  is  seen  the  smooth  rock.  Nearly  opposite  the  "slide"  is  Anthony's  Nose,  a  high,  rocky 
promontory,  having  the  appearance  of  a  human  nose  in  shape  when  viewed  from  a  particular  point. 

^  Major  Rogers  was  the  son  of  an  Irishman,  w'ho  was  an  early  settler  of  Dumbarton,  in  New  Hampshire. 
He  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  party  of  Rangers  in  1755,  and  with  them  did  signal  service  to  the 
British  cause.  In  1759  he  was  sent  by  General  Amherst  from  Crown  Point  to  destroy  the  Indian  village 
of  St.  Francis.  He  afterward  served  in  the  Cherokee  war.  In  1766  he  was  appointed  governor  of  Michilli- 
mackinac.  He  was  accused  of  constructive  treason,  and  was  sent  in  irons  to  Montreal  for  trial.  In  1769 
he  went  to  England,  was  presented  to  the  king,  but  soon  afterward  was  imprisoned  for  debt.  He  returned 
to  America,  and  in  the  Revolution  took  up  arms  for  the  king.  In  1777  he  returned  to  England,  where  he 
died.  His  name  was  on  the  proscription  list  of  Tories  included  in  the  act  of  New  Hampshire  against  them, 
in  1778.  His  journal  of  the  French  War,  first  published  at  London  in  1765,  was  republished  at  Concoid 
in  1831. 


UFTHEREVOLUTION.  117 


Debarkation  of  British  Troops.  A  pleasant  traveling  Companion.  Trip  from  Lake  George  to  Ticonderoga. 

caped,  in  consequence  of  the  carelessness  of  the  victors  in  not  ascertaining  the  depth  of  the 
water,  which  on  one  side  is  fordable.  A  small  guard  was  left  in  charge  of  them,  and,  as 
goon  as  the  main  body  of  the  French  had  retreated,  the  English  prisoners  waded  from  the 
island  and  escaped. 

Directly  west  of  this  island  is  Howe's  Landing,  the  place  where  Lord  Howe  with  tht 
van-guard  of  Abercrombie's  army  first  landed,  the  outlet,  a  mile  below,  being  in  possession 
of  the  enemy.  The  whole  British  force  debarked  here  on  the  morning  after  leaving  Sab- 
bath Day  Point,  and  before  noon  the  Rangers  under  Rogers  and  Stark  were  pushing  j^,  g 
forward  toward  Ticonderoga,  as  a  flank  or  advance-guard  to  clear  the  woods,  while  '^'^^^• 
the  main  army  pressed  onward. 

The  distance  from  the  steam-boat  landing  to  Fort  Ticonderoga  is  four  miles.  We  found 
vehicles  in  abundance  awaiting  our  arrival,  and  prepared  to  carry  passengers  with  all  their 
baggage,  from  a  clean  dickey  only  to  a  four-feet  trunk,  for  twenty-five  cents  each.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  my  favorite  seat  on  a  pleasant  day,  the  coachman's  perch.  At  the  Lake 
House  we  became  acquainted  with  a  young  lady  from  the  vicinity  of  the  lofty  Catskills, 
whose  love  of  travel  and  appreciation  of  nature  made  her  an  enthusiast,  and  one  of  the  most 
agreeable  companions  imaginable.  She  fairly  reveled  in  the  beauties  of  Lake  George,  not 
exhibited  in  the  simpering  lip-sentimentality,  borrowed  from  the  novelist,  which  so  often 
annoys  the  sensible  man  when  in  the  midst  of  mere  fashionable  tourists,  but  in  hearty,  in- 
telligent, and  soul-stirring  emotions  of  pleasure,  which  lie  far  deeper  in  the  heart  than  mor- 
tal influence  can  fathom,  and  which  gleam  out  in  every  lineament  of  the  face.  While  others 
were  afraid  of  spoiling  their  complexions  in  the  sun,  or  of  crumpling  their  smooth  dresses  or 
fine  bonnets,  she  bade  defiance  to  dust  and  crowds,  for  her  brown  linen  "  sack,"  with  its 
capacious  pockets  for  a  guide-book  and  other  accessories,  and  her  plain  sun-bonnet  gave  her 
no  uneasiness  ;  and  her  meny  laughter,  which  awoke  ringing  echoes  along  the  hills  as  she, 
loo,  mounted  the  coachman's  seat  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air  and  pleasant  landscape,  was  the 
very  soul  of  pleasure.  We  rambled  with  herself  and  brother  that  afternoon  over  the  ruins 
of  Ticonderoga,  and  at  evening  parte*!  company.  We  hope  her  voyage  of  life  may  be  as 
pleasant  and  joyous  as  those  fcAV  hours  which  she  spent  that  day,  where, 

"  In  the  deepest  core 
Of  the  free  wilderness,  a  crystal  sheet 
Expands  its  mirror  to  the  trees  that  crowd 
Its  mountain  borders." 

The  road  from  the  foot  of  Lake  George  to  Fort  "  Ty"  is  hilly,  but  the  varied  scenery 
makes  the  ride  a  pleasant  one.  We  crossed  the  outlet  of  the  lake  twice  ;  first  at  the  Uppei 
Falls,  where  stands  the  dilapidated  village  of  Alexandria,  its  industrial  energies  weighed 
down,  I  was  told,  by  the  narrow  policy  of  a  "  lord  of  the  manor"  residing  in  London,  who 
owns  the  fee  of  all  the  land  and  of  the  water  privileges,  and  will  not  sell,  or  give  long  leases. 
The  good  people  of  the  place  pray  for  his  life  to  be  a  short  and  a  happy  one — a  very  gener- 
ous supplication.  From  the  high  ground  near  the  village  a  fine  prospect  opened  on  the  east- 
ward ;  and  suddenly,  as  if  a  curtain  had  been  removed,  the  cultivated  farms  and  pleasant 
villages  of  Vermont  along  the  lake  shore,  and  the  blue  line  of  the  Green  Mountains  in  the 
far  distance,  were  spread  out  before  us. 

The  second  or  Lower  Falls  is  half  way  between  the  two  lakes,  and  here  the  thriving  vil- 
lage of  Ticonderoga  is  situated.  A  bridge  and  a  saw-mill  were  there  many  years  before  the 
Revolution ;  and  this  is  the  spot  where  Lord  Howe,  at  the  head  of  his  column,  crossed  the 
stream  and  pushed  forward  through  the  woods  toward  the  French  lines,  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
beyond.  We  arrived  at  the  Pavilion  near  the  fort  at  one  o'clock,  dined,  and  with  a  small 
party  set  off  immediately  to  view  the  interesting  ruins  of  one  of  the  most  noted  fortresses  in 
America.  Before  noticing  its  present  condition  and  appearance,  let  us  glance  at  its  past 
history. 

Ticonderoga  is  a  corruption  of  Cheonderoga,  an  Iroquois  word,  signifying  Sounding  ica 


I  18 


t'ICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Topography  of  Ticonderoga. 


The  Fortress. 


Its  Investment  by  Aborcrombie. 


Bravery  of  Lord  Howe. 


f,ers,  and  was  applied  by  the  Indians  to  the  rushing  waters  of  the  outlet  of  Lake  George  at 
die  falls.  The  French,  who  first  built  a  fort  at  Crown  Point  (Fort  St.  Frederic),  estab- 
ushed  themselves  upon  this  peninsula  in  1755,  and  the  next  year  they  began  the  erection 
of  a  strong  fortress,  which  they  called  Fort  Carillon.^  The  Indian  name  was  generally 
applied  to  it,  and  by  that  only  was  it  known  from 
the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian  war  in  1763.^ 

The  peninsula  is  elevated  more  than  one  hund- 
red feet  above  the  lake,  and  contains  about  five 
hundred  acres.  Nature  and  art  made  it  a  strong 
place.  Water  was  upon  three  sides,  and  a  deep 
swamp  extended  nearly  across  the  fourth.  Within 
a  mile  north  of  the  fortress  intrenchments  were 
thrown  up,  the  remains  of  which  may  still  be  seen 
at  each  side  of  the  road,  and  are  known  as  the 
French  lines.  The  whole  defenses  were  completed 
by  the  erection  of  a  breast- work  nine  feet  high,  upon 
the  narrowest  part  of  the  neck  between  the  swamp 
and  the  outlet  of  Lake  George  ;  and  before  the 
breast-work  was  a  strong  abatis. 

Here,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  was  the 
general  rendezvous  of  the  French  under  Montcalm, 
Auffusts     preparatory  to  the  attack  on  Fort  William  Henry. 

1757. 


1759. 


July  6, 
1758. 


Ground  Plan. 

It  continued  to  be  the  head- 
quarters of  that  general  until  Quebec  was  threatened  by  an  expedition  under  Wolfe, 
up  the  St.  Lawrence,  when  he  abandoned  the  posts  on  Lake  Champlain,  and  mustered 
all  his  forces  at  the  capital  of  Lower  Canada. 
Montcalm  commanded  a  force  of  four  thousand  men  at  Ticonderoga  when  Abercrombic 
approached,  and  was  in  daily  expectation  of  receiving  a  re-enforcement  of  three  thou- 
sand troops  under  M.  de  Levi.  The  Englis)!  commander  was  advised  of  this  ex- 
pected re-enforcement  of  the  garrison,  and  felt  the  necessity  of  making  an  immediate  attack 
upon  the  works.  His  army  moved  forward  in  three  columns  ;  but  so  dense  was  the  forest 
that  covered  the  whole  country,  that  their  progress  was  slow.  They  were  also  deficient  in 
suitable  guides,  and  in  a  short  time  were  thrown  into  a  great  deal  of  confusion.  They  pressed 
steadily  forward,  and  the  advanced  post  of  the  French  (a  breast- work  of  logs)  was  set  fire  to 
by  the  enemy  themselves  and  abandoned.  Lord  Howe,  who  was  Abercrombie's  lieutenant, 
or  second  in  command,  led  the  advanced  column  ;  and  as  they  pressed  onward  after  crossing 
the  bridge,  Major  Putnam,  with  about  one  hundred  men,  advanced  as  a  scouting  party  to 
reconnoiter.  Lord  Howe,  eager  to  make  the  first  attack,  proposed  to  accompany  Putnam, 
but  the  major  tried  to  dissuade  him,  by  saying,  "  My  lord,  if  I  am  killed  the  loss  of  my  life 
will  be  of  little  consequence,  but  the  preservation  of  yours  is  of  infinite  importance  to  this 
army."  The  answer  was,  "  Putnam,  your  life  is  as  dear  to  you  as  mine  is  to  me.  I  am 
determined  to  go."^  They  dashed  on  through  the  woods,  and  in  a  few  minutes  fell  in  with 
the  advanced  guard  of  the  French,  who  had  retreated  from  the  first  breast-works,  and,  with- 
out a  guide  and  bewildered,  were  endeavoring  to  find  their  way  back  to  the  lines.  A  sharp 
skirmish  ensued,  and  at  the  first  fire  Lord  Howe,  another  oflficer,  and  several  privates  were 

'  This  is  a  French  word,  signifying  chime,  jingling,  noise,  bawling,  scolding,  racket,  clatter,  riot. — 
Buyer.  Its  application  to  this  spot  had  the  same  reference  to  the  rush  of  waters  as  the  Indian  name  Che- 
onderoga. 

^  This  fortress  was  strongly  built.  Its  walls  and  barracks  were  of  limestone,  and  every  thing  about  it 
was  done  in  the  most  substantial  manner. 

Explanation  of  the  ground  plan  :  a,  entrance  and  wicket  gate  ;  b,  counterscarp  twenty  feet  wide  ;  c  c, 
bastions ;  d,  under-ground  room  and  ovens  ;  e  e  e  e,  barracks  and  officers'  quarters  ;  f,  court  or  parade- 
prround ;  g  g,  trench  or  covert- way,  sixteen  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  deep ;  h,  the  place  where  Ethan  Alloi. 
and  his  men  entered  by  a  covert-way  from  the  outside. 

*  Humphrey's  Life  <?f  Putnam. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  HQ 


Fight  with  the  French,  and  Death  of  Howe.  Attack  on  Ticouderoga,  and  Defeat  of  the  English.  Other  Expeditions 

killed.'  The  French  were  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  three  hundred  killed  and  one  hundred 
and  forty-eight  taken  prisoners.  The  English  columns  wera  so  much  broken,  confused,  and 
fatigued,  that  Abercrombie  marched  them  back  to  the  landing-place  on  Lake  George,  to 
bivouac  for  the  night.  Early  the  next  morning  Colonel  Bradstreet  advanced  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  saw-mills,  near  the  present  village  of  Ticonderoga,  which  the  enemy  had 
abandoned. 

Abercrombie  sent  an  engineer  to  reconnoiter,  and  on  his  reporting  that  the  works  were 
unfinished  and  might  easily  be  taken,  the  British  troops  were  again  put  in  motion  toward 
the  fortress.  As  they  approached  the  lines,  the  French,  who  were  completely  shel-  j^,  g^ 
tered  behind  their  breast- works,  opened  a  heavy  discharge  of  artillery  upon  them,  but  '^''^^■ 
they  pressed  steadily  forward  in  the  face  of  the  storm,  determined  to  assault  the  works,  and 
endeavor  to  carry  them  by  sword  and  bayonet.  They  found  them  so  well  defended  by  a 
deep  abatis,  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  reach  them ;  yet,  amid  the  galling  fire  of  the 
enemy,  the  English  continued  for  four  hours  striving  to  cut  their  way  through  the  limbs  and 
bushes  to  the  breast-works  with  their  swords.  Some  did,  indeed,  mount  the  parapet,  but 
in  a  moment  they  were  slain.  Scores  of  Britons  were  mowed  down  at  every  discharge  of 
cannon.  Perceiving  the  rapid  reduction  of  his  army,  Abercrombie  at  last  sounded  a  retreat , 
and,  without  being  pursued  by  the  French,  the  English  fell  back  to  their  encampment  at  the 
foot  of  Lake  George,  from  which  the  wounded  were  sent  to  Fort  Edward  and  to  Albany 
The  English  loss  M^as  nearly  two  thousand  men  and  twenty-five  hundred  stand  of  arms. 
Never  did  troops  show  bolder  courage  or  more  obstinate  persistence  against  fearful  obstacles. 
The  whole  army  seemed  emulous  to  excel,  but  the  Scotch  Highland  regiment  of  Lord  John 
Murray  was  foremost  in  the  conflict,  and  suflered  the  severest  loss.  One  half  of  the  privates 
and  twenty-five  ofiicers  were  slain  on  the  spot  or  badly  wounded.  Failing  in  this  attempt, 
Abercrombie  changed  his  plans.  He  dispatched  General  Stanwix  to  build  a  fort  near  the 
head- waters  of  the  MohaAvk,  at  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Rome,  Oneida  county. 
Colonel  Bradstreet,  at  his  own  ui'gent  solicitation,  was  ordered,  with  three  thousand  troops, 
mostly  provincials,  to  proceed  by  the  way  of  Oswego  and  Lake  Ontario,  to  attack  Fort  Fron- 
tenac,  where  Kingston,  in  Upper  Canada,  now  stands  ;  and  himself,  with  the  rest  of  tht 
army,  returned  to  Albany.^ 

While  misfortunes  were  attending  the  English  under  the  immediate  command  of  Aber- 
crombie, and  the  power  and  influence  of  the  French  were  gaining  strength  on  the  lake,  a 
British  force  was  closely  beleaguering  Louisburg,  on  the  Island  of  Cape  Breton,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  then  the  strongest  fortification  in  America,  and  the  rallying  point 
of  French  power  on  this  Continent.      Early  in  1758  Admiral  Boscawen  sailed  from 

'  George,  Lord-viscount  Howe,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Sir  E.  Serope,  second  Viscount  Howe  in  Ireland. 
He  commanded  five  thousand  British  troops  which  landed  at  Halifax  in  17.57,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
next  year  accompanied  General  Abercrombie  against  Ticonderoga.  Alluding  to  his  death,  Mante  ob- 
serves, "  With  him  the  soul  of  the  army  seemed  to  expire."  He  was  the  idol  of  his  soldiers,  and,  in  order 
to  accommodate  himself  and  his  regiment  to  the  nature  of  the  service,  he  cut  his  hair  short,  and  fashioned 
his  clothes  for  activity.  His  troops  followed  his  example,  and  they  were,  indeed,  the  soul  of  Abercrombie's 
army.  He  was  in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of  his  age  when  he  fell.  The  General  Court  of  JMassachusetts 
Bay,  as  a  testimony  of  respect  for  his  character,  appropriated  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  sterling  for  the 
erection  of  a  monument  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

Captain  (afterward  general)  Philip  Schuyler,  who  was  highly  esteemed  by  Lord  Howe,  and  who  at  that 
time  was  employed  in  the  commissary  department,  was  commissioned  to  carry  the  young  nobleman's  re- 
mains to  Albany  and  bury  them  with  appropriate  honors.  They  were  placed  in  a  vault,  and  I  was  in- 
formed by  a  daughter  of  General  Schuyler  (Mrs.  Cochran,  of  Oswego)  that  when,  many  years  afterward, 
the  coffin  was  opened,  his  hair  had  grown  to  long,  (lowing  locks,  and  was  very  beautiful. 

*  General  James  Abercrombie  was  descended  from  a  wealthy  Scotch  family,  and,  in  consequence  of 
signal  services  on  the  Continent,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major  general.  In  1758  fifty  thousand  troops 
were  placed  under  his  command  by  Mr.  Pitt,  and  sent  with  him  to  America  to  attempt  a  recovery  of  all 
that  the  French  had  taken  from  the  English.  He  was  the  successor  of  Lord  Loudon,  but  was  not  much 
superior  to  the  earl  in  activity  or  military  skill.  He  was  superseded  by  Amherst  after  his  defeat  at  Ticon- 
derogei,  and  in  the  spring  of  1759  he  returned  to  England. 


120  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Siege  and  Capture  of  Louisburg.  Preparations  for  the  Conquest  of  Canada.         Capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point. 

Halifax,  Acadia/  with  forty  armed  vessels,  bearing  a  land  force  of  twelve  thousand  men 
under  General  Amherst.  General  Wolfe  was  second  in  command  ;  and  in  appointing  that 
young  soldier  to  a  post  so  important,  Pitt  showed  that  sagacity  in  correctly  appreciating 
character  for  which  he  was  so  remarkable. 

On  the  2d  of  June  the  fleet  anchored  in  Gabarus  Bay,  and  the  whole  armament  reached 
the  shore  on  the  8th.      The  French,  alarmed  at  such  a  formidable  force,  called  in  their  out- 
posts, dismantled  the  royal  battery,  and  prepared  for  a  retreat.      But  the  vigilance  and  act- 
ivity of  Wolfe  prevented  their  escape.      He  passed  around  the  Northeast  Harbor, 
and  erected  a  battery  at  the  North  Cape,  from  which  well-directed  shots  soon  si- 
lenced the  guns  of  the  smaller  batteries  upon  the  island.      Hot  shots  were  also  poured 
into  the  small  fleet  of  French  vessels  lying  in  the  harbor  of  Louisburg,  and  three 
of  them  were  burned.      The  town  was  greatly  shattered  by  the  active  artillery  ;   the  vessels 

which  were  not  consumed  were  dismantled  or  sunken  ;  and  several  breaches  were  ■ 
^^''  '  made  in  the  massive  walls.  Certain  destruction  awaited  the  garrison  and  citizens, 
and  at  last  the  fortress,  together  with  the  town  and  St.  John's  (now  Prince  Ed- 
ward's) Island,  was  surrendered  into  the  hands  of  the  English  by  capitulation. 
The  skill,  bravery,  and  activity  of  General  Amherst,  exhibited  in  the  capture  of  Louis- 
burg, gained  him  a  vote  of  thanks  from  Parliament,  and  commended  him  to  Pitt,  who,  the 
next  year,  appointed  him  to  the  chief  command  in  America,  in  place  of  the  less  active  Aber- 
crombie.  So  much  did  Pitt  rely  upon  his  judgment  and  ability,  that  he  clothed  him  with 
discretionary  powers  to  take  measures  to  make  the  complete  conquest  of  all  Canada  in  a 
single  campaign.  His  plans  were  arranged  upon  a  magnificent  scale.  Appreciating  the 
services  of  Wolfe,  one  expedition  was  placed  under  his  command,  to  ascend  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  attack  Quebec.  General  Prideaux  was  sent  with  another  expedition  to  capture  the 
strong-hold  of  Niagara,  while  Amherst  himself  took  personal  command  of  a  third  expedition 
against  the  fortress  on  Lake  Champlain.  It  was  arranged  for  the  three  armies  to  form  a 
junction  as  conquerors  at  Quebec.  Prideaux,  after  capturing  the  fort  at  Niagara,  was  to 
proceed  down  the  lake  and  St.  Lawrence  to  attack  Montreal  and  the  posts  below,  and  Am- 
herst was  to  push  forward  after  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  down  the 
Richelieu  or  Sorel  Pi-iver  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  join  with  Wolfe  at  Quebec. 

Amherst  collected  about  eleven  thousand  men  at  Fort  Edward  and  its  vicinity,  and, 
moving  cautiously  along  Lake  Champlain,  crossed  the  outlet  of  Lake  George,  and  appeared 
before  Ticonderoga  on  the  26th  of  July.  He  met  with  no  impediments  by  the  way, 
and  at  once  made  preparations  for  reducing  the  fortress  by  a  regular  siege.  The  gar- 
rison were  strong,  and  evinced  a  disposition  to  make  a  vigorous  resistance.  They  soon  dis- 
covered, however,  that  they  had  not  Abercrombie  to  deal  with,  and,  despairing  of  being 
able  to  hold  out  against  the  advancing  English,  they  dismantled  and  abandoned  the  fort, 
and  fled  to  Crown  Point.  Not  a  gun  was  fired  or  a  sword  crossed  ;  and  the  next  day  Am- 
herst marched  in  and  took  possession  of  the  fort.  He  at  once  set  about  repairing  and  en- 
larging it,  and  also  arranging  an  expedition  against  the  enemy  at  Crown  Point,  when,  to 
his  astonishment,  he  learned  from  his  scouts  that  they  had  abandoned  that  post  also,  and 
fled  down  the  lake  to  Isle  Aux  Noix  in  the  Pwichelieu  or  Sorel.  Of  his  operations  in  that 
direction  I  shall  hereafter  write. 

*  Acadia  was  the  ancient  name  of  the  whole  country  now  comprehended  within  the  boundaries  of  Nova 
Scotia,  or  New  Scotland. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


121 


Ticonderoga  and  its  Associations. 


Visit  to  the  Ruins  of  the  Fort. 


A  living  Soldier  of  the  Revolution 


CHAPTEPv  VI. 

"  I'm  not  romantic,  but,  upon  my  word, 

There  are  some  moments  when  one  can't  help  feeling 
As  if  his  heart's  chords  were  so  strongly  stirred 

By  things  around  him,  that  'tis  vain  concealing 
A  little  music  in  his  soul  still  lingers, 
Whene'er  the  keys  are  touched  by  Nature's  fingers." 

C.   F.  HoFFMAX. 


ATURE  always  finds  a  chord  of  S3rtnpathy  in  the  human  heart  harmoni- 
ously respondent  to  her  own  sweet  music  ;  and  when  her  mute  hut  elo- 
quent language  weaves  in  with  its  teachings  associations  of  the  past,  or 
when,  in  the  midst  of  her  beauties,  some  crumbling  monument  of  history 
stands  hoary  and  oracular,  stoicism  loses  its  potency,  and  the  bosom  of 
the  veriest  churl  is  opened  to  the  genial  warmth  of  the  sun  of  sentiment. 
Broken  arches  and  ruined  ramparts  are  always  eloquent  and  suggestive 
of  valiant  deeds,  even  where  their  sjDccial  teachings  are  not  comprehend- 
ed ;  but  manifold  greater  are  the  impressions  which  they  make  when  the 
patriotism  w^e  adore  has  hallowed  them.  To  impressions  like  these  the  American  heart  is 
plastic  while  tarrying  among  the  ruins  of  Ticonderoga,  for  there  the  first  trophy  of  our  war 
for  independence  was  won,  and  there  a  soldier  of  the  British  realm  first  stooped  a  prisonei 
to  the  aroused  colonists,  driven  to  rebellion  by  unnatural  oppression. 

A  glimpse  from  the  coach,  of  the  gray  old  ruins  of  the  fortress  of  "  Ty,"  as  we  neared  the 
Pavilion,  made  us  impatient  as  children  to  be  among  them.  Our  own  curiosity  was  shared 
by  a  few  others,  and  a  small  party  of  us  left  early  and  ascended  the  breast-works,  over  scat- 
tered fragments  of  the  walls,  and  eagerly  sought  out  the  most  interesting  localities,  by  the  aid 
of  a  small  plan  of  the  fort  which  I  had  copied  for  the  occasion.  Without  a  competent  guide, 
our  identifications  were  not  very  reliable,  and  oiir  opinions  were  as  numerous  and  diverse  as 
the  members  of  our  party.  We  were  about  to  send  to  the  Pavilion  for  a  guide  and  umpire, 
when  a  venerable,  white-haired  man,  supported  by  a  rude  staff',  and  bearing  the  insignia  of 
the  "Order  of  Poverty,"  came  out  from  the  ruins  of  the  northern  line  of  barracks,  and  ofi^ered 
his  services  in  elucidating  the  confused  subject  before  us.  He  was  kind  and  intelligent,  and 
I  lingered  with  him  among  the  ruins  long  after  the  rest  of  the  party  had  left,  and  listened 
with  pleasure  and  profit  to  the  relation  of  his  personal  experience,  and  of  his  familiar  knowl- 
edge of  the  scene  around  us. 

Isaac  Rice  was  the  name  of  our  octogenarian  guide,  whose  form  and  features,  presented  upon 
the  next  page,  I  sketched  for  preservation.^  Like  scores  of  those  who  fought  our  battles  for 
freedom,  and  lived  the  allotted  term  of  human  life,  he  is  left  in  his  evening  twilight  to  depend 
upon  the  cold  friendship  of  the  world  for  sustenance,  and  to  feel  the  practical  ingratitude  of  a 
people  reveling  in  the  enjoyment  which  his  privations  in  early  manhood  contributed  to  secure 
He  performed  garrison  duty  at  Ticonderoga  under  St.  Clair,  was  in  the  field  at  Saratoga 
in  1777,  and  served  a  regular  term  in  the  army  ;  but,  in  consequence  of  some  lack  of  doc- 

'  jNIr.  Rice  sat  down  in  the  cool  shadow  of  the  gable  of  the  western  line  of  barracks  while  I  sketched  his 
person  and  the  scenery  in  the  distance.  He  is  leaning  against  the  wall,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  cntranc 
of  the  covert-way  to  the  parade-ground,  through  which  Allen  and  his  men  penetrated.  In  the  middle 
ground  is  seen  the  wall  of  the  ramparts,  and  beyond  is  the  lake  sweeping  around  the  western  extremity  of 
Mount  Independence,  on  the  left  beyond  the  steam-boat.  For  a  correct  apprehension  of  the  relative  posi- 
tion of  Mount  Independence  to  Ticonderoga,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  map,  ante   page  1 1 5. 


J  22 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Isaac  Rice. 


Position  of  Affairs  in  the  Colonies  at  the  beginning  of  1775. 


Secret  Agent  sent  to  Canadiv 


r 


fB'^Xh 


uments  or  some  technical  error,  he  lost  his  legal  title  to  a  pension,  and  at  eighty-five  years 
of  age  that  feeble  old 
soldier  was  obtaining  a 
precarious  support  for 
himself  from  the  free- 
will ofierings  of  visitors 
to  the  ruins  of  the  for- 
tress where  he  was  gar- 
risoned when  it  stood  in 
the  pride  of  its  strength . 
before  Burgoyne  scaled 
the  heights  of  Mount 
Defiance.  He  is  now 
alone,  his  family  and 
kindred  having  all  gone 
down  into  the  grave. 
His  elder  brother,  and 
the  last  of  his  race,  who 
died  in  1838,  was  one 
of  the  little  band  who, 
under  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen,  surprised  and 
captured  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga  in  the  spring  of 
1775.  We  will  con- 
sider that  event  and 
its  consequences  before 
further  examining  the 
old  ruins  around  us. 

The  contempt  with 
which   the   loyal   and 
respectful  addresses  oi' 
the    first    Continental 
Congress  of  1774  were  treated  by  the 
British  ministry  and  a  majority  in  Par- 
liament ;  the  harsh  measures  adopted  by 
the  government  early  in  1775,  to  coerce 
the  colonists  into  submission,  and  the 
methodical   tyranny  of  General  Gage 
to  arms  was  inevitable. 


/4 


^N//^^^ 


/ 


^ 


Cy 


at  Boston,  and 
of  other  colo- 
nial govern- 
ors, convinced 
the  Americans 


that  an  appeal 
They  were  convinced,  also,  that  the  province  of  Quebec,  or  Can- 
ada, would  remain  loyal,'  and  that  there  would  be  a  place  of  rendezvous  for  British  troops 
when  the  colonies  should  unite  in  open  and  avowed  rebellion.  The  strong  fortresses  of  Ti- 
conderoga  and  Crown  Point  formed  the  key  of  all  communication  between  New  York  and 
Canada,  and  the  vigilant  patriots  of  Massachusetts,  then  the  very  hot-bed  of  rebellion,  early 
perceived  the  necessity  of  securing  these  posts  the  moment  hostilities  should  commence. 
Early  in  March,  Samuel  Adams  and  Joseph  Warren,  members  of  the  Committee  of  Corre- 
spondence of  Boston,  sent  a  secret  agent  into  Canada  to  ascertain  the  opinions  and  temper 
of  the  people  of  that  province  concerning  the  great  questions  at  issue  and  the  momentous 


'  On  the  26th  of  October,  1774,  the  Congress  adopted  an  address  to  the  people  of  Canada,  recounting 
the  grievances  the  American  colonies  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  parent  country,  and  including  that  province 
in  the  category  of  the  oppressed,  urging  them  to  affiliate  in  a  common  resistance.  But  its  Legislative  As- 
sembly made  no  response,  and  Congress  construed  their  silence  into  a  negative. — Journals  of  Congress,  i..  55 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  -  123 

leport  of  the  secret  Agent.  Plan  formed  in  Connecticut  to  Capture  Ticonderoga.  Expedition  under  Ethan  Allen. 

jvents  then,  pending.  After  a  diligent  but  cautious  performance  of  his  delicate  task,  the 
igent  sent  word  to  them  from  Montreal  that  the  people  were,  at  best,  lukewarm,  and  ad- 
ased  that,  the  moment  hostilities  commenced,  Ticonderoga  and  its  garrison  should  be  seized, 
rhis  advice  was  coupled  with  the  positive  assertion  that  the  people  of  the  New  Hampshire 
jrauts  were  ready  to  undertake  the  bold  enterprise.* 

Within  three  weeks  after  this  information  was  received  by  Adams  and  Warren,  the  bat- 
le  of  Lexington  occurred.  The  event  aroused  the  whole  country,  and  the  patriots  ^  jj  jg 
locked  to  the  neighborhood  of  Boston  from  all  quarters.  The  provincial  Assembly  ^'^5. 
)f  Connecticut  was  then  in  session,  and  several  of  its  members''  concerted  and  agreed  upon 
I  plan  to  seize  the  munitions  of  war  at  Ticonderoga,  for  the  use  of  the  army  gathering  at 
[Cambridge  and  Roxbury.  They  appointed  Edward  Mott  and  Noah  Phelps  a  committee 
:o  proceed  to  the  frontier  towns,  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  fort  and  the  strength  of  the 
garrison,  and,  if  they  thought  it  expedient,  to  raise  men  and  attempt  the  surprise  and  cap- 
,ure  of  the  post.  One  thousand  dollars  were  advanced  from  the  provincial  treasury  to  pay 
;he  expenses  of  the  expedition. 

The  whole  plan  and  proceedings  were  of  a  private  character,  without  the  public  sanction 
)f  the  Assembly,  but  with  its  full  knowledge  and  tacit  approbation.  Mott  and  Phelps  col- 
ected  sixteen  men  as  they  passed  through  Connecticut ;  and  at  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts, 
hey  laid  their  plans  before  Colonel  Easton  and  John  BroAvn  (the  latter  was  afterward  the 
IJolonel  Brown  whose  exploits  on  Lake  George  have  been  noticed),  who  agreed  to  join  them. 
I!olonel  Easton  enlisted  volunteers  from  his  regiment  of  militia  as  he  passed  through  the 
!ountry,  and  about  forty  had  been  engaged  when  he  reached  Bennington.  There  Colonel 
Zlthan  Allen,  a  man  of  strong  mind,  vigorous  frame,  upright  in  all  his  ways,  fearless  in  the 
lischarge  of  his  duty,  and  a  zealous  patriot,  joined  the  expedition  with  his  Green  Mount- 
mi  Boys,  and  the  whole  party,  two  hundred  and  seventy  men,  reached  Castleton,  fourteen 
niles  east  of  Skenesborough,  or  Whitehall,  at  dusk  on  the  7th  of  May.  A  council  of  war 
vas  immediately  held,  and  Allen  was  appointed  commander  of  the  expedition,  Colonel 
Fames  Easton,  second  in  command,  and  Seth  Warner,  third.  It  was  arranged  that  Allen 
ind  the  principal  officers,  with  the  main  body,  should  march  to  Shoreham,  opposite  Ticon- 
leroga  ;  that  Captain  Herrick,  with  thirty  men,  should  push  on  to  Skenesborough,  and  cap- 
ure  the  young  Major  Skene  (son  of  the  governor,  who  was  then  in  England),  confine  his 
)eople,  and,  seizing  all  the  boats  they  might  find  there,  hasten  to  join  Allen  at  Shoreham  ; 

1  By  the  grant  of  Charles  II.  to  his  brother  James,  duke  of  York,  the  tract  in  America  called  New  York 
ras  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  Connecticut  River,  while  the  charters  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut 
;ave  those  provinces  a  westward  extent  to  the  "  South  Sea"  or  the  Pacific  Ocean.  When,  toward  the 
niddle  of  the  last  century,  settlements  began  to  be  made  westward  of  the  Connecticut  River,  disputes 
rose,  and  the  line  between  Connecticut  and  New  York  was  finally  drawn,  by  mutual  agreement,  twenty 
ailes  east  of  the  Hudson.  Massachusetts  claimed  a  continuation  of  the  Connecticut  line  as  its  western 
loundary,  but  New  York  contested  the  claim  as  interfering  with  prior  grants  to  that  colony.  New  Hamp 
hire,  lying  north  of  Massachusetts,  was  not  as  yet  disturbed  by  these  disputes,  for  the  country  west  of  the 
Jreen  ^lountains  was  a  wilderness,  and  had  never  been  surveyed.  When  Benning  Wentworth  was  made 
Tovernor  of  New  Hampshire,  he  was  authorized  to  issue  patents  for  unimproved  lands  within  his  province, 
,nd  in  1749  applications  were  made  to  him  for  grants  beyond  the  mountains.  He  gave  a  patent  that  year 
or  a  township  six  miles  square,  having  its  western  line  twenty  miles  east  of  the  Hudson,  and  in  his  honor 
t  was  named  Bennington.  The  Governor  and  Council  of  New  York  remonstrated  against  this  grant,  yet 
Ventworth  continued  to  issue  patents ;  and  in  1754  fourteen  townships  of  this  kind  were  laid  out  and  set- 
lements  commenced.  During  the  French  and  Indian  war  settlements  increased  tardily,  but  after  the  victory 
if  Wolfe  at  Quebec  numerous  applications  for  grants  were  made  ;  and  at  the  time  of  the  peace,  in  1763, 
me  hundred  and  thirty-eight  townships  were  surveyed  west  of  the  Connecticut  River,  and  these  were  termed 
he  New  Hampshire  Grants.  The  controversy  between  New  York  and  the  Grants  became  so  violent  that 
nilitary  organizations  took  place  in  the  latter  section  to  resist  the  civil  power  of  New  York,  and  about 
772  the  military  thus  enrolled  were  first  called  Green  Mountain  Soys  ;  among  the  most  active  and  darinj^ 
if  whom  were  Ethan  and  Ira  Allen  and  Remember  Baker,  men  of  whom  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak 
lereafter. — See  Sparks^s  Life  of  Ethan  Allen,  and  Thompson's  Vermont,  part  ii. 

"  Among  these  were  Silas  Deane,  David  Wcoster,  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  and  Edward  Stevens,  all  distin 
piished  men  durinp;  the  Revolution. 


124  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Expedition  against  Ticonderoga.  Arnold  joins  Allen  at  Castleton.  Dispute  about  Rank.  Surprise  of  the  Garrison. 

and  that  Captain  Douglas  should  proceed  to  Panton,  beyond  Crown  Point,  and  secure  every 
boat  or  bateau  that  should  fall  in  his  way. 

Benedict  Arnold,  who  joined  the  army  about  this  time,  doubtless  received  a  hint  of  this 
expedition  before  he  left  New  Haven,  for  the  moment  he  arrived  at  Cambridge  with  the 
company  of  which  he  was  captain,  he  presented  himself  before  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and 
proposed  a  similar  expedition  in  the  same  direction.  He  made  the  thing  appear  so  feasible, 
May  3,     that  the  committee  eagerly  accepted  his  proposal,  granted  him  a  colonel's  commission^ 

1775.  and  gave  him  the  chief  command  of  troops,  not  exceeding  four  hundred  in  number, 
which  he  might  raise  to  accompany  him  on  an  expedition  against  the  lake  fortresses.  Not 
doubting  his  success,  Arnold  was  instructed  to  leave  a  sufficient  garrison  at  Ticonderoga, 
and  with  the  rest  of  the  troops  return  to  Cambridge  with  the  arms  and  military  stores  that 
should  fall  into  his  possession.  He  was  also  supplied  with  one  hundred  pounds  in  cash,  tw^o 
hundred  pounds  weight  each  of  gunpowder  and  leaden  balls,  one  thousand  flints,  and  ten 
horses,  by  the  provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts.  His  instructions  were  to  raise  men  in 
Western  Massachusetts,  but,  on  reaching  Stockbridge,  he  was  disappointed  in  finding  that 
another  expedition  had  anticipated  him,  and  was  on  its  way  to  the  lake.  He  remained  only 
long  enough  to  engage  a  few  officers  and  men  to  follow  him,  and  then  hastened  onward  and 
May  9     joined  the  other  expedition  at  Castleton.      He  introduced  himself  to  the  officers,  pulled 

1775.  a,  bit  of  parchment  from  his  pocket,  and,  by  virtue  of  what  he  averred  was  a  superior 
commission,  as  it  was  from  the  Massachusetts  Committee  of  Safety,  claimed  the  supreme 
command.  This  was  objected  to,  for  he  came  single-handed,  without  officers  or  troops  ; 
and  the  soldiers,  a  large  proportion  of  whom  were  Green  Mountain  Boys,  and  who  were 
much  attached  to  Allen,  declared  that  they  would  shoulder  their  muskets  and  march  home 
rather  than  serve  under  any  other  leader.  Arnold  made  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  united 
himself  to  the  expedition  as  a  volunteer,  maintaining  his  rank,  but  having  no  command. 

The  momentary  interruption  of  Arnold  produced  no  change  in  the  plans,  and  Allen 
marched  to  the  shore  of  the  lake,  opposite  Ticonderoga,  during  the  night.  He  applied  to  a 
farmer  in  Shoreham,  named  Beman,  for  a  guide,  v/ho  ofiered  his  son  Nathan,  a  lad  ■who 
passed  a  good  deal  of  time  within  the  fort,  with  the  boys  of  the  garrison,  and  was  well  ac- 
fj^uainted  with  every  secret  way  that  led  to  or  within  the  fortress.'  But  a  serious  difficulty 
now  occurred.  They  had  but  a  few  boats,  and  none  had  been  sent  from  Skenesborough  or 
May  10     Panton.      The  day  began  to  dawn,  and  only  the  officers  and  eighty-three  men  had 

1775.  crossed  the  lake.  Delay  was  hazardous,  for  the  garrison,  if  aroused,  would  make 
stout  resistance.  Allen,  therefore,  resolved  not  to  wait  for  the  rear  division  to  cross,  but  to 
attack  the  fort  at  once.  He  drew  up  his  men  in  three  ranks  upon  the  shore,  directly  in 
front  of  where  the  Pavilion  now  stands,  and  in  a  low  but  distinct  tone  briefly  harangued 
ihem  ;  and  then,  placing  himself  at  their  head,  with  Arnold  by  his  side,  they  marched  quickly 
but  stealthily  up  the  height  to  the  sally  port.  The  sentinel  snapped  his  fusee  at  the  com- 
mander, but  it  missed  fire,  and  he  retreated  within  the  fort  under  a  covered  way.  The 
Americans  followed  close  upon  his  heels,  and  were  thus  guided  by  the  alarmed  fugitive  di- 
rectly to  the  parade  within  the  barracks.  There  another  sentinel  made  a  thrust  at  Easton. 
I)ut  a  blow  upon  the  head  from  Allen's  sword  made  him  beg  for  quarter,  and  the  patriots 
met  with  no  further  resistance. 

As  the  troops  rushed  into  the  parade  under  the  covered  way,  they  gave  a  tremendous 
shout,  and,  filing  off  into  two  divisions,  formed  a  line  of  forty  men  each  along  the  south- 
western and  northeastern  range  of  barracks.  The  aroused  garrison  leaped  from  their  pal- 
lets, seized  their  arms,  and  rushed  for  the  parade,  but  only  to  be  made  prisoners  by  the  in- 
trepid New  Englanders.  At  the  same  moment  Allen,  with  young  Beman  at  his  elbow  as 
guide,  ascended  the  steps  to  the  door  of  the  quarters  of  Captain  Delaplace,  the  commandant 

'  He  died  in  December,  1846,  in  Franklin  county,  New  York,  when  nearly  ninety  years  old.  He  had 
lived  to  see  our  confederacy  increase  from  thirteen  to  thirty  .states,  and  from  three  millions  of  people  to 
twenty  millions. 


UF  THE   REVOLUTION.  125 


Interview  between  Allen  and  Delaplace.  Allen's  Order  to  surrender  obeyed.  Trouble  with  Arnold  about  command. 


of  the  garrison,  and,  giving  three  loud  raps  with  the  hilt  of  his  sword,  with  a  voice  of  pecu- 
liar power,  ordered  him  to  appear,  or  the  whole  garrison  should  be  sacrificed.  It  was  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  loud  shout  oi'  the  invaders  had  awakened  the  captain  and 
his  wife,  both  of  whom  sprang  to  the  door  just  as  Allen  made  his  strange  demand.  Dela- 
place appeared  in  shirt  and  drawers,  with  the  frightened  face  of  his  pretty  wife  peering  over 
his  shoulder.  He  and  Allen  had  been  old  friends,  and,  upon  recognition,  the  captain  assumed 
boldness,  and  authoritatively  demanded  his  disturber's  errand.  Allen  pointed  to  his  men 
and  sternly  exclaimed,  "  I  order  you  instantly  to  surrender."  "  By  what  authority  do  you 
demand  it?"  said  Delaplace.  "In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental 
Congress  I'"  thundered  Allen,  and,  raising  his  sword  over  the  head  of  the  captain,  who  was 
about  to  speak,  ordered  him  to  be  silent  and  surrender  immediately.  There  was  no  alterna- 
tive. Delaplace  had  about  as  much  respect  for  the  "  Continental  Congress"  as  Allen  had 
for  "  Jehovah,"  and  they  respectively  relied  upon  and  feared  powder  and  ball  more  than 
either.  In  fact,  the  Continental  Congress  was  but  a  shadow,  for  it  did  not  meet  for  organi- 
zation until  six  hours  afterward,^  and  its  "  authority"  Avas  yet  scarcely  acknowledged  even 
by  the  patriots  in  the  field.  But  Delaplace  ordered  his  troops  to  parade  without  arms, 
the  garrison  of  forty-eight  men  were  surrendered  prisoners  of  war,  and,  with  the  women  and 
children,  were  sent  to  Hartford,  in  Connecticut.  The  spoils  were  one  hundred  and  twenty 
pieces  of  iron  cannon,  fifty  swivels,  two  ten-inch  mortars,  one  howitzer,  one  cohorn,  ten  tons 
of  musket-balls,  three  cart-loads  of  flints,  thirty  new  carriages,  a  considerable  quantity  of 
shells,  a  ware-house  full  of  material  for  boat  building,  one  hundred  stand  of  small  arms,  ten 
casks  of  poor  powder,  two  brass  cannon,  thirty  barrels  of  flour,  eighteen  barrels  of  pork,  and 
some  beans  and  peas. 

Warner  crossed  the  lake  with  the  rear  division,  and  marched  up  to  the  fort  just  after  the 
surrender  was  made.  As  soon  as  the  prisoners  were  secured,  and  all  had  breakfasted,  he 
was  sent  ofl'  with  a  detachment  of  men  in  boats  to  take  Crown  Point ;  but  a  strong  head 
wind  drove  them  back,  and  they  slept  that  night  at  Ticonderoga.  Another  and  successful 
attempt  was  made  on  the  12th,  and  both  fortresses  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  patriots  with- 
out bloodshed. 

Arnold,  who  yielded  his  claims  to  supreme  command  at  Castleton,  assumed  control  the 
moment  the  fort  was  surrendered.  But  his  orders  were  not  heeded,  and  the  Connecticut 
Committee,^  of  semi-official  origin,  which  accompanied  the  expedition,  interposed,  formally 
installed  Colonel  Allen  in  the  command  of  Ticonderoga  and  its  dependencies,  and  authorized 
him  to  remain  as  such  until  the  Connecticut  Assembly  or  the  Continental  Congress  shoulJ 
send  him  instructions.  They  aflirmed  that  the  government  of  Massachusetts  had  no  part 
in  the  transaction  ;  that  the  men  from  Pittsfield  were  paid  by  Connecticut ;  and  that  Arnold 
could  be  considered  only  as  a  volunteer.  Finding  his  commands  unheeded,  and  unwilhng 
to  allow  personal  considerations  to  affect,  inimically,  the  public  good,  Arnold  again  yielded 
He  sent  a  written  protest,  with  a  statement  of  his  grievances,  to  the  Massachusetts  Legis- 
lature. The  Connecticut  Committee  also  sent  a  statement  to  the  same  body.  The  appoint- 
ment of  Allen  was  confirmed,  and  the  Assembly  of  Massachusetts  directed  Arnold  not  to  in- 
terfere. He  soon  afterward  went  down  the  lake  to  seize  a  British  sloop  of  war  at  St.  John's, 
and  to  seek  other  occasions  where  glory  might  be  won  in  the  service  of  his  country. 

The  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  was  an  event  wholly  unlooked  lor  by  the 

'  According  to  Mr.  Rice,  history  has  omitted  the  suffix  to  this  demand,  which  in  those  days  was  consid- 
ered a  necessary  clincher  to  all  solemn  averments.  It  is  characteristic  of  the  man  and  the  times.  Rice's 
brother  was  within  a  lew  feet  of  Allen,  and  said  he  exclaimed,  "  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and 
the  Continental  Congress,  by  God.'^ 

*  The  second  Continental  Congress  assembled  at  Philadelphia  at  ten  o'clock  that  day  (May  10th),  and 
chose  Peyton  Randolph  President,  and  Charles  Tliompson  Secretary. 

*  One  of  the  committee,  Mr.  Phelps,  visited  the  fort,  in  disguise,  the  day  before  Allen  and  his  men  ar- 
rived. He  pretended  to  be  a  countryman  wishing  to  be  shaved,  and,  while  looking  about  for  the  garrison 
barber,  observed  every  thing  carefully,  and  saw  the  dilapidation  of  the  walls  and  the  laxity  of  duty  and 
'liscipline,  particularly  as  to  sentinels. 


126  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Forbearance  of  the  Coloiusts.     Consistent  Course  of  their  Delegates  in  Congress.    Various  Addresses  of  the  second  Congress. 

Continental  Congress,  then  in  session  at  Philadelphia,  and  many  members  were  alarmed  at 
the  serious  aspect  of  affairs  at  the  east  and  north,  for  as  yet  the  Americans  had  harbored  no 
distinct  thought  or  wish  derogatory  to  the  truest  loyalty.  They  were  aggrieved  by  the  rulers 
and  legislators  of  the  parent  country,  and  were  earnestly  seeking  redress.  Ten  years  they 
had  been  petitioning  the  king  and  Parliament  to  exercise  righteousness  and  equity  toward 
them,  but  their  prayers  were  unheeded  and  their  warnings  were  scoffed  at  and  answered  by 
new  oppressions.  Yet  the  colonists  remained  loyal,  and  never  breathed  an  aspiration  for 
political  independence.  The  colonial  Assemblies,  as  well  as  the  mass  of  the  people,  looked 
forward  with  anxiety  for  a  reconciliation,  for  they  felt  proud  of  their  connection  with  the 
British  realm,  whose  government  was  then  among  the  most  powerful  upon  earth.' 

When  the  news  of  the  capture  of  the  forts  on  Champlain  reached  Congress,  they  recom- 
mended to  the  committees  of  New  York  and  Albany  to  remove  the  cannon  and  stores  to  the 
south  end  of  Lake  George,  and  to  erect  a  strong  post  at  that  place.  They  also  directed  an 
exact  inventory  of  the  cannon  and  military  stores  to  be  taken,  "  in  order,"  as  the  dispatch 
said,  "  that  they  may  be  safely  returned  when  the  restoration  of  harmony  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  colonies,  so  ardently  desired  by  the  latter,  shall  render  it  prudent  and  con- 
sistent with  the  over-ruling  law  of  self-preservation."* 

The  delegates  to  the  first  Continental  Congress,  who  met  in  September  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  while  they  exhibited  rare  firmness  of  purpose  in  tone  and  manner,  again 
and  again  avowed  their  loyalty,  and  made  most  humble  petitions  to  the  king  and  the  Legis 
lature  for  a  redress  of  grievances.  And  those  of  the  Congress  in  session  when  the  first  hos 
tile  movements  on  Lake  Champlain  occurred,  while  they  saw  clearly  that  nothing  but  a 
general  resort  to  arms  was  now  left  for  the  colonists,  resolved  to  make  fresh  appeals  to  the 
king  and  Parliament  before  taking  decidedly  offensive  steps  in  acts  of  open  hostility.  They 
felt  quite  certain,  however,  that  the  haughtiness  of  power  would  not  bend  so  long  as  its  pride 
was  wounded,  and  that  it  would  never  yield  to  an  agreement  for  a  reconciliation  upon  terms 
other  than  the  absolute  submission  of  the  insurgents.  Congress,  therefore,  correctly  repre- 
senting the  public  sentiment,  resolved  to  be,  at  the  same  time,  free  men  and  loyal  subjects 
as  long  as  a  link  of  consistency  should  bind  those  conditions  in  unity.  They  adopted  an 
a  May  29,     addrcss  to  the  inhabitants  of  Canada  ;a   a  declaration,  setting  forth  the  causes  and 

17  "5  .  '  '  o 

b  July's,  'the  necessity  for  the  colonies  to  take  up  arms  ;b  an  humble  petition  to  the  king  ;c 
d  July  25  ^^  address  to  the  Assembly  of  Jamaica  ;d'  and  an  address  to  the  people  of  Ire- 
e  July  28.  land.e^  To  the  king  they  expressed  their  continued  devotion  to  his  person,  and 
their  deep  regret  that  circumstances  had  in  the  least  weakened  their  attachment  to  the 
crown.  To  the  people  of  Great  Britain  they  truthfully  declared  that  their  acts  were  wholly 
defensive  ;  that  the  charge  which  had  been  made  against  them,  of  seeking  absolute  independ- 
ence, was  a  malicious  slander ;  and  that  they  had  never,  directly  or  indirectly,  applied  to  a 
foreign  power  for  countenance  or  aid  in  prosecuting  a  rebellion.  They  truly  set  forth  that 
the  rejection  of  their  petitions  and  the  accumulation  of  oppressive  acts  of  Parliament  were 
the  causes  that  placed  them  in  the  attitude  of  resistance  which  they  then  assumed — an  atti- 

'  The  affections  of  the  people  of  the  colonies  were  very  much  alienated  by  the  grievances  of  the  Stamp 
Act  in  1765,  and  kindred  measures,  j'et  they  still  had  a  strong  attachment  to  the  mother  country,  even 
when  the  Revolution  finally  broke  out.  Dr.  Franklin's  testimony  in  1766  may  be  quoted  as  illustrative 
of  the  temper  of  the  people  nearly  ten  years  later.  In  answer  to  the  question  concerning  the  feelings  of 
the  people  of  America  toward  Great  Britain  before  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act,  he  said,  "  They  had  not 
only  a  respect  but  an  affection  for  Great  Britain,  for  its  laws,  its  customs,  and  its  manners,  and  even  a  fond- 
ness for  its  fashions,  that  greatly  increased  the  commerce.  Natives  of  Britain  were  always  treated  with 
particular  regard ;  and  to  be  an  Old  Englandman  was  of  itself  a  character  of  some  respect,  and  gave  a 
kind  of  rank  among  us." — Examination  of  Dr.  Frankliyi  bforc  the  British  House  of  Commons  relative  to  thl 
Repeal  of  the  American  Stamp  Act. 

*  Pitkin,  i.,  355. 

'  Jamaica,  one  of  the  West  India  Islands,  was  then  a  British  colony,  with  a  provincial  Legislature  liH 
those  on  the  American  Continent. 

••  See  Journals  of  Congress,  i.,  p.  100-168. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


127 


Military  Preparations  made  by  Congress. 


The  Continental  Army. 


Spirit  of  the  People. 


TiconJeroea. 


lude  at  once  necessary  and  justifiable,  and  worthy  of  the  free  character  of  subjects  of  the  Brit- 
ish realm.  "  While  we  revere,"  they  said,  "the  memory  of  our  gallant  and  virtuous  ancestors, 
we  never  can  surrender  these  glorious  privileges  for  which  they  fought,  bled,  and  conquered  : 
your  fleets  and  armies  can  destroy  our  towns  and  ravage  our  coasts  ;  these  are  inconsiderable 
objects — things  of  no  moment  to  men  whose  bosoms  glow  with  the  ardor  of  liberty.  Wo  can 
retire  beyond  the  reach  of  your  navy,  and,  without  any  sensible  diminution  of  the  necessaries 
of  life,  enjoy  a  luxury  which,  from  that  period,  you  will  want — the  luxury  of  being  free." 


TiCONDEKOGA  AT   SUNSET 

While  petitions  and  addresses  were  in  cou5se  of 
preparation  and  adoption.  Congress  proceeded  to  make 
extensive  military  arrangements.  The  militia  of  the 
various  colonies,  and  such  volunteers  as  could  be  ob- 
tained, were  mustered  into  service  under  the  title  of  the  Conti- 
nental AK.MY  ;  and  the  troops  which  had  flocked  to  the  vicinity  of  Bos- 
ton from  all  parts  of  New  England  after  the  skirmishes  at  Lexington  and 
('oncord,a  and  were  then  investing  that  city,  were  adopted  and  enrolled  under  the 
same  title. b  Congress  voted  to  issue  bills  of  credit,  or  paper  money,  to  the  amount  1775 
of  three  millions  of  dollars,  for  the  pay  of  the  army,  and  also  took  measures  for  the  ""*" 
istablishment  of  provisional  Assemblies  in  the  several  colonies  instead  of  the  royal  govern- 
aaents ;  for  acts  of  Parliament,  declaring  the  colonies  in  a  state  of  rebellion,  and  providing 
for  the  destruction  of  the  commerce  of  several  sea-port  towns,  and  for  the  sending  of  fleets 
and  armies  to  enforce  submission,  were  regarded  by  the  Americans  as  virtual  acknowledg- 
ments of  the  abdication  of  all  power  here.'  Thus,  while  the  colonists  kept  the  door  oi  rec- 
onciliation wide  open,  they  prepared  to  maintain  the  righteous  position  which  they  had  as- 
sumed at  all  hazards. 

Let  us  for  a  moment  close  the  chronicles  of  the  past,  and  consider  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting relics  of  the  Revolution  yet  remaining — the  ruins  of  Ticonderoga.  I  lingered  with 
the  old  soldier  among  the  fragments  of  the  fortress  until  sunset ;   and  just  as  the  luminar}" 


'  Sec  Parliamentary  Regi.ster  (1775),  p   6-69. 


128  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Present  Appearance  of  Fort  Ticonderoga  and  Vicinity.  The  Bakery.  Grenadiers'  Battery 

went  down  behind  Mount  Defiance  I  made  the  preceding  sketch,  which  may  be  relied  upon 
as  a  faithful  portraiture  of  the  present  features  of  Fort  Ticonderoga.  The  view  is  from  the 
remains  of  the  counterscarp,  near  the  southern  range  of  barracks,  looking  northward.  The 
barracks  or  quarters  for  the  officers  and  soldiers  were  very  substantially  built  of  limestone, 
two  stories  high,  and  formed  a  quadrangle.  The  space  within  was  the  parade.  Upon  the 
good  authority  of  his  brother,  our  venerable  guide  pointed  out  the  various  localities  of  inter- 
est, and,  having  no  doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  his  information,  I  shall  accord  it  as  truth 
The  most  distinct  and  best-preserved  building  seen  in  the  sketch  is  the  one  in  which  the 
commandant  of  the  garrison  was  asleep  when  Allen  and  his  men  entered  the  fort.  On  the 
left  of  the  group  of  figures  in  the  fore-ground  is  the  passage  leading  from  the  covered  way 
into  the  parade,  through  which  the  provincials  passed.  The  two  lines  of  forty  men  each 
were  drawn  up  along  the  range  of  buildings,  'the  remains  of  which  are  seen  on  the  right  and 
left  of  the  picture.  The  most  distant  building  was  the  officers'  quarters.  A  wooden  piazza, 
or  sort  of  balcony,  extended  along  the  second  story,  and  was  reached  from  the  ground  by  a 
flight  of  stairs  at  the  left  end.  The  first  door  in  the  second  story,  on  the  left,  was  the  en- 
trance to  Delaplace's  apartment.  It  was  up  those  rickety  steps,  with  young  Beman  at  his 
side,  that  Colonel  Allen  ascended  ;  and  at  that  door  he  thundered  with  his  sword-hilt,  con- 
fronted the  astonished  captain,  and  demanded  his  surrender.  Between  the  ruined  walls  on 
the  extreme  left  is  seen  Mount  Defiance,  and  on  the  right  is  Mount  Hope.  The  distant  wall 
in  the  direction  of  Mount  Hope  is  a  part  of  the  ramparts  or  out-works,  and  the  woods  be- 
yond it  mark  the  location  of  the  remains  of  the  "  French  lines,"  the  mounds  and  ditches  ol' 
which  are  still  very  conspicuous. 

Near  the  southeastern  angle  of  the  range  of  barracks  is  the  bakery  ;  it  is  an  under-gronnd 
irched  room,   and  was  beneath   the   glacis,  perfectly 

bomb-proof,  and  protected  from  all  danger  from  with-  "  ~    ^ 

out.  This  room  is  very  well  preserved,  as  the  annexed 
sketch  of  it  testifies  ;  but  the  entrance  steps  are  much 
broken,  and  the  passage  is  so  filled  with  rubbish  that  a 
descent  into  it  is  difficult.  It  is  about  twelve  feet  wide 
and  thirty  long.  On  the  right  is  a  window,  and  at  the 
end  were  a  fire-place  and  chimney,  now  in  ruins.  On 
either  side  of  the  fire-place  are  the  ovens,  ten  feet  deep. 
We  liad  no  light  to  explore  them,  but  they  seemed  to 

be  in  good  condition       This  bakery  and  the  ovens  are  .pjjj,  ^^kerv. 

the  best-preserved  portions  of  the  fortress.      For  more 

than  half  a  century  the  walls  of  the  fort  have  been  common  spoil  for  all  who  chose  to  avaL 
themselves  of  such  a  convenient  quarry  ;  and  the  proximity  of  the  lake  afibrds  rare  facilitj 
for  builders  to  carry  off"  the  plunder.  The  guide  informed  me  that  sixty-four  years  ago  hu 
assisted  in  the  labor  of  loading  a  vessel  with  bricks  and  stones  taken  from  the  fort,  to  build 
an  earthen-ware  factory  on  Missisqui  Bay,  the  eastern  fork  of  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  Year  after  year  the  ruins  thus  dwindle,  and,  unless  government  shall  prohibit  tho 
robbery,  this  venerable  landmark  of  history  will  soon  have  no  abiding-place  among  us.  The 
foundation  is  almost  a  bare  rock,  earthed  sufficient  to  give  sustenance  to  muUens,  rag- weed, 
and  stinted  grass  only,  so  that  the  plowshare  can  have  no  effect ;  but  desecrating  avarice, 
with  its  wicked  broom,  may  sweep  the  bare  rock  still  barer,  for  the  site  is  a  glorious  one  for 
a  summer  hotel  for  invalids.  I  shall,  doubtless,  receive  posthumous  laudation  for  this  sug- 
gestion from  the  money-getter  who  here  shall  erect  the  colonnade,  sell  cooked  fish  and  fla- 
vored ices,  and  coin  wealth  by  the  magic  of  the  fiddle-string. 

On  the  point  of  the  promontory,  just  above  the  steam-boat  landing,  are  the  remains  of 
the  "Grenadiers'  Battery,"  a  strong  redoubt  built  of  earth  and  stoire.  It  was  constructed 
by  the  French,  and  enlarged  by  the  English.  It  commanded  the  narrow  part  of  the  lake, 
between  that  point  and  Mount  Independence,  and  covered  the  bridge,  which  was  made  by 
the  Americans,  extending  across  to   the   latter  eminence.      The  bridge   was  supported  by 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  129 


The  floating  Bridge.  View  of  the  Ruins  by  Moonlight.  The  old  Patriot,  his  Memories  and  Hopes. 

twenty-two  sunken  piers  of  large  timber,  at  nearly  equal  distances  ;  the  space  between  was 
made  of  separate  floats,  each  about  fifty  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide,  strongly  fastened 
together  by  chains  and  rivets,  and  also  fastened  to  the  sunken  piers.  Before  this  bridge  was 
a  boom,  made  of  very  large  pieces  of  timber,  fastened  together  by  riveted  bolts  and  chains 
of  iron,  an  inch  and  a  half  square.'  There  was  a  battery  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Independ- 
ence, which  covered  that  end  of  the  bridge  ;  another  half  way  up  the  hill ;  and  upon  the 
table-land  summit  was  a  star  fort  well  picketed.  Here,  strongly  stationed,  the  Americans 
held  undisputed  possession  from  the  10th  of  May,  1775,  until  the  5th  of  July,  1777,  when 
they  were  dislodged  by  Burgoyne,  who  began  to  plant  a  battery  upon  Sugar  Hill,  or  Mount 
Defiance.      This  event  we  shall  consider  presently. 

I  went  up  in  the  evening  to  view  the  solitary  ruins  by  moonlight,  and  sat  upon  the  green 
sward  of  the  old  esplanade  near  the  magazine.  All  was  hushed,  and  association,  with  its 
busy  pencil,  wrought  many  a  startling  picture.  The  broken  ruins  around  me,  the  lofty  hills 
adjacent,  the  quiet  lake  at  my  feet,  all  fading  into  chaos  as  the  evening  shadows  came  on, 
were  in  consonance  with  the  gravity  of  thought  induced  by  the  place  and  its  traditions. 

"  The  darkening  woods,  the  fading  trees, 
The  grasshopper's  last  feeble  sound, 
The  flowers  just  waken'd  by  the  breeze, 
All  leave  the  stillness  more  profound. 
The  twilight  takes  a  deeper  shade, 

The  dusky  pathways  blacker  grow, 
And  silence  reigns  in  glen  and  glade — 
All,  all  is  mute  below." 

Miller's  Evening  Hymn. 

So  smoothly  ran  the  current  of  thought,  that  I  was  almost  dreaming,  when  a  footstep 
startled  me.  It  was  that  of  the  old  patriot,  who  came  and  sat  beside  me.  He  always 
spends  the  pleasant  moonlight  evenings  here,  for  he  has  no  companions  of  the  present,  and 
the  sight  of  the  old  walls  kept  sluggish  memory  awake  to  the  recollections  of  the  light  and 
love  of  other  days.  "  I  am  alone  in  the  world,"  he  said,  "  poor  and  friendless  ;  none  for  me 
to  care  for,  and  none  to  care  for  me.  Father,  mother,  brothers,  sisters,  wife,  and  children 
have  all  passed  away,  and  the  busy  world  has  forgotten  tne.  I  have  been  for  almost  eighty 
years  a  toiler  for  bread  for  myself  and  loved  ones,  yet  I  have  never  lacked  for  comforts.  I 
can  say  with  David,  '  Once  I  was  young,  but  now  I  am  old,  yet  I  have  never  seen  the  right- 
eous forsaken  or  his  seed  begging  bread.'  I  began  to  feel  my  strength  giving  way  last  spring, 
and  looked  fearfully  toward  the  poor-house,  when  I  heard  that  the  old  man  who  lived  here, 
to  show  visitors  about,  was  dead,  and  so  I  came  down  to  take  his  place  and  die  also."  He 
brushed  away  a  tear  with  his  hard  and  shriveled  hand,  and,  with  a  more  cheerful  tone,  talked 
of  his  future  prospects.      How  true  it  is  that  blessed 

"  Hope  springs  immortal  in  the  human  breast," 

for  this  poor,  friendless,  aged  man  had  bright  visions  of  a  better  earthly  condition  even  in  the 
midst  of  his  poverty  and  loneliness.  He  took  me  to  an  opening  in  the  broken  wall,  which 
fronted  a  small  room  near  the  spot  where  the  provincials  entered,  and  with  a  low  voice,  as 
if  afraid  some  rival  might  hear  his  business  plans,  explained  how  he  intended,  another  year, 
to  clear  away  the  rubbish,  cover  the  room  over  with  boards  and  brush,  arrange  a  sleeping- 
place  in  the  rear,  erect  a  rude  counter  in  front,  and  there,  during  the  summer,  sell  cakes, 
beei  and  fruit  to  visitors.  Here  I  saw  my  fancied  hotel  in  embryo.  He  estimated  the 
cash  capital  necessary  for  the  enterprise  at  eight  dollars,  which  sum  he  hoped  to  save  from 
his  season's  earnings,  for  the  French  woman  who  gave  him  food  and  shelter  charged  him  but 
a  trifling  weekly  sum  for  his  comforts.  He  calculated  upon  large  profits  and  extensive  sales, 
and  hoped,  if  no  opposition  marred  his  plans,  to  make  enough  to  keep  him  comfortable  through 

'  Burgoj'ne's  Narrative,  Appendix,  p.  xxx. 
I 


130  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Trip  to  Mount  Defiance.  Ascent  of  the  Mountain.  An  English  Major  and  Provincial  Subaltern. 

life.  He  entertained  me  more  than  an  hour  with  a  relation  of  his  own  and  his  father's  ad- 
ventures/ and  it  was  late  in  the  evening  when  I  bade  him  a  final  adieu.  "God  bless  you, 
my  son,"  he  said,  as  he  grasped  my  hand  at  parting.  "  "We  may  never  meet  here  again, 
but  I  hope  we  may  in  heaven  1" 

Au<nist2  Early  the  next  morning  I  started  for  Mount  Defiance  in  company  with  an  En- 

1848.  glish  gentleman,  a  resident  of  Boston.  We  rode  to  the  "  lower  village,"  or  Ticon- 
deroga,  where  we  left  our  ladies  to  return  by  the  same  stage,  while  we  climbed  the  rugged 
heii^hts.  We  hired  a  horse  and  vehicle,  and  a  lad  to  drive,  who  professed  to  know  all  about 
the  route  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  We  soon  found  that  he  was  bewildered  ;  and,  un- 
willing to  waste  time  by  losing  the  way,  we  employed  an  aged  resident  near  the  western 
slope  to  pilot  us  to  the  top  of  the  eminence.  He  was  exceedingly  garrulous,  and  boasted, 
with  much  self-gratulation,  of  having  assisted  in  dragging  a  heavy  six  pounder  up  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain,  five  years  ago,  for  the  purpose  of  celebrating  the  "  glorious  Fourth"  on  the 
very  spot  where  Burgoyne  planted  his  cannon  sixty-six  years  before.  We  followed  him 
along  a  devious  cattle-path  that  skirted  a  deep  ravine,  until  we  came  to  a  spring  that  bub- 
l:jled  up  from  beneath  a  huge  shelving  rock  whose  face  was  smooth  and  mossy.  The  trick- 
lin<T  of  the  water  through  the  crevices  within,  by  which  the  fountain  below  was  supplied, 
could  be  distinctly  heard.  From  a  cup  of  maple-leaves  we  took  a  cool  draught,  rested  a 
moment,  and  then  pursued  our  toilsome  journey. 

Our  guide,  professing  to  know  every  rock  and  tree  in  the  mountain,  now  left  the  cattle- 
path  for  a  "  shorter  cut,"  but  v/e  soon  wished  ourselves  back  again  in  the  beaten  track 
The  old  man  was  evidently  "  out  of  his  reckoning,"  but  had  too  much  "  grit"  to  acknowl- 
edge it.  For  nearly  an  hour  we  followed  him  through  thickets  tangled  with  vines,  over  the 
trunks  of  huge  trees  leveled  by  the  wind,  and  across  a  dry  morass  covered  with  brakes  and 
wire-grass  shoulder  high,  where  every  trill  of  the  grasshopper  sounded  to  our  suspicious  and 
vicrilant  ears  like  the  warning  of  a  rattle-snake,  until  at  length  we  were  confronted  by  a  wall 
of  huge  broken  rocks,  almost  perpendicular,  and  at  least  fifty  feet  high.  It  seemed  to  ex- 
tend north  and  south  indefinitely,  and  v/e  almost  despaired  of  scaling  it.  The  guide  insisted 
upon  the  profundity  of  his  knowledge  of  the  route,  and  we,  being  unable  to  contradict  his 
positive  assertions  that  he  was  in  the  right  way,  followed  him  up  the  precipice.  It  was  a 
toilsome  and  dangerous  ascent,  but  fortunately  the  sun  was  yet  eastward  of  meridian,  and 
we  were  in  shadow.  We  at  last  reached  a  broad  ledge  near  the  summit,  where,  exhausted, 
we  sat  down  and  regaled  ourselves  with  some  mulberries  which  we  had  gathered  by  the  way. 
A  large  wolf-dog,  belonging  to  our  guide,  had  managed  to  follow  his  master,  and  seemed 
quite  as  weary  as  ourselves  when  he  reached  us.  Another  scramble  of  about  twenty  min- 
utes, over  broken  rocks  and  ledges  like  a  giant's  stair-case,  brought  us  upon  the  bold,  rocky 
summit  of  the  mountain.  The  view  from  this  lofty  hill  is  one  of  great  interest  and  beauty, 
including  almost  every  variety  of  natural  scenery,  and  a  region  abounding  with  historical 

^  His  father  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  English  service,  and  belonged  to  the  Connecticut  troops  that  were 
with  Amherst  when  he  took  Ticonderoga.  While  the  English  had  possession  of  that  post,  before  seizing 
Crown  Point,  he  was  much  annoyed  by  a  swaggering  English  major,  who  boasted  that  no  American  in  the 
countiT  could  lay  him  upon  his  back.  Lieutenant  Rice  accepted  the  general  challenge.  For  twenty  min- 
utes it  was  doubtful  who  the  successful  wrestler  would  be.  Rice  was  the  more  agile  of  the  two,  and,  by 
a  dexterous  movement,  tripped  his  adversary  and  brought  him  upon  his  back.  The  burly  major  was  greatly 
nettled,  and  declared  the  act  unfair  and  unmanly.  Rice  made  a  rejoinder,  and  hard  words  passed,  which 
ended  in  a  challenge  from  the  major  for  a  duel.  It  was  accepted,  and  the  place  and  time  of  meeting  were 
appointed.  But  the  fact  having  reached  the  ears  of  Amherst,  he  interposed  his  persuasion.  The  English- 
man was  resolved  on  finfhting,  and  would  listen  to  no  remonstrance  until  Amherst  touched  his  national  and 
military  pride.  "  Consider,"  he  said,  "how  glorious  is  our  conquest.  We  have  taken  this  strong  fortress 
without  shedding  one  drop  of  blood.  Shall  Britons  be  such  savanjes,  that,  when  they  can  not  spill  the  blood 
of  enemies,  they  will  shed  that  of  each  other?"  The  appeal  had  the  desired  effect,  and  the  parties  sealed 
their  reconciliation  and  pledged  new  friendship  over  a  glass  of  grog.  They  then  tried  their  strength  again. 
The  major  was  prostrated  in  an  instant  by  a  fair  exertion  of  superior  strength,  and  from  that  hour  he  was 
Rice's  warmest  friend.  The  major's  name  was  Church.  He  was  a  lieutenant  colonel  under  Prevost,  and 
was  killed  at  Savannah  on  the  16th  of  September,  1779. 


.OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


131 


View  from  the  Top  of  Mount  Defiance. 


Mount  Independence,  Ticonderoga,  the  Lake,  and  the  Green  Mountains 


associations.      The  fore-ground  of  the  picture  represents  the  spot  whereon  Burgoyne  began 
the  erection  of  a  battery  ;  and  a  shallow  hole,  drilled  for  the  purpose  of  making  fastenings 


View  fkom  the  Top  of  Mount  Defiance. 

for  the  cannon,  may  still  be  seen.  The  sheet  of  water  toward  the  left  is  the  outlet  of  Lake 
George,  where  it  joins  Lake  Champlain,  which  sweeps  around  the  promontory  in  the  middle 
ground,  whereon  Fort  Ticonderoga  is  situated.  Gray,  like  the  almost  bald  rock  on  which 
they  stand,  the  ruins  were  scarcely  discernible  from  that  height,  and  the  Pavilion  appeared 
like  a  small  white  spot  among  the  green  foliage  that  embowers  it.  On  the  point  which  the 
steam-boat  is  approaching  is  the  Grenadier^  Battery  already  mentioned,  and  on  the  ex- 
treme right  is  seen  a  portion  of  Mount  Independence  at  the  mouth  of  East  Creek.  This 
eminence  is  in  Vermont — Mount  Defiance  and  Fort  Ticonderoga  are  in  New  York.  The 
point  beyond  the  small  vessel  with  a  white  sail  is  the  spot  whence  the  Americans  under  Allen 
and  Arnold  crossed  the  lake  to  attack  the  fort ;  and  between  Mount  Independence  and  the 
Grenadier^  Battery  is  the  place  wheiie  the  bridge  was  erected.  The  lake  here  is  quite 
narrow,  and,  sweeping  in  serpentine  curves  around  the  two  points,  it  flows  northward  on 
the  left,  and  expands  gradually  into  a  sheet  of  water  several  miles  wide.  The  hills  seen  in 
the  far  distance  are  the  Green  Mountains  of  Vermont,  between  which  lofty  range  and  the 
lake  is  a  beautifully  diversified  and  fertile  agricultural  country  twelve  miles  wide,  a  portion 
of  the  famous  New  Hampshire  Grants.  From  this  height  the  eye  takes  in  a  range  along 
the  lake  of  more  than  thirty  miles,  and  a  more  beautiful  rural  panorama  can  not  often  be 
found.  Let  us  retreat  to  the  cool  shadow  of  the  shrubbery  on  the  left,  for  the  summer  sun 
is  at  meridian  ;  and,  while  gathering  new  strength  to  make  our  toilsome  descent,  let  us  open 
again  the  volume  of  history,  and  read  the  page  on  which  are  recorded  the  stirring  event.s 
that  were  enacted  within  the  rangre  of  our  vision. 


]  32 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


<  "rown  Point  and  Ticonderoga  invested  by  Burgoyne.         Material  of  his  Army.         Weakness  of  the  Garrison  at  Ticonderoga 


Lieutenant-general  Burgoyne,  with  a  strong  and  well-appointed  army  of  more  than  seven 
thousand  men,'  including  Indians,  came  up  Lake  Champlain  and   appeared  before  Crown 
Point  on  the  27th  of  June.      The  few  Americans  in  garrison  there  abandoned  the  fort 
and  retreated  to  Ticonderoga.      The  British  quietly  took  possession,  and,  after  estab- 
lishing a  magazine,  hospital,  and  stores  there,  proceeded  to  invest  Ticonderoga  on  the  30th. 
Some  light  infantry,  grenadiers,  Canadians,  and  Indians,  with  ten  pieces  of  light  artillery, 
under  Brigadier-general  Fraser,  were  encamped  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  at  the  mouth  of 
Putnam's  Creek.      These  moved  up  the  shore  to  Four  Mile  Point,  so  called  from  being  that  dis- 
tance from  Ticonderoga.      The  German  reserve, 
consisting  of  the  chasseurs,  light  infantry,   and 
grenadiers,    under    Lieutenant-colonel    Breyman, 
were  moved  at  the  same  time  along  the  eastern 
shore,  while  the  remainder  of  the  army,  under  the 
immediate  command  of  Burgoyne  himself,  were  on 
board  the  Royal  George   and  Inflexible  frigates 
and  several  gun-boats,  which  moved  up  the  lake 
between  the  two  strong  wings  on  land.      The 
land  force  halted,  and  the  naval  force  was  anchor- 
ed just  beyond  carmon-shot  from  the  American 
works. 

Major-general  Arthur  St.  Clair^  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  American  garrison  at  Ticonderoga, 
a  post  of  honor  which  Schuyler  had  offered  to 
Gates.  He  found  the  garrison  only  about  two 
thousand  strong ;  and  so  much  were  the  stores 
reduced,  that  he  was  afraid  to  make  any  consid- 
erable addition  to  his  force  from  the  militia  who 
were  coming  in  from  the  east,  until  a  replenish- 
ment of  provisions  could  be  effected.  Had  the 
garrison  been  well  supplied  with  stores,  six  or 
.ight  thousand  men  might  have  been  collected  there  before  the  arrival  of  the  enemy. 


'  The  day  when  the  British  army  encamped  before  Ticonderoga  (July  1st),  the  troops  consisted  of  Brit- 
ish, rank  and  file,  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-four ;  Germans,  rank  and  file,  three  thousand 
and  sixteen ;  Canadians  and  provincials  about  two  hundred  and  fifty,  and  Indians  about  four  hundred,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety. 

*  Arthur  St.  Clair  was  a  native  of  Edinburgh,  in  Scotland.  He  was  born  in  1734,  and  came  to  America 
with  Admiral  Boscawen  in  1759.  He  served  in  Canada  in  1759  and  1760,  as  a  lieutenant  under  General 
Wolfe,  and,  after  the  peace  of  1763,  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  Fort  Ligonier,  in  Pennsylvania.  In 
January,  1776,  he  was  appointed  a  colonel  in  the  Continental  army,  and  was  ordered  to  raise  a  regiment 
destined  for  service  in  Canada.  Within  six  weeks  from  his  appointment  his  regiment  was  on  its  march. 
He  was  appointed  a  brigadier  in  August  of  that  year,  and  was  an  active  participant  in  the  engagements  at 
Trenton  and  Princeton.  In  February,  1777,  he  received  the  appointment  of  major  general,  and  on  the  5th 
nf  June  was  ordered  by  General  Schuyler  to  the  command  of  Ticonderoga.  He  reached  that  post  on  the 
12th,  and  found  a  garrison  of  two  thousand  men,  badly  equipped  and  very  short  of  ammunition  and  stores. 
He  was  obliged  to  evacuate  the  post  on  the  5th  of  July  following.  In  1780  he  was  ordered  to  Rhode 
Island,  but  circumstances  prevented  him  from  going  thither.  When  the  allied  armies  marched  toward 
v'^irginia,  in  1781,  to  attack  Cornwallis,  St.  Clair  was  directed  to  remain  at  Philadelphia  with  the  recruits 
of  the  Pennsj'lvania  line,  for  the  protection  of  Congress.  He  was,  however,  soon  afterward  allowed  to  Join 
the  army,  and  reached  Yorktown  during  the  siege.  From  Yorktown  he  was  sent  with  a  considerable  force 
to  join  Greene,  which  he  did  at  Jacksonville,  near  Savannah.  He  resided  in  Pennsylvania  after  the  peace ; 
was  elected  to  Congress  in  1786,  and  was  president  of  that  body  in  1787.  Upon  the  erection  of  the  North- 
western Territory  into  a  government  in  1788,  he  was  appointed  governor,  which  office  he  held  until  1S02. 
when  Ohio  was  admitted  as  a  state  into  the  Union,  and  he  declined  an  election  to  the  post  he  had  held. 
His  military  operations  within  his  territory  against  the  Indians  were  disastrous,  and  when  he  retired  from 
office  he  was  almost  ruined  in  fortune.  He  made  unsuccessful  applications  to  Congress  for  the  payment 
of  certain  claims,  and  finally  died  almost  penniless,  at  Laurel  Hill  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  Aug.  31,1818, 
aged  84  years. 


I 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  13 


Outposts  undefended.  Fort  on  Mount  Independence.  Tardiness  of  Congress  in  supplying  Men  and  Munitions 

St.  Clair  was  an  officer  of  acknowledged  bravery  and  prudence,  yet  he  was  far  from  being 
an  expert  and  skillful  military  leader.  His  self-reliance  and  his  confidence  in  the  valor  and 
strength  of  those  under  him  often  caused  him  to  be  less  vigilant  than  necessity  demanded  : 
and  it  was  this  fault,  in  connection  with  the  weakness  of  the  garrison,  which  gave  Burgoyne 
his  only  advantage  at  Ticonderoga.  He  soon  perceived,  through  the  vigilance  of  his  scouts, 
that  St.  Clair  had  neglected  to  secure  those  two  important  eminences.  Mount  Hope  and 
Sugar  Loaf  Hill  (Mount  Defi.ance),  and,  instead  of  making  a  direct  assault  upon  the  fortress, 
the  British  general  essayed  to  possess  himself  of  these  valuable  points. 

When  Burgoyne  approached,  a  small  detachment  of  Americans  occupied  the  old  French 
lines  north  of  the  fort,  which  were  well  repaired  and  guarded  by  a  block-house.  They  also 
had  an  outpost  at  the  saw-mills  (now  the  village  of  Ticonderoga),  another  just  above  the 
mills,  and  a  block-house  and  hospital  at  the  entrance  of  the  lake.  Between  the  lines  and 
the  old  fort  were  two  block-houses,  and  the  Grenadiers'  Battery  on  the  point  was  manned. 

The  garrison  in  the  star  fort,  on  Mount  Independence,  was  rather  stronger  than  that  at 
Ticonderoga,  and  better  provisioned.  The  fort  was  supplied  with  artillery,  strongly  picketed, 
and  its  approaches  were  well  guarded  by  batteries.  The  foot  of  the  hill  on  the  northwest- 
ern side  was  intrenched,  and  had  a  strong  abatis  next  to  the  water.  Artillery  was  placed 
in  the  intrenchments,  pointing  down  the  lake,  and  at  the  point,  near  the  mouth  of  East  Creek, 
was  a  strong  circular  battery.  The  general  defenses  of  the  Americans  were  formidable  to 
an  enemy,  but  the  tardiness  of  Congress  in  supplying  the  garrison  with  food,  clothing,  am- 
munition, and  re-enforcements,  made  them  quite  weak.'  Their  lines  and  works  were  exten- 
sive, and  instead  of  a  full  complement  of  men  to  man  and  defend  them,  and  to  occupy  Sugar 
Loaf  Hill  and  Mount  Hope,  the  whole  force  consisted  of  only  two  thousand  five  hundred  and 
forty-six  Continentals  and  nine  hundred  militia.      Of  the  latter  not  one  tenth  had  bayonets. 

While  at  Crown  Point,  Burgoyne  sent  forth  a  pompous  and  threatening  procla- 
mation, intended  to  awe  the  republicans  into  passiveness,  and  confirm  the  loyalists 
in  their  position  by  a  sense  of  the  presence  of  overshadowing  power, °  In  his  proclamation 
the  British  commander  set  forth  the  terrible  character  of  the  Indians  that  accompanied  him, 
greatly  exaggerated  their  numbers,  and  magnified  their  eagerness  to  be  let  loose  upon  the 
republicans,  whether  found  in  battle  array  or  in  the  bosom  of  their  families.  "  I  have,"  he 
said,  "  but  to  give  stretch  to  the  Indian  forces  under  my  direction,  and  they  amount  to  thou- 
sands, to  overtake  the  hardened  enemies  of  Great  Britain  and  America.  I  consider  them 
the  same  wherever  they  may  lurk."  Protection  and  security,  clogged  with  conditions, 
were  held  out  to  the  peaceable  who  remained  in  their  habitations.  All  the  outrages  of  war, 
arrayed  in  their  most  terrific  forms,  were  denounced  against  those  who  persisted  in  their 

^  It  was  generally  believed,  until  Burgoyne  appeared  at  St.  John's,  that  the  military  preparations  in 
progress  at  Quebec  were  intended  for  an  expedition  by  sea  against  the  coast  towns  still  in  possession  of 
the  Americans ;  and  influenced  by  this  belief,  as  well  as  by  the  pressing  demands  for  men  to  keep  General 
Howe  and  his  army  from  Philadelphia,  Congress  made  but  little  exertion  to  strengthen  the  posts  on  Lake 
Champlain.     This  was  a  fatal  mistake,  and  it  was  perceived  too  late  for  remedy. 

'^  This  swaggering  proclamation  commenced  as  follows  :  "  By  John  Burgoyne,  Esquire,  lieutenant  gen- 
eral of  his  majesty's  forces  in  America,  colonel  of  the  Queen's  regiment  of  Light  Dragoons,  governor  of 
Fort  William,  in  North  Britain,  one  of  the  Commons  of  Great  Britain  in  Parliament,  and  commanding  an 
army  and  fleet  employed  on  an  expedition  from  Canada,"  &c.  "  From  the  pompous  manner  in  which  he 
has  arrayed  his  titles,"  says  Dr.  Thatcher,  "  we  are  led  to  suppose  that  he  considers  them  as  more  than  a 
natch  for  all  the  military  force  which  we  can  bring  against  them." — Military  Journal,  p.  82. 

General  Washington,  from  his  camp  at  Middlebrook,  in  New  Jersey,  issued  a  manifesto  or  counter  proc 
.amation,  which,  in  sincerity  and  dignity,  was  infinitely  superior  to  tliat  issued  by  Burgoyne.  He  alluded 
to  the  purity  of  motives  and  devotion  of  the  patriots,  the  righteousness  of  their  cause,  and  the  evident  guard- 
ianship of  an  overruling  Providence  in  the  direction  of  aflTairs,  and  closed  by  saying,  "  Harassed  as  we  are 
by  unrelenting  persecution,  obliged  by  every  tie  to  repel  violence  by  force,  urged  by  self-preservation  to 
exert  the  strength  which  Providence  has  given  us  to  defend  our  natural  rights  against  the  aggressor,  we 
appeal  to  the  hearts  of  all  mankind  for  the  justice  of  our  cause ;  its  event  we  leave  to  Him  who  speaks  the 
fate  of  nations,  in  humble  confidence  that  as  his  omniscient  eye  taketh  note  even  of  the  sparrow  that  falletlj 
to  the  ground,  so  he  will  not  withdraw  his  countenance  from  a  people  who  humbly  array  themselves  under 
his  banner  in  defense  of  the  noblest  principles  with  which  he  has  adorned  humanity." 


134  PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 

Ticonderoga  invested  by  the  British.  Council  of  War  in  the  American  Camp.  The  British  on  Mount  Defianca 

hostility.  But  the  people  at  large,  and  particularly  the  firm  republicans,  were  so  far  from 
being  frightened,  that  they  treated  the  proclamation  with  contempt,  as  a  complete  model 
of  pomposity.' 

On  the  2d  of  July  the  right  wing  of  the  British  army  moved  forward,  and  Gen- 
eral St.  Clair  believed  and  hoped  that  they  intended  to  make  a  direct  assault  upon  the 
fort.  The  small  American  detachments  that  occupied  the  outposts  toward  Lake  George 
made  but  a  feeble  resistance,  and  then  set  fire  to  and  abandoned  their  works.  Generals 
Phillips  and  Fraser,  with  an  advanced  corps  of  infantry  and  some  light  artillery,  immedi- 
ately took  possession  of  Mount  Hope,  which  completely  commanded  the  road  to  Lake  George, 
and  thus  cut  off  all  supplies  to  the  jjatriot  garrison  from  that  quarter.  This  accomplished, 
extraordinary  energy  and  activity  were  manifested  by  the  enemy  in  bringing  up  their  artil- 
lery, ammunition,  and  stores  to  fortify  the  post  gained,  and  on  the  4th  Fraser's  whole 
corps  occupied  Mount  Hope.^  In  the  mean  while  Sugar  Loaf  Hill  had  been  recon- 
noitered  by  Lieutenant  Twiss,  the  chief  engineer^  who  reported  that  its  summit  had  com- 
plete command  of  the  whole  American  works  at  Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence,  and 
that  a  road  to  the  top,  suitable  for  the  conveyance  of  cannons,  though  difficult,  might  be 
made  in  twenty-four  hours.  It  was  resolved  to  erect  a  battery  on  the  height,  and,  by  ardu- 
ous and  prolonged  labor,  a  road  was  cleared  on  the  night  of  the  4th.  The  Thunderer, 
carrying  the  battery  train  and  stores,  arrived  in  the  afternoon,  and  light  twelve  pounders, 
medium  twelves,  and  eight-inch  howitzers  were  landed. 

So  completely  did  the  enemy  occupy  the  ground  between  the  lake.  Mount  Hope,  and 
Sugar  Loaf  Hill,  that  this  important  movement  was  concealed  from  the  garrison  ;  and  when, 
at  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  the  summit  of  Mount  Defiance'  glowed  with  the  scarlet 
uniforms  of  the  British  troops,  and  heavy  artillery  stood  threateningly  in  their  midst,  the 
Americans  were  paralyzed  Avith  astonishment,  for  that  array  seemed  more  like  the  lingering 
apparitions  of  a  night  vision  than  the  terrible  reality  they  were  forced  to  acknowledge. 
From  that  height  the  enemy  could  look  down  into  the  fortress,  count  every  man,  inspect  all 
their  movements,  and  with  eye  and  cannon  command  all  the  extensive  works  of  Ticonderoga 
and  Mount  Independence.  St.  Clair  immediately  called  a  council  of  war,  and  presented  to 
them  the  alarming  facts,  that  the  whole  effective  strength  of  the  garrison  was  not  sufficient 
to  man  one  half  of  the  works  ;  that,  as  the  whole  must  be  constantly  on  duty,  they  could 
not  long  endure  the  fatigue  ;  that  General  Schuyler,  then  at  Fort  Edward,  had  not  suffi- 
cient troops  to  re-enforce  or  relieve  them  ;  that  the  enemy's  batteries  were  nearly  ready  to 
open  upon  them,  and  that  a  complete  investment  of  the  place  would  be  accomplished  within 
twenty-four  hours.  It  seemed  plain  that  nothing  could  save  the  troops  but  evacuation,  and 
the  step  was  proposed  by  the  commander  and  agreed  to  by  his  officers.  It  was  a  critical 
and  trying  moment  for  St.  Clair.  To  remain  would  be  to  lose  his  army,  to  evacuate  would 
jy]y  g  be  to  lose  his  character.  He  chose  to  make  a  self-sacrifice,  and  at  about  two  o'clock 
i''"'^-      on  the  following  morning  the  troops  were  put  in  motion. 

As  every  movement  of  the  Americans  could  be  seen  through  the  day  from  Mount  Defi- 
ance, no  visible  preparations  for  leaving  the  fort  were  made  until  after  dark,  and  the  purpose 
of  the  council  was  concealed  from  the  troops  until  the  evening  order  was  given.  It  was 
arranged  to  place  the  baggage,  and  such  ammunition  and  stores  as  might  be  expedient,  on 
board  two  hundred  bateaux,  to  be  dispatched,  under  a  convoy  of  five  armed  galleys,  up  the 
lake  to  Skenesborough  (Whitehall),  and  the  main  body  of  the  army  to  proceed  by  land  to 

'  Gordon,  ii.,  205. 

^  This  title  was  given  to  it  by  General  Fraser,  in  allusion  to  the  hope  they  entertained  of  dislodging  the 
Americans. 

*  I  was  informed  by  an  old  man,  ninety  years  of  age,  residing  at  Pittsford,  not  far  from  the  battle-ground 
at  Hubbardton,  that  the  British  sfave  the  name  of  Mount  Defiance  to  Sugar  Loaf  Hill  on  the  day  when  they 
erected  their  battery  upon  it,  for  from  that  height  they  defied  "the  Americans  either  to  resist  or  dislodge 
them.  The  old  man  was  one  of  the  British  regulars  under  Burgoyne,  but  soon  afterward  deserted  to  the 
Continentals. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  135 


Retreat  of  the  Americans  from  Ticonderoga  and  Mount  Independence.         Imprudence  of  Fermoy.         Pursuit  by  the  Encmj . 

the  same  destination,  by  way  of  Castleton.  The  cannons  that  could  not  be  moved  were  to 
be  spiked  ;  previous  to  striking  the  tents,  every  light  was  to  be  extinguished  ;  each  soldier 
was  to  provide  himself  with  several  days'  provisions  ;  and,  to  allay  any  suspicions  on  the 
part  of  the  enemy  of  such  a  movement,  a  continued  cannonade  was  to  be  kept  up  from  one 
of  the  batteries  in  the  direction  of  Mount  Hope  until  the  moment  of  departure. 

These  arrangements  were  all  completed,  yet  so  short  was  the  notice  that  a  good  deal  of 
confusion  ensued.  The  garrison  of  Ticonderoga  crossed  the  bridge  to  Mount  Independence 
at  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  enemy  all  the  while  unconscious  of  the  escape  oi 
their  prey.  The  moon  was  shining  brightly,  yet  her  pale  light  was  insufficient  to  betra) 
the  toiling  Americans  in  their  preparations  and  flight,  and  they  felt  certain  that,  before  day 
light  should  discover  their  withdrawal,  they  would  be  too  far  advanced  to  invite  pursuit. 
But  General  De  Fermoy,  who  commanded  on  Mount  Independence,  regardless  of  express 
orders,  set  fire  to  the  house  he  had  occupied  as  the  troops  left.  The  light  of  the  conflagra- 
tion revealed  the  whole  scene  and  every  movement  to  the  enemy,  and  the  consciousness  of 
discovery  added  to  the  confusion  and  disorder  of  the  retreating  republicans.  The  rear-guard, 
under  Colonel  Francis,  left  the  mount  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  whole 
body  pressed  onward  in  irregular  order  toward  Hubbardton,  where,  through  the  energy  and 
skill  of  the  officers,  they  were  pretty  well  organized  after  a  halt  of  two  hours.  The  main 
array  then  proceeded  to  Castleton,  six  miles  further,  and  the  rear-guard,  with  stragglers 
picked  up  by  the  way,  were  placed  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Seth  Warner,  and  re- 
mained at  Hubbardton  until  some,  who  were  left  behind,  should  come  up.  Here  a  despe- 
rate, and,  to  the  Americans,  a  disastrous  battle  was  fought  the  next  morning,  the  details 
of  which  will  be  given  hereafter. 

As  soon  as  the  movement  of  the  Americans  Avas  perceived  by  the  British,  General  Fraser 
commenced  an  eager  pursuit  with  his  pickets,  leaving  orders  for  his  brigade  to  follow.  At 
daylight  he  unfurled  the  British  flag  over  Ticonderoga,  and  before  sunrise  he  had  passed 
the  bridge  and  Mount  Independence,  and  was  in  close  pursuit  of  the  flying  patriots.'  Major- 
general  Riedesel  and  Colonel  Breyman,  with  their  Germans  and  Hessians,  soon  followed  to 
sustain  Fraser,  while  Burgoyne,  who  was  on  board  the  Royal  George,  prepared  for  an  im- 
mediate pursuit  of  the  bateaux  and  convoy  by  water.  The  Americans  placed  great  reliance 
upon  their  strong  boom  at  Ticonderoga,  and  regarded  pursuit  by  water  as  almost  impossible  ; 
but  the  boom  and  bridge  were  speedily  cleft  by  the  enemy.  Long  before  noon  a  free  pas- 
sage was  made  for  the  gun-boats  and  frigates,  and  the  whole  flotilla  were  crowding  all  sail 
to  overtake  the  American  bateaux.  These,  with  the  baggage  and  stores,  were  all  destroyed 
at  Skenesborough  before  sunset. 

The  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga,  without  eflx)rts  at  defense,  was  loudly  condemned  through- 
out the  country,  and  brought  down  a  storm  of  indignant  abuse  upon  the  heads  of  Generals 
St.  Clair  and  Schuyler,  for  much  of  the  responsibility  was  laid  upon  the  latter  because  he 
was  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  northern  department.  The  weakness  of  the  garrison, 
the  commanding  position  of  the  enemy  upon  Mount  Defiance,  where  they  could  not  be 
reached  by  the  guns  of  the  fort,  and  the  scarcity  of  stores  and  ammunition,  were  not  taken 
into  the  account,  and,  consequently,  the  verdict  of  an  excited  public  was  very  unjust  toward 
those  unfortunate  officers.  Washington  had  placed  great  reliance  upon  them  both  ;  nor  did 
the  event  destroy  his  confidence  in  their  ability  and  bravery,  yet  he  was  perplexed,^  and 

'  This  was  the  third  time  in  consecutive  order  that  the  fortress  was  captured  by  an  enemy  to  the  gar- 
rison without  bloodshed,  namely,  in  1759,  by  the  English  under  General  Amherst ;  in  1775,  by  the  New 
England  provincials  under  Colonel  Ethan  Allen,  and  now  (1777)  by  the  British  under  Lieutenant-general 
Burgoyne. 

-  The  chief  thus  wrote  to  General  Schuyler  on  hearing  of  the  disaster :  "  The  evacuatioa  of  Ticonder- 
oga and  Mount  Independence  is  an  event  of  chagrin  and  surprise  not  apprehended  nor  within  the  compass 
of  my  reasoning.  I  know  not  upon  what  principle  it  was  founded,  and  I  should  suppose  it  would  be  still 
more  difficult  to  be  accounted  for  if  the  garrison  amounted  to  five  thousand  men  in  high  spirits,  health}', 
well  supplied  with  provisions  and  ammunition,  and  the  Eastern  militia  were  marching  to  their  succor,  as 
you  mentioned  in  your  letter  of  the  9rh  [June]  to  the  Council  of  Safety  of  New  York." 


136  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Washington's  Recommendatiou  of  Arnold  Acquittal  of  Schuyler  and  St.  Clair  of  Blame.  Return  to  Ticonduroga. 

clearly  foresaw  that  some  other  leader  would  be  necessary  to  inspire  sufficient  confidence  in 
the  minds  of  the  Eastern  militia  to  cause  them  to  turn  out  in  force  to  oppose  the  progress 
of  Burgoyne.  Accordingly,  he  recommended  Congress  to  send  an  "  active,  spirited  oflicer 
to  conduct  and  lead  them  (the  miUtia)  on."^  But  Congress  went  further.  Unwisely  list- 
ening to  and  heeding  the  popular  clamor,  they  suspended  St.  Clair  from  command,  and  ap-  _ 
pointed  Adjutant-general  Gates  to  supersede  General  Schuyler.  St.  Clair  did  not  leave  the 
army,  but  was  with  Washington  at  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine.  By  a  general  court-martial, 
held  in  the  autumn  of  1778,  he  was  acquitted  of  all  blame,  with  the  highest  honor,  and 
this  decision  was  fully  confirmed  by  Congress  in  December  following.  The  noble  conduct 
of  General  Schuyler  toward  Gates,  and  his  continued  patriotic  efforts  in  behalf  of  his  countr}' 
after  suffering  the  injustice  inflicted  by  Congress,  have  been  mentioned  in  another  chapter. 
After  the  lapse  of  several  months  the  public  mind  was  brought  to  bear  with  calmness  upon 
the  subject,  and,  before  the  close  of  the  war,  both  generals  were  fully  reinstated  in  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people. 

Our  historic  picnic  upon  the  mountain-top  is  ended,  and,  being  well  rested,  let  us  "  gather 
up  the  fragments,  that  nothing  be  lost,"  and  descend  to  the  village  of  "Ty,"  by  the  way  of 
the  military  road  which  was  made  impromptu  by  General  Phillips  for  his  cannon,  up  the 
northern  slope  of  Defiance.  Very  slight  traces  of  it  are  now  visible,  and  these  consist  chiefly 
of  a  second  growth  of  timber,  standing  where  the  road  was  cut. 

We  parted  with  our  guide  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Our  boy-driver  and  the  vehicle 
had  disappeared,  and  we  were  obliged  to  walk  in  the  hot  sun  to  the  village.  Our  good  tem- 
pers were  not  at  all  improved  when  we  learned  the  fact  that  the  stage  from  Lake  George 
had  passed  nearly  an  hour  before,  and  that  no  conveyance  could  be  procured  until  toward 
evening  to  take  us  to  the  fort,  unless  the  boy,  who  had  not  returned,  should  make  his  ap- 
pearance ;  and  where  he  had  gone  was  a  mystery.  Dinner  at  the  Pavilion  was  an  event 
only  a  half  hour  in  the  future,  and  two  miles  in  distance  stretched  between  us  and  the  viands. 
So  we  stopped  grumbling,  trudged  on,  and,  whiling  away  the  moments  by  pleasant  conversa- 
tion, we  reached  the  Pavilion  in  time  to  take  our  places  at  table,  too  much  heated  and  fatigued, 
however,  to  enjoy  the  luxuries  set  before  us.  Our  Boston  friends  left  that  afternoon,  but  we 
tarried  until  two  o'clock  the  next  morning,  when  we  departed  on  the  Burlington  for  Whitehall. 

The  air  was  cool  and  the  sky  unclouded  when  we  left  Ticonderoga.  The  moon  had  gone 
down,  and  it  was  too  dark  to  see  more  than  the  outlines  of  the  romantic  shores  by  which 
we  were  gliding,  so  we  took  seats  upon  the  upper  deck  and  surveyed  the  clear  heavens,  jewel- 
ed with  stars.  The  Pleiades  were  glowing  in  the  southern  sky,  and  beautiful  Orion  was 
upon  the  verge  of  the  eastern  horizon.  Who  can  look  upward  on  a  clear  night  and  not  feel 
the  spirit  of  worship  stirring  within  I  Who  can  contemplate  those  silent  watchers  in  tho 
firmament  and  not  feel  the  impulses  of  adoration  I 

"  I  know  they  must  be  holy  things 
That  from  a  roof  so  sacred  shine, 
Where  sounds  the  beat  of  angels'  wings, 

And  footsteps  echo  all  divine. 
Their  mysteries  I  never  sought, 
t  Nor  hearken  to  what  science  tells : 

For  oh,  in  childhood  I  was  taught 
That  God  amid  them  dwells." 

Miller. 

'■  In  his  letter  to  Congress  (from  which  this  sentence  is  quoted),  dated  at  Morristown,  July  10th,  1777, 
Washington  continues,  "  If  General  Arnold  has  settled  his  affairs,  and  can  be  spared  from  Philadelphia,  I 
would  recommend  him  for  this  business,  and  that  he  should  immediately  set  out  for  the  northern  depart- 
ment. He  is  active,  judicious,  and  brave,  and  an  officer  in  whom  the  militia  will  repose  great  confidence. 
Besides  this,  he  is  well  acquainted  with  that  country,  and  with  the  routes  and  most  important  passes  and 
defiles  in  it.  I  do  not  think  he  can  render  more  signal  services,  or  be  more  usefully  employed  at  this  titae, 
than  in  this  way.  I  am  persuaded  his  presence  and  activity  will  animate  the  militia  greatly,  and  spur 
them  on  to  a  becoming  conduct."  Arnold  w£is  sent  accordingly,  and  his  signal  services  at  Bemis's  Heights 
we  have  already  considered.  ^ 


OF  THE    REVOLUTION. 


137 


Arrival  at  Whitehall  or  old  Skenesborough.  Historical  Notice  of  the  Place.  Capture  of  Major  Skene  and  Ma  Peopla 

Just  as  the  day  dawned  tiny  spiral  columns  of  vapor  began  to  rise  from  the  lake,  and 
before  sunrise  we  were  completely  wrapped  in  a  dense  fog.  After  passing  the  bay  south  of 
Mount  Independence,  the  lake  becomes  very  narrow,  and  the  channel  is  so  sinuous  that  our 
vessel  proceeded  very  cautiously  in  the  dense  mist.  At  the  Elbow,  half  a  mile  from  White- 
hall Landing,  a  rocky  point  containing  "  Putnam's  Ledge"  projects  from  the  west,  and  occa- 
sions such  a  short  and  narrow  turn  in  the  lake,  that  it  is  with  much  difficulty  large  class 
steam-boats  make  their  way  through.  It  can  only  be  done  by  the  use  of  hawsers  attached 
to  the  bow  and  stern,  and  this  process  requires  an  annoying  delay.  We  reached  Whitehall, 
at  the  mouth  of  Wood  Creek,'  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  about  seven  in  the  evening,  and  found 
comfortable  quarters  at  a  well-conducted  temperance  hotel  near  the  landing.' 

This  is  ancient  Skenesborough,  and  was  a  point  of  considerable  importance  during  the 
wars  on  our  northern  frontier,  from  1745  till  the  close  of  the  Revolution.  Here  armies 
halted,  and  provisions,  ammunition,  and  stores  were  collected  and  distributed.  A  picketed 
fort  was  erected  here  during  the  French  and  Indian  war,  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill  east  of 
Church-street.  Soon  after  the  peace  of  Paris,  in  1763,  Philip  K.  Skene,  an  English  major 
under  half  pay,  purchased  several  soldiers'  grants  located  here,  and,  to  make  his  title  secure, 
procured  a  royal  patent.  He  effected  a  small  settlement  at  this  point,  and  named  it  Skenes- 
borough, which  title  it  bore  until  after  the  Revolution.  He  had  procured  a  second  patent, 
and  became  possessor  of  the  whole  of  the  land  comprised  within  the  present  township  of 
Whitehall,  except  four  thousand  acres  on  its  eastern  border.  He  was  a  magistrate  of  the 
crown,  the  owner  of  black  slaves,  and  was  sometimes  honored  with  the  title  of  governor,  on 
account  of  having  held  the  office  of  Lieutenant-governor  of  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga. 
In  addition  to  a  stone  residence,  he  erected  another  stone  edifice,  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet 
long,  for  a  military  garrison  and  depot,  upon  the  spot  used  as  a  garden  by  the  family  of  the  late 
Judge  Wheeler.  Near  the  east  end  was  an  arched  gateway,  the  key-stone  of  which  is  now  in 
the  north  basement  wall  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  bears  the  initials  "P.  K.  S.,"  and  date 
"1770." 

Skenesborough  was  a  point  included  in  the  programme  of  operations  against  Ticonderoga. 
in  the  expedition  under  Colonel  Allen  in  1775.  The  council  held  at  Castleton,  where  Allen 
was  appointed  commander-in-chief,  resolved  to  send  thirty  men,  under  Captain  Herrick,  tc 
surprise  Skenesborough,  capture  the  son  of  the  proprietor  (the  latter  was  then  in  Europe), 
his  negroes  and  tenantry,  seize  all  the  boats  and  other  vessels  that  might  be  found  there,  and 
hasten  down  the  lake  with  them  to  Shoreham.  The  surprise  was  so  complete,  that  the  plan 
was  all  accomplished  without  bloodshed.  Major  Skene  the  younger  was  captured  while  out 
shooting  ;  the  twelve  negroes  and  fifty  tenants  were  secured,  and  the  governor's  strong  stone 
buildings  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  captors.  In  the  cellar  of  his  house  was  found  the 
body  of  the  wife  of  the  elder  Skene,  where  it  had  been  preserved  many  years  to  secure  to 
the  husband  an  annuity  devised  to  her  "while  she  remained  above  ground  I"      The  Amer- 

*  In  the  older  histories  and  in  the  geographies  of  the  state  of  New  York  the  whole  narrow  part  of  Lako 
Champlain  south  of  Ticonderoga  was  called  respectively  Wood  Creek  and  South  River.  For  fifty  years 
these  names  for  that  portion  of  the  lake  have  become  obsolete,  and  as  historians  write  for  the  future,  they 
should  be  careful  to  note  these  changes,  so  as  not  to  mislead  the  student.  Mr.  Headly  carelessly  observes, 
when  speaking  of  the  retreat  from  Ticonderoga,  that  "  their  long  procession  of  boats  began  by  moonlight 
to  wind  up  Wood  Creek,"  &c.  Again,  speaking  of  Putnam's  position  when  he  attacked  the  French  and 
Indians  in  their  canoes,  he  represents  the  place  as  upon  "  Wood  Creek  where  it  falls  into  the  lake."  The 
fact  is,  the  spot  is  upon  the  lake,  about  a  mile  below  where  Wood  Creek  proper  ''  falls  into  the  lake."  He 
says  again,  ''A  whole  fleet  of  canoes,  filled  with  soldiers,  was  entering  the  mouth  of  the  creek."  The 
mouth  of  the  creek  being  a  cascade,  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  the  canoes  to  enter  it.  Wood  Creek 
proper  rises  in  French  Pond,  in  Warren  county,  and,  flowing  by  Fort  Anne  in  a  deep  and  sluggish  stream, 
receives  the  waters  of  the  Pawlet,  and  falls  into  Lake  Champlain  at  Whitehall. 

*  Whitehall  is  a  growing  and  flourishing  village.  It  is  within  a  rocky  ravine  at  the  foot  of  a  high  emi- 
nence  called  Skene's  Mountain,  at  the  mouth  of  Wood  Creek  and  the  northern  terminus  of  the  Champlain 
Canal  and  Rail-road.  It  has  a  beautiful  agricultural  country  behind  it,  and  the  natural  scenery  in  the  vi- 
cinity is  very  picturesque.  The  Indian  name  of  the  locality,  when  the  whites  first  explored  the  rfeighbor- 
hood,  was  Kah-cho-qua-na,  which,  literally  interpreted,  i.s,  "  place  where  dip  fish." 


138  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Destruction  of  American  Vessels  at  Skenesborough.  Flight  of  the  Americans  toward  Fort  Anne.  Major  Skene. 

icans  buried  the  body  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  and,  embarking  on  board  a  schooner  in  the 
harbor,  belonging  to  Skene,  they  sailed  down  the  lake  to  join  AHen  at  Shoreham.^ 

A  garrison  was  stationed  at  Skenesborough  in  1776,  and  there  the  vessels  of  the  little  fleet 
which  Arnold  commanded  in  an  action  on  the  lake,  below  Crown  Point,  were  constructed  and 
partially  armed.  The  Americans  strengthened  the  military  works  there,  and  made  it  quite  a 
strong  post.  This  was  the  stipulated  point  for  rendezvous  of  the  army  under  St.  Clair,  on 
its  retreat  from  Ticonderoga  in  1777.  I  have  already  observed  that  those  who  escaped  by 
water  were  unsuspicious  of  pursuit,  and  that  the  flotilla  was  scarcely  moored  at  Skenesbor- 
ough before  the  frigates  appeared  and  attacked  the  galleys.  Two  of  them  were  captured, 
and  the  other  three  w^re  blown  up.  Unsupported  by  the  fei.ble  garrison  at  Skenesborough 
or  by  detachments  from  the  army  retreating  by  land,''  and  conscious  of  the  futility  of  conten- 
tion with  such  a  force  as  Burgoyne  presented,  the  Americans  abandoned  their  bateaux,  set 
fire  to  them,  together  with  the  fort,  mills,  block-houses,  &c.,  and  fled  toward  the  camp  of 
General  Schuyler  at  Fort  Edward.^  At  Fort  Anne  they  were  joined  by  a  few  other  troops 
sent  forward  with  provisions  and  ammunition  by  General  Schuyler,  but  it  was  a  feeble  re- 
enforcement,  for  he  had  with  him  at  Fort  Edward  only  about  seven  hundred  Continentals 
and  fifteen  hundred  militia.  The  supplies  which  he  sent  so  reduced  the  ammunition  and 
stores  of  his  garrison,  that  they  were  several  days  without  lead,  except  a  small  quantity 
which  they  received  from  Albany,  and  which  was  obtained  by  stripping  the  windows. 

The  troops  borne  by  the  flotilla  under  Burgoyne,  and  those  that  marched  from  Ticonder- 
oga in  pursuit  of  the  Americans,  conjoined  at  Skenesborough,  where  the  British  commander 
resolved  to  make  thorough  preparations  for  pushing  forward  to  the  Hudson  Pwiver.  He  was 
informed  by  the  people  at  Skenesborough  that  the  Americans  were  retreating  toward  Fort 
Edward.  Lieutenant-colonel  Hill,  of  the  ninth  regiment,  was  sent  forward  on  the 
7th  to  take  post  at  Fort  Anne  and  watch  the  movements  of  the  republicans.  The 
rest  of  the  British  army  were  encamped  at  Skenesborough  and  vicinity,  where  they  remained 
nearly  three  weeks,  while  detachments  were  repairing  the  roads  and  bridges,  and  construct- 
ing new  ones  on  the  way  to  Fort  Anne.  Burgoyne  and  his  staff'  were  entertained  at  the 
mansion  of  Major  Skene,  whose  familiarity  with  the  country  and  the  people  caused  him  to . 
be  introduced  into  the  military  family  of  the  commander.  He  was  considered  a  valuable 
acquisition,  but  the  result  proved  otherwise.  He  advised  the  disastrous  expedition  to  Ben- 
nington, and  accompanied  the  enemy  there.  He  was  personally  known  to  many  of  the 
Americans  engaged  in  that  affair,  who  made  great  efix)rts  to  capture  him  alive.  Four  horses 
were  shot  under  him,  but,  mounting  a  fifth,  he  made  his  escape,  although  the  poor  animal 
fell  and  expired  from  the  effects  of  a  shot,  after  carrying  his  rider  beyond  the  reach  of  his 
foes.  Skene  was  with  Burgoyne  when  his  army  surrendered  at  Saratoga.  He  dared  not 
return  home  under  his  parole,  but  went  to  England.  He  ordered  his  house  to  be  burned,  to 
prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  His  lands  were  confiscated  and  sold  by 
the  state,*  and  soon  ai'ter  the  Revolution  the  name  of  Skenesborough  was  repudiated 

1788  .  . 

by  the  people,  and  that  of  Whitehall  substituted.      Hardly  a  vestige  of  the  Revolution 

^  See  Reverend  Lewis  Kellogg's  Historical  Discourse,  Whitehall,  1847. 

'^  At  Castleton  St.  Clair  was  informed  of  the  approach  of  Burgoyne  by  water,  and,  instead  of  marching 
to  Skenesborough,  he  struck  off  into  the  woods  on  the  left,  fearing  that  he  might  be  intercepted  by  the  ene- 
my at  Fort  Anne. 
•  *  General  Mattoon,  late  of  Amherst,  Massachusetts,  was  a  subaltern  m  the  American  convoy.  Accord- 
ing  to  his  account,  there  were  then  only  four  houses  at  Skenesborough,  besides  those  belonging  to  Skene. 
While  he  was  in  one  of  them,  occupied  by  a  French  family,  and  just  in  the  act  of  partaking  of  some  refresh- 
ments, a  cannon-ball  from  the  enemy's  fleet  entered,  crushed  the  table,  and  scattered  the  victuals  in  all  di- 
rections over  the  room. — Kellogg's  Discourse,  p.  6. 

■•  The  place  was  very  unhealthy  at  that  time.  The  mortality  from  sickness  among  the  troops  stationed 
there  during  the  Revolution  was  fearful ;  and  so  bad  was  the  reputation  of  Whitehall  in  this  particular  at 
the  close  of  the  war,  that,  when  the  lands  of  Skene  were  offered  for  sale,  no  competitor  appeared,  and  29,000 
acres  were  struck  off  at  the  first  offer  of  £14  10s.  to  an  agent  of  the  purchasers,  John  Williams.  Joseph 
Stringham,  and  John  Murray. — Kellogg's  Discourse,  p.  14. 

A  remarkable  case  of  longevity  occurred  near  Whitehall.     Henry  Francisco,  a  native  of  England,  died 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  139 


Whitehall  in  1814.  Ride  to  Fort  Anne  Village.  Site  of  the  Fort.  Present  Appearance  of  the  Locality 

is  now  left  there.  When  another  war  was  waged  against  us  by  the  same  enemy,  in  1812,- 
this  was  again  the  theater  of  hostile  preparations.  The  block-house  within  the  old  fort 
A^as  repaired,  furnished  with  artillery,  and  garrisoned  for  the  defense  of  the  place.  Intrench- 
ments  and  a  magazine  were  constructed  on  an  island  a  few  hundred  yards  north  of  the  vil- 
lage, and  barracks  were  erected  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  west  of  Church  Street,  the  remains 
of  which  have  but  recently  been  demolished.      The  American  fleet  encased  in     o    .     u    -,-, 

•'  _  en  beptember  11, 

the  battle  of  Plattsburgh,  with  the  vessels  captured  from  the  enemy  in  that  en-  1^14. 

gagement,  were  anchored  in  the  harbor  at  Whitehall  soon  after  that  event ;  and  the  remains 
of  some  of  the  vessels  of  both  nations  may  now  be  seen  decaying  together  in  the  lake,  a  short 
distance  from  the  harbor. 

After  breakfast,  on  the  morning  of  our  arrival  at  Whitehall,  I  rode  to  Fort  Anne  Augusts 
Village,  eleven  miles  south,  accompanied  by  the  editor  of  the  "Democrat,"^  whose  ^^^8. 
kind  attentions  and  free  communications  of  valuable  knowledge  concerning  historical  locali- 
ties in  the  vicinity  contributed  much  to  the  pleasure  and  instruction  of  the  journey  thither. 
It  is  a  pleasant  little  village,  situated  upon  a  gently  undulating  plain  near  the  junction  of 
Wood  Creek  and  East  Creek,  and  exhibited  a  charming  picture  of  quiet  and  prosperity 
There  I  found  a  venerable  kinsman,  nearly  eighty  years  of  age,  who,  in  the  vigor  of  manhood, 
fifty  years  ago,  purchased  an  extensive  tract  of  land  in  this  then  almost  unbroken  wilderness.* 
His  dwelling,  store-house,  and  barns  occupy  the  site  of  Fort  Anne,  the  only  traces  of  which 


Site  of  Fort  Anne.^ 

are  the  stumps  of  the  strong  pine  pickets  with  which  it  was  stockaded.  It  was  built  by  the 
English,  under  General  Nicholson,  in  1757,  two  years  after  the  construction  of  Fort  Ed- 
ward. It  was  a  small  fortress,  and  was  never  the  scene  of  any  fierce  hostility.  Although 
ninety  years  had  elapsed  since  its  pickets  were  set  in  the  ground,  what  remained  of  them 

near  there  in  November,  1820,  aged  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  years.  He  was  present  at  the  corona- 
tion of  Queen  Anne,  March  8th,  1702.  He  served  in  the  French  wars  and  in  the  Revolution,  and  lived 
in  this  country  nearly  ninety  years;  since  deceased.— 

'  D.  S.  Murray,  Esq. 

^  William  A.  Moore,  Esq.,  president  of  the  Whitehall  Bank. 

^  This  vieve  is  from  the  bridge  which  crosses  Wood  Creek,  looking  south.  The  distant  building  on  the 
right  is  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  jMoore.  Nearer  is  his  store-house,  and  on  the  left  are  his  out'-houses.  The 
stumps  of  the  pickets  may  be  traced  in  a  circular  line  from  his  dwelhng  along  the  road  to  the  crook  in  the 
fence,  and  so  on  to  the  barns  and  in  their  vards. 


140 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


August, 

1758. 


Putnam  and  Rogers  near  Fort  Anne.        Ambush  of  French  and  Indians.        Desperate  Battle.        Perilous  Situation  of  Putnam. 

exhibited  but  slight  tokens  of  decay,  and  the  odor  of  turpentine  was  almost  as  strong  and 
fresh  when  one  was  split  as  if  it  had  been  planted  but  a  year  ago. 

About  a  mile  northwest  of  Fort  Anne  is  the  place  where  a  severe  battle  was 
fought  between  a  corps  of  five  hundred  Rangers,  English  and  provincials,  under  Put- 
nam and  Rogers,  and  about  the  same  number  of  French  and  Indians,  under  the  famous  par- 
tisan Molang.  Putnam  and  Rogers  were  sent  by  Abercrombie  to  watch  the  enemy  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Ticonderoga.  When  they  arrived  at  South  Bay,  an  expansion  of  Lake 
Champlain  near  Whitehall,  the  two  leaders  separated,  taking  with  them  their  respective 
divisions,  but,  being  discovered  by  the  watchful  Molang,  they  deemed  it  expedient  to  reunite 
and  return  immediately  to  Fort  Edward.  Their  troops  were  marched  in  three  divisions, 
the  right  commanded  by  Rogers,  the  left  by  Putnam,  and  the  center  by  Captain  Dalyell 
(sometimes  written  D'Ell).  They  halted  at  evening  on  the  border  of  Clear  River,  a  fork 
of  Wood  Creek  before  its  junction  with  East  Creek,  and  within  a  mile  of  Fort  Anne.  Early 
m  the  morning,  while  the  lines  were  forming.  Major  Rogers,  regardless  of  the  teachings  of 
the  Ranger's  great  virtue,  precaution,  amused  himself  by  firing  at  a  target  with  a  British 
officer.  The  sound  reached  the  vigilant  ears  of  Molang  and  his  Indian  allies,  who,  unknown 
to  the  Americans,  were  then  encamped  within  a  mile  of  them.  He  had  been  searching  for 
the  Rangers  to  intercept  them,  and  the  firing  was  a  sure  guide.  His  men  were  posted  in  am- 
bush along  the  paths  which  he  knew  they  must  take,  and  as  the  Americans,  just  at  sunrise, 
emerged  from  a  dense  thicket  into  the  open  woods,  Molang  and  his  followers  fell  upon  them 
with  great  fury.      Rogers  seemed  to  be  appalled  by  the  fierce  onslaught  and  fell  back,  but  Put- 

'nam  and  Dalyell  sustained  their  position 


and  returned  the  fire.  The  conflict  be- 
came desperate.  At  length  Putnam's  fu- 
see missed  fire  when  the  muzzle  was  within 
a  few  inches  of  the  breast  of  a  giant  savage, 
who  thrust  it  aside  and  fell  upon  the  major 
with  the  fierceness  of  a  panther,  made  him 
prisoner,  bound  him  firmly  to  a  tree,  and 
then  returned  to  the  battle.  Captain  Dal- 
yell now  assumed  the  command.  The 
provincials  fell  back  a  little,  but,  rallying, 
the  fight  continued  with  great  vigor.  The 
tree  to  which  Putnam  was  bound  was 
about  midway  between  the  combatants, 
and  he  stood  in  the  center  of  the  hottest 
fire  of  both,  utterly  unable  to  move  body 
or  limb,  so  firmly  had  the  savage  secured 
him.  His  garments  were  riddled  by  bul- 
lets, but  not  one  touched  his  person.  For 
an  hour  he  remained  in  this  horrible  posi- 
tion, until  the  enemy  were  obliged  to  re- 
treat, when  he  was  unbound  and  carried 
off  by  his  savage  captors.' 

Wounded,    exhausted,    and   dispirited, 

Major  Israel  Putnam  in  British  Uniform.  '  Putnam    was    forced    tO    make    a    Weary 

From  an  old  picture  in  the  possession  of  a  gentleman  in  New  London,  Connecticut,      march     OVCr    a    TOUgll     COUUtry,    Icd    On     by 


'  At  one  time,  when  the  provincials  fell  back,  and  the  Indians  were  near  hira,  a  young  warrior  amused 
nimself  by  trying  his  skill  in  throwing  his  tomahawk  as  near  Putnam's  head  as  possible  without  hitting 
him.  When  he  was  tired  of  his  amusement,  a  French  subaltern,  more  savage  than  the  Indian,  leveled  his 
musket  at  Putnam's  breast,  but  it  missed  fire.  The  major  claimed  the  consideration  due  to  a  prisoner  of 
war,  but  the  barbarous  Frenchman  was  unmoved,  and,  after  striking  him  a  violent  blow  upon  hia  cheek 
with  the  butt  end  of  his  musket,  left  bira  to  die,  as  he  thought. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


141 


HuiDamty  of  Putnam's  Captor. 


Preparation  for  Torture. 


Interposition  of  Molnng 


Battle-ground  near  Fort  Anne. 


the  savages,  who  had  tied  cords  so  tightly  around  his  wrists  that  his  hands  were  swollen 
and  dreadfully  tortured.  He  hegged  for  release  either  from  the  pain  or  from  life.  A  French 
officer  interposed  and  unbound  the  cords  ;  and  just  then  his  captor  came  up,  and,  with  a  sort 
of  savage  humanity,  supplied  him  with  moccasins,  and  expressed  great  indignation  becauso 
of  the  harsh  treatment  his  prisoner  had  endured.  I  say  savage  huinanity,  for  it  was  pres- 
ent kindness,  exercised  while  a  dark  and  atrocious  intention  for  the  future  made  the  Indian 
complaisant — the  prisoner  was  reserved  for  the  stake,  and  all  those  exquisite  tortures  with 
which  savage  cruelty  imbitters  the  death  of  its  victims.  Deep  in  the  forest  he  was  stripped 
naked,  and  with  green  withes  was  bound  fast  to  a  sapling.  The  wood  was  piled  high  around 
him,  and  the  wild  death-songs  of  the  savages,  mingled  with  fierce  yells,  were  chanted.  The 
torch  was  applied,  and  the  crackling  flame  began  to  curl  around  the  fagots,  when  a  black 
cloud,  that  for  an  hour  had  been  rising  in  the  west,  poured  down  such  a  volume  of  water 
that  the  flames  were  nearly  extinguished.  But  they  burst  forth  again  in  fiercer  intensity, 
and  Putnam  lost  all  hope  of  escape,  when  a  French  officer  dashed  through  the  crowd  of 
savages,  scattered  the  burning  wood,  and  cut  the  cords  of  the  victim.  It  was  Molang  him- 
self. Some  relenting  savage  had  told  him  of  the  horrid  orgies  in  the  forest,  and  he  flew  to 
the  rescue  of  Putnam,  just  in  time  to  save  him.  After  enduring  much  sufl'ering,  he  was 
deUvered  to  Montcalm  at  Ticonderoga,  and  by  him  sent  to  Montreal,  where  he  experienced 
great  kindness  from  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler,  a  fellow-prisoner,  through  whose  influence  he 
was  exchanged  for  a  prisoner  taken  by  Colonel  Bradstreet  at  Fort  Frontenac' 

About  three  fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  Fort  Anne  is  a  narrow,  rocky  defile,  through  which 
Wood  Creek  and  the  Champlain  Canal  flow  and  the  rail-road  is  laid.  Art  has  widened  the 
defile  by  excavation,  and  cultivation  has  swept  away  much  of  the  primitive  forest.  Here 
in  this  rocky  gorge,  then  just  wide  enough  for  the  stream  and  a  narrow  pathway,  a  severe 


Battle-ground  near  Fort  Anne.* 


engagement  occurred  between  the  ninth  British  regiment,  under  Lieutenant-colonel  Hill, 
and  a  detachment  of  Americans,  under  Colonel  Long.  This  officer,  with  about  five  j^j^  g 
hundred  republicans,  principally  of  the  invalids  and  convalescents  of  the  army,  was  ^''''"'■• 
posted  at  Fort  Anne  by  General  Schuyler,  with  directions  to  defend  it.  Warned  of  the 
approach  of  the  enemy.  Colonel  Long  prepared  not  only  for  defense,  but  to  go  out  and  meet 
him.  The  Americans  fit  for  duty  were  mustered,  and  early  in  the  morning  they  marched 
up  to  the  southern  edge  of  the  defile.      "  At  half  past  ten  in  the  morning,"   said  Major 

^  See  Humphrey's  and  Peabody's  Biographies  of  Putnam, 

^  This  sketch  was  taken  from  the  rail-road,  looking  north.  The  forest  upon  the  left  is  the  "  thick  wood" 
of  the  Revolution,  but  on  the  right  cultivated  fields  have  taken  the  place  of  the  forest  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent. On  the  right  is  seen  the  Champlain  Canal,  here  occupying  the  bed  of  Wood  Creek.  The  fence  on 
the  left  indicates  the  place  of  the  public  road  between  Fort  Anne  and  Whitehall  When  this  sketch  wa-i 
made  (1848)  the  rail-road  was  unfinished. 


142 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Battle  near  Fort  Anne. 


Return  to  Whitehall. 


Visit  to  "  Putnam'8  Rock." 


View  of  the  Scene 


Forbes  in  his  testimony  on  the  trial  of  Burgoyne,  "  they  attacked  us  in  front  with  a  heavy 
and  well-directed  fire  ;  a  large  body  of  them  passed  the  creek  on  the  left,  and  fired  from  a 
thick  wood  across  the  creek  on  the  left  flank  of  the  regiment ;  they  then  began  to  recross 
the  creek  and  attack  us  in  the  rear  ;  we  then  found  it  necessary  to  change  our  ground,  to 
prevent  the  regiment  being  surrounded  ;  we  took  post  on  a  high  hill  to  our  right.  As  soon 
as  we  had  taken  post,  the  enemy  made  a  very  vigorous  attack,  which  continued  upward  of 
two  hours  ;  and  they  certainly  would  have  forced  us,  had  it  not  been  for  some  Indians  that 
arrived  and  gave  the  Indian  hoop,  which  we  answered  with  three  cheers  ;  the  rebels  soon 
after  that  gave  way."*  The  major's  facU  are  correct,  but  his  inferences,  are  wide  of  the 
mark.  The  Americans  were  not  frightened  by  the  Indian  war-hoop,  for  it  was  a  sound 
very  familiar  to  their  ears,  but  they  "  gave  way"  because  their  ammunition  gave  out,  Had 
Colonel  Long  been  well  supplied  with  powder  and  ball,  the  British  troops  would  have  been 
destroyed  or  made  prisoners.  Captain  Montgomery,  of  Hill's  regiment,  was  severely  wound- 
ed and  captured  by  the  Americans,  who,  when  they  gave  way,  set  fire  to  Fort  Anne  and 
retreated  to  the  headquarters  of  General  Schuyler  at  Fort  Edward. 

We  returned  to  Whitehall  toward  evening.      The  ride  was  delightful  through  a  country 

ever-changing  and  picturesque,  par- 
ticularly when  approaching  the  lake. 
On  the  left  rise  the  lofty  summits  of 
the  hills  on  Lake  George  ;   on  the 
east   those  of  Vermont  and  Massa- 
chusetts ;   and  down  the  lake,  north- 
ward, Mount  Defiance  may  be  plainly 
seen.      After  an  early  evening  meal, 
I  procured  a  water-man  and  his  boat, 
and,   accompanied   by  my  traveling 
companion  and  Mr.  M.,  proceeded  to 
"Put's  Bock,"  near  "  the  Elbow,"  a 
mile  from  the  landing,  and  near  the 
entrance  of  South  Bay.^      The   lake  is 
here  very  narrow,  and  the  shores  on  either 
side  are  abrupt,  rocky,  and  wooded.      It  was 
about  sunset  when  we  arrived  at  the  scene  of 
Putnam's  exploit,  and  the  deep  shadows  that  gathered  upon 
the  western  shore,  where  the  famous  ledge  is  situated,  height- 
ened the  picturesque  character  of  the  scenery  and  the  force 
of  the  historical  associations  which  lionize  the  spot.      Upon 
the  rough  ledge  of  rocks  seen  on  the  right  of  the  picture  Ma- 
or  Putnam  and  fifty  men  boldly  opened  a  musket  battery 
upon  about  five  hundred  French  and  Indian  warriors  under  the 
famous  Molang,  who  were  in  canoes  upon  the  water.'      This 
event  occurred  a  few  days  previous  to  the  unfortunate  battle 


View  at  Putnam's  Rock, 


'  Burgoyne^s  State  of  the  Exjyedilion,  &c.,  p.  81. 

^  Here  I  will  correct  a  serious  geographical  error  which  I  find  in  Peabody's  Life  of  Putnam.  He  says. 
"  Abercrombie  ordered  Major  Putnam  to  proceed  with  fifty  men  to  South  Bay,  in  Lake  George."  Again. 
"  The  detachment  marched  to  Wood  Creek,  near  the  point  where  it  flows  into  South  Bay."  South  Bay 
is  in  Lake  Champlain,  and  Wood  Creek  does  not  flow  into  it  at  all..  See  note  respecting  Wood  Creek, 
ante,  page  137. 

^  The  view  is  taken  from  the  Vermont  shore,  where  rafts  of  timber  and  piles  of  lumber  (as  seen  on  the 
left)  betoken  the  chief  article  of  commerce  here.  The  ledge  of  rocks,  which  rises  about  fourteen  feet  m 
height,  is  on  the  New  York  side.  From  the  perpendicular  point,  rugged  and  broken,  there  is  a  gentle  slope 
thickly  covered  with  timber  and  shrubbery,  and  affording  an  excellent  place  for  an  ambuscade.  The  small 
trees  in  the  distance  mark  the  point  at  the  Elbow,  and  the  hill  beyond  is  a  portion  of  Skene's  Mountain^ 
wnich  overlooks  the  harbor  at  Whitehall. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  14 


Putnam  and  Rogers  on  Lake  CUamplaiu.  Attack  of  the  former  on  the  French  and  Indians.         The  Saratoga  and  Confiance 

near  Fort  Anne,  where  Putnam  was  taken  prisoner.  Major  Rogers,  who  was  also  sent  by 
Abercrombie  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  had  taken  a  station  twelve  miles  dis- 
tant, and  Putnam  and  his  fifty  rangers  composed  the  whole  force  at  this  point.  Near  the 
front  of  the  ledge  he  constructed  a  parapet  of  stone,  and  placed  young  pine  trees  before  it  in 
such  a  natural  manner  that  they  seemed  to  have  grown  there,  and  completely  hid  the  de- 
fense from  observers  on  the  water  below.  Fifteen  of  his  men,  disabled  by  sickness,  were 
sent  back  to  the  camp  at  Fort  Edward,  and  with  his  thirty-five  he  resolved  to  attack  what 
ever  force  might  appear  upon  the  lake.  Four  days  he  anxiously  awaited  the  appearance  of 
the  enemy,  when  early  one  evening  he  was  gratified  by  the  intelligence  that  a  large  fleet  of 
canoes,  filled  with  warriors,  was  leisurely  approaching  from  South  Bay.  It  was  the  time 
of  full  moon,  the  sky  was  unclouded,  and  from  his  hiding-place  every  movement  of  the  In 
dians  could  be  distinctly  seen.  Putnam  called  in  all  his  sentinels,  and  in  silence  every  man 
was  stationed  where  his  fire  might  be  most  effective.  Not  a  musket  was  to  be  moved  until 
orders  were  given  by  the  commander.  The  advanced  canoes  had  passed  the  parapet,  when 
one  of  the  soldiers  hit  his  firelock  against  a  stone.  The  sound  was  caught  by  the  watchful 
ears  of  Molang  and  his  followers.  The  canoes  in  the  van  halted,  and  the  whole  fleet  was 
crowded  in  confusion  and  alarm  directly  beneath  the  ledge.  A  brief  consultation  ensued, 
and  then  they  turned  their  prows  back  toward  South  Bay.  As  they  wheeled  the  voice  of 
Putnam  shouted  "  Fire,"  and  with  sure  aim  each  bullet  reached  a  victim.  The  enemy  re- 
turned the  fire,  but  without  efiect,  and  for  a  time  the  carnage  produced  by  the  Pvangers  was 
dreadful  in  that  dense  mass  upon  the  waters.  Molang  soon  perceived  by  the  firing  that  his 
assailants  were  few,  and  detached  a  portion  of  his  men  to  land  below  and  attack  the  provin- 
cials in  the  rear.  Putnam  had  perceived  this  movement,  and  sent  a  party  of  twelve  men, 
under  Lieutenant  Durkee,  who  easily  repulsed  them  when  they  attempted  to  land.  About 
daybreak  he  learned  that  the  enemy  had  actually  debarked  at  a  point  below,  and  was  march- 
ing to  surround  him.  This  fact,  and  the  failure  of  his  ammunition,  warned  him  to  retreat. 
Nearly  half  the  number  of  the  enemy  perished  on  that  fatal  night,  while  Putnam  lost  but 
two  men,  who  were  wounded.'  •  While  retreating  through  the  thick  forest,  an  unexpected 
enemy  fired  upon  them,  but  wounded  only  one  man.  Putnam  instantly  ordered  his  men  to 
charge,  when  his  voice  was  recognized  by  the  other  leader,  who  cried  out,  "  Hold,  we  are 
friends  I"  "  Friends  or  foes,"  shouted  Putnam,  "  you  deserve  to  perish  for  doing  so  little  exe- 
cution with  so  fair  a  shot."  The  party  proved  to  be  a  detachment  sent  to  cover  their  retreat. 
It  was  late  in  the  evening  twilight  before  I  finished  my  sketch,  but  our  obliging  water- 
man would  not  consent  to  row  us  back  until  we  should  go  to  his  house  near  by  and  see  his 
"  pullet  and  chickens" — his  wife  and  children.  His  dwelling  was  at  the  foot  of  the  steep 
Vermont  shore,  completely  hemmed  in  by  rocks  and  water,  but  embowered  in  shrubbery. 
His  children  brought  us  fruit,  and  we  were  refreshed  by  draughts  of  water  from  a  mountain 
spring  close  by,  of  icy  coldness.  The  moon  was  shining  brightly  when  we  passed  the  Elbow 
on  our  return,  and  by  its  pale  light  we  could  see  the  ribs  and  other  decaying  timber  of  the 
British  ship  of  war  Cotifiattce  and  the  American  ship  Saratoga.  The  former  was  sunk  there 
in  1814,  and  the  latter,  which  was  afterward  used  as  a  store-ship,  was  scuttled  by  some 
miscreants  while  her  officers  and  crew  were  at  the  village  participating  in  a  Fourth  of  July 
celebration.  It  was  about  nine  in  the  evening  when  we  reached  the  hotel.  There  I  met 
that  distinguished  and  venerable  divine,  Pv-ev.  Mr.  Pierce,  of  Brookline,  Massachusetts,  and 
was  charmed  and  edified  by  his  conversation  for  more  than  an  hour."     His  memory  was 

*  These  men,  one  a  provincial,  the  other  an  Indian,  were  placed  under  an  escort  of  two  others,  and  sent 
toward  the  camp.  They  were  pursued  and  overtaken  by  the  Indians.  The  wounded  men  told  the  escort 
to  leave  them  to  their  fate,  which  they  did.  When  the  savages  came  up,  the  provincial,  knowing  that  he 
would  be  put  to  death,  fired  and  killed  three.  He  was  instantly  tomahawked.  The  Indian  was  kept  a 
prisoner,  and  from  him  Putnam  learned  the  above  facts  when  they  met  some  time  afterward  in  Canada. 

*  Mr.  Pierce  was  seventy-five  years  old.  He  distinctly  remembered  Washington's  visit  to  Boston  in  1789. 
The  cavalcade  halted  near  the  entrance  to  the  city,  and  Washington  was  obliged  to  sit  on  horseback  two 
hours,  while  the  state  authorities  and  the  selectmen  decided  a  point  of  etiquette — whose  province  it  was  to 


144  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Departure  from  Whitehall.  Sholes's  Landing.  Ride  to  the  Battle-ground  of  Hubbardton.  Picturesque  Scenery. 

richly  stored  with  historic  learning,  and  our  intercourse  was  to  me  a  pleasant  and  profitable 
appendix  to  the  events  and  studies  of  the  day. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  left  Whitehall  on  the  steamer  Saranac,  and  landed  at  Chip- 
man's  Point,  or  Sholes's  Landing,  the  port  of  Orwell,  and  the  most  eligible  point  whence  to 
reach  the  battle-ground  of  Hubbardton.  The  morning  was  delightful,  and  the  ride  in  a  light 
wagon,  accompanied  by  the  intelligent  son  of  Mr.  Sholes,  proved  to  be  one  of  peculiar  pleas- 
ure. Our  route  was  through  the  pleasant  little  village  of  Orwell,  five  miles  southeast  oi 
the  landing.  There  we  turned  southward,  and  followed  the  margin  of  the  broad  ravine  or 
valley  through  which  the  retreating  Americans  and  pursuing  British  passed  when  St.  Clair 
evacuated  Ticonderoga.  The  road  was  made  very  tortuous  to  avoid  the  high  ridges  and 
deep  valleys  which  intersect  in  all  directions,  while  at  the  same  time  it  gradually  ascends 
for  several  miles.  I  never  passed  through  a  more  picturesque  country.  The  slopes  and 
valleys  were  smiling  with  cultivation,  and  in  every  direction  small  lakes  were  sparkling  in 
the  noonday  sun.  Within  about  six  miles  of  the  battle-ground  we  descended  into  a  roman- 
tic valley  imbosomed  in  a  spur  of  the  Green  Mountains'.  We  passed  several  small  lakes, 
lying  one  below  another,  over  which  arose  rough  and  lofty  precipices,  their  summits  crowned 
with  cedar,  hemlock,  pine,  and  spruce.  The  tall  trunks  of  the  pines,  black  and  branchless, 
scathed  by  lightning  and  the  tempest,  arose  above  the  surrounding  forests  like  inighty  senti- 
nels, and  added  much  to  the  wild  grandeur  of  the  scene.  From  the  rough  and  narrow  val- 
ley we  ascended  to  a  high,  rolling  table-land,  well  cultivated  ;  and  upon  the  highest  part  of 
July?,  ^^^^^  tract,  surrounded  on  the  south  and  east  by  loftier  hills,  the  battle  of  Hubbardton 
I'i''"''-  occurred. 
General  Fraser,  whom  I  have  already  mentioned  as  having  started  after  the  Americans 
from  Ticonderoga,  continued  his  pursuit  of  St.  Clair  and  his  army  through  the  day, 
and,  learning  from  some  Tory  scouts  that  they  were  not  far  in  advance,  he  ordered 
his  men  to  lie  that  night  upon  their  arms,  to  be  ready  to  push  forward  at  daybreak.  About 
three  in  the  morning  his  troops  were  put  in  motion,  and  about  five  o'clock  his  advanced 
scouts  discovered  the  American  sentries,  who  discharged  their  pieces  and  retreated  to  the 
main  body  of  the  detachment,  which  was  left  behind  by  St.  Clair,  under  the  command  of 
Colonels  Warner  and  Francis.  Their  place  of  encampment  was  in  the  southeast  part  of 
Hubbardton,  Rutland  county,  near  the  Pittsford  line,  upon  the  farm  of  John  Selleck,'  not 
far  from  the  place  where  the  Baptist  meeting-house  now  stands.  The  land  is  now  owned 
by  a  son  of  Captain  Barber,  who  was  in  the  engagement.  He  kindly  accompanied  me  to 
the  spot,  and  pointed  out  the  localities,  according  to  the  instructions  of  his  patriotic  father. 
The  engraving  on  the  opposite  page  represents  the  general  view  of  the  place  of  encampment 
and  the  battle-ground.  When  the  British  advanced  guard  discovered  the  Americans,  they 
were  breakfasting  near  a  dwelling  which  stood  close  by  the  Baptist  meeting-house,  the  two- 
story  building  seen  in  the  center  of  the  picture.  The  dark  spot  near  the  fence,  seen  between 
the  larger  trees  in  the  foreground  (I  in  the  map  of  the  battle),  marks  the  remains  of  the  cel- 
lar of  the  old  house.  The  road  on  the  right  is  that  leading  toward  Ticonderoga  ;  and  the 
roofs  of  the  houses,  seen  over  the  orchard  on  the  right,  mark  the  direction  of  the  road  lead- 
receive  him.  The  selectmen  carried  the  day.  He  explained  to  me  the  nature  of  the  apparent  error  in  the 
registration  of  the  birth  and  christening  of  Dr.  Franklin.  The  entries  of  both  events  are  upon  the  same 
day,  Sunday,  17th  of  January,  1706.  An  old  man,  who  remembered  the  circumstance  M'ell,  for  it  caused 
some  gossip  at  the  time,  told  him  that  Dr.  Franklin's  mother  vs^ent  to  church  and  received  the  communion 
in  the  morning,  gave  birth  to  her  son  at  noon,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  child  was  christened. 

'  The  first  settlement  in  this  town  was  in  the  spring  of  1774,  and  consisted  of  only  two  families.  In 
1775  seven  other  families  joined  them,  among  whom  was  Mr.  Selleck,  and  these  nine  constituted  the  whole 
population  of  the  town  when  the  battle  occurred.  On  the  day  previous  a  party  of  Indians  and  Tories,  un- 
der Captain  Sherwood,  came  upon  the  inhabitants  and  made  prisoners  of  two  farmers  named  Hickock,  and 
tneir  families,  and  two  young  men  named  Keeler  and  Kellogg.  They  captured  two  or  three  others,  and 
carried  them  all  off  to  Ticonderoga,  leaving  their  families  to  shift  for  themselves.  The  sorrowing  wives 
and  children  made  a  toilsome  journey  over  the  mountains  to  Connecticut,  whence  they  had  emigrated. 
The  men  remained  prisoners  at  Ticonderoga  (except  two  who  escaped)  until  after  the  surrender  of  Bur- 
goyne  in  October,  when  that  fortress  was  retaken  by  the  Americans. — See  Thomfson's  Gazetteer  of  Vermont. 


OF  THE    REVOLUTION 


146 


fiovr  of  the  B.ittle-gi'ound. 


The  Buttle. 


Retreat  and  Surrender  of  Colonel  Hale. 


Ilia  reasonable  Exeuso. 


down  to  the  valley  toward  Castleton.      The  large  boulder  in  front  is  famed  by  local  tra- 


The  battle-ground  of  Hubbardton. 


dition  as  the  observatory  of  the  first  man  of  the  Britisli 
van  who  discovered  the  Americans  ;  and  it  is  related 
that  he  was  shot  by  a  sentinel  before  he  could  leap 
down.  The  range  of  hills  in  the  distance  are  the  Pitts- 
ford  Mountains,  over  which  a  portion  of  the  Americans 
fled  toward  R-utland.  A  small  branch  of  a  tributary 
of  Castleton  Creek  runs  through  the  intervale  between 
the  meeting-house  and  the  hills  beyond.  The  hottest 
of  the  fight  occurred  upon  the  slope  between  the  large 
tree  and  the  meeting-house.  It  was  covered  with  ripe  grain  when  I  visited  it,  and  Au-mst, 
the  achievements  of  the  tiller  gathering  his  sheaves  seemed  more  truly  great  than  all  ^^^'^■ 
the  honors  and  renown  which  wholesale  slaughter  ever  procured  lor  a  warrior  chieftain. 

It  was  an  excessively  hot  morning  in  July  when  the  battle  of  Hubbardton  com-  juiy?, 
menced.  The  American  force  consisted  of  the  three  regiments  of  Warner,  Francis,  '^''''''■ 
and  Hale,  and  such  stragglers  from  the  main  army  then  at  Castleton  (six  miles  in  advance) 
as  had  been  picked  up  on  the  way.  The  Americans  were  about  thirteen  hundred  strong, 
and  the  British,  under  Fraser,  about  eight  hundred.  Reidesel  and  his  Germans  were  still 
in  the  rear,  but,  expecting  his  arrival  every  moment,  Fraser  began  the  attack  at  seven  in 
the  morning,  fearing  that  the  Americans  might  escape  if  he  delayed.  The  charge  of  the 
enemy  was  well  received,  and  the  battle  raged  furiously.  Had  Warner  been  well  sustained 
by  the  militia  regiment  under  Colonel  Hale,  he  xriight  have  secured  a  victory  ;  but  that 
officer,  with  his  troops,  fled  toward  Castleton,  hoping  to  join  the  main  army  there  under  St. 
Clair,  leaving  the  commander  with  only  seven  hundred  men  to  oppose  the  enemy.  On  the 
way,  Hale  and  his  men  fell  in  with  an  inconsiderable  party  of  British  soldiers,  to  whom  they 
surrendered,  without  ofl'ering  any  resistance,  although  the  numbers  were  about  equal.'    They 


'  Colonel  Hale  has  been  severely  censured  for  this  act  of  apparent  cowardice,  but  when  every  circum- 
stance is  taken  into  account,  there  is  much  to  induce  a  mitigation  of  blame.  Himself  and  a  large  portion 
of  his  men  were  in  feeble  health,  and  quite  unfit  for  active  service,  and  his  movement  was  one  of  precau 
tion  rather  than  of  cowardly  alarm.  Rivals,  soon  after  he  surrendered,  circulated  reports  unfavorable  to  hi* 
reputation.  On  hearing  of  them,  he  wrote  to  General  Washington,  asking  him  to  obtain  his  exchange,  that 
he  might  vindicate  his  character  by  a  court-martial ;  but  before  this  could  be  accomplished  he  died,  while 
tt  prisoner  on  Long  Island,  in  September,  1780. 


K 


1  46 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Battle  of  Hubbardton. 


Defeat  of  the  Americans. 


Death  of  Colonel  Francis. 


were  well  stationed  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill,  but  so  sudden  and  unexpected  was  the  attack, 


that  no  other  breast-works  could 
be  thrown  up  than  such  as  a  few 
trees     afforded.      For    a 
long  time  the  conflict 
was  severe,  for  Reide- 
sel  still  did  not  make  his 
appearance.     The  British 
grenadiers    occupied     the 
Castleton  road,  and  pre 
vented    the    Americans 
from  retreating  in  that 
direction  ;   but  the  re- 
publicans  poured 
such  a  galling  fire 
upon   them,  that 
they  gave   way, 
and  victory  was 
almost   within 
the   grasp 
the  patriots. 
At  that  mo 
ment   Ric- 
desel  with 
his    com- 
panions 
appear- 
prisoners 


0m^M^^i^^H^ 


ed,  his 
drums 
beating 
and  ban- 
ners flying. 
The  firing 
reaching  his 
ears,  he  had 
pressed  on  as 
rapidly  as  the 
rough  forest  road 
would  allow.  His 
Chasseurs,  under 
Major  Earner,  were 
immediately  brought 
into  action  in  support  of 
Eraser's  left  flank.  At 
that  moment  the  whole 
British  line  made  a  bayonet 
harge  upon  the  Americans  with 
terrible  effect.  The  latter,  suppos- 
ing that  the  Germans  in  full  force  were 
coming  upon  them,  broke  and  fled  with  great 
precipitation,  some  over  the  Pittsford  Mountains 
toward  Rutland,  and  others  down  the  valley  toward  Castleton.' 
The  Americans  lost  three  hundred  and  twenty-four  in  killed,  wounded,  and 
The  brave  Colonel  Francis  was  slain  while  gallantly  fighting  at  the  head  of  his 
regiment,  and  twelve  officers  were  made  prisoners.  The  British  loss  was  one  hundred  and 
eighty-three,  among  whom  were  Major  Pratt  and  about  twenty  inferior  officers.'  The 
British  also  captured  about  two  hundred  stand  of  arms. 

When  General  St.  Clair  heard  the  firing  at  Hubbardton,  he  attempted  to  send  a  force  to 
the  relief  of  Warner,  but  the  militia  absolutely  refused  to  go,  and  the  regulars  and  others 
were  too  far  on  their  way  to  Fort  Edward  to  be  recalled.  St.  Clair  had  just  learned,  too, 
that  Burgoyne  was  at  Skenesborough,  and  he  hastened  forward  to  join  General  Schuyler, 
which  he  did  on  the  1 2th,  with  his  troops  worn  down  by  fatigue  and  lack  of  pro- 
visions. The  loss  to  the  Americans  by  the  evacuation  of  these  posts  on  the  lake 
was  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  pieces  of  cannon  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  amrau- 


July,  1777. 


Explanation  of  the  Map. — A,  advanced  corps  of  General  Eraser,  attacked  at  B ;  C,  position  of  the 
corps  while  it  was  forming ;  D,  Earl  of  Balearras  detached  to  cover  the  right  wing ;  E,  the  van-guard 
and  Brunswick  company  of  Chasseurs  coming  up  with  General  Reidesel ;  F,  position  of  the  Americans 
after  Riedesel  arrived.  The  lines  extending  downward  show  the  course  of  the  retreat  of  the  Americans 
over  the  Pittsford  Mountains.  H,  position  of  the  British  after  the  action ;  I,  house  where  the  wounded 
were  carried,  mentioned  in  the  description  of  the  picture  on  page  144 ;  0,  position  of  the  Americans  pre- 
vious to  the  action.  This  map  is  a  reduced  copy  of  one  drawn  by  P.  Gerlach,  Burgoyne's  deputy  quarter- 
master general. 

'  Many  of  the  Americans,  in  their  precipitate  retreat,  threw  away  their  muskets  to  rid  themselves  of 
the  encumbrance.  Some  have  been  found,  within  a  few  years,  in  the  woods  on  the  line  of  the  retreat. 
One  of  them,  of  American  manufacture,  is  in  my  possession,  and  dated  1774.  The  bayonet  is  fixed,  the 
flint  is  in  the  lock,  and  the  powder  and  ball  are  still  in  the  barrel. 

*  The  statements  concerning  the  loss  in  this  battle  are  various  and  contradictory.  Some  accounts  say' 
that  nearly  six  hundred,  who  were  wounded,  crawled  off  into  the  woods  and  died ;  and  others,  again,  put 
the  American  loss  down  at  less  than  three  hundred.  There  is  a  preponderance  of  testimony  in  favor  of 
the  number  I  have  given,  and  it  is,  doubtless,  near  the  truth. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTIOIvi. 


147 


General  Schuyler's  Forces  at  Fort  Edward.  Return  to  Lake  Champlnin.  An  old  Soldier.  Mount  Independence. 

nition  and  stores.      In  every  respect  the  event  was  disastrous,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  pro- 
duced much  discontent  in  the  army  and  disappointment  throughout  the  country. 

General  Schuyler  summoned  the  fragments  of  the  broken  armies  to  his  camp  at  Fort  Ed- 
ward. All  united,  numbered  only  four  thousand  four  hundred  men,  and  this  was  the  whole 
effective  force  opposed  to  the  southward  progress  of  Burgoyne.  Nearly  one  half  of  these  de- 
serted, not  to  the  enemy,  but  to  their  homes,  before  the  end  of  the  month.  Yet  the  general 
neither  despaired  nor  remained  idle.  He  kept  his  men  busily  engaged  in  destroying  bridges, 
felling  trees,  digging  deep  trenches,  and  making  other  obstructions  in  the  forest  paths  from 
Fort  Anne  to  Fort  Edward,  to  delay  the  progress  of  the  enemy ;  and  this  labor  resulted  in 
greatly  impeding  Burgoyne's  march,  and  in  delaying  his  arrival  upon  the  Hudson.  The 
subsequent  events  connected  with  these  two  armies,  excepting  the  battle  of  Bennington  and 
the  expedition  of  St.  Leger,  have  already  been  noticed  in  detail.  The  latter  will  be  con- 
sidered in  their  proper  order. 

I  lingered  upon  the  battle-ground  in  Hubbardton  as  long  as  time  would  allow,  for  the 
view  from  that  lofty  table-land  is  both  beautiful  and  grand,  particularly  in  the  direction  of 
Castleton,  on  the  southwest.  A  broad  valley,  bounded  on  either  side  by  ranges  of  high  hills, 
cultivated  to  their  summits,  and  diversified  by  rich  intervales  covered  with  ripe  harvests  and 
dark  green  corn,  spread  out  below  us,  a  lovely  picture  of  peace  and  prosperity.  The  view 
at  its  further  extremity  is  bounded  by  the  high  hills  near  the  Hudson,  and  on  the  left  some 
of  the  higher  summits  were  dark  with  spruce  and  cedar  trees.  We  returned  to  Sholes's  by  the 
way  of  Hyde's,  in  Sudbury,  where  we  dined.  As  usual,  every  delicacy  of  the  season  was  upon 
his  table.  Indeed,  "  a  table  equal  to  Hyde's"  has  become  a  proverbial  expression  of  praise 
among  tourists,  for  it  is  his  justifiable  boast  that  he  spreads  the  choicest  repasts  that  are 
given  between  Montreal  and  New  Orleans.  His  beautifully  embowered  mansion  is  near 
the  base  of  the  Green  Mountains,  by  the  margin  of  a  charming  lake,  on  the  borders  of  a 
rich  valley,  about  twelve  miles  east  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  a  more  delightful  summer 
retreat  can  not  well  be  imagined.  Our  route  thither  was  over  a  rough  mountain  road. 
Among  the  rugged  hills  we  met  a  venerable,  white-haired  man  leaning  upon  two  canes,  and 
greatly  bowed  by  the  weight  of  years.  I  accosted  him  with  reverence,  and,  in  answer  to 
my  inquiry  M'hether  he  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  he  informed  me  that  he  was  with 
General  Sullivan  on  Rhode  Island,  and  was  on  duty  in  the  fort  on  Butt's  Hill  at  the  time 
of  the  engagement  there  on  the  29th  of  August,  1778,  known  as  the  battle  of  Quaker  Hill. 

We  arrived  at  Sholes's  between  five  and  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Our  excellent  host 
and  his  neighbor  and  friend,  living  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Independence,  anticipating  my 
wishes,  had  a  skiff  in  readiness  to  convey  us  across  the  bay  to  visit  that  memorable  spot. 
Although  I  had  ridden  forty  miles  during  the  day,  and  storm-clouda  had  been  gathering 
thick  and  fast  for  two  hours,  and  now  threatened  a  speedy  dowTi-pouring,  I  was  too  anxious 
for  the  visit  to  aJlow  fatigue  or  rain  to  thwart  my  purpose.  Accompanied  by  my  companion 
and  another  young  lady,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  S.,  we  pushed  across  the  bay — five  of  us  in  a 
hght  skiff,  and  the  wind  rising — to  the  foot  of  Mount  Independence,  on  its  steep  southern  side. 

We  ascended  by  the  old  road  constructed  in  1776.  The  top  of  the  summit  is  flat  table- 
land, and  afforded  a  very  eligible  site  for  strong  military  works.  It  was  first  occupied  by 
the  Americans  early  in  1776,  when  they  commenced  the  erection  of  batteries,  barracks,  and 
houses,  with  the  view  of  making  it  a  place  of  general  rendezvous,  and  a  recruiting  station 
for  the  army  of  the  north.'  It  was  heavily  timbered  when  they  took  possession  of  it,  but 
almost  ail  the  trees  were  felled  for  building  purposes  and  for  fuel.      A  second  growth  of  tim- 

'  Mount  Independence  is  situated  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Orwell,  in  Vermont,  one  mile  north  of  Sholes's 
Landing,  and  contains  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  some  of  which  is  arable.  The  troops  sta- 
tioned there  in  1776  received  the  news  of  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  by  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  with  the  most  extravagant  demonstrations  of  joy.  It  was  just  after  the  reveille,  on  the 
morning  of  the  18th  of  July,  that  a  courier  arrived  with  the  glad  tidings  ;  and,  by  a  general  order,  a  gala 
day  for  the  soldiers  ensued.  At  sunset  they  fired  a  salute  of  thirteen  guns,  in  honor  of  the  confederation, 
and  named  the  place  on  which  they  were  encamped  Mount  Independence,  in  commemoration  of  the  event 


148  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Present  Appearance  of  Mount  Independence.  Graves  of  Soldiers.  Vaadalism.  Money-digging. 

ber  now  covers  it,  except  where  the  parades  were.  The  trees  are  chiefly  maple,  some  of  them 
twenty  inches  in  diameter.  There  are  about  two  hundred  of  them  on  the  mount,  large 
enough  for  the  extraction  of  sap  for  sugar.  The  young  shoots  never  sprang  up  where  the 
old  parades  were,  and  they  present  bald  spots,  bearing  only  stinted  vegetation. 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1776  the  Americans  were  diligent  in  fortifying  this 
spot.  They  erected  a  picketed  fort  and  several  batteries,  dug  many  wells,  and  constructed 
nearly  three  hundred  houses  for  the  use  of  the  soldiers.  The  remains  of  these  are  scattered 
m  all  directions  upon  the  mount ;  and  the  foundation  walls  of  the  hospital,  just  commenced 
when  the  evacuation  in  1777  took  place,  are  now  nearly  as  perfect  as  when  first  laid.  Nar- 
row ditches,  indicating  the  line  of  pickets  on  the  north  part  of  the  mount,  and  running  in 
various  directions  and  at  every  angle,  are  distinctly  seen ;  and  the  remains  of  the  "  horse- 
shoe battery,"  on  the  extreme  north  end,  are  very  prominent.  Near  this  battery  is  a  flint 
quarry,  which  seems  to  have  been  well  known  and  used  by  the  Indians,  for  arrow-heads  in 
every  stage  of  manufacture,  from  the  almost  unshapen  flint  to  the  perfect  weapon,  are  found 
there,  I  was  told,  in  abundance.  Toward  the  close  of  1776  a  fatal  epidemic  prevailed  in 
the  garrison  there,  called  the  "  camp  distemper,"  and  the  graves  of  the  victims  are  thickly 
strewn  among  the  trees.  At  one  time  the  deaths  were  so  numerous  that  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  dig  a  grave  for  each,  and  the  spot  was  shown  to  me  where  fourteen  bodies  were 
deposited  in  a  single  broad  grave,  about  daylight  one  morning.  Among  the  hundreds  of 
these  mounds  of  the  dead,  scattered  over  the  mount,  there  was  only  one  individualized  by  an 

inscribed. stone.  The  rude  monument  is  a  rough  limestone, 
and  the  inscription,  "  M.  Richardson  Stoddard,"  appeared  as 
if  carved  with  the  point  of  a  bayonet.  The  tenant  was  prob- 
ably an  officer  of  militia  from  a  town  formerly  named  Stod- 
dard, in  Vermont.  Already  some  Vandal  visitor  had  broken 
off* a  "relic"  from  its  diminutive  bulk,  and  ere  this  some  pa- 
triotic antiquary  has  doubtless  slipped  the  whole  stone  into  his 
pocket,  and  secured  a  legacy  of  rare  value  for  his  wondering  children  !  A  propensity  to  ap- 
propriate to  private  use  a  fragment  of  public  monuments,  and  a  pitiful  ambition,  allied  in 
kind  to  that  of  the  Ephesian  incendiary,  to  associate  one's  name  by  pencil  or  penknife  in- 
scription with  places  of  public  resort,  have  already  greatly  marred  and  disfigured  a  large  pro- 
portion of  our  few  monuments,  and  can  not  be  too  severely  condemned.  Charity,  that  "  cov- 
ereth  the  multitude  of  sins,"  has  not  a  mantle  broad  enough  to  hide  this  iniquity,  for  none 
but  heartless  knaves  or  brainless  fools  would  thus  deface  even  the  meanest  grave-stone  in  a 
church-yard.  Wolfe's  monument  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  and  the  monuments  at  Red 
Bank  and  Paoli,  bear  mournful  testimony  of  this  barbarism  which  is  abroad. 

At  various  times  Mount  Independence,  as  well  as  Crown  Point  and  other  localities  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Lake  Champlain,  has  been  scarred  by  money-diggers.  In  1815  a  company 
came  hither  from  Northern  Vermont,  to  search  for  military  treasures  which  wise  seers  and 
the  divining  rod  declared  were  buried  there.  The  chief  of  the  party,  entertaining  misgiv- 
mgs  on  his  arrival  as  to  the  success  of  money-digging,  purchased  land  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  while  his  more  credulous  companions  were  digging  deep  into  the  mount,  he  was  plowing 
deep  into  his  land.  He  raised  grain  and  esculent  roots — they  raised  gravel  and  worthless 
clay.  When  their  patience  and  money  were  exhausted,  they  shouldered  their  picks  and  de- 
parted for  Western  New  York.  He  remained,  became  a  thrifty  farmer,  and,  by  the  unerr- 
ing divining  rod  of  industry,  found  the  treasure.  Credulous  people  still  dig  at  these  locali- 
ties, and  several  pits  were  pointed  out  to  me  which  had  been  recently  excavated.' 

'  Three  or  four  years  ago  the  white  wife  of  a  negro  dreamed  three  times — the  cabalistic  number — that 
at  a  certain  place  on  Mount  Independence  immense  treasures  were  buried  when  the  Americans  evacuated 
that  post.  They  were,  doubtless,  the  identical  silver  balls  which  calumny  asserted  Burgoyne  fired  into  St. 
Clair's  camp  as  the  price  of  treason.  The  negro  procured  aid,  and  a  pure  white  dog  to  watch  them  while 
digging.  A  moonlight  night  was  the  chosen  time.  The  secret  leaked  into  the  ears  of  some  boys,  and  set 
their  mischievous  wits  at  work.     A  large  pumpkin  was  emptied  of  its  seeds,  and  staring  eyes,  wide  nos 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


149 


Return  to  Sholes's. 


Darkness  on  the  Lake. 


View  from  Sholes's  Landing 


Darkness  came  on,  and  the  rain  pattered  upon  the  leaves  hefore  we  descended  to  the 
shore ;  and  by  the  time  we  were  fairly  out  upon  the  lake  our  destined  haven  was  invisible.. 
The  -wind  was  fresh  and  the  waters  rough.  One  of  the  ladies  guided  the  helm,  but  her 
bright  eyes  could  not  discern  the  distant  shore,  and  her  nautical  skill  was  unavailing.  The 
son  of  Mr.  S.,  anticipating  such  a  dilemma,  discharged  a  small  sM'ivel  at  the  landin?,  and  by 
its  beacon  flash  we  were  safely  guided  until  we  came  within  the  rays  of  the  candles  at  the 
house.      Wet  and  weary,  we  supped  and  retired  early,  to  resume  our  journey  in  the  morning. 


Mr 


View  pbom  Sholes's  Laxdisg  i 


nils,  and  grinning  teeth  were  cut  out  of  the  rind,  and  a  lighted  candle  was  placed  ■within  the  sphere.  This 
hideous  head,  with  its  fiery  eyes  and  nostrils,  was  placed  on  the  caput  of  a  bold  boy,  who  marched  up  to 
the  pit  where  the  money-diggers  were  at  work.  The  dog  first  discovered  the  grinning  specter,  and,  with 
a  loud  yell,  leaped  from  the  cavity  and  ran  for  life.  The  men  followed,  leaving  pick,  spade,  hat,  and  coat 
behind,  quite  sure  that  the  '"  gentleman  in  black"'  was  close  upon  their  heels  ;  and  they  have  ever  since  be- 
lieved that  he  guards  the  treasures,  and  sometimes  takes  an  evening  stroll  on  Mount  Independence. 

'  This  is  a  view  from  Chipman's  Point,  or  Sholes's  Landing,  looking  north.  The  high  ridge  on  the  right, 
in  the  distance,  is  Mount  Independence.  The  higher  and  more  distant  hiU  on  the  left,  over  the  cedar,  is 
Mount  Defiance,  and  the  elevation  beyond  is  3Iount  Hope.  Fort  Ticonderoga  is  on  the  other  side  of  Mount 
Independence,  in  a  line  with  the  highest  part. 


f)() 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


»7himney  Point. 


First'Settlement  by  the  French. 


Fort  St.  Frederic. 


Distant  View  of  Crown  PoiuL 


CHAPTEPw  VII. 

"  The  green  earth  sends  its  incense  up  from  every  mountain  shrine, 
From  every  flov^er  and  dewy  cup  that  greeted  the  sunshine. 
The  mists  are  lifted  from  the  rills  like  the  white  wing  of  prayer ; 
They  lean  above  the  ancient  hills,  as  doing  homage  there. 
The  forest-tops  are  lowly  cast  o'er  breezy  hill  and  glen, 
A.S  if  a  prayerful  spirit  pass'd  on  nature  as  on  men." 

Whittier. 


LIGHT  mist  was  upon  the  water  when  we  departed  from  Sholes's,  but 
a  gentle  breeze  swept  it  off  to  the  hills  as  we  turned  the  point  of  Mount 
Independence  and  entered  the  broader  expanse  near  Ticonderoga.  We 
caught  a  last  gUmpse  of  the  gray  ruins  as  our  boat  sped  by,  and  before 
nine  o'clock  we  landed  at  Chimney  Point,  opposite  Crown  Point,  where 
the  lake  is  only  half  a  mile  wide.^  Here  the  French  established  their 
first  settlement  on  Lake  Champlain,  in  1731,  and  commenced  the  culti- 
vation of  the  grains  of  the  country.  They  erected  a  stone  wind-mill  in 
the  neighborhood,  which  was  garrisoned  and  used  as  a  fort  during  the 
wars  with  the  English  colonies.  When  Professor  Kalm,  the  Swedish 
naturalist  and  traveler,  during  his  botanical  tour  through  New  York  and 

Canada  in  1749,  visited  this  settlement,  five  or  six  cannons  were  mounted  in  the  mill.      The 

place  was  then  called  Wind-mill  Point. ^ 

The  same  year  in  which  the  French  settled  at  Chimney  Point,  they  built  a  strong  fort 


upon  the  shore  opposite,  and 
called  it  Fort  St.  Frederic, 
in  honor  of  Frederic  Mau- 
repas,  tha  then  Secretary  of 
State.  It  was  a  starwork,  in 
the  form  of  a  pentagon,  with 
bastions  at  the  angles,  and 
surrounded  by  a  ditch  walled 
in  with  stone.  Kalm  says 
there  was  a  considerable  set- 
tlement around  the  fort,  and 
pleasant,  cultivated  gardens 
adorned  the  rude  dwellings. 
There  was  a  neat  little 
gave  the  name  of  Chimney  Point  to  the  bold  promontory. 


Chimney  Point  Landing. ^ 


church  within  the  ramparts, 
and  every  thing  betokened 
a  smiling  future  for  a  hap- 
py and  prosperous  colony. 
But  the  rude  clangor  of  war 
disturbed  their  repose  a  few 
years  afterward  ;  the  thun- 
der of  British  artillery  fright- 
ened them  away,  and  they 
retired  to  the  north  end  of 
the  lake.  For  many  years 
the  chimneys  of  their  desert- 
ed dwellings  on  the  eastern 
shore   were    standing,   and 


'  Chimney  Point  is  in  the  southwestern  corner  of  Addison  town,  Vermont,  and  is  the  proper  landing-place 
for  those  who  desire  to  visit  the  ruins  of  Crown  Point  fortress,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake. 

^  From  Kalm's  account  it  appears  probable  that  the  wind-mill  was  upon  the  shore  opposite,  at  the  point 
where  now  may  be  seen  the  ruins  of  what  is  called  the  Grenadiers'  Battery.  He  says  it  was  "  within  one 
or  two  musket-shots  of  Fort  St.  Frederic,"  a  fortification  immediately  on  the  shore  opposite  Chimney  Point. 

*  This  view  is  taken  from  the  green  in  front  of  the  inn  at  Chimney  Point,  looking  west-southwest.  The 
first  land  seen  across  the  lake  is  Crown  Point,  with  the  remaining  barracks  and  other  works  of  the  fortress, 
and  the  dwellings  and  outhouses  of  Mr.  Baker,  a  resident  farmer.  Beyond  the  point  is  Bulwaggy  Bay,  a 
broad,  deep  estuary  much  wider  than  the  lake  at  Chimney  Point.  Beyond  the  bay,  and  rising  from  its 
western  .shore,  is  Bulwaggy  Mountain,  varying  in  perpendicular  height  from  four  to  nine  hundred  feet,  and 
distant  from  the  fort  between  one  and  two  miles.     A  little  to  the  right  of  the  larger  tree  on  the  shore  is  the 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


151 


Visit  to  Crown  Point. 


Description  of  the  Fortress. 


Its  present  Appearance. 


Anxious  to  leave  in  the  evening  boat  for  Burlington,  we  sent  our  light  baggage  to  the  inn, 
and  immediately  crossed  over  to  Crown  Point  on  a  horse-boat,  the  only  ferry  vessel  there. 
Mr.  Baker,  an  aged  resident  and  farmer  upon  the  point,  kindly  guided  us  over  the  remains 
of  the  military  works  in  the  vicinity,  where  we  passed  between  three  and  four  hours.  Wo 
first  visited  old  Fort  St.  Frederic,  the  senior  fortress  in  chronological  order.  It  is  upon  the 
steep  bank  of  the  lake,  and  the  remains  of  its  bomb-proof  covered  way,  oven,  and  magazine 
can  still  be  traced  ;   the  form  of  its  ramparts  is  indicated  by  a  broken  line  of  mounds. 

The  average  width  of  the  peninsula  of  Crown  Point  is  one  mile,  and  the  principal  worki 
are  upon  its  highest  part,  near  the  northern  end.  The  peninsula  is  made  up  of  dark  lime- 
stone, covered  quite  slightly  with  earth.  This  physical  characteristic  lent  strength  to  the 
post,  for  an  enemy  could  not  approach  it  by  parallels  or  regular  advances,  but  must  make  an 
open  assault.  St.  Frederic,  standing  close  by  the  water,  lacked  this  advantage  ;  and  the 
French,  feeling  their  comparative  weakness,  exercised  the  valor  of  prudence,  and  abandoned 
it  on  the  approach  of  the  Enghsh  and  provincials  under  General  Amherst,  in  1759, 
and  retired  to  the  Isle  Aux  Noix,'  in  the  Sorel.  The  British  commander  took  im- 
mediate possession,  but  the  works  were  so  dilapidated  that,  instead  of  repairing  them,  he  at 
once  began  the  erection  of  a  new  and  extensive  fortress  about  two  hundred  yards  south- 
west of  it,  and  upon 


more  commanding 
ground.    The  ram- 
parts were   about 
twenty-five       feet 
thick,   and  nearly 
the  same  in  height, 
of  solid   masonry 
The  curtauis  varied  in  length  from  fifty- 
Westebn  Line  of  BARRACKs.^two  to  one  hundred  yards,  and  the  whole 
circuit,  measuring  along  the  ramparts, 
and  including  the  bastions,  was  eight  hundred  and  fifty-three 
yards,  a  trifle  less  than  half  a  mile.      A  broad  ditch  cut  out  of 
solid  limestone  surrounded  it.      The  fragments  taken  from  the  ex- 
cavation were  used  to  construct  the  reveting,  and  the  four  rows 
of  barracks  erected  within.      On  the  north  was  a  gate,  and  from 
the  northeastern  bastion  was  a  covered  way  leading  to  the  lake. 
Within  this  bastion  a  well,  nearly  eight  feet  in  diameter  and  nine- 
ty feet  deep,  was  sunk,  from  which  the  garrison  was  supplied  with 
water.      This  fortress  was  never  entirely  finished,  although  the 
British  government  spent  nearly  ten  millions  of  dollars  upon  it  and 
its  outworks.      Its  construction  was  a  part  of  the  grand  plan  de- 
vised by  Pitt  to  crush  French  power  in  America,  and  hence,  for 

site  of  Fort  St.  Frederic,  and  at  the  edge  of  the  circle  on  the  left,  along  the  same  shore,  is  the  locality  of  the 
Grenadiers^  Battery.  The  wharf  and  bridge  in  the  foreground  form  the  steam-boat  and  ferry  landing  at 
Chimney  Point.  '  This  is  pronounced  O  Noo-ah. 

^  There  were  four  large  buildings  used  for  barracks  within  the  fort,  the  walls  or  chimneys  of  which  were 
built  of  limestone.  One  of  them  has  been  entirely  removed,  and  another,  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
feet  long,  is  almost  demolished.  Portions  of  it  are  seen  on  the  left,  in  the  foreground  of  the  picture.  The 
walls  of  the  other  two — one,  one  hundred  and  ninety-two,  and  the  other  two  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  long, 
and  two  stories  high — are  quite  perfect,  and  one  of  them  was  roofed  and  inhabited  until  within  two  or  three, 
years.  At  each  end,  and  between  these  barracks,  are  seen  the  remains  of  the  ramparts.  The  view  is  from 
the  northwestern  angle  of  the  fort,  a  little  south  of  the  remains  of  the  western  range  of  barracks,  and  look- 
ing southeast.  The  hills  in  the  distance  are  the  Green  Mountains  on  the  left,  and  the  nearer  range  called 
Snake  Mountain,  on  the  right. 

Explanation  of  the  Plan. — A,  B,  C,  the  barracks  ;  D,  the  well ;  the  black  line  denotes  the  raiuparts,  with 
Its  parapet ;  the  white  space  next  to  it  the  rfiYcA,  and  the  shaded  part  outside,  the  covered  way.  banquette, 
and  zlacis. 


Plan  of  the  Fort. 


152 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


October  2, 
1759. 


Propoaed  Attack  on  the  French  at  Isle  .^wi  iVo/i.  Approach  of  Winter.  Appearance  of  Crown  Point.  Inscriptions 

this  as  well  as  for  every  other  part  of  the  service  here,  the  most  extraordinary  eflbrts  were 
made,  and  pecuniary  means  were  freely  lavished.' 

Amherst  constructed  several  small  vessels  at  Crown  Point,  and,  leaving  a  garrison  to  de- 
fend the  partly  finished  fort,  embarked  with  the  rest  of  his  troops,  and  sailed  down  the  lake, 
to  attack  the  French  in  their  new  position  in  the  Sorei.  Storm  after  storm  arose  upon  the 
lake,  and  greatly  endangered  the  safety  of  his  men  and  munitions  in  the  frail  vessels.  The 
season  being  considerably  advanced,  he  abandoned  the  design,  and  resolved  not  to  risk  t4ie 
snow-storms  that  would  soon  ensue,  and  the  general  barrenness  of  food  and  forage  that  now 
prevailed  in  an  enemy's  country.  So  he  returned  to  Crown  Point,  and  went  into 
winter-quarters. 
The  works  at  Crown  Point  are  much  better  preserved  than  those  at  Ticonderoga,  and  the 

present  owner  of  tha 

_    5^^^^,^^  ground,  with  a  resolu- 

'"  ^  ~-      .,.  tion  which   bespeaks 

/£  _  '-'    >.  his  taste  and  patriot- 

V       '^'  ^  ^£^  ijM  ism,  will  not  allow  a 

{  *  *^  stone  to  be  removed 

The  view  here  given 
is  from  the  parapet 
near  the  end  of  the 
southeastern  range  of 
barracks,  where  the 
flag-staff  was,  looking 
down  the  lake  north- 
west. At  the  foot  of 
the  hills  on  the  lake 
shore,  toward  the  left, 
is  Cedar  Point,  at  the 
entrance  of  Bulwag- 
gy  Bay,  and  a  little 
north  of  it  is  the  vil- 
lage of  Port  Henry, 
the  location  of  the 
There  is  a  ferry  between 


Crown  Point. 


works  of  a  large  iron  company,  composed  chiefly  of  Bostonians 
this  place  and  Chimney  Point,  the  boats  touching  at  Crown  Point. 

In  the  gable  wall  of  the  nearest  barracks  in  the  view  are  two  inscribed  stones,  faced  smooth 
where  the  inscription  is  carved.      One  bears  the  initials  "G. 
R.,"  George  Bex  or  King  ;  the  rude  form  of  an  anchor,  a  mark 
peculiar  to  Great  Britain,  and  placed  upon  her  cannon-ball? 
and  other  military  articles  ;   and  the  date  of  the  construction  of 
the  fortress,  "  1759."      The  other  stone  has  the  initial  "G." 
without  the  R.,  the  monogram  of  Amherst,  the  anchor,  and  a 
number  of  rectangular  and  diagonal  lines  of  inexplicable  mean- 
ing.     The  deep  well,  already  alluded  to,  is  close  by  the  covered 
way  that  leads  to  the  lake,  and  a  few  rods  northeast  from  the 
eastern  range  of  barracks.      It  was  nearly  filled  with  rubbish, 
and  almost  hidden  from  view  by  the  weeds  and  shrubbery  upon  its  margin.      I  was  informed 
that  a  general  impression  prevailed  in  the  vicinity,  about  twenty-five  years  ago,  that  this  deep 
well  was  the  depository  of  vast  treasures,  which  were  cast  into  it  by  the  French  for  conceal- 


'  For  the  campaign  of  1759  the  Legislature  of  New  York  authorized  the  levy  of  two  thousand  six  hund- 
red and  eighty  men,\nd  issued  the  sum  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  bills  of  credit,  bearing  interest, 
and  redeemable  in  1768  by  the  proceeds  of  an  annual  tax. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


153 


Search  for  lYeasure  in  the  Well.        A  venerable  Money-digger.        Capture  of  Crown  Point  by  the  Patriots.        Seth  Warner. 


The  Well. 


ment  when  they  abandoned  the  fort  in  1759.      Accordingly,  a  stock  company  of  fifty  men, 

whose  capital  was  labor,  and  whose  dividends  were  to  be 
the  treasure  found,  cleared  the  well  of  all  its  rubbish,  in 
search  of  the  gold  and  silver.  One  of  the  company  fur- 
nished the  whisky  which  was  drunk  on  the  occasion,  and 
agreed  to  wait  for  his  pay  until  the  treasure  was  secured. 
The.men  "  kept  their  spirits  up  by  pouring  spirits  down," 
and  before  the  work  was  completed  nearly  three  hogs- 
heads of  alcohol  were  swallowed  by  them.  They  cleared 
and  drained  the  well  to  its  rocky  bottom,  and  all  the  metal 
which  they  found  was  iron  in  the  form  of  nails,  spikes, 
bolts,  axes,  shovels,  &c.  The  whisky  and  the  labor 
were  lost  to  the  owners,  but  they  found  the  saying  cor- 
rect, that  "  truth  lies  at  the  bottom  of  a  well,"  for  they 
discovered,  when  at  the  bottom,  the  important  truth, 
which  doubtless  taught  them  wisdom,  that  credulity  is  a 
faithless  though  smiling  friend,  and  a  capricious  and  hard 
master  to  serve.  Money-digging  still  continues  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  several  excavations  within  the  fort  were  pointed  out  as  the  scene  of  quite 
recent  labor  in  that  line. 

In  1844  a  venerable,  white-haired  man,  apparently  between  eighty  and  ninety  years  of 
age,  leaning  upon  a  staff^  and  accompanied  by  two  athletic  men,  came  to  the  fort  and  began 
to  dig.  They  were  observed  by  Mr.  B.,  and  ordered  away.  The  old  man  was  urgent  for 
leave  to  dig,  for  he  had  come  from  the  northern  part  of  Vermont,  was  very  poor,  knew  ex- 
actly where  the  treasure  was,  as  he  had  assisted  in  concealing  it,  and  asked  but  thirty  min- 
utes to  finish  his  work.  Mr.  B.  left  them,  and,  returning  an  hour  afterward,  saw  quite  a 
deep  hole,  but  no  man  was  near.  The  diggers  were  gone,  and  the  impression  is  that  they 
really  "  found  something  I"  There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  money-digging  upon  Snake 
Mountain,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  lake,  induced,  to  some  extent,  by  the  wonderful  discovery 
of  a  crucible  there.  Among  those  rugged  hills  was  doubtless  the  residence  of  "  May  Martin," 
the  lovely  heroine  of  the  "Money-diggers."' 

Crown  Point  remained  in  the  quiet  possession  of  the  British  from  1759  until  1775,  when 
it  was  surprised  and  taken  by  a  small  body  of  provincials  called  "  Green  Mountain  Boys," 
under  Colonel  Seth  Warner.^  I  have  already  mentioned  the  fact  that  he  attempted  its  cap- 
ture on  the  same  day  that  Delaplace  surrendered  Ticonderoga  to  Ethan  Allen,  but  was 
thwarted  and  driven  back  by  a  storm.  That  was  on  the  10th  of  May.  The  attempt 
was  renewed  on  the  1 2th,  with  success,  and  the  garrison,  consisting  of  only  a  sergeant 
and  eleven  men,  were  made  prisoners  without  firing  a  shot.'  Among  the  spoils  were  a  hund- 
red and  fourteen  cannons,  of  which  only  sixty-one  were  fit  for  service. 


'  See  Thompson's  pretty  fiction,  "May  Martin,  or  the  Money-diggers." 

^  Seth  Warner  was  born  in  Woodbury,  Connecticut,  about  1744.  He  moved  to  Bennington,  Vermont, 
in  1773,  and  was  noted  for  his  skill  in  hunting.  He  and  Ethan  Allen  were  the  leaders  of  the  people  of  the 
Xew  Hampshire  Grants  in  their  controversy  with  New  York,  and  on  the  9th  of  March,  1774,  the  Legisla- 
ture of  the  latter  province  passed  an  act  of  outlawry  against  them.  After  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point,  he  received  a  colonel's  commission  I'rom  the  Continental  Congress,  and  joined  jVIontgomery 
in  Canada.  His  regiment  was  discharged  at  St.  John's,  and,  after  the  death  of  his  general,  he  raised  an- 
other body  of  troops  and  marched  to  Quebec.  He  covered  the  retreat  of  the  Americans  from  Canada  to 
Ticonderoga,  was  with  the  troops  when  they  evacuated  that  post  in  1777,  and  commanded  the  rear-guard 
that  fought  a  severe  battle  at  Hubbardton.  He  was  one  of  General  Starks's  aids  at  the  battle  of  Benning- 
ton, and  then  joined  the  army  under  Gates  at  Stillwater.  His  health  soon  afterward  gave  way,  and  he  died 
at  Woodbury  in  1785,  aged  forty-one  years.  The  state  of  Vermont  gave  his  widow  and  children  a  valua- 
ble tract  of  land. — Alien'' s  American  Biography. 

^  On  the  day  when  Alien  captured  Ticonderoga,  he  sent  a  message  to  Captain  Remember  Baker,  one 
of  his  colleagues  in  the  violent  boundary  disputes  between  the  New  Yorkers  and  the  people  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Grants,  to  join  him  at  that  post.     Baker  obeyed  the  summons,  and  when  he  was  coming  up 


154  I'lCTOIflAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Expeditions  of  Allen  and  Arnold  against  St.  John's.  Preparations  to  oppose  Gener  j  Carleton  on  the  Lake. 

Arnold  arrived  at  Ticonderoga  the  same  evening,  and  on  the  14th  about  fifty  men,  who 

had  enlisted  in  compliance  with  his  orders  given  by  the  way  while  hurrying  on  to  Castleton 
to  overtake  Allen,  arrived  from  Skenesborough,  and  brought  with  them  the  schooner  which 
belonged  to  Major  Skene.  He  manned  this  vessel  instantly,  armed  it  with  some  of  the  guns 
taken  at  the  fort,  and  sailed  down  the  lake  to  St.  John's,  on  the  Sorel.  There  he  surprised 
and  made  prisoners  the  garrison,  consisting  of  a  sergeant  and  twelve  men  ;  captured  a  king's 
sloop  with  seven  men  ;  destroyed  five  bateaux ;  seized  four  others  ;  put  on  board  some  of 
the  valuable  stores  from  the  fort,  and  with  his  prisoners,  and  favored  by  a  fair  wind  which 
had  chopped  around  from  south  to  north  just  as  he  had  secured  his  prizes,  he  returned  to 
Ticonderoga.  Colonel  Allen,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  in  bateaux,  started  upon  the 
same  expedition,  but  Arnold's  schooner  outsailed  the  fiat-boats,  and  Allen  met  him  within 
fifteen  miles  of  St.  John's,  returning  with  his  prizes.  Arnold  was  on  board  the  king's  sloop, 
where  Allen  visited  him,  and,  after  ascertaining  the  actual  state  of  affairs,  the  latter  determ- 
ined to  go  on  to  St.  John's  and  garrison  the  fort  with  about  one  hundred  men.  He  landed 
just  before  night,  marched  about  a  mile  toward  Laprairie,  and  formed  his  men  in  ambush 
to  attack  an  expected  re-enforcement  for  the  enemy.  He  soon  learned  that  the  approaching 
force  was  much  larger  than  his  own,  and  retired  across  the  river,  where  he  was  attacked 
early  in  the  morning  by  two  hundred  men.  He  fied  to  his  boats  and  escaped  to  Ticonder- 
oga, with  a  loss  of  three  men  taken  prisoners.  Thus  within  one  week  the  strong  fortresses 
of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  with  all  their  dependencies  upon  the  lake,  were  snatched 
from  the  British  by  the  bold  provincials,  without  their  firing  a  gun  or  losing  a  man  ;  and 
their  little  fieet  upon  the  lake,  their  only  strength  left,  was  captured  and  destroyed  in  a  day. 
These  events  aroused  General  Carleton,  the  governor  of  Canada,  and  a  re-enforcement  of 
more  than  four  hundred  British  and  Canadians  was  speedily  sent  to  St.  John's.  It  was  de- 
termined to  send  small  water  craft  from  Chambly  and  Montreal,  to  be  armed  and  manned 
at  St.  John's  ;  and  other  measures  were  planned  for  dispatching  a  sufficient  force  up  the  lake 
to  recapture  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  Tidings  of  these  preparations  soon  reached  the 
ears  of  Arnold,  and  afforded  him  an  opportunity  to  sever  his  connection  with  Allen,  so  ill 
suited  to  his  restless  and  ambitious  spirit.  A  fleet  to  oppose  the  enemy  was  now  necessary, 
and,  having  had  some  experience  at  sea  in  earlier  life,  Arnold  assumed  to  be  the  commander 
of  whatever  navy  should  be  fitted  out.  His  assumption  was  not  complained  of,  and  he  pro- 
ceeded vigorously  in  arming  and  manning  Skene's  schooner,  the  king's  corvette,  and  a  small 
flotilla  of  bateaux.  With  these  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  he  took  post  at  Crown 
Point  to  await  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  There  he  organized  his  little  navy  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  captain  and  subordinate  officers  for  each  vessel.  He  mounted  sLx  carriage 
guns  and  twelve  swivels  in  the  sloop,  and  four  carriage  guns  and  eight  swivels  in  the  schooner. 
He  was  also  active  in  sending  off'  the  ordnance  from  Cro"wn  Point  to  the  army  at  Cambridge, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  sent  emissaries  to  Montreal  and  the  Caughnawagas  to  sound  the  inten- 
tions of  the  Canadians  and  Indians,  and  ascertain  what  was  the  actual  force  under  Carleton 
and  the  nature  of  his  preparations.  He  also  wrote  to  the  Continental  Congress  in  June, 
proposing  a  plan  of  operations  whereby,  he  confidently  believed,  the  whole  of  Canada 
might  be  conquered  by  two  thousand  men.  He  asserted  that  persons  in  Montreal  had  agreed 
to  open  the  gates  when  a  strong  Continental  force  should  appear  before  the  city ;  assured 
Congress  that  Carleton  had  only  five  hundred  and  fifty  effective  men  under  him  ;  and  offered 
to  lead  the  expedition  and  to  be  responsible  for  consequences.  His  representations  were  doubt- 
less tiue,  but  Congress  was  not  prepared  to  sanction  such  an  expedition.  Allen,  in  a  letter 
dated  Crown  Point,  June  2d,  1775,  made  a  similar  proposition  to  the  Provincial  Congress 
of  New  York.  In  the  mean  while  letters  had  been  sent  from  Ticonderoga  to  the  Provincial 
Congress  of  Massachusetts,  complaining  of  Arnold's  arrogant  assumptions,  and  otherwise  dis- 

the  lake  with  his  party,  he  met  two  small  boats  with  British  soldiers,  going  to  St.  John's  with  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  reduction  of  Ticonderoga,  and  to  solicit  a  re-enforcement  of  the  garrison  at  Crown  Point.  Ba- 
ker seized  the  boats,  and  \\'ith  his  prisoners  arrived  at  the  fort  just  in  time  to  join  Warner  in  taking  posses 
fion  of  it. —  Spar/cs's  Life  of  Ethun  Mhn. 


OFTHEREVOLTjTION.  155 


Commission  from  Massachusetts.  Re-en forcementa  for  the  Lake  Forts.  Regiment  of  Green  Mountain  Boys, 

paraging  his  deeds.  A  committee  of  inquiry  was  appointed,  who  proceeded  to  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  Arnold  was  at  Crown  Point,  acting  as  commandant  of  the  fort  and  commodore  oi 
the  navy,  and,  not  suspecting  the  nature  of  their  visit,  he  was  enthusiastic  in  his  discourse 
to  them  of  his  expected  victories.  The  first  intimation  of  their  errand  aroused  Arnold's  in- 
dignation ;  and  when  he  fully  understood  the  purport  of  their  commission,  he  wrote  them  a 
formal  letter  of  resignation,  discharged  his  men,  and  returned  to  Cambridge,  uttering  loud 
complaints  of  ill  usage  by  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts.  Thus  ended  the  naval 
operations  upon  the  lake  in  1775. 

When  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  were  securely  in  the  power  of  the  provincials.  Col- 
onel Easton  went  to  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  and  explained  to  the  respective  gov- 
ernments all  the  transactions  connected  with  the  reduction  of  these  important  posts.  The 
Massachusetts  Assembly  wrote  to  Governor  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  expressing  their  will- 
ingness to  allow  that  colony  all  the  honor,  and  to  withhold  all  interference  in  future  opera- 
tions in  that  quarter.  Trumbull  immediately  prepared  to  send  a  re-enforcement  for  the 
garrisons,  of  four  hundred  men.  Meanwhile  messages  were  sent  to  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, and,  through  courtesy,  to  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New  York,  within  whose  juris- 
diction the  fortresses  were  situated,  to  ascertain  their  views.  The  Continental  Congress 
approved  the  measures  of  Governor  Trumbull,  and  requested  the  Convention  of  New  York 
to  supply  the  troops  with  provisions.  The  four  hundred  men  were  immediately  sent, 
under  Colonel  Hinman,  who  superseded  Colonel  Allen  in  the  command  at  Ticonderoga. 
The  latter,  with  Warner,  set  off  for  the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia,  to  procure 
pay  for  their  soldiers,  whose  terms  had  expired,  and  to  solicit  authority  to  raise  a  new  regi- 
ment in  Vermont.  The  appearance  of  these  men  occasioned  a  great  sensation  in  Philadel- 
phia, and  they  were  introduced  upon  the  floor  of  Congress,  to  make  their  communications  to 
that  body  orally.  Congress  at  once  acquiesced  in  their  wishes,  granted  the  soldiers  the  same 
pay  as  was  received  by  those  of  the  Continental  array,  and  recommended  to  the  New  York 
Conventioii  that,  after  consulting  General  Schuyler,  they  should  "  employ  in  the  army  to  be 
raised  in  defense  of  America  those  called  Green  Mountain  Boys,  under  such  ofllicers  as  the 
said  Green  Mountain  Boys  should  choose."  This  resolution  was  dispatched  to  the  New 
York  Convention,  and  thither  Allen  and  Warner  repaired,  and  obtained  an  audience.'  The 
Assembly  resolved  that  a  regiment  of  Green  Mountain  Boys,  consisting  of  seven  companies, 
and  not  exceeding  five  hundred  men  in  number,  should  be  raised.  The  matter  was  referred 
to  General  Schuyler,  who  immediately  notified  the  people  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants, 
and  ordered  them  to  raise  the  regiment.  Allen  and  Warner  were  not  members  of  the  regi- 
ment, but  soon  afterward  they  both  joined  General  Schuyler  at  Ticonderoga,  where  he  was 
stationed  with  about  three  thousand  troops  from  New  York  and  New  England,  pre-  August, 
paratory  to  an  invasion  of  Canada.  Early  in  September  Generals  Schuyler  and  ^'^^• 
Montgomery  sailed  from  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  with  their  whole  force,  and  appeared 
before  St.  John's,  on  the  Sorel.  Let  us  for  a  moment  take  a  general  view  of  affairs  having 
a  relation  to  the  northern  section  of  operations  at  this  juncture  and  immediately  anteced- 
ent thereto. 

'  The  Assembly  of  New  York  was  embarrassed  when  Allen  and  Warner  appeared  at  the  door  of  its  hall 
and  asked  for  admission,  and  a  warm  debate  ensued.  During  the  then  recent  controversy  of  the  Legislature 
of  New  York  with  the  people  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants,  these  men  had  been  proclaimed  outlaws,  and 
that  attainder  had  never  been  wiped  off  by  a  repeal.  There  were  members  of  that  body  who  had  taken  a 
very  active  part,  personally,  in  the  controversy,  and  they  were  unwilling  to  give  their  old  enemies  a  friendly 
greeting.  Their  prejudices,  and  the  scruples  of  others  who  could  not  recognize  the  propriety  of  holding 
public  conference  with  men  whom  the  law  of  the  land  had  declared  to  be  rioters  and  felons,  produced  a 
strong  opposition  to  their  admission  to  the  hall.  The  debates  were  becoming  very  warm,  when  Captain 
Sears  (the  noted  "  King  Sears")  moved  that  "  Ethan  Allen  be  admitted  to  the  floor  of  the  House."  It  was 
carried  by  a  very  large  majority,  as  was  also  a  similar  resolution  in  regard  to  Warner.  Allen  afterward 
wrote  a  letter  of  thanks  to  the  New  York  Assembly,  in  which,  after  referring  to  the  formation  of  the  bat- 
talion of  Green  Mountain  Boys,  he  concluded  by  saying,  "I  will  be  responsible  that  they  will  reciprocals 
Uiis  favor  by  boldly  hazarding  their  lives,  if  neetl  be,  in  the  common  cause  of  America." 


15G  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

General  View  of  Affairs.  The  "  Canada  Bill."  Opposition  to  it  in  Parliament.  Denunciations  of  Barr6. 

The  British  ministry,  alarmed  at  the  rapid  progress  of  the  rebellion  in  America,  and  par- 
ticularly at  the  disaffection  to  the  royal  govcnment  whi^h  was  manifest  in  Canada,  and  ob- 
serving that  all  their  coercive  measures  in  relation  to  Massachusetts  had  thus  far  augmented 
rather  than  diminished  the  number  and  zeal  of  the  insurgents  in  that  colony,  determined,  in 
1774,  to  try  a  different  policy  with  Canada,  to  secure  the  loyalty  of  the  people.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  inhabitants  were  of  French  descent,  and  members  of  the  Romish  commun- 
ion. Those  who  composed  the  most  influential  class  were  of  the  old  French  aristocracy,  and 
any  concessions  made  in  favor  of  their  caste  weighed  more  heavily  with  them  than  any  that 
might  be  made  to  the  whole  people,  involving  the  extension  of  the  area  of  political  freedom, 
an  idea  which  was  a  mere  abstraction  to  them.  Religious  concessions  to  the  other  and 
more  ignorant  class  were  a  boon  of  great  value,  and  by  these  means  the  king  and  his  advisers 
determined  to  quiet  the  insurrectionary  spirit  in  Canada.  A  bill  was  accordingly  introduced 
into  Parliament,  "  For  making  more  effectual  provision  for  the  government  of  the  province 
of  Quebec,  in  North  America."  It  provided  for  the  establishment  of  a  Legislative  Council, 
invested  with  all  powers  except  that  of  levying  taxes.  It  was  provided  that  its  members 
should  be  appointed  by  the  crown,  and  continue  in  authority  during  its  pleasure  ;  that  Ca- 
nadian subjects  professing  the  Catholic  faith  might  be  called  to  sit  in  the  Council ;  that  the 
Catholic  clergy,  with  the  exception  of  the  regular  orders,  should  be  secured  in  the  enjoyment 
of  their  professions,  and  of  their  tithes  from  all  those  who  professed  their  religion  ;  that  the 
French  laws  without  jury  should  be  re-established,  preserving,  however,  the  English  laws, 
with  trial  by  jury,  in  criminal  cases.  The  bill  also  provided  that  the  limits  of  Canada  should 
be  extended  so  as  to  inclose  the  whole  region  between  the  lakes  and  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers,  regardless  of  the  just  claims  of  other  colonies  under  old  and  unrepealed  charters.' 
These  liberal  concessions  to  the  Canadians  would  have  been  highly  commendable,  had  not 
other  motives  than  a  spirit  of  liberality  manifestly  actuated  ministers.  The  most  obtuse  ob- 
server could  plainly  perceive  their  object  to  be  to  secure  a  strong  footing  north  and  west  of 
the  refractory  colonies,  where  troops  might  be  concentrated  and  munitions  of  war  collected, 
to  be  used  at  a  moment's  warning,  if  necessary,  in  crushing  rebellion  near.  Such  a  design 
was  at  once  charged  upon  ministers  by  the  ever-vigilant  Colonel  Barre,  on  the  floor  of  the 
British  House  of  Commons.  "  A  very  extraordinary  indulgence,"  he  said,  "  is  given  to  the 
inhabitants  of  this  province,  and  one  calculated  to  gain  the  hearts  and  affections  of  these 
people.  To  this  I  can  not  object,  if  it  is  to  be  applied  to  good  purposes  ;  but  if  you  are  about 
to  raise  a  popish  army  to  serve  in  the  colonies,  from  this  time  all  hope  of  peace  in  America 
will  be  destroyed.  The  Americans  will  look  on  the  Canadians  as  their  task-masters,  and, 
in  the  end,  their  executioners."  It  was  urged  by  ministers  that  common  justice  demanded 
the  adoption  of  such  a  measure,  for  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  people  of  Canada  were 
Roman  Catholics.^  Edmund  Burke,  Thomas  Townshend,  Charles  Fox,  Sergeant  Glynn, 
and  others  joined  Colonel  Barre  in  his  denunciations  of  the  bill,  particularly  in  relation  to 
the  clauses  concerning  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  and  that  providing  for  the  establishment 
of  a  Legislative  Council  to  be  appointed  by  the  crowm.  The  former  were  considered  a  dan- 
gerous precedent  for  a  Protestant  government,  and  the  latter  was  regarded  as  shadowing 
forth  the  ultimate  design  of  the  king  and  his  ministers  to  subvert  the  popular  form  of  gov- 
ernment in  America,  and  to  make  the  legislators  mere  creatures  of  the  crown.  By  its  pro- 
visions the  Governor  of  Canada  was  vested  with  almost  absolute  and  illimitable  power,  and 
permitted  to  be  nearly  as  much  a  despot,  if  he  chose,  as  any  of  the  old  Spanish  viceroys  of 

^  Thomas  and  John  Penn,  son  and  grandson  of  William  Penn,  then  the  proprietaries  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Delaware,  entered  a  protest  against  the  boundary  section  of  this  bill,  because  it  contemplated  an  encroach- 
ment upon  their  territory.  Burke,  who  was  then  the  agent  of  the  colony  of  New  York,  also  opposed  this 
section  of  the  bill  for  the  same  reason,  in  behalf  of  his  principal.  The  letter  of  that  statesman  to  the  As- 
sembly of  New  York  on  the  subject  is  published  among  the  Collections  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society, 
and  is  said  to  be  the  only  one  known  to  be  extant  of  all  those  which  he  w^rote  to  that  body 

^  Governor  Carleton  asserted,  on  oath,  before  a  committee  of  Parliament,  that  there  were  then  only  about 
three  hundred  and  sixty  Protestants  in  Canada,  while  the  Roman  Catholics  numbered  one  )iundred  and  fiftv 
thousand 


OFTHERE  VOLUTION.  157 


Passage  of  the  "Canada  Bill."  Efl'ect  of  the  Measure  iu  the  Colonies.  Boldness  of  Orators  and  the  Press. 

South  America.  On  this  point  Lord  Chatham  (William  Pitt)  was  particularly  eloquent, 
and  he  also  took  ground  against  the  religious  features  of  the  bill,  as  an  innovation  dangerous 
to  the  Protestant  faith  and  to  the  stability  of  the  throne.  The  bill,  however,  with  all  its 
exceptionable  clauses,  was  adopted  by  quite  a  large  majority  in  both  Houses,  and  received 
the  royal  assent  on  the  2 2d  of  June.  It  was  introduced  into  the  House  of  Lords  by 
the  Earl  of  Dartmouth,  and  passed  that  House  without  opposition.  This  bill  is  refer- 
red to  in  our  Declaration  of  Independence  as  one  of  the  "  acts  of  pretended  legislation"  that 
justified  the  separation  from  the  parent  country. 

While  this  act,  with  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  that  for  the  subversion  of  the  charter  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  the  law  authorizing  the  transportation  of  criminals  to  Great  Britain  for  trial, 
were  in  transit  through  Parliament  and  receiving  the  royal  signature,  the  colonists  were  pre- 
paring to  make  a  successful  resistance  against  further  legislative  encroachments.  Through- 
out the  whole  summer  and  autumn  of  1774  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed.  The  com- 
mittees of  correspondence  were  every  where  active  and  firm,  and  were  constantly  supplied 
with  minute  knowledge  of  all  the  movements  of  the  home  government  by  secret  agents  in 
the  British  metropolis.  The  people  by  thousands  signed  non-importation  agreements,  and 
otherwise  attested  their  willingness  to  make  personal  sacrifices  in  the  cause  of  freedom.  The 
press  spoke  out  boldly,  and  orators  no  longer  harangued  in  parables,  but  fearlessly  calleJ 
upon  the  people  to  unite.  The  events  of  the  French  and  Indian  war  had  demonstrated  the 
prowess  and  strength  of  the  Anglo-Americans  against  the  foes  of  Britain,  and  they  felt  con- 
fident in  that  strength  against  Britain  herself,  now  that  she  had  become  the  oppressor  of  her 
children,  if  a  bond  of  union  could  be  made  that  should  cause  all  the  colonies  to  act  in  con- 
cert. A  general  Congress,  similar  to  that  which  convened  in  New  York  in  1765,  was 
therefore  suggested.  Throughout  the  colonies  the  thought  was  hailed  as  a  happy  one,  and 
soon  was  developed  the  most  energetic  action.  The  Congress  met  in  September,  adopt- 
ed loyal  addresses  to  the  king  and  Pai'liament,  to  the  people  of  the  colonies,  of  Canada, 
of  Ireland,  and  of  Great  Britain,  and  took  precautionary  measures  respecting  future  aggres- 
sions upon  their  rights.  The  people,  highly  indignant,  every  where  evinced  the  strength  of 
that  feeling  by  open  contempt  for  all  royal  authority  exercised  by  officers  of  the  crown.  The 
acts  alluded  to  were  denounced  as  "  barbarous  and  bloody,"  the  British  ministry  were  pub- 
Ushed  in  the  gazettes,  and  placarded  upon  the  walls  as  2^<^pists  and  as  traitoi'S  to  the  Consti- 
tution, and  the  patriots  even  had  the  boldness  to  lampoon  the  king  and  Parliament.  (For 
an  illustration,  see  next  page.) 

Such  was  the  temper  of  the  Americans  at  the  opening  of  the  year  1775.  The  events  at 
Lexington  and  Concord  added  fuel  to  the  flame  of  indignation  and  rebellion.  As  we  have 
seen,  Ticonderoga  and  other  posts  on  Lake  Champlain  were  assailed,  and  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Americans.  In  June  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought.  A  Continental  j^^^  yj 
army  was  speedily  organized.  Hope  of  reconciliation  departed.  The  sword  was  ^^^^■ 
fairly  drawn,  and  at  the  close  of  summer  an  expedition  was  arranged  to  invade  Canada,  for 
which  an  armament  was  collected  at  Ticonderoga.  Such  a  step  seemed  essential  for  two 
reasons  :  first,  to  confirm  the  Canada  patriots  (who  were  chiefly  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mon- 
treal) in  their  opposition  to  Great  Britain  by  the  pressure  of  armed  supporters ;  and,  sec- 
ondly, to  secure  the  strong-hold  of  Quebec  while  its  garrison  was  yet  weak,  and  before  Gen- 
eral Carle  ton  could  organize  a  sufficient  force  to  defend  it.  That  officer,  it  was  well  known, 
was  vested  with  almost  unlimited  power  as  governor  of  the  province,  under  the  act  which 
we  have  just  considered  ;  and  it  was  also  well  known  that  he  was  using  every  means  at  his 
command  to  induce  the  Canadians  to  take  up  arms  against  the  rebellious  colonists.  Neither 
bribes  nor  promises  were  spared.  The  imperial  government  resolved  to  send  out  fifteen 
thousand  muskets  to  arm  the  French  Catholics,  and  agents  of  the  crown  were  busy  among 
the  Indian  tribes  upon  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Ottawa,  inciting  them  to  an  alliance  with 
the  array  of  the  king. 

Congress  had  already  sent  an  affectionate  address  "  To  the  oppressed  inhabitants     May  29 
of  Canada,"  and  its  effects  were  so  palpable  to  Governor  Carlcton,  that  he  feared       ^~''''^' 


1  58 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  British  Government  caricatured.  Carieton's  attempt  to  seduce  the  Bishop  of  Quebec.  Consistency  of  the  Prelate 

entire  disaffection  to  the  royal  government  -would  ensue.      The  people  were  disappointed  in 
the  operations  of  the  act  of  1774,  and  all  but  the  nobles  regarded  it  as  tyrannical.      Unable 

Virtual  Representation.  177.5.1 


April  1,  1775. 


1 .  One  String  .Tack,  Deliver  your  property. 

2.  Begar,  just  so  in  France.  )  Accomnlipes 

3.  Te  Deum.  (  Accomplices. 

4.  I  give  }ou  that  man's  money  for  my  use. 

5.  I  will  not  be  robbed. 


Price,  6d 

6.  I  shall  be  wounded  with  you. 

7.  I  am  blinded. 

8.  The  French  Roman  Catholic  town  of  Quebec. 

9.  The  English  Protestant  town  of  Boston. 


to  make  an  impression  favorable  to  the  king  upon  the  Canadians  by  an  appeal  to  their  loy- 
alty, Carleton  had  recourse  to  the  authority  of  religion.  He  endeavored  to  seduce  Brand, 
the  Roman  Catholic  bishop  of  Quebec,  from  his  exalted  duties  as  a  Christian  pastor,  to  en- 
gage in  the  low  political  schemes  of  a  party  placeman,  and  publish  a  mandement,  to  be  read 
from  the  pulpit  by  the  curates  in  time  of  divine  service.  He  also  urged  the  prelate  to  ex- 
hort the  people  to  take  up  arms  against  the  colonists.  But  the  consistent  bishop  refused  to 
exert  his  influence  in  such  a  cause,  and  plainly  told  Carleton  that  such  conduct  would  be 
unworthy  of  a  faithful  pastor,  and  derogatory  to  the  canons  of  the  Romish  Church.  A  few 
priests,  however,  with  the  nobility,  seconded  Carieton's  views,  but  their  influence  was  feeble 
with  the  mass  of  the  people,  who  were  determined  to  remain  neutral.  The  governor  now 
tried  another  scheme,  and  with  better  effect.  He  could  make  no  impression  upon  the  masses 
by  appeals  to  their  loyalty  or  their  religious  prejudices,  and  he  determined  to  arouse  them  by 

*  The  above  engraving  is  an  exact  copy,  reduced,  of  a  caricature  whicii  I  found  in  the  possession  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society  at  Boston,  entitled  "  Virtual  Representation."  On  the  back  of  it,  appar- 
ently in  the  hand-writing  of  the  time,  is  the  following  : 

"  A  full  explanation  of  the  within  print. — No.  1  intends  the  K — g  of  G.  B.,  to  whom  the  House  of  Com- 
mons (4)  gives  the  Americans'  money  for  the  use  of  that  very  H.  of  C,  and  which  he  is  endeavoring  to 
take  away  with  the  power  of  cannon.  No.  2,  by  a  Frenchman,  signifies  the  tyranny  that  is  intended  for 
America.  No.  3,  the  figure  of  a  Roman  Catholic  priest  with  his  crucifix  and  gibbet,  assisting  George  in 
enforcing  his  tyrannical  system  of  civil  and  religious  government.  Nos.  5  and  6  are  honest  American  yeo- 
men, who  oppose  an  oaken  staff  to  G — 's  cannon,  and  determine  they  will  not  be  robbed.  No.  7  is  poor 
Britannia  blindfolded,  falling  into  the  bottomless  pit  which  her  infamous  rulers  have  prepared  for  the  Amer- 
icans. Nos.  8,  9  represent  Boston  in  flames  and  Quebec  triumphant,  to  show  the  probable  consequence 
of  submission  to  the  present  wicked  ministerial  system,  that  popery  and  tyranny  will  triumph  over  true  re- 
ligion, virtue,  and  liberty. 

"  N.B.  Perhaps  this  may  remind  the  Bostonians  of  the  invincible  attachment  of  the  Numantines*  to  their 
liberty,"  &c. 

*  The  Numantines  inhabited  a  city  on  the  banks  of  the  Douro,  in  Spain.  Twenty  years  they  were  besieged  by  the  Romans, 
until  at  length  the  younger  Scipio  Africanus  entered  their  city  (one  hundred  and  thirty-three  years  B.C.,  and  twelve  yeais  after 
the  destruction  of  Carthage).  The  Numantines,  seeing  all  hope  gone,  set  fire  to  their  city  and  perished  in  the  flames  rather 
than  become  slaves  to  their  oppressors. 


OFTHEREVOLUIION.  159 

Royal  Highlnnd  Kcgiraent,  haw  raised.      Our  Departure  from  Cro\vn  Point      Split  Rock.      War-feast  on  the  Bouquet  River 

appealing  to  their  cupidity.  Accordingly,  he  caused  the  drums  to  beat  up  for  volunteers  in 
Quebec,  and  by  ofl'ers  of  good  pay,  privileges,  and  bounties,  he  succeeded  in  enrolling  a  few, 
under  the  title  of  the  Royal  Highland  Regiment.^  About  the  same  time  Colonel  j^jy 
Guy  Johnson  arrived  at  Montreal  with  a  large  number  of  Indian  chiefs  and  warriors  ^''^^■ 
of  the  Six  Nations,  who,  despite  their  solemn  promises  of  neutrality,  were  induced  to  join  the 
soldiers  of  the  king.  They  made  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  crown  in  the  presence  of  Carle- 
ton,  and  were  held  in  readiness  to  serve  him  when  he  should  call. 

A  small  number  of  regular  British  troops,  with  the  volunteers  and  Indians,  composed  the 
bulk  of  Carleton's  army  at  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1775,  the  time  when  General  Schuy- 
ler was  preparing,  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  for  a  campaign  against  Canada.  We 
thus  come  back  from  our  historic  ramble  to  our  starting-place  at  Crown  Point.  The  ruins 
are  sufficiently  explored  ;  let  us  pass  over  to  Chimney  Point  and  dine,  for  the  steamer  will 
soon  come  down  the  lake  to  convey  us  to  our  Sabbath  resting-place  at  Burlington. 

We  left  Chimney  Point  in  the  evening,  a  cool,  gentle  breeze  blowing  from  the  northwest. 
The  western  shore  is  bold,  and  in  many  places  precipitous,  and  in  the  distance  the  blue  peaks 
and  lofty  ridges  of  the  Adirondack  Mountains  skirt  the  horizon.  The  eastern  margin  is  tln^ 
termination  of  the  pleasant  slopes  and  beautiful  intervales  between  the  Green  Mountains  and 
the  lake,  cultivated  and  wooded  alternately  to  the  water's  verge.      At  dusk  we  reached  the 

famous  Sjjlit  Rock.      The  moon  was  shining 

^  ^^IHI^  brightly  in  the  west,  where  faint  tints  of  day- 

I  v    ~"^"  I     light  still  lingered,  and  we  passed  so  near  that 

^^^^^^'^'"^^  —-'""^^^  -^^^^^^^^^^    promontory  jutting  into  the  lake,  the  point  ol 

which,  containing  about  half  an  acre,  and  cov- 
ered with  bushes,  is  separated  from  the  main  land  by  a  cleft  fifteen  feet  wide.  It  was  ob- 
served as  a  curiosity  by  the  old  French  explorers.  Soundings  to  the  depth  of  five  hundred 
feet  have  been  made  between  the  fragment  and  the  main  rock,  without  finding  a  bottom. 
Geologists  difier  in  opinion  respecting  the  cause  which  formed  the  chasm,  some  ascribing  it  to 
an  earthquake,  and  others  to  the  slow  attrition  of  the  current  upon  a  portion  of  the  rock  of 
softer  texture  than  the  rest.  A  light-house  stands  near  as  a  guide  to  the  navigator,  for  the 
lake  is  only  a  mile  wide  at  this  point.  Here  it  suddenly  expands,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Bouquet  Ptiver,  eight  miles  above,  it  is  about  five  miles  wide. 

At  the  falls  in  the  Bouquet,  two  miles  from  the  lake,  is  the  village  of  Willsborough,  the 
place  where  Burgoyne  encamped  and  gave  a  war-feast  to  about  four  hundred  Indians  of  the 
tribes  of  the  Algonquins,  Iroquois,  and  Ottawas,  who,  accompanied  by  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest,  joined  him  there.  Both  he  and  Carleton  were  averse  to  the  measure  of  em-  j^^^^  oj 
ploying  the  savages  in  the  British  army,  but  the  express  instructions  of  ministers  ^'^''^• 
demanded  it,  and  he  dared  not  disobey.'  He  made  a  speech  to  them,  in  which  he  humanely 
endeavored  to  soften  their  savage  ferocity  and  restrain  their  thirst  for  rapine  and  blood.  His 
exordium  was  words  of  flattery  in  praise  of  their  sagacity,  faithfulness,  forbearance,  and  loy- 
alty. He  then  spoke  of  the  abused  clemency  of  the  king  toward  the  colonies,  and  declared 
to  the  warriors  their  relief  from  restraint.      "  Go  forth,"  he  said,  "  in  the  might  of  your  valor 

'  Their  time  of  service  was  limited  to  the  continuance  of  tiie  disturbances  j  each  soldier  was  to  receive 
two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  any  province  in  North  America  he  might  choose  ;  the  king  paid  himself  the 
accustomed  duties  upon  the  acqui-sition  of  lands ;  for  twenty  years  new  proprietors  were  to  bo  exempted 
from  all  contribution  for  the  benefit  of  the  crown  ;  every  married  soldier  obtained  other  fifty  acres,  in  con- 
sideration of  his  wife,  and  fifty  more  for  account  of  each  of  his  children,  with  the  same  privilege  and  ex- 
emptions, besides  the  bounty  of  a  guinea  at  the  time  of  enlistment. — Botta,  vol.  i.,  p.  220. 

*  The  employment  of  Indians  by  the  British  ministry,  in  this  campaign,  has  been  excused  upon  the  lame 
plea,  which  has  not  the  shadow  of  truth,  that,  unless  they  were  thus  employed,  the  Americans  would  have 
r»ustered  them  into  their  service. — See  Knight's  Pictorial  England,  vol.  v.,  p.  306. 


160 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Burgoyne's  Interview  with  the  Indians. 


Speech  of  an  Iroquois. 


Approach  to  BurUngtjfl. 


and  your  cause.  Strike  at  the  common  enemies  of  Great  Britain  and  of  America  ;  disturb- 
ers of  public  order,  peace,  and  happi- 
ness ;  destroyers  of  commerce  ;  par- 
ricides of  the  state."  He  told  them 
that  his  officers  and  men  would  en- 
deavor to  imitate  their  example  in 
perseverance,  enterprise,  and  con- 
stancy, and  in  resistance  of  hunger, 
weariness,  and  pain.  At  the  same 
time  he  exhorted  them  to  listen  to 
his  words,  and  allow  him  to  regulate 
their  passions,  and  to  conform  their 
warfare  to  his,  by  the  rules  of  Euro- 
pean discipline  and  the  dictates  of 
his  religion  and  humanity.  He  re- 
minded them  that  the  king  had  many 
faithful  subjects  in  the  provinces, 
and,  therefore,  indiscriminate  butch- 
ery of  the  people  might  cause  the 
sacrifice  of  many  friends.  He  then 
charged  them,  in  the  words  quoted 
from  his  speech  in  the  note  on  ante, 
page  99,  not  to  kill  for  scalps,  or  de- 
stroy life  except  in  open  M^arfare,  and 
claimed  for  himself  the  office  of  um- 
pire on  all  occasions.      When  he  had  finished,  an  old  Iroquois  chief  arose  and  said  : 

"  I  stand  up  in  the  name  of  all  the  nations  present,  to  assure  our  father  that  we  have  at- 
tentively listened  to  his  discourse.  We  receive  you  as  our  father,  because  when  you  speak 
we  hear  the  voice  of  our  great  father  beyond  the  great  lake.  We  rejoice  in  the  approbation 
you  have  expressed  of  our  behavior.  We  have  been  tried  and  tempted  by  the  Bostonians,' 
but  we  loved  our  father,  and  our  hatchets  have  been  sharpened  upon  our  afl^ections.  In 
proof  of  the  sincerity  of  our  professions,  our  whole  villages  able  to  go  to  war  are  come  forth. 
The  old  and  infirm,  our  infants  and  wives,  alone  remain  at  home.  With  one  common  as- 
sent we  promise  a  constant  obedience  to  all  you  have  ordered  and  all  you  shall  order ;  and 
may  the  Father  of  Days  give  you  many  and  success."' 

These  promises  were  all  very  fine,  and  Burgoyne,  to  his  sorrow,  had  the  credulity  to  rely 
upon  them.  At  first  the  Indians  were  docile,  but  as  soon  as  the  scent  of  blood  touched  their 
nostrils  their  ferocious  natures  were  aroused,  and  the  restraints  imposed  by  the  British  com- 
mander were  too  irksome  to  be  borne.  Their  faithfulness  disappeared  ;  and  in  the  hour  of 
his  greatest  need  they  deserted  him,  as  we  have  seen,  by  hundreds,  and  returned  home. 

As  the  lake  widened  and  the  evening  advanced,  the  breeze  freshened  almost  to  a  gale, 
and,  blowing  upon  our  larboard  quarter,  it  rolled  up  such  swells  on  our  track  that  the  vessel 
rocked  half  the  passengers  into  silent  contemplation  of  the  probability  of  casting  their  supper 
to  the  fishes.  The  beacon  upon  Juniper  Island  was  hailed  with  delight,  for  the  Burlington 
break- water  was  just  ahead.      We  entered  the  harbor  between  nine  and  ten  in  the  evening, 


Burgoyne  addressing  the  Indians. 


^  The  old  chief  spoke  truly.  They  had  been  "  tempted  by  the  Bostonians,"  but  not  by  the  Boston  patri- 
ots. General  Gage,  then  governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  other  loyalists  in  Boston,  sent  emissaries  among 
the  Indians  in  various  ways,  and  these  were  the  tempters  which  the  old  chief  confounded  with  the  enemies 
of  the  crown.  I  shall  have  occasion  hereafter  to  speak  of  Connelly,  one  of  Gage's  emissaries,  who  went 
to  Virginia,  and,  under  the  auspices  of  Lord  Dunmore,  carried  promises  and  money  to  the  Indians  on  the 
frontier,  to  instigate  them  to  fall  upon  the  defenseless  republicans  of  that  stanch  Whig  state. 
.*  So  interpreted  by  Burgoyne  in  his  "  State  of  the  Expedition,"  &c. 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  10] 

f^abbath  Morning  in  Burlington.  Visit  to  the  Grave  of  Ethan  Allen.  Ira  Allen. 

and  were  soon  in  comfortable  quarters  at  the  American,  fronting  the  pleasant  square  in  the 
center  of  the  village. 

The  next  morning  dawned  calm  and  beautiful.  The  wind  was  hushed,  and  the  loveli- 
ness of  repose  was  upon  the  village,  lake,  and  country.  It  was  our  second  Sabbath  from 
home,  and  never  was  its  rest  more  welcome  and  suggestive  of  gratitude,  lor  the  preceding 
week  had  been  to  me  one  of  unceasing  toil,  yet  a  toil  commingled  with  the  most  exalted 
pleasure.  I  had  been  among  scenes  associated  with  the  noblest  sentiments  of  an  American's 
heart ;  and  when,  mingling  with  the  worshipers  in  St.  Paul's  Church,  the  clear  voice  oi 
Bishop  Hopkins  repeated  the  divine  annunciation,  "  From  the  rising  of  the  sun  unto  the  go- 
ing down  of  the  same,  my  name  shall  be  great  among  the  heathen,  saith  the  Lord,"  I  felt 
that  our  own  country,  so  late  a  wilderness  and  abiding-place  for  pagans,  but  now  blooming 
under  the  beneficent  culture  of  free  institutions  that  were  born  amid  the  labor-throes  of  the 
Revolution,  was  a  special  illustration  of  that  glorious  declaration. 

Early  on  Monday  morning  we  procured  saddle  horses  and  rode  out  to  the  resting-place  of 
General  Ethan  Allen,  a  burial-ground  embowered  , . ,  ^ 

in  shrubbery,  lying  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill  over- 
looking the  Winooski,  and  within  sound  of  its  cas- 
cades. It  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  leading 
east  from  Burlington,  nearly  half  a  mile  from  the 
University  of  Vermont,  that  stands  upon  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hill,  upon  the  western  slope  of  which  is 
the  village.  Allen's  monument  is  a  plain  marble 
slab,  resting  upon  a  granite  foundation,  and  bears 
the  follo\ving  inscription  : 


Tomb  of  Ethan  Allen. 


THE 

CORPOREAL  PART 

OF 

General  Ethan  Allen 

rests  beneath  this  stone, 

THE  12th  day  of  Feb.,  1789, 

AGED   50   years. 

his  spirit  tried  the  mercies  of  his  God, 
IN  whom  alone  he  believed  and  strongly  trusted. 

Near  his  are  the  graves  of  his  brother  Ira'  and  several  other  relatives.  The  whole  are  in- 
closed within  a  square  defined  by  a  chain  supported  by  small  granite  obelisks.  A  willow 
drooped  over  the  tombs  of  the  patriot  dead,  and  rose-bushes  clustered  around  the  storm-woru 
monuments.  The  dew  was  yet  upon  the  grass,  and  its  fragrant  exhalations  filled  the  air 
with  such  grateful  incense,  that  we  were  loth  to  leave  the  spot.  We  galloped  our  horses 
back  to  the  village  in  time  for  breakfast,  delighted  and  profited  by  our  morning's  ride.      Halt- 

'  Ira  Allen  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Connecticut,  in  1752.  He  went  to  Vermont  in  early  life,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  active  citizens  of  that  state,  particularly  in  the  controversy  between  Vermont  and  New 
York  respecting  the  territory  called  the  New  Hampshire  Grants.  It  is  said  that  when  the  Revolution  broke 
out  he  sided  with  the  crown  and  went  to  Canada.  His  stanch  Whig  brother,  Ethan,  indignant  at  his  choice, 
recommended  the  Vermont  Assembly  to  confiscate  his  brother's  property.  Ira  heard  of  it,  and  challenged 
Ethan  to  fight  a  duel.  Ethan  refused,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be  "disgraceful  to  fight  a  Tory,"  and 
so  the  matter  ended.  Ira  finally  became  a  warm  republican,  and  was  active  during  the  remainder  of  the 
war.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  which  formed  the  Constitution  of  Vermont,  and  became  the  first 
secretary  of  the  state.  He  was  afterward  treasurer,  member  of  the  council,  and  surveyor  general.  He 
rose  to  the  rank  of  major  general  of  militia,  and  in  1795  he  went  to  Europe  to  purcha.se  arms  for  the  sup- 
ply of  his  state.  Returning  with  several  thousand  muskets  and  some  cannon,  he  was  captured  by  an  En- 
glish vessel  and  carried  to  England,  where  he  was  accused  of  supplying  the  Irish  rebels  with  arms.  A 
litigation  for  eight  years,  in  the  Court  of  Admiralty,  was  the  consequence,  but  a  final  decision  was  in  his 
favor      He  died  at  Philadelphia,  January  7th,  1814,  aged  62  years. 

L 


162 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Burlington  and  Vicinity.       Adjacent  Lake  Scenery.       Place  of  Arnold's  first  Naval  Battle.       Military  Operations  on  the  Lake 

ino-  near  the  university  a  fevi^  minutes,  w^e  enjoyed  the  beautiful  view  which  the  height  com- 
mands. The  Green  Mountains  stretched  along  the  east ;  the  broken  ranges  of  the  Adiron- 
ilack,  empurpled  by  the  morning  sun,  bounded  the  western  horizon  ;  and  below  us,  skirting 
the  lake,  the  pleasant  village  lay  upon  the  slope,  and  stretched  its  lengthening  form  out  to- 
ward the  rich  fields  that  surrounded  it.  To  the  eye  of  a  wearied  dweller  in  a  dense  city  all  vil- 
lages appear  beautiful  in  summer,  but  Burlington  is  eminently  so  when  compared  with  others. 
We  left  the  metropolis  of  the  lake  for  Plattsburgh  about  noon.  On  our  left,  as  we  emerged 
from  the  harbor,  were  the  Four  Brothers,  small  islands  swarming  with  water-fowl,  and  the 
bald  point  of  Rock  Dunder,  a  solitary  spike  rising,  shrubless  and  bare,  about  twenty  feet 
above  the  water.  Before  us  spread  out  the  two  Heros  (North  and  South),  green  islands, 
which  belonged  to  the  Allen  family  during  the  Revolution.  The  first  landing-place  below 
Burlington  is  Port  Kent,  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  ten  miles  distant.  A  little  below  is 
Port  Jackson,  nearly  west  of  the  south  end  of  Valcour's  Island.  This  is  an  interesting  por- 
tion of  the  lake  to  the 
American  tourist,  for  it 
is  the  place  where  our 
first  naval  battle  with 
Great  Britain  was 
fought.  This  event 
took  place  October 
the  nth,  1776.  The 
American  flotilla  was 
commanded  by  Bene- 
dict Arnold,  and  the 
English  vessels  by  Cap- 
lam  Pringle,  accompanied  by  Governor  Carleton.  In  order  to  a  lucid  understanding  of  the 
position  of  affairs  at  that  time,  we  must  consider  for  a  moment  the  connecting  chain  of  events 
from  the  autumn  of  1775,  when  General  Schuyler  was  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point 
preparing  to  invade  Canada,  to  the  meeting  of  the  belligerents  in  question. 

The  forces  under  Generals  Schuyler  and  Montgomery  proceeded  to  execute  the  will  of 
September  10     Congress,  and  in  September  appeared  before  St.  John's,  at  the  Sorel.      Finding 
^'^'^^-  the  fort,  as  they  supposed,  too  strong  for  assault,  they  returned  to  and  fortified 

Isle  Aux  Noix.  Schuyler  went  back  to  Ticonderoga  and  hastened  forward  re-enforcements, 
but  was  unable  to  return  on  account  of  sickness.  Montgomery  succeeded  him  in  command. 
He  captured  Fort  St.  John's  and  Fort  Chambly,  and  entered  Montreal  in  triumph.  He 
then  pushed  on  to  Quebec,  when  he  was  joined  by  a  force  under  Arnold,  and  early  in  De- 
cember laid  siege  to  that  city.  After  besieging  it  unsuccessfully  for  three  weeks,  the  Amer- 
DecemberSi  icans  commenced  an  assault.  Montgomery  was  killed,  the  Americans  were  re- 
^''''^-  pulsed,  and  many  of  them  made  prisoners.      Arnold  was  wounded.      He  became 

the  chief  in  command,  and  kept  the  remnant  of  the  republican  army  together  in  the  vicinity 
of  Quebec,  until  the  arrival  of  General  Wooster  early  in  the  spring  and  General  Thomas 
in  May.  General  Carleton  soon  afterward  received  re-enforcements  from  England, 
and  by  the  middle  of  June  the  Americans,  after  retreating  from  post  to  post,  were  driven 
out  of  Canada. 

Not  doubting  that  Carleton  would  follow  up  his  successes  by  providing  water  craft  upon 
the  lake,  to  attempt  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  a  council  of  officers,  un- 
der General  Gates,  who  in  June  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Northern  army, 
resolved  to  abandon  the  latter  post  and  concentrate  all  their  forces  at  the  former.      Accord- 


Scene  of  Arnold's  Naval  Battle.' 


1776. 


^  This  sketch  was  made  from  the  pilot's  room  of  the  steam-boat  just  after  leaving  Port  Jackson.  On  the 
left  is  a  point  of  the  main  land,  and  on  the  right  is  seen  a  portion  of  Valcour's  Island.  The  high  ground  in 
the  extreme  distance,  on  the  left,  is  Cumberland  Head,  and  that  dimly  seen  in  the  center  of  the  picture  is 
die  Vermont  shore. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


163 


Formation  of  a  little  Fleet 


Excursion  down  the  Lake. 


Appearance  of  the  British  Fleet. 


rian  of  the  Battle. 


ingly,  General  Sullivan,  who  was  at  Crown  Point,  withdrew  with  his  forces  to  Ticonderoga, 
and  active  measures  for  offensive  and  defensive  operations  were  there  adopted.  Materials 
for  constructing  vessels,  as  well  as  skillful  artisans,  were  scarce.  The  latter  had  to  be  ob- 
tained from  the  sea-ports  ;  yet  such  was  the  zeal  of  the  Americans,  that  by  the  middle  of 
A-ugust  a  small  squadron,  consisting  of  one  sloop,  three  schooners,  and  five  gondolas,  was  in 
readiness  and  rendezvoused  at  Crown  Point  under  Arnold,  who  received  the  command  of  it 
from  General  Gates.  The  sloop  carried  twelve  guns,  one  schooner  the  same  number,  the 
others  eight,  and  the  gondolas  three  each.  Toward  the  close  of  the  month  Arnold  sailed 
down  the  lake,  under  positive  instructions  from  Gates  not  to  pass  beyond  Isle  Auz  Tetes, 
near  what  is  now  called  Rouse's  Point,  and  to  act  only  on  the  defensive.  He  halted  at 
Wind-mill  Point,  four  miles  above  Isle  Aux  Tetes,  to  reconnoiter,  and  anchored  his  vessels 
across  the  lake,  to  prevent  any  boats  of  the  enemy  from  passing  up. 

As  soon  as  Carleton  was  advised  of  the  movements  of  the  Americans  at  Ticonderoga,  he 
sent  seven  hundred  men  from  Quebec  to  St.  John's,  to  construct  a  fleet,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  weeks  several  strong  vessels  were  finished  and  armed  for  duty.  A  radeau  called 
the  Thunderer  (a  kind  of  flat-bottomed  vessel  carrying  heavy  guns),  and  twenty-four  gun- 
boats, armed  each  with  a  field  piece  or  carriage  gun,  were  added  to  the  fleet.  Forty  boats 
with  provisions  accompanied  the  expedition. 

Convinced  that  his  position  was  dangerous,  for  the  British  and  Indians  were  collecting  on 
the  shores,  Arnold  fell  back  about  ten  miles  to  Isle  La  Motte,  where  he  need  not  fear  an  at- 
tack from  the  main  land.  Here  his  fleet  was  considerably  increased,  and  consisted  of  three 
schooneis,  two  sloops,  three  galleys,  eight  gondolas,  and  twenty-one  gun-boats.  Ignorant 
of  the  real  strenjrth  of  the  armament 


^ ^ ^  -J"  BETjVMjttN  ^ _ 

VALCOUF  I.  &  THE  WESTrnfiN  SHORE  (l  CHAMPLMN) 


1776. 


which  he  knew  Carleton  was  prepar- 
ing at  St.  John's,  and  unwilling  to  en- 
gage a  superior  force  on  the  broad  lake, 
Arnold  withdrew  his  fleet  still  further 
back,  and  anchored  it  across  the  nar- 
row channel  between  Valcour's  Island 
and  the  western  shore. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the 
1 1  th  of  October  the  British  fleet 
appeared  off  Cumberland  Head,  mov- 
ing up  the  lake,  and  in  a  short  time 
it  swept  around  the  southern  point  of 
Valcour's  Island.  The  enemy's  force 
was  formidable,  for  the  vessels  were 
manned  by  seven  hundred  chosen  sea- 
men. Captain  Pringle  was  commo- 
dore, and  made  the  Inflexible  his  flag- 
ship. Among  the  young  officers  in 
the  fleet  was  Edward  Pellew,  after- 
ward Admiral  Viscount  Exmouth, 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  En- 
gland's naval  commanders.  The  ac- 
tion began  about  twelve  o'clock,  by  the  attack  of  the  Carleton  upon  the  American  schooner 
Royal  Savage  and  three  galleys.      The  latter,  in  attempting  to  return  to  the  line,  grounded. 


Explanation  of  the  Map. — A,  American  fleet  under  Arnold  ;  B,  21  gun-boats;  C,  schooner  Carleton, 
12  six  pounders  ;  D,  ship  Inflexible,  18  twelve  pounders  ;  E,  anchorage  of  the  British  fleet  during  the  night, 
to  cut  off" the  Americans'  retreat;  F,  radeau  Thunderer,  6  twenty-four  pounders  and  12  six  pounders;  G, 
gondola  Loyal  Convert,  7  nine  pounders;  H,  schooner  Maria,  14  six  pounders,  with  General  Carleton  on 
board ;  I,  the  place  -where  the  American  schooner  Royal  Savage,  of  8  six  pounders  and  4  four  pounders, 
•^as  burned.     This  plan  is  copied  from  Brasrier's  Survey  of  Lake  Champlain,  edition  of  1779. 


164 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


SeTere  Battle  on  the  Lake.        Escape  of  the  Americans  through  the  British  Line.        Chase  by  the  Enemy.        Another  Battle 

and  was  burned,  but  her  men  were  saved.  Arnold  was  on  board  the  Congress  galley,  and 
conducted  matters  with  a  great  deal  of  bravery  and  skill.  About  one  o'clock  the  engage- 
ment became  general,  and  the  American  vessels,  particularly  the  Congress,  suffered  severely. 
It  was  hulled  twelve  times,  received  seven  shots  between  wind  and  water,  the  main-mast 
was  shattered  in  two  places,  the  rigging  cut  to  pieces,  and  many  of  the  crew  were  killed  or 
wounded.  Arnold  pointed  almost  every  gun  on  his  vessel  with  his  own  hands,'  and  with 
voice  and  gesture  cheered  on  his  men.  In  the  mean  while  the  enemy  landed  a  large  body 
of  Indians  upon  the  island,  who  kept  up  an  incessant  fire  of  musketry,  but  with  little  effect. 
The  battle  continued  between  four  and  five  hours,  and  the  Americans  lost,  in  killed  and 
wounded,  about  sixty  men. 

Night  closed  upon  the  scene,  and  neither  party  were  victors.  The  two  fleets  anchored 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  each  other.  Arnold  held  a  council  with  his  officers,  and  it 
was  determined  to  retire  during  the  night  to  Crown  Point,  for  the  superiority  of  the  vessels, 
and  the  number  and  discipline  of  the  men  composing  the  British  force,  rendered  another  en- 
gagement extremely  hazardous.  Anticipating  such  a  movement  on  the  part  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, the  British  commander  anchored  his  vessels  in  a  line  extending  across  from  the  island 

to  the  main  land.  A  chilly  north  wind  had 
been  blowing  all  the  afternoon,  and  about 
sunset  dark  clouds  overcast  the  sky.  It  was 
at  the  time  of  new  moon,  and,  therefore,  the 
night  was  very  dark,  and  favored  the  design 
of  Arnold.  About  ten  o'clock  he  weighed 
anchor,  and  with  the  stiff  north  wind  sailed 
with  his  whole  flotilla,  unobserved,  through 
the  enemy's  lines.  Arnold,  with  his  crippled 
galley,  brought  up  the  rear.  It  was  a  bold 
movement.  At  daybreak  the  English  watch 
on  deck  looked  with  straining  eyes  for  their 
expected  prey,  but  the  Americans  were  then 
at  Schuyler's  Island,  ten  miles  south,  busily 
engaged  in  stopping  leaks  and  repairing  sails. 
The  British  weighed  anchor  and  gave  chase. 
Toward  evening  the  wind  changed  to  the 
south,  and  greatly  retarded  the  progress  of 
both  fleets  during  the  night.  Early  on  the 
morning  of  the  1 3  th  the  enemy's  ves-  October 
sels  were  observed  under  full  sail,  and  ^'^''^^ 
rapidly  gaining  upon  the  Americans.  The 
Co7igress  galley  (Arnold's  "  flag-ship")  and 
the  Washington,  with  four  gondolas,  were  be- 
hind, and  in  a  short  time  the  British  vessels 
Carleton,  Inflexible,  and  Maria  were  along- 
side, pouring  a  destructive  fire  upon  them. 
The  Washington  soon  struck,  and  General 
Waterbury  the  commander,  and  his  men,  were  made  prisoners.^      The  whole  force  of  the 


or  THE  13"?^ 

Ji.J'Iacc  o/"  action.  ~^  . 

B.  Coiigy  ess  Galley  atid  5  Goiirlola  t 


'  Sparks's  Life  of  Arnold. 

*  Among  the  prisoners  was  Joseph  Bettys,  afterward  the  notorious  outlaw  and  bitter  Tory,  better  known 
as  "  Joe  Bettys."  He  was  a  native  of  Saratoga  county,  and  joined  the  Whigs  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Revolution.  While  a  captive  in  Canada,  after  the  battle  on  Lake  Champlain,  he  was  induced  to  join  the 
royal  standard,  and  was  made  an  ensign.  He  became  notorious  as  a  spy,  and,  having  been  caught  by  the 
Americans,  he  was  at  one  time  conducted  to  the  gallows.  At  the  instance  of  his  aged  parents,  Washing- 
ton granted  him  a  reprieve  on  condition  of  his  thoroughly  reforming.  But  he  immediately  joined  the  enemy 
again,  and  for  a  long  time  his  cold-blooded  murders,  his  plunder  and  incendiarism  made  him  the  terror  of 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  165 


Bravery  of  Arnold  on  the  Congress  Galley.  Desperate  Resistance.  Retreat  to  Crown  Point  Effect  of  the  Battle. 

attack  now  fell  upon  the  Congress,  but  Arnold  maintained  his  ground  with  unflinching  reso- 
lution for  four  hours.  The  galley  was  at  length  reduced  almost  to  a  wreck,  and  surrounded 
by  seven  sail  of  the  enemy.  Longer  resistance  was  vain,  and  the  intrepid  Arnold  ran  the 
galley  and  four  gondolas  into  a  small  creek  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  about  ten  miles  be- 
low Crown  Point,  and  not  far  from  Panton.  He  ordered  the  marines  to  set  fire  to  them  as 
soon  as  they  were  grounded,  leap  into  the  water  and  wade  ashore  with  their  muskets,  and 
form  in  such  a  manner  upon  the  beach  as  to  guard  the  burning  vessels  from  the  approach 
of  the  enemy.  Arnold  remained  in  his  galley  till  driven  off  by  the  fire,  and  was  the  last 
man  that  reached  the  shore.  He  kept  the  flags  flying,  and  remained  upon  the  spot  until 
his  little  flotilla  was  consumed,  and  then,  with  the  small  remnant  of  his  brave  soldiers, 
marched  off  through  the  woods  toward  Chimney  Point,  and  reached  Crown  Point  in  safety. 
The  rapidity  of  his  march  saved  him  from  an  Indian  ambush  that  waylaid  his  path  an  hour 
after  he  passed  by.  Two  schooners,  two  galleys,  one  sloop,  and  one  gondola,  the  remnant 
of  his  fleet,  were  at  Crown  Point,  and  General  Watcrbury  and  most  of  his  men  arrived  there 
on  parole  the  next  day,  when  all  embarked  and  sailed  to  Ticonderoga.  General  October  14, 
Carleton  took  possession  of  Crown  Point,  and  for  a  few  days  threatened  Ticon-  ^''''*^- 
deroga,  but  the  season  was  so  far  advanced  that  he  prudently  withdrew,  and  sailed  down  the 
lake  to  go  into  winter-quarters  in  Canada.^  The  whole  American  loss  in  the  two  actions 
was  between  eighty  and  ninety,  and  that  of  the  enemy  about  forty. 

Although  the  republicans  were  defeated,  and  the  expedition  was  disastrous  in  every  par- 
ticular, yet  such  were  the  skill,  bravery,  and  obstinate  resistance  of  Arnold  and  his  men 
against  a  vastly  superior  force,  the  event  was  hailed  as  ominous  of  great  achievements  on 
the  part  of  the  patriots  when  such  fearful  odds  should  not  exist.  Arnold's  popularity,  so 
justly  gained  at  Quebec,  was  greatly  increased,  and  the  country  rang  with  his  praises. 
Sparks  justly  observes,  respecting  Arnold's  conduct  in  the  engagement  on  the  1  3th,  that 
"  there  are  few  instances  on  record  of  more  deliberate  courage  and  gallantry  than  were  dis- 
played by  him  fi'ora  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  this  action." 

We  arrived  at  Plattsburgh  at  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  day  was  excess- 
ively warm,  and  I  felt  more  like  lounging  than  rambling.  In  fact,  the  spot  has  no  Pi.evo- 
lutionary  history  worth  mentioning,  for  its  existence  as  a  lonely  settlement  in  the  wilderness 
is  only  coeval  with  that  of  our  independence.  Count  Vredenburgh,  a  German  nobleman, 
who  married  a  lady  of  the  household  of  the  queen  of  George  II.  of  England,  obtained  a  grant 
for  thirty  thousand  acres  of  land  on  Cumberland  Bay,  and  just  before  the  Revolution  he  set- 
tled there.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  sent  his  family  to  Montreal,  and  soon  afterward 
his  splendid  mansion,  which  stood  where  the  Plattsburgh  Hotel  now  is,  and  his  mills,  three 
miles  distant,  were  burned.  He  had  remained  to  look  after  his  property,  and  it  is  supposed 
that  he  was  murdered  for  his  riches,  and  his  house  plundered  and  destroyed.  In  1783  some 
Canadian  and  Nova  Scotia  refugees,  under  Lieutenant  (afterward  Major-general)  Mooers,'' 
who  were  stationed  on  the  Hudson  near  Newburgh,  left  Fishkill  Landing  in  a  boat,  and, 
proceeding  by  the  way  of  Lakes  George  and  Champlain,  landed  and  commenced  the  first 
permanent  settlement  in  that  neighborhood,  within  seven  or  eight  miles  of  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Plattsburgh.  Judge  Zephaniah  Piatt  and  others  formed  a  company,  after  the  war, 
to  purchase  military  land-warrants,  and  they  located  their  lands  on  Cumberland  Bay,  and 
organized  the  town  of  Plattsburgh  in  1785.      Such  is  its  only  connection  with  the  history 

the  whole  region  in  the  neighborhood  of  Albany.  At  last  he  was  captured  (1782),  and  was  executed  as 
a  spy  and  traitor,  at  Albany. 

'  It  is  related  that  while  Carleton  was  at  Ticonderoga,  Arnold  ventured  in  the  neighborhood  in  a  small 
boat.  He  was  seen  and  chased  by  young  Pellew  (afterward  Lord  Exmouth),  and  so  rapidly  did  his  pursu- 
ers gain  upon  him,  that  he  ran  his  boat  ashore  and  leaped  on  land,  leaving  his  stock  and  buckle  behind  him. 
It  is  said  that  the  stock  and  buckle  are  still  in  possession  of  the  Pellew  family. — See  Ostler^  t  Life  of  Admi- 
ral Viscount  Exmouth. 

*  Benjamin  Mooers  served  as  a  lieutenant  and  adjutant  in  the  Revolution.  He  commanded  the  militin 
in  the  battle  of  Platt.sburgh  in  1814.  For  thirty  years  he  was  county  treasurer,  and  often  represented  his 
county  in  the  As.serably  and  Senate  of  New  York.     He  died  in  February,  1838 


166  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Battle  of  Plattsburgh.  Military  Remains.  Incidents  of  the  Naval  Battle.  Relic  of  Washingtoa 

of  our  Revolution.  It  is  a  conspicuous  point,  however,  in  the  history  of  our  war  with  Great 
Britain  commenced  in  1812,  for  it  is  memorable  as  the  place  where  one  of  the  severest  en- 
gagements of  that  contest  took  place,  on  the  1 1th  of  September,  1814,  between  the  combined 
naval  and  military  forces  of  the  Americans  and  British.  General  Macomb  commanded  the 
land,  and  Commodore  M'Donough  the  naval  forces  of  the  former,  and  General  Prevost  and 
Commodore  Downie'  those  of  the  latter.  The  engagements  on  the  land  and  water  were 
simultaneous,  and  for  some  time  the  issue  was  doubtful.  The  Americans,  however,  were 
successful.  When  the  flag  of  the  British  commodore's  ship  was  struck,  the  enemy  on  land, 
disheartened  and  confused,  retreated  across  the  Saranac,  and  the  carnage  ceased.  The  loss 
of  the  Americans  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  ;  that  of  the  enemy,  in  killed,  wounded, 
prisoners,  and  deserters,  more  than  one  thousand. 

I  passed  a  considerable  portion  of  the  afternoon  with  General  St.  John  B.  L.  Skinner, 
who  was  a  volunteer  under  Macomb  in  the  battle.  He  was  a  member  of  a  company  of 
young  men  and  boys  of  the  village,  who,  after  the  military  had  gone  out  on  the  Chazy  road, 
organized  and  offered  their  services  to  the  commander-in-chief  They  were  accepted,  and 
the  brave  youths  were  immediately  armed  with  rifles  and  ordered  to  the  headquarters  of 
General  Mooers.  Only  three  of  the  company  were  over  eighteen  years  old,  and  not  one  of 
them  was  killed,  though  for  a  long  time  they  were  exposed  to  a  hot  fire  while  occupying  a 
mill  upon  the  Saranac  and  keeping  the  enemy  at  bay.  General  Skinner's  beautiful  man 
sion  and  gardens  are  upon  the  lake  shore,  and  from  an  upper  piazza  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
the  whole  scene  of  the  naval  engagement,  from  Cumberland  Head  on  the  north  to  Valcour's 
Island  on  the  south,  including  in  the  far  distance  eastward  the  blue  lines  of  the  northern 
range  of  the  Green  Mountains.  The  bay  in  which  the  battle  occurred  is  magnificent,  fringed 
■with  deep  forests  and  waving  grain-fields.  A  substantial  stone  break-water  defends  the  har- 
bor from  the  rude  waves  which  an  easterly  wind  rolls  in,  and  the  village  is  very  pleasantly 
situated  upon  a  gravelly  plain  on  each  side  of  the  Saranac  River. 

A  short  distance  from  the  village  of  Plattsburgh  are  the  remains  of  the  cantonments  and 
breast-works  occupied  by  Macomb  and  his  forces  ;  and  to  the  kind  courtesy  of  General  Skin- 
ner, who  accompanied  me  to  these  relics  of  the  war,  I  am  indebted  for  many  interesting  de- 
tails in  relation  to  that  memorable  battle.^  But  as  these  have  no  necessary  connection  with 
our  subject,  on  account  of  their  remoteness  from  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  I  will  bid  adieu 
to  Plattsburgh,  for  the  evening  is  far  gone,  the  lights  of  the  "  Burlington"  are  sparkling  upon 
the  waters  near  Valcour's  Island,  and  the  coachman  at  the  hotel  front  is  hurrying  us  with 
his  loud  "All  aboard  I" 

It  was  nearly  midnight  when  we  passed  the  light  on  Cumberland  Head,'  and  we  reached 

'  Commodore  Downie  was  slain  in  the  battle  and  buried  at  Plattsburgh.  His  sister-in-law,  Mary  Downie, 
erected  a  plain  monument  to  his  memory  over  his  remains. 

^  General  S.  mentioned  one  or  two  circumstances  connected  with  the  naval  engagement  worth  recording. 
He  says  that,  when  the  fleet  of  the  enemy  rounded  Cumberland  Head,  M'Donough  assembled  his  men  on 
board  his  ship  (Saratoga)  on  the  quarter-deck.  He  then  knelt,  and,  in  humble,  fervent  supplication,  com- 
mended 'himself,  his  men,  and  his  cause  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  When  he  arose,  the  serenity  of  faith  was 
upon  his  countenance,  and  seemed  to  shed  its  influence  over  his  men.  A  curious  incident  occurred  on  his 
ship  during  the  engagement.  The  hen-coop  was  shot  away,  and  a  cock;  released  from  prison, 
flew  into  the  rigging,  and,  flapping  his  wings,  crowed  out  a  lusty  defiance  to  the  enemy's  guns. 
There  he  remained,  flapping  his  wings  and  crowing,  until  the  engagement  ceased.  The  seamen 
regarded  the  event  as  encouraging,  and  fought  like  tigers  while  the  cock  cheered  them  on.  A 
notice  of  a  relic  of  Washington,  in  the  possession  of  General  S.,  may  not  be  inappropriate  here. 
It  is  a  pouch  and  puff'-ball,  for  hair-powder,  which  belonged  to  the  chief  several  years.  It  is 
made  of  buckskin,  and  is  about  twelve  inches  long.  The  pufl"  is  made  of  cotton  yarn.  Mr. 
Gray,  who  was  a  number  of  years  sherifT  of  Clinton  county,  readily  recognized  it  as  the  one 
used  by  himself  in  powdering  Washington's  hair,  when  he  was  a  boy  and  attached  to  the  gen- 
eral in  the  capacity  of  body  servant.  When  La  Fayette  was  at  Burlington,  in  1824,  Mr.  Gray 
went  up  to  see  him,  and  the  veteran  remembered  him  as  the  "boy  Gray"  in  Washington's 
military  family. 

'  On  this  point  is  situated  the  farm  presented  to  Commodore  M'Donough  by  the  Legislature  of  Vermont. 
The  point  is  connected  with  Grand  Island,  or  North  Hero  (the  largest  island  in  the  lake),  by  a  ferry. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


167 


Rouse's  Point  and  Military  Works. 


The  Territorial  Line. 


Isle  Aux  Noix. 


Historical  AseiociHlious 


Rouse's  Point,  the  last  landing-place  on  the  lake  within  "  the  States,"  between  one  and  two 
in  the  morning,  where  we  remained  until  daylight,  for  the  channel  here,  down  the  outlet  of 
the  lake,  is  so  narrow  and  sinuous  that  the  navigation  is  difficult  in  the  night.  On  a  low 
point  a  little  northward  of  the  landing  the  United  States  government  commenced  building  a 
fort  in  1815,  and,  after  expending  about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  it  was  discovered 
that  the  ground  was  British  soil.  The  work  was  abandoned,  and  so  remained  until  the  con- 
clusion of  the  treaty  formed  by  Daniel  Webster  and  Lord  Ashburton  in  1842,  when  the 
territorial  line  was  run  a  little  north  of  the  fort.      It  is  now  in  course  of  completion. 

The  morning  on  which  we  left  Rouse's  Point  was  clear  and  calm.  A  slight  Aumists 
mist  lay  upon  the  water,  and  over  the  flat  shores  of  the  Ftichelieu  or  Sorel  River,  1S48. 
which  we  had  entered,  a  thin  vapor,  like  a  gauze  veil,  was  spread  out.  We  watched  with 
interest  for  the  line  of  separation  between  the  territories.  It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
•morning  when  we  crossed  it,  twenty-three  miles  south  of  St.  John's,  and  so  became  "  foreign- 
ers." A  broad  stripe  like  a  meadow-swathe,  running  east  and  west,  cut  in  the  dwarf  forest 
upon  either  side,  denotes  the  landmark  of  dominion,  and  by  a  single  revolution  of  the  paddle- 
wheel  we  passed  from  the  waters  of  our  republic  to  those  of  the  British  realm.  In  less  tlian 
an  hour  we  were  at  the  landing-place  on  Isle  Aux  Noix,  a  small  low  island  in  the  Sorel,  strongly 
fortified  by  the  British  as  one  of  their  most  important  outposts  in  the  direction  of  the  United 
States.  This  island  is  all  clustered  with  historic  associations.  While  the  fussy  custom-house 
officer  and  his  attendants  are  boarding  our  boat,  let  us  look  into  the  mirror  of  retrospection. 

When  the  French  settlement  at  Chimney  Point  was  broken  up  on  the  approach  of  Gen- 


eral Amherst,  in  1759,  the  people  fled  dowTi  the  lake,  and,  landing 
upon  this  island,  fortified  it.      The  walnut  and  hazel  abounded  there, 
■  ■-- — •    '--.-\      and  they  gave  it  a  name  significant  of  this  fact.      Commanding,  as 
it  does,  completely  the  outlet  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  importance  of 
its  position,  in  a  military  view,  was  at  once  appreciated.      But  the  French  held  possession 
only  a  few  months,  for  in  the  spring  of  1760  they  were  driven  from  it  by  Amherst  in  his 
march  toward  Montreal.      After  the  treaty  of  Paris  in  1763,  the  necessity  for  a  garrison 
upon  Isle  Aux  Noix  no  longer  existed,  and  the  fortifications  were  allowed  to  crumble  into  ruins. 
In  the  autumn  of  1775  the  island  was  occupied  by  the  Americans,  under  General  Schuy- 
ler.     With  a  considerable  force,  destined  to  invade  Canada,  he  sailed  down  the  lake  and  ap- 
peared before  St.  John's.      Informed  that  the  garrison  there  was  too  strong  for    sept<?tnber6 
him,  he  returned  to  hie  Aux  Noix  and  fortified  it.      From  this  post  he  sent  out         ^"^■ 
a  declaration  among  the  Canadians,  by  Colonel  Allen  and  Major  Brown,  assuring  them  that 
the  Americans  intended  to  act  only  against  the  British  forts,  and  not  to  interfere  with  the 
people  or  their  religion. 


'  The  sketch  was  made  from  the  pilot's  room  of  the  steam-boat,  about  half  a  mile  above  the  island,  look- 
ing east-northeast.  The  landing  is  a  little  beyond  the  trees  on  the  right,  where  sentinels  are  stationed. 
The  island  is  small,  and  wholly  occupied  by  the  military  works.  A  broad  fen  extends  some  distance  from 
the  northern  side,  and  the  wild  ducks  that  gather  there  afford  fine  amusement  for  sportsmen  during  the 
hunting  season. 


168  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

.John's.St         Custom-house  Officer.         Suspicious  of  an  Israelite.         Apparently  treasonable  Acts  of  leading  Vermonters. 

Early  in  October  the  Americans,  under  General  Montgomery  (Schuyler  being  ill),  left 
the  island  and  proceeded  to  St.  John's,  whence  they  marched  victoriously  to  Gluebec.  From 
that  time  until  the  close  of  the  Revolution  no  permanent  garrison  was  established  there,  but 
the  island  was  the  halting-place  for  the  troops  of  both  parties  when  passing  up  and  down 
the  lake.  It  was  the  principal  scene  of  the  negotiations  between  some  of  the  leading  men 
of  Vermont  and  British  officers,  which  were  so  adroitly  managed  by  the  former  as  to  keep 
an  English  army  of  ten  thousand  men  quite  inactive  on  our  northern  frontier  for  about  three 
years.  1     The  British  strongly  fortified  it  in  1813,  and  it  has  been  constantly  garrisoned  since. 

We  arrived  at  St.  John's,  on  the  Richelieu  or  Sorel  River,  between  six  and  seven  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  where  our  luggage  was  overhauled  by  the  custom-house  officer,  who  was  re- 
ceived on  board  at  Ide  Aux  Noix.  The  operation  was  neither  long  nor  vexatious,  and  seemed 
to  be  rather  a  matter  of  legal  form  than  induced  by  a  desire  or  expectation  of  detecting  con- 
traband articles.  In  fact,  the  polite  government  functionary  seemed  to  have  great  faith  in 
mere  assertions,  and  to  rely  more  upon  physiognomy  than  personal  inspection  of  the  luggage 
for  assurance  that  her  majesty's  revenue  laws  were  inviolate.  He  looked  every  trunk-owner 
full  in  the  face  when  he  queried  about  the  nature  of  his  baggage,  and  only  two  persons  were 
obliged  to  produce  their  keys  for  his  satisfaction.  Our  trunk  was  of  prodigious  size  and  weight, 
and  made  him  very  properly  suspicious  of  the  truth  of  my  allegations  that  its  contents  were 
only  articles  for  personal  vise.  A  descendant  of  Abraham  at  my  elbow,  with  nothing  but  a 
rotund  bandana  handkerchief,  appeared  to  be  my  scape-goat  on  the  occasion,  for  while  the 
officer  was  making  him  untie  its  hard  knots,  he  ordered  my  luggage  to  pass.  I  was  told  that 
the  word  of  a  poor  Jew  is  never  believed  by  the  uncircumcised  Gentile  who  "  sits  at  the  re- 
ceipt of  customs  ;"  but  in  this  instance  his  incredulity  was  rebuked,  for  the  Israelite's  bundle 
contained  nothing  but  a  tolerably  clean  shirt,  a  cravat,  and  a  small  Hebrew  Bible.      At  eight 

'  In  1779—80  the  partial  dismemberment  of  Vermont  and  its  connection  with  New  York  and  New  Hamp- 
shire produced  great  bitterness  of  feeling,  and  the  Legislature  of  the  former  demanded  of  Congress  the  en- 
tire separation  of  that  state  from  the  other  states,  and  its  admission  into  the  confederacy  upon  a  basis  of 
perfect  equality.  The  disputes  ran  high,  and  the  British  entertained  hopes  that  Vermont  would  be  so  far 
alienated  from  the  rebel  cause,  by  the  injustice  of  Congress,  as  to  be  induced  to  return  to  its  allegiance  to 
the  British  crown.  Accordingly,  in  the  spring  of  1780,  Colonel  Beverly  Robinson  wrote  to  Ethan  Allen 
from  Nerv  York,  making  overtures  to  that  effect.  The  letter  was  not  answered,  and  in  February,  1781, 
he  wrote  another,  inclosing  a  copy  of  the  first.  These  letters  were  shown  to  Governor  Chittenden  and  a 
few  others,  and  they  concluded  to  make  use  of  the  circumstances  for  the  benefit  of  Vermont.  Allen  sent 
both  letters  to  Congress,  and  at  the  same  time  wrote  to  that  body,  urging  the  justice  of  the  demand  of  his 
state.  He  closed  his  letter  by  saying,  "  I  am  as  resolutely  determined  to  defend  the  independence  of  Ver- 
mont as  Congress  is  thai  of  the  United  States ;  and,  rather  than  fail,  I  will  retire  with  the  hardy  Green 
Mountain  Boys  into  the  desolate  caverns  of  the  mountains  and  wage  war  with  human  nature  at  large."* 
In  the  mean  while,  some  British  scouting  parties  had  captured  some  Vermonters,  and  Governor  Chittenden 
sent  Ira  Allen  and  others  to  negotiate  with  Colonel  Dundas  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners.  They  met  upon 
hie  Aux  Noix,  and  there  Dundas,  under  the  direction  of  General  Haldiraand,  made  verbal  overtures  simi- 
lar to  the  written  ones  of  Robinson  to  Ethan  Allen.  The  proposals  of  the  British  officers  were  received  by 
Allen  with  apparent  favor.  Haldimand  and  Dundas  were  delighted  with  their  skill  in  diplomacy,  and  readily 
acceded  to  the  proposition  of  Allen  not  to  allow  hostilities  on  the  Vermont  frontier  until  after  the  next  ses- 
sion of  its  Legislature.  The  British  force,  consisting  of  about  ten  thousand  men,  was  thus  kept  inactive. 
These  negotiations  with  the  enemy  excited  the  suspicion  of  the  Whigs  and  the  fears  of  Congress  ;  yet  with 
such  consummate  skill  did  Allen  manage  the  affair,  that  when  he  reported  the  result  of  his  mission  to  the 
Legislature  of  Vermont,  where  British  emissaries  as  well  as  ardent  Whigs  were  in  waiting,  he  satisfied 
both  parties.  Soon  afterward  a  letter  from  Lord  George  Germain  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  intercepted 
and  sent  to  Congress.  It  contained  so  much  evidence  of  the  treasonable  designs  of  the  leading  men  in  Ver 
mont,  that  Congress  felt  more  disposed  to  accede  to  the  demands  of  that  state,  and  thus  retain  her  in  the 
Union.  Peace  soon  afterward  ensued,  and  Vermont  was  one  of  the  United  States  included  in  the  treaty. 
How  far  the  designs  of  the  Aliens,  of  Chittenden,  the  Fays,  and  others,  were  really  treasonable,  or  were 
measures  of  policy  to  bring  Congress  to  terms,  and  prevent  hostilities  upon  their  weak  frontier,  can  not  be 
certainly  determined.  The  probabilities  are  in  favor  of  the  ruse  rather  than  the  treason.  At  any  rate,  they 
should  have  the  benefit  of  a  doubt,  and  a  verdict  of  acquittal  of  all  wrong  intentions. 

•  A  ccnvention,  held  at  Westminster  on  the  15th  of  January,  1777,  declared  "That  the  district  and  territory  comprehending 
and  usually  known  by  the  name  and  description  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  of  right  ought  to  be  and  is  declared  forever  here- 
after to  be  R  free  and  independent  jurisdiction  or  state,  to  be  forever  hereafter  called,  known,  and  distinguished  by  the  namfl 
of  New  Connecticut,  alias  Vermont." — See  Slade's  Stale  Papers,  p.  70. 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  169 


Military  Remains  at  St.  John's.  Present  Works.  Athenaise.  Approach  of  the  Americans  in  1775. 

o'clock  my  companion  and  our  luggage  proceeded  by  rail-road  by  way  of  La  Prairie  to  Mont- 
real, while  I  prepared  to  journey  to  the  same  city  in  a  light  wagon  by  way  of  Chambly  and 
Longueuil. 

St.  John's  is  pleasantly  situated  upon  the  western  side  of  the  Sorel,  at  the  termination  of 
steam-boat  navigation  on  Lake  Champlain,  and  near  the  head  of  Chambly  Rapids.  It  has 
always  been  a  place  of  considerable  importance  as  a  frontier  town  since  the  Revolution,  al- 
though its  growth  has  been  slow,  the  population  now  amounting  to  not  quite  four  thou- 
sand. The  country  on  both  sides  of  the  river  here  is  perfectly  flat,  and  there  is  no 
place  whence  the  town  may  be  seen  to  advantage.  A  little  south  of  the  village,  and  directly 
upon  the  shore,  is  a  strong  military  establishment,  garrisoned,  when  we  visited  it,  by  three 


Military  Establishment  at  St.  John's. 

compames  of  Highland  infantry.  Accompanied  by  an  intelligent  young  gentleman  of  the 
village  .as  guide,  I  visited  all  the  points  of  historic  interest  in  the  vicinity.  We  crossed  the 
deep,  sr'iiggish  river  in  a  light  zinc  shallop,  and  from  the  middle  of  the  stream  we  obtained 
a  fine  view  of  the  long  bridge^  which  connects  St.  John's  with  St.  Athenaise  on  the  opposite 
shore,  where  the  steep  roof  and  lofty  glittering  spire  of  the  French  church  towered  above 
the  trees. ^  After  visiting  the  remains  of  Montgomery's  block-house,  we  recrossed  the  river 
and  rambled  among  the  high  mounds  which  compose  the  ruins  of  old  Fort  St.  John's.  They 
occupy  a  broad  area  in  the  open  fields  behind  the  present  military  works.  The  embank- 
ments, covered  with  a  rich  green  sward,  averaged  about  twelve  feet  in  height,  and  the  whole 
were  surrounded  by  a  ditch  with  considerable  water  in  it.  We  lingered  half  an  hour  to  view 
a  drill  of  the  garrison,  and  then  returned  to  the  village  to  prepare  for  a  pleasant  ride  to 
Chambly,  twelve  miles  distant. 

Military  works  were  thrown  up  at  St.  John's  by  the  French,  under  Montcalm,  in  1758, 
and  these  were  enlarged  and  strengthened  by  Governor  Carleton  at  the  beginning  of  our 
Revolution.  Here,  as  we  have  seen,  the  first  organized  American  flotilla,  under  Arnold, 
made  a  regular  assault  upon  British  vessels  and  fortifications,  and  aroused  Sir  Guy  Carleton 
to  a  sense  of  the  imminent  danger  of  Montreal  and  Quebec.  Here  too  was  the  scene  of  the 
first  regular  siege  of  a  British  fort  by  the  rebellious  colonists.  In  September, 
1775,  the  Americans,  as  we  have  already  noticed,  sailed  down  the  Richelieu 
and  appeared  before  St.  John's.  They  were  fired  upon  by  the  English  garrison  when  about 
two  miles  distant,  but  without  efiect.  They  landed  -wdthin  about  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the 
fort,  and,  while  marching  slowly  toward  the  outworks,  a  small  party  of  Indians  attacked 
them  and  produced  some  confusion.  In  the  evening  General  Schuyler  was  informed,  by  a 
man  who  appeared  to  be  friendly  and  intelligent,  that,  with  the  exception  of  only  fifty  men 
retained  in  Montreal  by  General  Carleton,  the  whole  regular  British  force  in  Canada  was 
in  the  garrison  at  St.  John's  ;  that  this  and  the  fort  at  Chambly  were  strongly  fortified  and 
well  supplied  ;  that  one  hundred  Indians  were  in  the  fort  at  St.  John's,  and  that  another 
large  body,  under  Colonel  John  Johnson,  was  hovering  near  ;   that  a  sixteen  gun  vessel  was 

'  This  view  is  taken  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  near  the  remains  of  a  blocit-house  erected  by  Mont- 
gomery when  he  besief^ed  the  fort  in  1775.  On  the  right  is  seen  the  fort,  which  incloses  the  magazine, 
in  the  center  is  the  building  occupied  by  the  odicers,  on  cither  side  of  which  are  the  barracks  of  the  soldiers. 
The  large  building  on  the  left  is  the  hospital,  and  the  smaller  one  still  further  left  is  the  dead-house.  The 
river  here  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide.  The  present  military  works  are  upon  the  site  of  those  of  the 
Revolution. 

'^  It  was  built  by  the  Honorable  Robert  Jones,  the  proprietor,  fMid  is  called  Jones's  Bridge. 

'  This  spacious  church  was  not  finished.  The  old  one,  a  small  wooden  structure,  was  undisturbed  withiii 
the  new  one,  and  was  used  for  worship  until  the  completion  of  the  exterior  of  the  present  edifice- 


170  PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK  ' 

Advance  of  Montgomery  against  St.  John's.  Mutiny  in  the  American  Camp.  Operations  at  St.  John's. 

about  ready  to  weigh  anchor  at  St.  John's ;  and  that  not  a  single  Canadian  could  be  induced 
to  join  the  insurgent  standard.  The  informer  was  doubtless  an  enemy  to  the  Americans, 
for  his  assertions  were  afterward  proved  to  be  untrue.  General  Schuyler,  however,  gave 
credence  to  them,  and  returned  with  his  troops  to  Isle  Aux  Noix,  where  illness  obliged  him ' 
to  leavp  the  army  in  charge  of  Montgomery,  and  retire  to  the  healthier  post  of  Ticonderoga. 
Thence  he  soon  went  to  Albany,  and,  his  health  being  partially  restored,  he  was  active  in 
forwarding  re-enforcements  to  Isle  Aux  Noix.  --^ 

Montgomeiy,  with  more  impetuosity  and  less  caution  than  Schuyler,  determined  to  push 
forward  at  once,  for  the  season  was  near  when  military  operations  there  would  be  difficult. 
About  this  time  a  small  train  of  artillery  and  a  re-enforcement  arrived,  and  he  made  vigor- 
ous preparations  to  invade  Canada.  Before  leaving  the  island,  a  chevaux-de-frise  was  thrown 
across  the  channel  to  intercept  the  progress  of  Carleton's  vessels  up  the  lake.  On  the  sev- 
september     enteentli  his  whole  force  was  landed  on  the  west  side  of  the  Richelieu.     On  the 

1775.  eighteenth  he  led  a  corps  of  five  hundred  men,  in  person,  to  the  north  side  of  the 
fort,  where  the  village  now  is.  There  he  met  a  detachment  from  the  garrison,  which  had 
just  repulsed  and  pursued  a  small  party  of  Americans  under  Major  Brown,  and  a  short 
skirmish  ensued.  Two  field  pieces  and  the  whole  detachment  would  doubtless  have  been 
trophies  for  the  Americans  had  they  been  true  to  themselves ;  but  here  that  insubordination 
which  gave  Montgomery  so  much  trouble  was  strongly  manifested,  and  caution,  secrecv,  and 
concert  of  action  were  out  of  the  question.^  Montgomery  pushed  on  a  little  further  'horth- 
west,  and,  at  the  junction  of  the  roads  running  respectively  to  Montreal  and  Chambly,  formed 
an  entrenched  camp  of  three  hundred  men  to  cut  off"  supplies  for  the  enemy  from  the  interior, 
and  then  hastened  back  to  his  camp  to  bring  up  his  artillery  to  bear  upon  the  walls  of  the 
fort.  The  supplies  for  a  siege  were  very  meager.  The  artillery  was  too  light,  the  mortars 
were  defective,  the  ammunition  scarce,  and  the  artillerists  unpracticed  in  their  duties.  The 
ground  was  wet  and  swampy,  and  in  many  places  closely  studded  with  trees.  In  a  day  or 
two  disease  began  to  appear  among  the  troops,  and,  in  consequence  of  their  privations,  dis- 
afiection  was  worlcing  mischief  in  the  army.  To  escape  these  unfavorable  circumstances, 
Montgomery  proposed  to  move  to  the  northwest  side  of  the  fort,  where  the  ground  was  firm 
and  water  wholesome,  and  commence  preparations  for  an  assault.  But  the  troops,  unused  to 
military  restraint,  and  judging  for  themselves  that  an  attack  would  be  unsuccessful,  refused 
to  second  the  plan  of  their  leader.  Unable  to  punish  them  or  convince  them  of  their  error, 
Montgomery  yielded  to  the  pressure  of  circumstances,  and  so  far  gratified  the  mutinous  regi- 
ments as  to  call  a  council  of  war.  It  resulted,  as  was  expected,  in  a  decision  against  his 
plan.  Disorder  continually  reigned  in  the  American  camp.  Irregular  firing  occurred  al- 
most daily,  and  the  enemy  threw  some  bombs,  but  it  was  a  waste  of  ammunition  by  both 
parties.  At  length  the  proposed  plan  of  Montgomery  was  adopted,  and  the  camp  was  moved 
October  7     ^0  the  higher  ground  northwest  of  the  fort,  where  breast- works  were  thi-own  up. 

1775.  While  the  main  army  was  thus  circumvallating  St.  John's,  but,  for  want  of  am- 
munition and  heavy  guns,  unable  to  breach  the  walls,  small  detachments  of  Americans,  who 
were  joined  by  many  friendly  Canadians,  were  active  in  the  vicinity.  One,  under  Ethan 
Allen,  attempted  the  capture  of  Moirtreal.      Of  this  foolish  expedition  I  shall  hereafter  write. 

But  another,  and  a  successful  one,  was  undertaken,  which  hastened  the  termination  of 
the  siege  of  St.  John's.  Carleton,  supposing  that  the  fort  at  Chambly,  twelve  miles  north- 
ward, could  not  be  reached  by  the  Americans  unless  the  one  at  St.  John's  was  captured,  had 
neglected  to  arm  it,  and  kept  but  a  feeble  garrison  there.  Montgomery  was  informed  of 
this  by  Canadian  scouts,  and  immediately  sent  Colonel  Bedell  of  New  Hampshire,  Major 
Brown  of  Massachusetts,  and  Major  Livingston  of  New  York,  with  detachments,  to  capture 
the  fort.  The  method  of  attack  was  planned  by  Canadians  familiar  with  the  place.  Ar- 
tillery was  placed  upon  bateaux,  and  during  a  dark  night  was  conveyed  past  the  fort  at  St. 
John's  to  the  head  of  Chambly  Hapids,  where  it  was  mounted  on  carriages  and  taken  to  the 

'  MontjTomery's  dispatch  to  General  Schuyler. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION 


1  7  1 


itlack  upon  and  Surrender  of  Fort  Chambly.        Repulse  of  Carleton  at  Longueuil.        Surrender  of  St.  John's.       The  SpoiU 

)oint  of  attack.      The  garrison  made  but  a  feeble  resistance,  and  soon  surrendeied.      This 


Fort  at  Chamblt.' 


October  30. 


vas  a  most  important  event,  for  it  furnished  Montgomery  with  means  to  carry  on  the  siege 
»f  St.  ■iS^^u's  vigorously.'  The  large  quantity  of  ammunition  that  was  captured  was  sent 
mmediately  to  the  besiegers,  who,  by  vigorous  exertions,  erected  a  strong  battery  within 
;wo  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  fort.  A  strong  block-house  was  also  erected  before  it, 
;n  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The  former  was  mounted  with  four  guns  and 
;ix  mortars,  and  the  latter  had  one  gun  and  two  mortars. 

While  these  preparations  were  in  progress,  Carleton,  informed  of  the  capture  of  Fort 
Dhambly,  left  Montreal  with  a  re-enforcement  for  the  garrison  at  St.  John's.  He  embarked 
ipon  the  St.  Lawrence  in  bateaux  and  flat-boats,  and  attempted  to  land  at  Longueuil,  a  mile 
md  a  half  below  the  city.  Colonel  Seth  Warner,  with  three  hundred  Green  Mountain  Boys, 
ivas  on  the  alert  in  the  neighborhood,  and  lay  in  covert  near  the  spot  where  Carleton  was 
ibout  to  land.  He  allowed  the  boats  to  get  very  near  the  shore,  when  he  opened  a  terrible 
storm  of  grape-shot  upon  them  from  a  four  pound  cannon,  which  drove  them  across  the  river 
irecipitately  and  in  great  confusion.  The  tidings  of  this  event  reached  Mont-  Kovember  i, 
jomery  toward  evening,  and  Colonel  Warner  soon  afterward  came  in  with  several  ^~^- 
Drisoners  captured  from  one  of  Carleton's  boats  that  reached  the  shore.  The  commander- 
n-chief  immediately  sent  a  flag  and  letter  to  ]Major  Preston,  the  commandant  of  the  garri 
ion,  by  one  of  Warner's  prisoners,  informing  him  of  the  defeat  of  Carleton,  and  demanding 
I  surrender  of  the  fortress  to  prevent  further  eflusion  of  blood.  Hostilities  ceased  for  the 
light,  and  in  the  morning  Preston  asked  for  a  delay  of  four  days  before  he  should  make  pro- 
posals to  surrender.  The  request  was  denied  and  the  demand  renewed.  There  was  no  al- 
;ernative,  and  the  garrison  surrendered  prisoners  of  war.  The  siege  had  continued  six  weeks, 
md  the  bravery  and  perseverance  of  the  British  troops  were  such,  that  Montgomery  granted 
them  honorable  terms.      They  marched  out  of  the  fort  with  the  honors  of  war,  and  the  troop.* 


'  This  is  a  view  of  the  south  and  west  sides  of  the  fort,  looking  toward  the  river.  It  stands  directly  upon 
the  Richelieu,  at  the  foot  of  the  Chambly  Rapids,  and  at  the  head  of  the  navigation  of  the  river  up  from 
the  St.  Lawrence.  It  is  strongly  built  of  stone,  and,  as  seen  in  the  picture,  is  in  a  state  of  excelknt  pres- 
Jrvation. 

'  The  spoils  taken  at  Chambly  were  6  tons  of  powder;  80  barrels  of  flour;  a  large  quantity  of  rice, 
butter,  and  peas  ;  134  barrels  of  pork  ;  300  swivel  shot ;  1  box  of  musket  shot ;  6364  musket  ca.*» ridges  ; 
L'JO  stand  of  French  arms  ;  3  royal  mortars  ;  61  shells  ;  500  hand  grenades  ;  83  royal  fusiiecr's  muskets 
with  accoutcrments ;  and  rigging  for  3  vessels.  The  prisoners  consisted  of  1  major,  2  captains,  3  lieuten- 
ants, captain  of  a  schooner,  a  commissary  and  surgeon,  and  83  privates.  The  colors  of  the  seventh  regi- 
ment of  British  regulars  were  there,  and  were  captured.  These  were  sent  to  the  Continental  Congress, 
and  were  the  first  trophies  of  the  kind  which  that  body  received.  There  were  a  great  number  of  women 
and  children  in  the  fort,  and  these  were  allowed  to  accompany  the  prisoners,  who  were  sent  with  their 
baggage  to  Connecticut. 


172 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Surrender  of  St.  John's. 


Insubordination. 


Retreat  of  the  Americans  out  of  Canada. 


grounded  their  arms  on  the  plain  near  by.      The  officers  were  allowed  to  keep 


November  3. 


their  side-arms,  and  their  fire-arms  were  reserved  for  them.  Canadian  gentle- 
men and  others  at  St.  John's  were  considered  a  part  of  the  garrison.  The  whole  number 
of  troops  amounted  to  about  five  hundred  regulars  and  one  hundred  Canadian  volunteers.' 
The  Continental  troops  took  possession  of  the  fort,  and  Montgomery  proposed  to  push  on  to 
Montreal. 

Insubordination  again  raised  its  hydra-head  in  the  American  camp.  The  cold  season  was 
near  at  hand,  and  the  raw  troops,  unused  to  privations  of  the  field,  yearned  for  home,  and 
refused,  at  first,  to  be  led  further  away.  But  the  kind  temper,  patriotic  zeal,  and  winning 
eloquence  of  Montgomery,  and  a  promise  on  his  part  that,  Montreal  in  his  possession,  no 
further  service  would  be  exacted  from  them,  won  them  to  obedience,  and  all  but  a  small 
garrison  for  the  fort  pressed  onward  toward  the  city.^ 

The  fort  at  St.  John's  remained  in  possession  of  the  Americans  until  the  latter  part  of 
May,  1776,  when  they  were  completely  driven  out  of  Canada.  Arnold  and  Sullivan,  with 
their  detachments,  were  the  last  to  leave  that  province.  The  former  remained  in  Montreal 
until  the  last  moment  of  safety,  and  then  pressed  on  to  St.  John's,  with  the  enemy  close  at 
his  heels.      Two  days  before,  he  had  ordered  the  encampment  closed  there,  and  a  vessel  upon 


St.  John's,  on  the  Richelieu  or  Sorel. 

From  a  drawing  by  Car'"™  Anbrey,  who  assisted  at  its  capture  in  1776. 

the  stocks  to  be  taken  apart  and  sent  to  Ticonderoga.  Sullivan,  who  was  stationed  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Sorel,  also  retreated  to  St.  John's.  The  commanders  wished  to  defend  the  fort 
against  the  pursuing  enemy,  but  the  troops  absolutely  refused  to  serve  longer,  and  they  all 
embarked,  and  sailed  up  the  lake  to  Isle  Aux  Noix.  When  every  loaded  boat  had  left  the 
shore,  Arnold  and  Wilkinson,  his  aid,  rode  back  two  miles  and  discovered  the  enemy  in  rapid 
march  under  Burgoyne.      They  reconnoitered  them  a  few  moments,  and  then  galloped  back, 

*  The  spoils  oi" victory  were  17  brass  ordnance,  from  two  to  twenty-four  pounders;  2  eight-inch  howit- 
zers ;  7  mortars ;  22  iron  ordnance,  from  three  to  nine  pounders ;  a  considerable  quantity  of  shot  and  small 
shells  ;  800  stand  of  arms,  and  a  small  quantity  of  naval  stores.  The  ammunition  and  provisions  were  in 
considerable,  for  the  stock  of  each  was  nearly  exhausted. 

*  Armstrong's  Life  of  Montgomery. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION 


173 


Lord  George  Germain. 


Rendezvoxia  of  Burgoyne's  Army  at  St.  Joho's.  Departure  for  Chambly.  French  Canadian  Houses,  Farms,  and  Peopla. 

stripped  and  shot  their  horses,  set  fire  to  the  works  at  St.  John's,  pushed  off  from  shore  in  a 
small  boat,  and  overtook  the  flotilla  before  they  reached  Isle  Aux  Noix.  Having  no  vessels 
with  which  to  pursue  the  Americans,  Burgoyne  rested  at  St.  John's.  In  the  course  of  the 
autumn  he  returned  to  England. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1777  St.  John's  was  the  theater  of  active  preparations,  on  the 
part  of  the  British,  for  the  memorable  campaign  which  terminated  in  the  capture  of  Bur- 
iroyne  and  his  whole  army  at  Saratoga.  This  campaign  was  planned  chiefly  by  Lord  George 
■^  Germain,  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  Burgoyne,  with  the  approval 

of  the  king  and  the  full  sanction  of  the  Council.  Burgoyne  was 
I  made  commander  of  the  expedition,  and  arrived  at  Quebec  on  the 
6th  of  May.  Carleton  gave  him  his  cordial  co-operation, 
and  St.  John's  was  the  place  of  general  rendezvous  for  all 
the  regulars,  provincials,  and  volunteers.  On  the  1  st  of  June  an 
army  of  six  thousand  men  was  collected  there,  and,  embarking  in 
boats,  sailed  up  the  lake  to  Cumberland  Head,  where  it  halted 
to  await  the  arrival  of  ammunition  and  stores.  These  collected, 
the  whole  armament  moved  up  the  lake  to  the  north  of  the  Bou- 
quet, where,  as  already  narrated,  a  council  was  held  with  the  In- 
dian tribes.  As  the  rest  of  the  story  of  that  campaign,  so  disas- 
trous to  British  power  in  America,  has  been  told  in  preceding 
chaptei's,  we  will  return  to  St.  John's,  and  pass  on  to  Chambly. 
I  left  St.  John's  about  eleven  o'clock  in  a  light  wagon,  accom- 
panied by  the  young  man  who  acted  as  guide  among  the  old  mil- 
itary remains.  There  is  but  little  in  the  appearance  of  St.  John's  to  distinguish  it  from  a 
large  village  in  the  States,  but  the  moment  we  emerged  into  the  country  I  felt  that  I  was 
in  a  strange  land.  The  road  tfaverses  the  line  of  the  Chambly  Canal,  which  runs  paral- 
lel with  the  Richelieu  or  Sorel  Pviver.  The  farm-houses  are  thickly  planted  by  the  road- 
side ;  so  thickly  that  all  the  way  from  St.  John's  to  Chambly  and  Longueuil  we  seemed  to 
be  in  a  village  suburb.  The  farms  are  diminutive  compared  with  ours,  averaging  from  fif 
teen  to  forty  acres  each,  and  hence  the  great  number  of  dwellings  and  out-houses.  They 
are  generally  small,  and  built  of  hewn  logs  or  stone.  Most  of  the  dwellings  and  out-houses 
are  whitewashed  with  lime,  even  the  roofs,  which  gives  them  a  very  neat  appearance,  and 
forms  a  beautiful  contrast  in  the  landscape  to  the  green  foliage 
which  embowers  them.  I  was  told  that  each  house  contains  a 
C07isecrated  broom.  When  a  new  dwelling  is  erected,  a  broom 
is  tabooed  by  the  priest  and  hung  up  in  the  dwelling  by  the  owner, 
where  it  remains  untouched,  a  sort  of  Lares  or  household  god. 
Many  of  them  have  a  cross  erected  near,  as  a  talisman  to  guard 
the  dwelling  from  evil.  They  are  generally  dedicated  to  St.  Peter, 
the  chief  patron  saint  of  the  rural  French  Canadians.  A  box, 
with  a  glass  door,  inclosing  an  image  of  the  saint,  a  crucifix,  or 
some  other  significant  object,  is  placed  upon  or  within  the  body 
of  the  cross,  and  the  whole  is  usually  surmounted  by  a  cock.  A 
singular  choice  for  a  crest,  for  it  is  a  fowl  identified  with  St.  Peter's  weakness  and  shame. 

It  was  in  the  time  of  hay  harvest,  and  men,  women,  and  children  were  abroad  gathering 
the  crops.  As  among  the  peasantry  of  Europe  and  the  blacks  of  our  Southern  States,  the 
women  labor  regularly  in  the  fields.  They  are  tidily  habited  in  thin  stuff  of  cotton  or 
worsted,  generally  dyed  blue,  and  all  of  domestic  manufacture.  Their  costume  is  graceful, 
and,  sitting  loosely,  gives  full  play  to  the  muscles,  and  contributes  to  the  high  health  which 
every  where  abounds  in  the  rural  districts  of  this  region.  Their  broad-rimmed  straw  hats, 
like  the  Mexican  sombrero,  aflbrd  ample  protection  against  the  hot  sun.  These  also  are 
home-made,  and  the  manufacture  of  them  for  our  markets,  during  the  long  Canadian  win- 
ters, affords  quite  a  cash  revenue  to  most  of  the  families.      These  simple  people  are  generally 


174 


PICTORIAL   FIELD. BOOK 


The  Richelieu  and  its  Rapids. 


Chambly. 


The  Fort. 


Beloeil  Mountain. 


Large  Cross, 


uneducated,  and  superstition  is  a  strong  feature  in  their   religious  character.     They  are 

honest,  kind-hearted,  and  industrious,  have  few 
wants,  hve  frugally,  and,  in  their  way,  seem  tc 
enjoy  a  large  share  of  earthly  happiness. 

The  Richelieu  has  either  a  swift  current  oi 
noisy  rapids  nearly  the  whole  distance  between 
St.  John's  and  Chambly.  The  stream  is  broad, 
and  in  many  places  deep,  for  it  is  the  outlet  Ibi 
the  whole  volume  of  the  waters  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain  into  the  St.  Lawrence.  In  some  place.' 
the  foaming  rapids  produce  a  picturesque  effect 
to  the  eye  and  ear,  and  vary  the  pleasure  of 
the  otherwise  rather  monotonous  journey  be- 
tween the  two  villages. 

Chambly  is  an  old  tovra,  at  the  foot  of  the 
rapids,  and  bears  evidence  of  thrift.    A  French- 
man bearing  that  name  built  a  small  wood  fori 
there,  which  was  afterward  replaced  by  the 
solid  stone   structure  pictured  on  pf^j^    171. 
The  latter  retained  the  name  of  the  original 
fort,  as  also  does  the  village.     It  is  a  military 
station  at  present,  and,  being  at  the  head  of 
the  navigation  of  the  Richelieu  or  Sorel  from  the  St.  Lawrence,  has  a  commanding  position 
The  river  here,  at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  expands  into  a  circular  basin  about  a  mile  and  a  hall 
in  diameter.      The  old  fort  is  dismantled  and  ung^arrisoned,  and  is  now  used  only  for  i 

1848 

store-house.  Near  it  are  seen  the  remains  of  the  battery  erected  by  Bedell,  while  pre 
paring  to  storm  the  fort  in  1775.  I  tarried  at  Chambly  long  enough  only  to  reconnoiter  an( 
sketch  the  old  fortress  and  the  features  of  the  Beloeil,  the  only  mountain  range  in  view,  anc 


Canadian  Peasant  Girl. 


Beloeil  Mountain. i 

then  went  to  an  inn  to  dine,  a  mile  on  the  road  toward  Longueuil.  There  I  learned  tha 
a,  French  Canadian,  nearly  one  hundred  years  old,  was  living  near.  Although  the  sun  wa: 
dechning,  and  we  had  seventeen  miles'  travel  before  us,  I  determined  to  visit  the  old  mai 

^  This  sketch  is  taken  from  the  southeast  angle  of  old  Fort  Chambly,  showing  the  rapids  in  the  fore 
pround.  The  mountain  is  twenty  miles  distant,  near  the  Sorel.  On  the  highest  point  of  the  range  th( 
Bishop  of  Nancy,  a  French  prelate,  erected  a  huge  cross  in  1843,  the  pedestal  of  which  was  sufiicientl] 
large  to  form  a  chapel  capable  of  containing  fifty  persons.  In  November,  1847,  during  a  severe  thunder 
pust,  the  lightning  and  wind  completely  demolished  the  cross,  but  spared  the  pedestal,  and  that,  beinc 
•j'hite,  may  be  seen  at  a  great  distance 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


1  7a 


Francois  Yeat. 


His  Age  and  Reminiscences. 


Temperance  Pledge. 


Ride  to  Longueuil. 


A  Caleche. 


and  sound  his  memory.  We  met  him  upon  the  road,  coming  toward  the  inn  He  had  just 
left  his  rake  in  the  field,  and  had  on  a  leather  apron  and  broad-rimmed  hat.  He  was  a  small, 
firmly-built  man,  apparently  sixty-five  years  old.  Conversation  with  him  was  difficult,  foi 
his  dialect,  professedly  French,  was  far  worse  than  Gascon.  Still  we  managed  to  under- 
stand each  other,  and  I  gleaned  from  him,  daring  our  brief  interview,  the  facts  that  he  wa,8 
born  in  Quebec  in  1752  ;  remembered  the  storming  of  the  city  by  the  English  under  Wolfe  ; 
removed  to  Chambly  in  1770  ;  was  a  spectator  of  the  capture  of  the  fort  by  a  detachment 
from  Montgomery's  army  in  1775  ;  assisted  in  furnishing  stores  for  Burgoyne's  army  at  St 
John's  in  1777  ;  and  has  lived  upon  and  cultivated  the  same  small  farm  of  thirty  acres  from 
that  time  until  the  present.  He  was  ninety-six  years  old,  and  appeared  to  have  stamina  suf- 
ficient for  twenty  years  more  of  active  life.  He  seemed  to  be  a  simple-hearted  creature,  igno- 
rant of  the  world  beyond  the  Richelieu  and  the  adjacent  village,  and  could  not  comprehend 
my  movements  while  sketching  his  honest  countenance.      He  was  delighted,  however,  when 


he  saw  the  outlines  of  an 
old  man's  face,  and  knew 
them  to  be  his  own ;  and 
when  I  presented  him 
with  a  silver  coin,  he 
laughed  hke  a  pleased 
child.  But  when  the 
young  man  who  accom- 
panied me,  with  intend- 
ed generosity,  offered 
him  a  glass  of  brandy, 
his  eyes  sparkled  with 
indignation,  and  in  his 
bad  French  he  uttered 
an  emphatic  refusal.  He 
had  signed  the  temper- 


Francois  Vest. 


fore,  and  he  felt  insulted 
by  the  seeming  attempt 
to  win  him  from  his  al- 
legiance. Glorious  old 
convert,  and  firm  old 
preacher  of  principle  in 
the  very  den  of  the  fierce 
lion,  for  decanters  were 
at  his  elbow,  and  a 
friendly  hand  proffered 
the  contents  to  his  lips  I 
A  vow  of  total  absti- 
nence from  intoxicating 
drinks  at  the  age  oi' 
ninety-five  I  For  that 
I  pressed  the  hard  hand 
of  Francois  Yest  with 


ance  pledge  a  year  be- 

a  firmer  grasp  when  I  bade  him  adieu. 

We  had  a  pleasant  ride  from  Chambly  to  Longueuil  (seventeen  miles)  over  a  plank  road. 
Unlike  similar  roads  in  New  York,  the  planks  were  laid  diagonally.  They  had  been  in  use 
twelve  years,  and  were  but  little  decayed.  The  country  all  the  way  to  the  St.  Lawrence 
is  flat.  The  soil,  though  rather  wet,  is  productive,  and  almost  every  rood  of  it  was  under 
cultivation.      Here  and  there  were  a  few  groves,  but  no  forests  ;   and  a  solitary  huge  bowlder 

by  the  road-side,  shivered  by  lightning,  was  the 
only  rock  that  I  saw  between  the  Richelieu  and 
the  St.  Lawrence.  When  within  three  miles  of 
Longueuil,  the  glittering  domes  and  spires  of  Mont- 
real appeared  in  the  distance  like  gems  set  in  the 
dark  mountain  that  formed  a  background  beyond. 
It  was  five  o'clock  when  we  reached  Lon- 
gueuil, a  mile  and  a  half  below  Montreal,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  There  I  parted 
from  the  young  gentleman  whose  light  wagon  had  conveyed  me  from  St.  John's,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Montreal  on  the  steam  ferry-boat  that  connects  it  with  Longueuil.  Neither  cab 
nor  omnibus  was  in  waiting,  and  I  was  obliged  to  ride  a  mile  in  a  rickety  caleche,'  drawn 

'  The  caleche  is  a  two-wheeled  vehicle,  much  used  in  Lower  Canada.  It  is  similar  in  form  to  our  gig, 
but,  instead  of  having  but  one  seat,  there  is  one  for  the  driver  upon  the  dash-board.  Four  can  ride  com- 
fortably in  one  of  them.  Some  are  made  elegantly,  with  a  folding  cover  to  ward  off  the  sun  or  rain,  and 
they  are  a  pleasant  vehicle  to  ride  in.  I  found  them  in  universal  use  in  the  narrow  streets  of  Quebec.  Such 
was  the  vehicle  in  use  in  Canada  at  the  time  of  our  Revolution,  and  mentioned  by  the  Baroness  Reidese) 
13  the  kind  in  which  she  and  her  children  traveled  with  the  British  array. 


A  Thunder-struck  Rock. 


176 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


fUde  in  a  Caleche. 


Safe  Arrival  of  my  Companion. 


An  Evening  Stroll. 


Aurora  Borealk 


A    C.4LECHE. 


by  a  representative  of  E-osinante.      The  vehicle,  horse,  driver,  and  ride  altojrether  made  a 
i'unny  affair.      The  driver  was  a  little  Frenchman,  with  a 
jocky-coat  and  breeches,  and  a  red  tasseled  skull-cap.      All  (  r'"  ''-. 

the  way  he  belabored  his  beast  with  blows  and  curses,  but 
ihe  animal's  hide  and  ears  seemed  impervious.  I  could  think 
of  nothing  but  a  parody  on  a  couplet  of  the  old  song,  "  If  1 
had  a  donkey,"  &:c.  *As  we  wheeled  up  a  narrow  court  from 
St.  Paul's  Street  to  the  Exchange  Hotel,  a  merry  laugh  of 
half  a  furlong's  audibility  rang  out  from  a  group  of  young 
ladies  upon  an  upper  piazza,  and  that  was  my  first  evidence 
that  my  traveling  companion,  Miss  B — ,  had  arrived  safely, 
as  per  consignment  in  the  morning  to  the  care  of  the  urbane  proprietors  of  that  excellent 
establishment.  She  had  rambled  through  the  city  with  pleasant  company  until  thoroughly 
wearied,  so  I  took  an  evening  stroU  alone.  The  day  had  been  very  warm,  but  the  evening 
was  cool.  The  stars  were  brilliant,  yet  it  was  too  dark  to  see  much  beyond  the  dim  forms 
of  massy  buildings,  wrapped  in  deep  shadows.  But  above,  in  the  far  north,  a  phenomenon 
seldom  exhibited  in  summer  was  gorgeously  displayed  ;  more  so  than  we  often  see  it  in 
lower  latitudes  in  winter,  and  I  stood  an  hour  ux  the  Place  d'Arms,  watching  the  ever- 
changing  beauties  of  the  brilliant  Aurora  Borealis.  It  is  a  strange  sight,  and  well  might 
the  ignorant  and  superstitious  of  other  times  regard  it  with  fearful  wonder.  Lomonbsov^  a 
native  Russian  poet,  thus  refers  to  the  sublime  spectacle  : 


What  fills  with  dazzling  beams  the  illumined  air  ? 

What  wakes  the  fleuiies  that  light  the  firmament  ? 
The  lightning's  flash ;  there  is  no  thunder  there, 

And  earth  and  heaven  with  fier}'  sheets  are  blent ; 
The  winter's  night  now  gleams  with  brighter,  lovelier  ray 
Than  ever  yet  adorned  the  golden  summer's  day. 

Is  there  some  vast,  some  hidden  magazine, 

Where  the  gross  darkness  flames  of  fire  supplies — 

Some  phosphorous  fabric,  which  the  mountains  screen, 
Whose  clouds  of  light  above  those  mountains  rise, 

When  the  winds  rattle  loud  around  the  foaming  sea, 

And  lift  the  waves  to  heaven  in  thunderingr  revelry  ?" 


OF  THE  RETOLUTIOX.  177 


A  BUe  ■•  Ae  Mo^^M.      Imtami^me  \mm.     VmL1mtKCStfCk:i:T:^-i 


chaptee.  vm. 

BDE  p)ea>«iirPHappkpy  vul  Bad  muck  alnat  Mnrtieal  to  azmee  ium:  aai  the 

staid  tnTckr,  seaidung  fiv  die  gdd  of  •eaenl  kmnriedge;  waAt  SH  m  lange 

:!ij.ptermliis  joaiBal,  in  uTimling  what  is  uuteauitkj  anHBg  ^fBeaemHHmgi 

yGae  m  a  tour  too  sjpeeifie  im  its  sin  to  aDov  Hack  fjlililr  of  ie- 

. cm  Ustiade  reseucfc,  aid.  llwftfat,  tirngs  imJuaal,  jet  iacideaft- 

:  witk  the  oljeeig  cf  the  jomty,  — t  he  fniiril  hy  iritk  Irief 


Eaiiy  ca  the  iMWHiHg  after  oar  anrral  we  jined  pnaesaBdeo^ 
pojiT  'with  a  jon^  MfiiiHil  coi^le  from  Bmft^iii,  who  wegeca  a 
veddiB'jamt.aHd.pnieiiiii^ahBiaaehe^'w^ift  ontto  viatthe  "fioH'af  Ae 
dtj  and  admhs.  We  fiist  lode  to  Ae  «  Moatsb."  a  k^  hiU  ob  the  wcs^ 
intheiearofthedtr.  compseeddhieiN'ofagnrtafeanyo^Jtny<oAtf^[%^ 

fanrf-A  witli  anil  npiM  itot  aamnrwnit,  ail  ijwfj  wMi  a.  fere^  of  gn— 11  tieeg-      The  load,  as 
it  winds  up  its  eonthem  slope,  passes  the  Pnest^  Faim.*  the  Govexnoc^s  Palace.  iZ:l  znxz-r 
beantiibl  Tillas,  and  opois  to  the  viev  a  kvi^,  colliTaied  cowntij OA  tho^if^fn  ; 
idand  and  the  Ideof  Jesos  befoid.     Near  the  SBEonit  of  the  nwti^    :  i 
pletdj  CBv^doped  in  tiees  and  dnnbfaoy,  wheve  iees*  wines^  and  fiait  :  t 
We  katered  in  its  sweet  flowev^aidens  Sat  haM*  an  howr,  and  then  aseti 
Beantifiil  panorama !     The  ci^,  with  its  ■miinuiih  ftHnhirA  tin  roofiE^  li 
bet  in  the  moniiig  son.     The  btoad  St.  I<awience^  deft  hf  St.  ISekz. 
analler  islands,  was  teemii^  widi  water  craft,  and  m  evciy  diirrfinn  -  ^ 

totted  with  little  ^nBages,  eaA  hainai^  its  dmrdh,  "pointiBg  its  layer  g; 
We  descended  the  notthem  dope  of  the  moontain  to  tibe  citf;  and  ti^ 
the  BidM^'s  Chnndi,  one  cf  the  laigest  and  most  ritMf  deearated  ck  ^ 
proTince.     It  is  the  cathedral  (^  die  titular  Bidii^  of  Montiea],  and  ; 
European  paintii^  over  the  several  ahais.     There  were  w<a'ihi|ifiwi  a:  - 
some  of  the  mnfifTiinnalfi  wmu  oontard  hf  peniteals  and  pnest&.     Am  - 
M  Frenchman,  showed  ns  a  wnnhfT  of  le&B^  and  WAiucd  ns^  hf  a  pnnle^i 
that  certain  prajos  and  moneyHifltiiBgs  at  the  difianat  dudaes  wonL: 
tianagressians.     Oar  Protestant  edneatian  tang^  as  that  pnyera  wilhc . 
ii^ ;  and  our  frith  in  this  particalar  heai^  hike  a  ■■grain  of  nnBlaid  5.. 
monej  and  time,  and  hastened  to  the  Parliament  HnoBe  and  the  Grey  >' 
stepped  into  the  capaooos  parish  Chnreh  or  Cadiedral  of  Notre  Dic- 
a  marlde  fiint  said  to  be  twdre  hundred  yeais  old,  having  hekagec 
the  seventh  caituiy.     We  visited  the  Legidalive  chamhrrt  and  tc 
Parliament  House,*  and  then  rai^  fir  ortranee  at  the  gate  of  Ae  C 
eni  Ba^pital  tftke  CharUtdle  Sisten.     TUi^  as  am  slmiirT  of  c 

>  TVs  "  Ptiests' Faim"    : 
ade  of  te  "^  Moaatain/'     T 
■■i  kaT«  aa  aadqae  s- 
■cr.  are  a  auiklj  re^ 

*  Tke  PariMBoat  K 
pivtiato,  'wore  Wraec 
vore  too  rara  to  he  repi^c^ec. 


178 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  Grey  Nuns  at  Prayer. 


First  Settlements  at  Montreal. 


Jealousy  of  the  Indians. 


..diflMlpfOffiijr  ffEK 


ters  of  Charity  connected  with  it,  being  devoted  to  the  relief  of  poor  and  infirrri  old  persons, 
and  the  nurture  and  education  of  orphans.'  The  building  is  spacious,  and  a  large  number 
of  both  classes  are  there  made  comfortable.  Our  visit  was  at  mid-day.  When  the  clock 
struck  twelve,  a  long  procession  of  the  nuns,  veiled,  marched  slowly  into  the  chapel,  singing 
a  Gregorian  chant,  and  knelt  within  the  nave  in  prayer.  We  followed  in  respectful  silence. 
Each  nun  had  a  small  crucifix  and  string  of  beads  attached  ;  and  whatever  may  have  been 
the  case  with  their  thoughts,  their  eyes  never  wandered,  notwithstand- 
ing strangers  were  gazing  upon  them.  They  were  habited  in  dark 
drab  dresses,  bound  with  black  velvet  and  looped  up  behind  ;  aprons 
with  stripes,  and  over  the  head  (on  which  they  wore  a  cap  with  a  deep 
border),  covering  the  face  and  neck,  a  thin  black  veil  was  thrown, 
through  which  the  features  were  discernible.  Some  were  young  and 
pretty,  others  old  and  plain,  but  the  sacred  character  of  their  labor  of 
love  invested  them  all  with  beauty.  We  visited  a  few  other  places 
of  note,  and,  after  "  lunch,"  I  left  my  company  and  went  down  to 
Longueuil,  where  Carletoii  was  defeated  by  Warner  in  1775.  We 
are  upon  historic  ground  ;  let  us  open  the  old  volume  a  few  moments. 
Montreal  is  built  upon  an  island  thirty  miles  long  and  twelve  wide, 
and  is  upon  the  site  of  ancient  Hochelaga,  a  noted  Indian  village 
which  gave  its  name  to  the  river  in  this  vicinity.  The  first  white 
man  who  visited  the  spot  was  Jaques  Quartier  or  Cartier,  a  October  3 
French  navigator,  who  discovered  the  Gulf  and  River  St.  ^°'^^- 
Lawrence,  and  gave  them  the  name  they  bear.*  The  vicinity,  even 
up  the  slopes  of  the  mountain,  was  tilled  and  covered  with  corn-fields. 
Cartier  was  enchanted  with  the  view  from  the  mountain — a  view  of 
"  thirty  leagues  radius" — and,  in  honor  of  his  king  (Francis  I.),  he  called  it  Mount  Royal. 
In  time  the  name  was  modified  to  Montreal,  and  in  this  form  was  borne  by  the  white  settle- 
ment that  gathered  there  in  1640.  The  spot  was  consecrated  by  the  superior  of  the  Jesuits, 
and  a  chapel  built  in  1642. 

The  Indians,  at  first  friendly,  became  jealous,  and  at  length  hostile.  The  town  was  stock- 
aded and  slight  bastions  were  built,  but  finally  a  strong  wall  of  masonry  was  constructed, 
fifteen  feet  high,  with  battlements  and  six  gates.  The  town  gradually  increased  in  size  and 
commercial  importance,  and  at  the  time  of  our  Revolution  was  nearly  as  populous  as  Quebec. 
When,  toward  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  hostilities  commenced  between  the  English  and 
French  colonies,  Montreal  was  an  important  place  as  a  frontier  town.  There  Duquesnc 
de  Menneville^  and  Vaudreuil  de  Cavagnal,  French  governors  of  Canada,  fitted  out  their  ex- 
peditions against  the  English  on  the  Ohio  and  the  unfriendly  Indians  of  New  York.  Mont- 
re^ai^was  threatened  by  the  English  under  Amherst  in  1759,  but  it  was  not  until  the  autumn 
Septembers     °^  1760  that  it  passed  out  of  the  possession  of  the  French.      Quebec  surrendered 


Grey  Nun  Praying. 


1760. 


a  year  before,  and  Vaudreuil  retreated  to  Montreal,  with  a  determination  to  make 


^  This  hospital  was  founded  by  M.  Charron  and  others,  in  1692.  In  1748  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  a 
society  of  ladies,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  Madame  Youville,  who,  bein^  left  a  widow  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight,  determined  to  devote  her  life  and  fortune  to  the  relief  of  the  infirm  poor.  In  1755  the  plan  of  the 
establishment  was  enlarged,  so  as  to  embrace  orphans,  the  cause  of  which  was  singular,  as  given  in  Bos- 
worth's  "  Picture  of  Montreal."  One  winter  day,  as  Madame  Y.  was  passing  the  "  Little  River,"  she  saw 
an  infant  hard  frozen  in  the  ice,  with  a  poniard  sticking  in  its  throat,  and  one  of  its  little  hands  raised  through 
the  ice  as  if  in  the  attitude  of  demanding  justice  against  the  perpetrator  of  the  crime.  Madame  Y.  was 
dreadfully  shocked  at  the  sight,  and,  on  consultation  with  her  associates,  it  was  resolved  to  extend  their 
charity  and  protection  to  orphans  and  foundlings. 

^  He  arrived  in  the  gulf  on  the  festival  of  St.  Lawrence  (10th  of  August),  and^  on  account  of  that  circum- 
stance, named  the  waters  in  honor  of  the  saint. 

'  He  built  a  fort  on  the  Ohio,  which  was  called  Fort  Duquesne.  It  is  memorable  as  the  place  near 
which  Braddock  was  defeated  in  1755,  when  Washington's  military  talents  were  first  conspicuously  devel- 
^ped.     The  name  of  the  fort  was  changed  to  Pitt,  and  the  present  city  of  Pittsburgh  stands  upon  its  site. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION 


1  79 


Montreal  in  1760. 


Captured  by  the  English. 


Ethan  Allen  in  Canada. 


Proposed  Attack  on  Montreal. 


there  a  bold  stand  in  defense  of  French  dominion  in  Canada.      The  English  invested  Mont- 


ViEw  OF  Montreal  and  its  Walls  in  1760.' 
From  an  old  French  prin^ 

real  in  September,  1760.  Amherst  approached  down  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Oswego,  Gen- 
eral Murray  advanced  up  the  river  from  Quebec,  and  Colonel  Haviland  took  post  on  the 
south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  opposite  the  city.  Vaudreuil  perceived  that  re-  September  6 
sistance  would  be  vain,  and  two  days  afterward  the  city  was  surrendered  to  the  '^~^^- 

English.  With  this  event  French  dominion  ceased  in  Canada.  The  terms  of  capitulation 
were  honorable  to  both  parties.  Private  property  was  respected  ;  the  revenues  of  the  priest- 
hood were  held  sacred  to  their  use ;  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  was  undisturbed  ;  the 
privileges  of  all  classes  were  preserved  and  guarantied  ;  and  every  thing  was  done  to  recon- 
cile the  people  to  their  new  masters.  General  Gage,  afterward  Governor  of  Massachusetts, 
was  appointed  Governor  of  Montreal. 

Montreal  remained  in  quiet  possession  of  the  English  until  1775,  when  the  invading  army 
of  the  insurgent  colonies  disturbed  its  repose,  after  the  capture  of  Forts  St.  John's  and  Cham- 
bly.  A  month  previous  to  these  events  the  town  was  alarmed  by  the  appearance  of  an 
American  detachment  under  Ethan  Allen,  but  the  result  quieted  their  fears.  When  the 
command  of  the  Northern  army  devolved  upon  Montgomery,  he  sent  Allen,  who  had  been 
traversing  Canada  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  retrace  his  steps  and  further 
jApeuse  the  people  in  favor  of  the  rebellion.  Active  and  brave,  Allen  gathered  a  large  num- 
ber to  his  standard.  A  week  after  he  left  the  American  camp  at  Isle  Aux  Noix  he  was  at 
St.  Ours,  twelve  miles  south  of  the  Sorel,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  Canadians  under  arms 
He  wrote  to  Montgomery  that  within  three  days  he  would  join  him  in  laying  siege  to  St. 
John's,  with  at  least  five  hundred  armed  Canadians.  On  his  way  to  join  the  main  army, 
he  marched  up  the  east  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Longucuil.  When  between  that  place 
and  La  Prairie,  he  fell  in  with  Major  Brown,  at  the  head  of  an  advanced  party  of  Ameri- 
cans and  Canadians,  who  informed  him  that  Montreal  was  weak  and  defenseless,  and  pro- 
posed to  make  a  joint  attack  upon  the  city.  Allen  had  confidence  in  the  courage  and  judg- 
ment of  Brown,  and,  as  the  scheme  opened  an  adventurous  field,  he  agreed  to  the  proposition 


^  The  island  with  buildings,  seen  on  the  left,  is  St.  Helen's  or  Helena,  now  strongly  fortified.  It  is  in 
front  of  the  city,  a  mile  distant,  and  is  a  beautiful  summer  resort.  It  formerly  belonged  to  the  Barons  of 
Longueuil,  and  is  now  the  property  of  the  crown.  The  picture  is  a  fac-simile  of  the  print,  with  all  its  de- 
I'ects  in  drawinir. 


180  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Battle  near  Montreal.       Capture  of  Allen.       Brutality  of  Prescott.       Harsh  Treatment  of  the  Prisoners.       Biography  of  Allen. 

Allen  was  to  return  to  Longueuil.  procure  canoes,  and  cross  the  St.  Lawrence  with  his  troops 
below  the  city,  while  Brown  was  to  cross  above  the  town,  with  two  hundred  men,  and  the 
attack  was  to  be  made  at  opposite  points  simultaneously. 

Septerniier  24,         Allen  crossed  the  river  at  night  with  eighty  Canadians  and  thirty  Americans. 
i'''^^-  It  was  a  rough,  windy  night,  and  so  few  were  the  canoes  that  they  had  to  cross 

three  times,  yet  the  whole  party  passed  the  foaming  waters  in  the  light  vessels  safely  before 
daylight.  At  dawn  Allen  expected  to  hear  the  signal  of  Brown,  but  the  morning  advanced, 
and  it  was  evident  that  the  latter  had  not  crossed  over.  Guards  were  placed  upon  the  roads 
to  prevent  persons  from  carrying  intelligence  into  the  town,  and  Allen  would  have  retreated 
if  his  boats  could  have  carried  all  over  at  once. 

The  Americans  being  discovered,  armed  men  were  soon  seen  issuing  from  the  gates.  A 
force  of  forty  British  regulars,  more  than  two  hundred  Canadians,  and  a  few  Indians  caine 
down  upon  them  from  the  town ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  disparity  in  numbers,  such  was 
the  bravery  of  some  of  the  Americans,  that  the  engagement  lasted  an  hour  and  three  quar- 
ters. At  length,  his  men  having  all  deserted  but  twenty-eight,  seven  of  whom  were  wound- 
ed, Allen  agreed  to  a  surrender  upon  being  promised  honorable  terms.  They  were  marched 
to  Montreal,  and  the  officers  who  were  on  the  field  acted  very  civilly  toward  them  ;  but  M'hen 
they  were  delivered  into  the  custody  of  General  Prescott,  they  experienced  the  most  brutal 
treatment  at  his  hands.  On  learning,  by  conversation  with  Allen,  that  he  was  the  same 
man  who  had  captured  Ticonderoga,  Prescott  was  greatly  enraged,  threatened  him  with  a 
halter,  and  ordered  him  to  be  bound  hand  and  foot  in  irons  and  placed  on  board  the  Gaspee 
war  schooner.  A  bar  of  iron  eight  feet  long  was  attached  to  his  shackles,  and,  with  his  fel- 
low-prisoners, who  were  fastened  together  in  pairs  with  handcufis,  he  was  thrust  into  the 
lowest  part  of  the  ship,  where  neither  seat  nor  bed  was  allowed  them.^      We  shall  have  con- 

^  Ethan  Allen  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Litchfield  county,  in  Connecticut.  He  went  to  Vermont  at  an  early 
aTe,  and  about  1770  took  an  active  part  in  the  disturbances  that  occurred  between  the  Hampshire  Grants 
and  the  state  of  New  York.  The  Legislature  of  the  latter  province  proclaimed  him  an  outlaw,  and  offered 
fifty  pounds  sterling  for  his  apprehension.  A  party,  determining  to  capture  him  while  on  a  visit  to  his  friends 
in  Salisbury  and  lodge  him  in  the  jail  at  Poughkeepsie,  came  near  effecting  their  object.  He  afterward  led 
the  expedition  against  Ticonderoga,  and  his  former  sins  were  forgotten  by  his  enemies.  In  the  autumn  of 
1775  he  was  twice  sent  into  Canada  to  observe  the  disposition  of  the  people,  and,  if  possible,  win  them 
over  to  the  American  cause.  On  returning  from  his  last  tour  to  camp,  he  was  induced  by  Major  Brown  to 
cross  the  St.  Lawrence  and  attack  Montreal.  The  former  failed  to  co-operate  with  him,  and  he  was  cap- 
tured and  put  in  irons.  He  remained  five  weeks  in  irons  on  board  the  Gaspee,  at  Montreal,  and  when 
Carleton  was  repulsed  by  Warner  at  Longueuil,  the  vessel  was  sent  down  to  Quebec.  There  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  another  vessel,  where  he  was  treated  humanely,  and  sent  to  England  to  be  tried  for  treason.  He 
was  placed  in  charge  of  Brook  Watson,  a  resident  of  Montreal,  and  afterward  Lord  Mayor  of  London.  Al- 
len, in  his  Trotesque  garb,  attracted  great  attention  in  the  streets  of  Falmouth,  where  he  was  landed.  He 
was  confined  for  a  time  in  Pendennis  Castle,  near  Falmouth,  and  was  sent  to  Halifax  in  the  spring  of  1776. 
He  was  confined  in  jail  there  until  autumn,  and  was  then  sent  to  New  York,  then  in  possession  of  the  Brit- 
ish. There  he  was  kept  about  a  year  and  a  half.  In  May,  1778,  he  was  exchanged  for  Colonel  Camp- 
bell, and  returned  to  his  fireside  in  Vermont.  He  never  afterward  actively  engaged  in  military  service. 
He  died  at  Colchester,  Vermont,  February  13th,  1789,  and  his  remains  repose  in  a  beautiful  cemetery  near 
the  Wincoski,  at  Burlington.  Ethan  Allen  was  a  blunt,  honest  man,  of  purest  virtue  and  sternest  integrity. 
In  religion  he  was  a  free-thinker,  and  passed  for  an  infidel.  An  anecdote  is  related  of  him,  which  illus- 
trates the  purity  of  his  principles.  He  owed  a  citizen  of  Boston  sixty  pounds,  for  which  he  gave  his  prom- 
issory note.  It  was  sent  to  Vermont  for  collection.  It  was  inconvenient  for  Allen  to  pay,  and  the  note 
was  put  in  suit.  Allen  employed  a  lawyer  to  attend  the  court,  and  have  the  judgment  postponed  until  he 
could  raise  the  money.  The  lawyer  determined  to  deny  the  genuineness  of  the  signature,  as  the  readiest 
method  of  postponing  the  matter,  for  in  that  case  a  witness  at  Boston  would  have  to  be  sent  for.  When 
the  case  was  called,  it  happened  that  Allen  was  in  a  re- 
mote part  of  the  court-house,  and,  to  his  utter  astonish- 
ment, heard  his  lawyer  gravely  deny  the  signature  of  the 

note.     With  long  and  fierce  strides  he  rushed  through    9/^/7/^  /H^^t^y 
the  crowd,  and,  confronting  the  amazed  "  limb  of  the  law,"    \c^C/  rt^^^^^^l^  \ 
rebuked  him  in  a  voice  of  thunder.     "  Mr. ,  I  did  not 

hire  you  to  come  here  and  lie.     That  is  a  true  note — I  „, ^.,„^    „  ^„„  „  a,.^., 

.',  .         ,,,  .  ,   ,,.,  ■        T  Signature  of  ethan  Allen. 

signed  It — 111  swear  to  it — and  111  pay  it.     i  want  no 

shuffling,  I  want  time.     What  I  employed  you  for  was  to  get  this  business  put  over  to  the  next  w>urt,  not 


UF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


]  81 


Montgomery's  March  upon  Montreal.     Flight  and  Capture  of  Prescott.     Escape  of  Carleton.     Mutiny  in  Montgomery "b  Camp. 

siderable  to  say  of  the  character  and  career  of  the  brutal  Prescott,  while  cornmaudiug  after- 
ward on  Rhode  Island. 

The  cause  of  Major  Brown's  failure  to  cross,  and,  with  Allen,  attack  Montreal,  has  never 
been  explained.  The  plan  was  good,  and  would  doubtless  have  been  successful.  Half  car- 
ried out,  it  proved  disastrous,  and  both  Brown  and  Allen  were  blamed,  the  one  for  propos- 
ing, the  other  for  attempting,  such  a  hazardous  enterprise. 

After  the  fall  of  St.  John's,  General  Montgomery  pressed  on  toward  Montreal.  Carleton 
knew  its  weakness,  and  at  once  retreated  on  board  one  of  the  vessels  of  a  small  fleet  lying  in 
the  river.  Montgomery  entered  the  town  in  triumph  the  day  after  Carleton  and  Novembe*  13 
the  garrison  left  it.      He  treated  the  people  humanely,  and  secured  their  confi-  i'^~^- 

dence  and  good  will.  Finding  there  a  large  supply  of  woolen  goods,  he  set  about  clothing 
his  army,  so  that  those  who  accompanied  him  further  in  the  campaign  might  be  prepared 
lor  the  rigors  of  a  Canadian  winter. 

As  soon  as  Montgomery  saw  the  disposition  of  the  garrison  to  flee,  he  dispatched  Colonel 
Easton  with  Continental  troops,  cannon,  and  armed  gondolas  to  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel. 
This  force  was  so  advantageously  posted  that  the  British  fleet  could  not  pass,  and  General 
Prescott,  several  officers,  members  of  the  Canadian  Council,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty 
private  soldiers,  with  all  the  vessels,  surrendered  by  capitulation.'  -At  the  midnight  preced- 
mg  Governor  Carleton  was  conveyed  in  a  boat,  with  muffled  oars,  past  the  American  post 
to  Three  Rivers,  and 
arrived  safely  at  Que- 
bec. The  Americans 
were  very  anxious  to 
secure  Governor  Carle- 
ton, for  his  talents,  judg- 
ment, and  influence 
formed  the  basis  of 
strength  against  the 
invaders.  They  were 
watchful  in  their  guard- 
boats,  but  a  dark  night 
and  a  secret  way  fa- 
vored his  escape,  and 
they  secured  a  far  in- 
ferior captive  in  Pres- 
cott, whose  conduct,  on 
many  occasions,  made 
him  a  disgrace  to  the 
British  army. 

Notwithstanding  all 


the  important  posts  in 
Canada  except  Quebec 
were  now  in  possession 
of  the  Americans,  Mont- 
gomery justly  asserted, 
in  a  letter  to  Congress, 
that,  "till  Quebec  is 
taken,  Canada  is  un- 
conquered."  Impress- 
ed with  this  idea,  he 
determined  to  push  for- 
ward to  the  capital  de- 
spite the  inclemency  of 
the  season  and  the  de- 
sertion of  his  troops. 
The  term  of  service  of 
many  had  expired,  and 
others  absolutely  refus- 
ed to  proceed  further. 
Insubordination  mani- 
fested itself  among  the 
officers,  and  it  required  all  the  address  the  general  was  master  of  to  induce  a  respectable 
force  to  march  to  Quebec,  after  garrisoning  Montreal.      But  amid  all  these  discouragements 

to  come  here  and  lie  and  juggle  about  it."  The  result  was,  that  the  postponement  of  the  claim  was  anii- 
zably  arranged  between  the  two  lawyers. 

'  There  were  eleven  sail  of  vessels.  Their  contents  were  760  barrels  of  flour,  675  barrels  of  beef,  376 
firkins  of  butter,  3  barrels  of  powder,  4  nine  and  six  pounders,  cartridges  and  ball,  2380  musket  cartridges, 
8  chests  of  arms,  200  pairs  of  shoes,  and  a  quantity  of  intrenching  tools. 

*  Guy  Carleton,  afterward  Lord  Dorchester,  was  Wolfe's  quartermaster  at  the  storming  of  Quebec,  and 
was  appointed  a  major  in  the  British  army  in  1772.  In  1774  he  was  constituted  Captain-general  and  Gov- 
ernor of  Quebec  or  Canada.  He  successfully  commanded  the  British  at  Quebec  when  attacked  by  ^lont- 
gomery  in  1775,  compelled  the  Americans  to  raise  the  siege  in  1776,  and  drove  them  out  of  the  province. 
In  October  he  recaptured  Crown  Point.  He  was  unjustly  superseded  in  military  command  by  Burpoyiie 
m  1777.  He  was  appointed  to  succeed  Sir  Henry  Clinton  in  1782,  and  was  in  command  of  the  British 
troops  when  they  evacuated  New  York  on  the  25th  of  November,  1783.  He  died  in  England  at  the  close 
of  1808,  aged  83  years 


Sir  Guy  Cakleton.^ 

From  a  London  print  dated  1782. 


182  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Return  Home  of  the  Disaffected.  Visit  to  Longueuil.  Tlie  Village  Oracle.  Fruitless  Historical  Research. 

the  hopeful  general  did  not  despair.  He  knew  that  Arnold  was  traversing  the  wilderness 
along  the  Kennebeck  and  the  Chaudiere  to  join  him,  and  was  then,  perhaps,  menacing  Que- 
bec ;  and  he  knew  also  that  the  troops  under  Carleton  and  M'Lean  were  hardly  adequate  to 
defend  the  city,  even  against  a  smaller  force  than  his  own.  He  winnowed  his  army  of  the 
recusant  and  mutinous,  and  then  pushed  onward  down  the  St.  Lawrence.' 

I  remarked  that  I  left  my  pleasant  company  at  Montreal,  and  went  down  to  Longueuil. 
My  object  was  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  place  where  Warner  planted  his  battery  and  re- 
pulsed the  boats  of  Carleton.  Longueuil  is  an  old  town,  chiefly  composed  of  small  stone 
honses  with  steep  roofs.  It  has  a  spacious  French  church,  of  antique  appearance,  though 
not  more  than  thirty  years  old.  The  people  all  speak  bad  French,  and  for  more  than  an 
hour  I  sought  the  "  oldest  inhabitant."  That  mysterious  creature  was  an  old  woman  of 
unknown  age,  and  so  deaf  that  she  could  not  hear  half  I  said,  or  understand  a  word.  I  re- 
ciprocated the  latter  infirmity,  and  now  confess  profound  ignorance  of  all  she  attempted  to 
say.  An  intelligent  lad  came  to  the  rescue,  and  silenced  our  jargon  batteries  by  referring 
me  to  his  uncle,  who  lived  near  the  beach,  and  "  knew  every  thing."  He  was  a  man  about 
fifty,  and  spoke  English  pretty  well.  I  made  my  business  known,  and  he  at  once  assumed 
the  patronizing  air  of  Sir  Oracle,  said  he  knew  it  all,  and  pointed  to  the  shore  a  little  above 
as  the  very  spot  where  "  the  cavalry  horses  were  stabled,"  and  where  "  the  English  dragoons 
drank  a  health  to  King  George  and  vowed  death  to  the  Yankees."  He  knew  Sir  George 
Prevost,  and  praised  the  veterans  of  Wellington  who  accompanied  him.  As  British  dra- 
goons and  Wellington's  veterans  were  not  with  Carleton,  and  as  my  mentor's  first  birth-day 
doubtless  occurred  twenty  years  after  the  time  in  question,  I  properly  doubted  his  knowledge 
of  the  facts  I  was  in  search  of.  I  told  him  that  it  was  the  American  Revolution  I  was  in- 
quiring about.  He  did  not  seem  to  understand  me,  and  I  called  it  rebellion.  "  Oh  oui ' 
yes,  yes,  I  know,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Two  hundred  crossed  here  for  St.  John's.  Captain 
Glasgow  was  a  fine  fellow.  Pity  Lord  Elgin  wasn't  as  great  a  man  as  Sir  John  Colborne." 
With  exhausted  patience,  I  explained  to  him  the  time  and  nature  of  the  revolution  of  the 
last  century,  but  he  had  never  heard  of  it  I  He  knew  nothing  behind  his  own  "  life  and 
times."  As  he  represented  the  "  collective  wisdom"  of  the  village,  I  despaired  of  better 
success,  and  returned  to  Montreal  with  the  fruit  of  a  three  hours'  expedition  under  a  hot 
sun — a  Yankee's  postulate — a  shrewd  guess.  I  was  as  little  successful  in  my  search  at 
Montreal  for  the  battle-ground  where  Ethan  Allen  and  his  men  were  made  prisoners.  An 
intelligent  gentleman,  who  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  rebellion  there  in  1837,  assured 
me  that  the  spot  was  unknown  to  the  inhabitants,  for  tradition  has  but  little  interest  in  keep- 
ing its  finger  upon  the  locality,  and  not  a  man  was  living  who  had  personal  knowledge  of 
the  event.  It  is  probable  that  the  northern  suburbs  of  the  city  now  cover  the  locality,  and 
that  the  place  is  not  far  from  the  present  Longueuil  ferry-landing. 

Having  accomplished  my  errand  at  Montreal,  we  departed  for  Quebec  toward  evening, 
in  the  fine  steamer  John  Munn,  accompanied  by  our  Burlington  friends  of  the  morning. 
The  magnificeiit  stone  quays  were  crowded  with  people,  and  our  boat  had  a  full  complement 
of  passengers.  At  the  lower  end  of  St.  Helen's  we  entered  the  St.  Mary's  Rapids,  and, 
darting  past  Longueuil,  were  soon  out  of  sight  of  the  spires  of  Montreal.  The  banks  of  the 
river  are  low,  and  on  either  side  villages  and  cultivated  fields  exhibited  an  ever-changing  and 
pleasing  panorama.  Beloeil  Mountain  loomed  up  eastward  of  us,  and  the  white  chapel,  the 
pedestal  of  the  bishop's  huge  cross  upon  the  loftiest  summit,  sparkled  like  a  star  in  the  beams 
of  the  setting  sun.  It  was  twilight  when  we  arrived  at  William  Henry,  or  Sorel,  an  old 
town,  forty-five  miles  below  Montreal,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pvichelieu  or  Sorel  River.      A 

*  Several  hundred  of  the  militia,  regardless  of  order,  took  the  nearest  route  to  their  respective  homes  in 
New  England  and  New  York.  About  three  hundred  arrived  in  a  body  at  Ticonderoga,  and,  flinging  their 
heavy  packs  over  their  shoulders,  crossed  the  lake  on  the  ice,  and  traversed  the  wilderness  through  the  deep 
snow  to  their  homes  in  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  and  Connecticut.  It  was  an  undertaking  quite  as 
perilous  as  the  siege  of  Quebec.  The  endearments  of  home  were  the  goal  of  the  one,  military  glory  was 
that  of  the  other.     The  choice,  though  not  creditable  to  them  as  patriots,  deserves  our  respectful  homage. 


OFTHE   REVOLUTION. 


183 


Arrival  ar  Sorel. 


Voyage  down  the  St.  Lawrence. 


Morning  View  of  Quebec. 


The  \Vull3  of  Quebec. 


French  engineer  named  Sorel  built  a  fort  there  as  early  as  1665,  and  the  present  town  oc- 
cupies its  site.  Our  boat  tarried  there  an  hour  for  passengers  and  freight,  but  it  grew  too 
dark  to  see  much  of'the  town.  A  motley  group  crowded  the  narrow  wharf,  and  when  we 
left,  the  forward  deck  was  covered  with  cabbages,  leeks,  and  onions  for  the  Quebec  market, 
which  afibrded  perfume  gratuitously  for  the  whole  boat. 

Sorel  was  a  place  of  considerable  importance  at  the  time  of  our  Revolution.  Standing 
at  the  mouth  of  a  navigable  river,  and  at  the  narrowest  part  of  the  St.  Lawrence  between 
Montreal  and  Quebec,  its  possession  was  important  to  both  belligerents.  When  the  Amer- 
icans approached  Canada  in  1775,  Colonel  M'Lean,  with  a  Scotch  regiment  of  E-oyal  High- 
landers, went  up  from  Quebec  and  took  station  there.  When  Carleton  left  Montreal  to  re- 
enforce  the  garrison  at  St.  John's,  M'Lean  was  to  join  him  near  Longueuil ;  but  the  unex- 
pected repulse  of  the  former  by  the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  and  the  spreading  of  American  de- 
tachments over  the  country  east  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  between  it  and  the  E-ichelieu,  so  alarm- 
ed M'Lean,  that  he  not  only  fell  back  precipitately  to  Sorel,  but  abandoned  that  post  to  Col- 
onel Easton,  and  retired  to  Quebec.  At  Sorel,  Colonel  Easton  did  good  service  a  few  weeks 
later,  when,  with  floating  batteries  and  cannon  on  shore,  he  disputed  the  passage  of  the  Brit- 
ish fleet  retreating  from  INIontreal,  and  captured  the  whole  flotilla,  with  General  Prescott. 

Leaving  Sorel,  we  passed  several  islands,  and  then  entered  Lake  St.  Peter's,  an  expan- 
sion of  the  St.  Lawrence  about  twenty-five  miles  long,  and  having  an  average  width  of 
nine  miles.  A  half  moon  dimly  lighted  the  sluggish  waters,  and  defined  an  outline  of  the 
huge  serpent  of  smoke  which  our  vessel  left  trailing  behind.  The  shores  disappeared  in  the 
night  shadows,  and  one  after  another  of  the  passengers  retired  to  bed,  until  the  promenade 
deck  was  deserted,  except  by  two  young  ladies,  whose  sweet  voices  charmed  us  for  an  hour  with 
"  Dearest  May"  and  kindred  melodies.  It  was  near  midnight  when  the  nightingales  ceased 
their  warbling,  and  I  sought  the  repose  of  my  state-room. 

Three  Rivers,  St.  Anne's,  the  Richelieu  Pwapids,  Cape  Rouge,  Chaudiere,  Sillery  Cove, 
and  New  Liverpool  were  all  passed  during  our  slumbers,  but  we  were  upon  the  deck  in  the 
■norning  in  time  to  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  Quebec  in  the  distance.  A  forest  of  masts, 
above  which  loomed  Cape  Diamond  crowned  with  the  gray  citadel  and  its  threatening  ord- 
nance, wero  the  first  objects  in  view.  But  as  our  vessel  made  a  graceful  sweep  toAvard  Point 
Levi,  and  "  rounded  to"  at  the  Queen's  Wharf,  I  think  I  never  saw  a  more  picturesque  scene. 
It  was  just  at  sunrise,  and  the  morning  was  cloudless.  As  the  orb 
r__j,^~*^^  f^  :  of  day  came  up  from  the  eastern  hills,  the  city,  spread  out  upon  the 
^  /^■\,  '■  steep  acclivities  and  along  the  St.  Charles,  reflected  back  its  bright 
/  ''  N^j  rays  from  a  thousand  windows,  and  roofs  of  polished  tin.  All  was 
\"  r  ^fj    a-glow  with  luster,  except  the  dark  walls  and  the  shipping,  and  for 

r  jtpfe/r         "^Syl    the  moment  the  creations  of  Aladdin's  Lamp  seemed  before  us. 
1     ToSvw   •^•vV^^>!^    The  enchantment  was  soon  over,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  sober 
''  prose  of  travel,  as  we  passed  slowly  to  the  upper  town  along  the 

narrow  and  crooked  Mountain  Street,  through  Prescott  Gate,  closely 
jammed  in  a  pigmy  coach.  We  found  comfortable  quarters  at  the 
Albion,  on  Palace  Street,  one  of  the  most  respectable  English  hotels  in 
the  upper  city.  After  breakfast  we  ordered  a  barouche,  to  visit  the  Falls  of 
Montmorenci,  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  and  other  places  of  note,  and  obtained 
a  permit  from  the  commandant  to  enter  the  c.'tadel.  Before  making  the  in- 
teresting tour,  let  us  turn  to  a  map  of  the  city,  trace  out  its  walls  and  gate^ 
and  general  topography,  and  consult  the  chronicle  of  its  history  ;  then  we  shall  view  its  ce- 
lebrities understandingly. 

Explanation  of  the  Diageam. — A  is  the  St.  Charles  River ;  B,  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  a  is  Palace  Gate ; 
6,  Gate  St.  John's ;  c,  Gate  St.  Louis ;  d,  Governor's  Garden,  wherein  is  a  stone  monument  in  memory  of 
Wolfe  and  Montcalm  ;  e,  the  portion  of  Cape  Diamond  at  the  foot  of  which  Montgomery  was  killed ;  /,  the 
grand  battery ;  g,  Prescott  Gate ;  h,  Hope  Gate ;  o  is  a  bold  point  of  rock  in  the  Sault-au-Matelot,  wher>; 
Arnold  was  wounded.     The  walls  here  given,  with  the  citadel,  inclose  the  upper  town. 


184  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Situation  of  Quebec.        Early  Settlements  and  Growth.         French  Operations  in  America.        Approach  of  Wolfe  to  Quebec 

Quebec  is  situated  upon  and  around  a  lofty  promontory  at  the  confluence  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  St.  Charles  Rivers,  and  is  so  strongly  guarded  against  intruders,  by  steep  ac- 
clivities on  nearly  three  sides,  that  it  has  been  aptly  named  the  "  Gibraltar  of  America." 
Art  has  added  strength  to  these  natural  defenses,  and,  except  on  the  rear,  it  is  absolutely 
impregnable  to  any  known  implements  of  war.  Before  it  spreads  out  a  magnificent  basin, 
v/here  a  hundred  ships  of  the  line  might  ride  at  anchor  ;  and  around  it,  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach,  industry  has  planted  a  beautiful  garden.  The  plains  of  the  St.  Charles,  the  tow- 
ering Cap  Tourment,  the  Falls  of  Montmorenci  and  of  the  Chaudiere,  the  lovely  Island  of 
Orleans,  and  the  pleasant  slopes  of  Point  Levi,  unite,  with  the  city  itself,  to  make  up  a 
cluster  of  attractions  with  which  those  of  few  places  on  earth  can  vie. 

jy]  The  foundation  of  the  city  was  laid  two  hundred  and  forty  years  ago,  by  Samuel 

1608.  Champlain,  and  yet  it  is  just  upon  the  margin  of  the  primeval  forest,  which  extends 
from  a  narrow  selvage  of  civilization  along  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Arctic  regions.  When 
Champlain,  with  great  parade,  laid  the  foundation  stone  of  the  future  city.  Old  Hochelaga 
(now  Montreal),  discoverad  by  Cartier  more  than  a  hundred  years  before,  was  blotted  from 
existence,  and  but  a  few  whites  were  planting  corn  and  sowing  wheat  where  the  Indian 
gardens  had  flourished.  Religion  and  commerce  joined  hands,  and  the  new  city  soon  became 
the  capital  of  French  dominion  in  America.  From  it  missionaries  and  traders  went  west- 
ward to  obtain  peltry  and  furs,  make  geographical  discoveries,  and  convert  the  heathen,  and 
in  a  few  years  the  French  language  was  heard  in  the  deep  forests  that  skirted  the  vast  lakes, 
from  the  Thousand  Islands  at  the  foot  of  Ontario  to  the  broad  waters  of  the  Huron.  Im- 
migration steadily  augmented  the  population,  churches  and  convents  were  erected,'  and  the 
bastioned  walls  of  old  Fort  St.  Louis,  mounted  with  cannon,  were  piled  around  the  temples 
of  the  Prince  of  Peace  at  Quebec  ;  for  the  treacherous  Algonquin,  the  wily  Iroquois,  and  the 
bloody  Huron,  though  mutual  enemies,  coalesced  in  jealousy  of  the  French  and  a  desire  to 
crush  their  rising  strength.  As  the  colony  increased  in  power,  and,  through  its  missiona- 
ries, in  influence  over  the  Indian  tribes,  the  more  southern  English  colonies  became  jealous, 
and  a  deep-seated  animosity  between  them  prevailed  for  a  generation.  At  length  the  two 
governments  quarreled,  and  their  respective  colonies  gladly  espoused  each  the  cause  of  the 
parent  state.  To  guard  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  French  built  a  strong  fortress  upon  the  Island 
of  Cape  Breton,  and  also  began  a  cordon  efforts  along  the  lakes  and  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi. 
Frontenac,  Oswego,  Niagara,  Duquesne,  and  Detroit  arose  along  the  frontier.  Fleets  and 
armies  came  from  the  Old  World  ;  the  colonists  armed  and  formed  strong  battalions  ;  the 
savage  tribes  were  feasted,  and  bribed,  and  affiliated  with  European  warriors,  and  wilder- 
ness America  became  a  battle  arena.  In  a  little  while  the  different  fortresses  changed  mas- 
ters ;  Louisburgh,  the  strong-hold  of  French  military  power  in  America,  fell  before  the  skill 
and  bravery  of  Amherst  and  Wolfe;  and  at  the  beginning  of  1759  Quebec  was  the  only 
place  of  considerable  importance  in  possession  of  the  French. 

We  have  considered,  in  a  preceding  chapter,  the  success  of  Amherst  and  Wolfe  in  the 
capture  of  Louisburgh,  and  the  high  reputation  which  that  event  gave  them.  Pitt,  relying 
upon  the  skill  and  bravery  of  these  two  commanders,  resolved,  if  possible,  to  conquer  all  Can- 
ada in  a  single  campaign,  intrusting  the  chief  command  to  Amherst.  That  general,  with  a 
large  force,  attempted  to  join  Wolfe  at  Quebec,  by  sweeping  Lake  Champlain  and  capturing 
Montreal ;   he  was  unsuccessful,  and  Wolfe  alone  had  the  glory  of  the  siege  of  Quebec. 

Wolfe  embarked  eight  thousand  troops  at  Louisburgh,  under  convoy  of  a  fleet  of  twenty- 
two  ships  of  the  line,  and  an  equal  number  of  frigates  and  smaller  arm.ed  vessels,  commanded 
by  Admirals  Saunders  and  Holmes.      He  landed  his  army  safely  near  the  Church  of  St.  Lau- 
June  27     ^^"^t,  upon  the  Island  of  Orleans,  a  few  miles  below  Quebec,  where,  under  the  direc- 
i^^3-       tion  of  Sir  Guy  Carleton  (afterward  governor  of  Canada),  batteries  were  erected. 

'  These  were  placed  upon  the  most  accessible  portions  of  the  promontory,  and  near  them  the  rude  build- 
ings of  the  people  wore  erected.  To  these  circumstances  Mr.  Hawkms,  author  of  a  capital  "  Guide  to 
Quebec,"  ascribes  the  present  irregular  course  of  the  streets. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION 


185 


Position  of  Montcalm's  Army. 


British  Possession  of  Orleans  and  Point  Levi. 


Land  near  Montm;renci. 


The  brave  and  accomplished  Montcalm,  with  an  army  of  thirteen  thousand  men,  six  bat- 
talions of  which  were  regulars,  and  the  others  Canadians  and  Indians,  occupied  the  city 
with  a  garrison,  and  a  strongly  intrenched  camp  upon  the  heights  of  Beauport,  extending 
from  the  St.  Charles  to  the  Pviver  Montmorenci.      The  center  of  the  camp  and  Montcalm's 


View  of  Point  Levi,  fkom  Durham  Terrace,  Quebec. 


headquarters  were  at  Beauport. 
The  whole  front  was  intrenched 
and  well  defended  from  the  En- 
glish cannon.  Beyond  the  right 
wing  a  bridge  was  thrown  across 
the  St.  Charles,  and  strongly  pro- 
tected, to  keep  up  a  communica- 
tion with  the  city.  There  were 
also  two  batteries  for  its  defense,  placed  upon  hulks  sunk  in  the  channel. 

Wolfe  sent  General  Monkton  to  take  possession  of  Point  Levi,  opposite  Quebec. 
He  landed  at  Beaumont,  and  marched  up  to  the  point  with  little  opposition,  where 
he  erected  batteries,  from  which  the  shots  dealt  destruction  upon  the  lower  town  lying  upon 
the  St.  Charles,  but  had  no  effect  upon  the  walls  of  the  city.  Finding  efforts  from  that 
point  unavailing,  Wolfe,  with  his  division  on  Orleans,  crossed  the  north  channel  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  encamped  near  the  left  bank  of  the  Montmorenci,  within  cannon- 
shot  of  the  left  wing  of  the  enemy  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  He  met  with 
fierce  opposition,  but  succeeded  in  maintaining  his  ground  and  erecting  two  batteries  there. 
Still,  Quebec  was  too  distant  to  be  affected  by  any  of  his  works,  and  he  resolved  upon  the 
bold  measure  of  storming  the  strong  camp  of  the  enemy.  On  the  last  day  of  July  the  troops 
4t  Point  Levi,  and  a  large  number  of  grenadiers  under  General  Monkton,  crossed  the  St.  Law- 
rence in  the  boats  of  the  fleet,  and  landed  a  little  above  the  Montmorenci.  At  the  same 
time  those  below  Montmorenci,  under  Generals  Townshend  and  Murray,  crossed  that  stream 
by  fording  it  near  its  mouth,  at  low  water,  and  joined  the  other  division  upon  the  beach. 
The  enemy  at  once  made  arrangements  to  receive  them.      The  right  of  the  French  was 

*  This  sketch  is  taken  from  Durham  Terrace,  near  the  north  wall  of  the  Castle  Garden.  In  the  fore- 
'^ound  are  the  tops  of  the  houses  below  in  Champlain,  Notre  Dame,  and  St.  Peter's  Streets,  and  in  the  dis- 
tance, across  the  St.  Lawrence,  is  seen  Point  Levi,  with  its  pretty  little  village,  its  church  and  wharves. 
On  the  extreme  left,  in  the  distance,  is  the  upper  end  of  the  Island  of  Orleans,  which  divides  the  channel, 
The  point  seen  is  the  place  whore  Wolfe  erected  batteries. 


Juno  29. 


July  10 


186  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Junction  of  the  English  Division.  Severe  Battle.  Wolfe  disheartened.  Camp  broken  up.  Wolfe's  Cove 

under  Baron  de  St.  Ours,  the  center  under  De  Senezergues,  and  the  left  under  M.  Herbin 
The  garrison  in  the  city  was  commanded  by  M.  de  Ramezay. 

It  was  nearly  night  when  the  English  divisions  joined,  and  heavy  thunder-clouds  were 
rolling  up  from  the  M'est.  The  grenadiers,  impatient  of  restraint,  rushed  madly  upon  the 
enemy's  works,  before  the  other  troops  that  were  to  sustain  them  had  time  to  form.  Con- 
sequently they  were  driven  back  to  the  beach  with  a  severe  loss,  and  sought  shelter  behind  a 
redoubt  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the  enemy.  The  French  kept  up  a  galling  fire,  till 
the  gathering  tempest  burst  with  great  fury  upon  the  belligerents.  Night  closed  in  while  the 
storm  was  yet  raging.  The  tide  came  roaring  up  against  the  current  of  the  St.  Lawrence  with 
uncommon  strength,  and  the  British  were  obliged  to  retreat  to  their  camp  across  the  Montmo- 
renci,  to  avoid  submersion  on  the  beach  by  the  foaming  waters.  The  loss  of  the  English  in  that 
unfortunate  attempt  was  one  hundred  and  eighty  killed  and  six  hundred  and  fifty  wounded. 

Wolfe  was  greatly  dispirited  by  this  event,  for  he  was  very  sensitive  to  censure,  and  that 
he  expected  for  this  miscarriage.  The  emotiops  of  his  mind,  co-operating  with  fatigue  of 
body  upon  his  delicate  constitution,  brought  on  a  fever  and  dysentery,  that  nearly  proved 
fatal.  It  was  nearly  a  month  before  he  was  able  to  resume  the  command.  When  suffi- 
ciently recovered  to  write,  he  drew  up  a  letter  to  Pitt,  in  which,  after  detailing 

September  2  ...  n      ■ 

the  events,  referring  to  his  illness,  and  frankly  confessing  that  he  had  called  a 
council  of  war,  he  said,  "  I  found  myself  so  ill,  and  am  still  so  weak,  that  I  begged  the  gen- 
eral officers  to  consult  together  for  the  general  safety We  have  almost  the  whole 

force  of  Canada  to  oppose  us.  In  this  situation  there  is  such  a  choice  of  difficulties,  that  I 
own  myself  at  a  loss  how  to  determine.  The  afiairs  of  Great  Britain  require  the  most  vig- 
orous measures  ;  but  then  the  courage  of  a  handful  of  brave  men  should  be  exerted  only 
where  there  is  some  hope  of  a  favorable  event."  •  When  this  letter  reached  England,  it  ex- 
cited consternation  and  anger.'  Pitt  feared  that  he  had  mistaken  his  favorite  general,  and 
that  the  next  news  would  be  that  he  had  either  been  destroyed  or  had  capitulated.  But  in 
the  conclusion  of  his  melancholy  epistle  Wolfe  had  said  he  would  do  his  best ;  and  that  best 
turned  out  a  miracle  of  war.  He  declared  that  he  would  rather  die  than  be  brought  to  a 
court-martial  for  miscarrying,  and,  in  conjunction  with  Admiral  Saunders,  he  concerted  a 
plan  for  scaling  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  and  gaining  possession  of  the  elevated  plateau  at 
the  back  of  Quebec,  on  the  side  where  the  fortifications  were  the  weakest,  as  the  French  en- 
gineers had  trusted  to  the  precipices  and  the  river  beneath.^ 

The  camp  at  Montmorenci  was  broken  up,  and  the  artillery  and  troops  were  conveyed 
across  to  Point  Levi,  whence  they  were  taken  some  distance  up  the  river  by  a 
portion  of  the  fleet  under  Holmes,  while  Saunders,  with  the  rest  of  the  fleet,  re- 
mained behind  to  make  a  feigned  attack  upon  the  intrenchments  at  Beauport.  Montcalm, 
unable  to  comprehend  these  movements,  remained  in  his  camp,  while  Bougainville  was  sta- 
tioned a  little  above  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  to  watch  the  operations  of  the  division  of  the 
English  fleet  that  sailed  up  the  river. 

At  night  the  troops  were  all  embarked  in  flat-boats,  and  proceeded  up  the  river  with  the 
tide.  Bourgainville  saw  them,  and  marched  up  the  shore  to  prevent  their  landing.  It  was 
starlight,  yet  so  cautiously  did  the  boats,  with  muffled  oars,  move  down  the  river  toward 
daylight,  with  ebb  tide,  that  they  were  unperceived  by  the  French  detachment,  and  landed 
safely  in  a  cove  below  Sillery,  now  called  Wolfe  s  Cove.  The  first  division  was  commanded 
by  Lieutenant-colonel  (afterward  General)  Sir  William  Howe,  and  were  all  on  shore  at  dawn 
The  light  infantry  scrambled  up  the  woody  precipice,  and  dispersed  a  French  guard  under 
Captain  de  Verjer,'  while  the  rest  of  the  army  clambered  up  a  winding  and  steep  ravine. 

'  The  news  of  the  failure  of  Wolfe  at  Montmorenci  reached  England  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  Oc- 
tober, and  was  published  in  an  extra  Gazette  of  that  date.  The  same  evening  Captain  Hale  arrived  and 
brought  the  news  of  the  triumph  upon  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  The  general  grief  was  suddenly  changed 
into  great  joy,  and  a  day  for  public  thanksgiving  was  set  apart  by  the  old  king. 

"^  Pictorial  History  of  England,  iv.,  609. 

'  The  French  guard,  who  could  not  comprehend  the  noise  below  them,  fired  down  the  precipice  at  ran- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  137 


Ascent  of  the  English  to  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  Tho  Battle-ground.  Preparations  for  Battle.  Wolfe's  Ravine. 

The  second  division,  under  General  Townshend,  landed  in  good  order,  and  before  sunrise  five 
thousand  British  troops  were  drawn  up  in  battle  array  upon  the  Plains  of  Abra-  September  13, 
ham,  three  hundred  feet  above  the  St.  Lawrence.  I'^ji)- 

The  appearance  of  the  English  troops  upon  the  heights  was  the  first  intimation  Montcalm 
had  of  the  real  intentions  of  his  enemy.  He  at  once  saw  the  imminent  danger  to  which  the 
city  and  garrison  were  exposed,  and  immediately  marched  his  whole  army  across  the  St.' 
Charles  to  attack  the  English.  He  brought  his  troops  into  battle  line  about  ten  o'clock  in 
the  morning.      He  had  two  field  pieces  ;  the  English  but  one,  a  light  six  pounder,  which 

some  sailors  succeeded  in  dragging  up  the  ravine  at 
about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

I  am  indebted  to  Alfred  Hawkins,  Esq.,  of  Quebec, 
for  the  following  account  of  the  position  of  the  two 
armies,  and  the  present  localities  identified  therewith  : 
"  The  battle-ground  presents  almost  a  level  surface 
from  the  brink  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  St.  Foy  Road. 
The  Grand  Allee,  or  road  to  Cape  Rouge,  running  par- 
allel to  that  of  St.  Foy,  passes  through  its  center.  That 
road  was  commanded  by  a  field  redoubt,  a  four-gun  bat- 
tery on  the  English  left,  which  was  captured  by  the  light 
infantry.  The  remains  of  this  battery  are  distinctly 
seen  near  the  present  race-stand.  There  were  also  two 
other  redoubts,  one  upon  the  rising  ground  in  the  rear 
of  Mr.  C.  Campbell's  house — the  scene  of  Wolfe's  death 

Wolfe's  Ravine.'  ,.  ,  t,^—,.^,        ,        i.,. 

— and  the  other  toward  the  St.  i^  oy  Road,  which  it  was 
intended  to  command.  On  the  site  of  the  country  seat  called  Marchmont,  at  present  the 
residence  of  Major-general  Sir  James  Hope,  K.C.B.,  there  was  also  a  small  redoubt  com- 
manding the  intrenched  path  leading  to  the  cove.  This  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  ad- 
vanced guard  of  the  light  infantry  immediately  on  ascending  the  height.  At  the  time  of 
the  battle  the  plains  were  without  fences  or  inclosures,  and  extended  to  the  walls  on  the  St 
Louis  side.  The  surface  was  dotted  over  with  bushes,  and  the  roads  on  either  side  were 
more  dense  than  at  present,  afix)rding  shelter  to  the  French  and  Indian  marksmen. 

"  In  order  to  understand  the  relative  position  of  the  two  armies,  if  a  line  be  drawn  to  the 
St.  Lawrence  from  the  General  Hospital,  it  will  give  nearly  the  front  of  the  French  army  at 
ten  o'clock,  after  Montcalm  had  deployed  into  line.  His  right  reached  beyond  the  St.  Foy 
Fwoad,  where  he  made  dispositions  to  turn  the  left  of  the  English.  Another  parallel  line, 
somewhat  in  advance  of  Mr.  C.  G.  Stewart's  house  on  the  St.  Foy  Road,  will  give  the  front 
of  the  British  army  before  Wolfe  charged  at  the  head  of  the  grenadiers  of  the  twenty-second, 
lurtieth,  and  forty-fifth  regiments,  who  had  acquired  the  honorable  title  of  the  Louisburgh 
Grenadiers,  from  having  been  distinguished  at  the  capture  of  that  place,  under  his  own  com- 
mand, in  1758.  To  meet  the  attempt  of  Montcalm  to  turn  the  British  left.  General  ToAvn- 
shend  formed  the  fifteenth  regiment  en  'potence,  or  representing  a  double  front.  The  light 
infantry  were  in  the  rear  of  the  left,  and  the  reserve  was  placed  near  the  right,  formed  in 
eight  subdivisions,  a  good  distance  apart." 

Wolfe  placed  himself  on  the  right,  at  the  head  of  the  twenty-eighth  regiment  of  Lmcis- 
burgh  Grenadiers,  who  were  burning  with  a  desire  to  avenge  their  defeat  at  the  Montmo- 
renci.      The  English  had  waited  four  hours  for  the  approach  of  the  French,  and  were  fully 

dom,  and  so  the  British  fired  up.  They  all  fled  but  the  captain,  who  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner. 
It  is  said  the  poor  fellow  begged  the  British  otTicer  to  sign  a  certificate  of  his  courage  and  fidelity,  lest  ho 
should  be  punished  for  accepting  a  bribe,  in  the  belief  that  Wolfe's  bold  enterprise  would  bo  deemed  im- 
possible without  corruption. 

'  This  scene  is  about  half  way  up  the  ravine  from  Wolfe's  Cove,  looking  down  the  road,  which  is  a  steep 
and  winding  way  from  the  river  to  the  summit  of  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  It  is  a  cool,  shaded  nook — a  de- 
lightful retreat  from  the  din  and  dust  of  the  city  in  summer. 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Battle  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  Bravery  and  Death  of  Wolfe.  Death  of  Montcalm.  Burial-place  of  Montcalm. 


prepared  for  action.  Montcalm  was  on  the  left  of  the  French,  at  the  head  of  the  regiments 
o{  Languedoc,  Bearne,  and  Guienne.  Wolfe  ordered  his  men  to  load  with  two  bullets  each, 
and  reserve  their  fire  until  the  French  should  be  within  forty  yards.  These  orders  were 
strictly  obeyed,  and  their  double-shotted  guns  did  terrible  execution.  "  The  hottest  of  the 
fight  occurred,"  says  Hawkins,  "  between  the  right  of  the  race-stand  and  the  martello  tow- 
ers."' After  delivering  several  rounds  in  rapid  succession,  which  threw  the  French  into  con- 
fusion, the  English  charged  furiously  with  their  bayonets.  While  urging  on  his  battalions 
in  this  charge,  Wolfe  was  singled  out  by  some  Canadians  on  the  left,  and  was  slightly  wound- 
ed in  the  wrist.  He  wrapped  a  handkerchief  around 
to  stanch  the  blood,  and,  while  still  cheering  on  his 
men,  received  a  second  wound  in  the  groin  ;  a  few 
minutes  afterward  another  struck  him  in  the  breast 
and  brought  him  to  the  ground,  mortally  wounded. 
At  that  moment,  regardless  of  self,  he  thought  only  of 
the  victory  for  his  troops.  "  Support  me,"  he  said  to 
an  officer  near  him  ;  "let  not  my  brave  soldiers  see  me 
drop.  They  day  is  ours — keep  it."  He  was  taken  to 
the  rear,  while  his  troops  continued  to  charge.  The 
officer  on  whose  shoulder  he  was  leaning  exclaimed, 
"  They  run,  they  run  I"  The  light  returned  to  the 
dim  eyes  of  the  dying  hero,  and  he  asked,  with  emotion, 
"  Who  runs  ?"  "  The  enemy,  sir  ;  they  give  way 
every  where."  "  What,"  feebly  exclaimed  Wolfe, 
"  do  they  run  already  ?  Go  to  Colonel  Preston  and 
tell  him  to  march  Webb's  regiment  immediately  to  the  bridge  over  the  St.  Charles,  and  cut 
off  the  fugitives'  retreat.  Now,  God  be  praised,  I  die  happy  I"  These  were  his  last  words, 
and  in  the  midst  of  sorrowing  companions,  just  at  the  moment  of  victory,  he  died.  Mont- 
calm, who  was  gallantly  fighting  in  the  front  rank  of  the  French  left,  received  a  mortal 
wound,  and  died  the  next  morning  about  five  o'clock,  and  was  buried  in  an 
excavation  made  by  the  bursting  of  a  shell  within  the  precincts  of  the  Ursulinc 
Convent,  where  his  remains  still  rest.^      When  Lord  Aylmar  was  Governor  of  Canada,  he 


General  Wolfe. 2 


Septembor  14. 


^  The  Martello  Towers  are  four  strong  circular  structures  erected  at  different  distances  in  rear  of  the  city, 
between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  St.  Charles.  Cannons  are  mounted  upon  their  tops.  They  are  very 
thick  on  the  side  toward  the  open  country,  but  thin  toward  the  city.  The  object  of  this  manner  of  construc- 
tion is,  that,  if  taken  by  an  enemy,  they  can  easily  be  laid  in  ruins  by  the  shot  of  the  garrison. 

^  James  Wolfe  was  born  in  Westerham,  in  Kent,  January  2d,  1727.  He  entered  the  army  very  young, 
and  soon  distinguished  himself  by  skill,  judgment,  and  bravery.  After  his  return  from  the  expedition 
against  Louisburgh,  in  1758,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  that  section  of  the  expedition  against 
Canada  that  went  up  the  St.  Lawrence.  His  assault  on  Quebec  was  one  of  the  boldest  military  achieve- 
ments ever  attempted,  but,  just  at  the  moment  of  victory,  he  lost  his  life,  at  the  early  age  of  32  years.  His 
body  was  conveyed  to  England  on  board  the  Royal  William,  and  buried  at  Greenwich  on  the  20th  of  No- 
vember, 1759,  where,  in  the  family  vault,  the  hero  rests  by  the  side  of  his  father  and  mother.  His  father, 
Edward  Wolfe,  was  a  lieutenant  general,  and  died  in  March  of  the  same  year,  aged  74.  The  British  gov- 
ernment erected  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  young  hero,  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

^  Lewis  Joseph  de  St.  Veran,  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  descended  from  a  noble  family  of  Candiac,  in  France. 
He  was  educated  for  a  soldier,  and  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Placenza  in  1746.  He  rose  by 
degrees  to  the  rank  of  field  marshal,  and  in  1756  was  appointed  Governor  of  Canada.  He  ably  opposed 
the  English  under  Abercrombie,  but  fell  while  gallantly  fighting  Wolfe  at  Quebec,  on  the  13th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1759.  His  remains  are  within  the  grounds  of  the  Ursuline  Convent  at  Quebec.  A  few  years  ago  a 
plain  marble  slab  was  placed  to  his  memory,  in  the  chapel  of  that  nunnery,  by  Lord  Aylmar,  on  which  is 
the  following  inscription : 

Honneur 


Montcalm 

Le  destin,  en  lui  derobant 

La  victoire, 

L'  a  recompense  par 

Une  mort  glorieuse. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


189 


Monument  where  Wolfe  fell.    Cnpitulation  of  Quebec.    Levi's  Attempt  to  recapture  it.    His  Uepulsion.    Capture  of  Montreal. 


~^M 


Wolfe's  Monument. i 


causefl  a  small  g:ranite  pillar,  about  ten  feet  high,  to  be  erected  upon  the  spot  where  Wolfe 

fell  upon  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  now  just  within  the 
southern  suburb  of  Quebec.  It  bears  the  brief  inscrip- 
tion. Here  died  Wolfe,  victorious.  That  Vandal- 
ism under  the  specious  guise  of  reverence  for  the  great, 
of  which  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  speak,  has  sadly 
mutilated  this  monument,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  engrav- 
ing. The  pedestal  has  lost  many  a  pound  of  relic,  and 
the  iron  railing  around  the  monument  has  been  broken 
down. 

Wolfe  and  Montcalm  were  both  able  commanders, 
and  were  idolized  by  their  respective  troops.  The 
former,  though  so  young,  was  almost  reverenced  by  his 
officers,  for  to  bravery  and  great  military  skill  he  united 
all  the  virtues  and  graces  of  the  perfect  gentleman. 
The  expressions  of  attachment  made  by  General  (afterward  Marquis)  Townshend  illustrate 
the  sentiment  of  his  officers  and  men.  In  a  letter  written  just  after  the  battle,  he  says,  "  I 
am  not  ashamed  to  own  to  you  that  my  heart  does  not  exult  in  the  midst  of  this  success.  I 
have  lost  but  a  friend  in  General  Wolfe.  Our  country  has  lost  a  sure  support  and  a  per- 
petual honor.  If  the  world  were  sensible  at  how  dear  a  price  we  have  purchased  Quebec 
in  his  death,  it  would  damp  the  public  joy.  Our  best  consolation  is,  that  Providence  seemed 
not  to  promise  that  he  should  remain  long  among  us.  He  was  himself  sensible  of  the  weak- 
ness of  his  constitution,  and  determined  to  crowd  into  a  few  years  actions  that  would  have 
adorned  length  of  life." 

Five  days  after  the  battle  the  city  of  Quebec  capitulated  and  passed  into  the    September  18, 
possession  of  the  English,  and  the  remnant  of  the  grand  army  of  the  French,  ^''^^■ 

under  M.  Levi,  who  succeeded  Montcalm,  retired  to  Montreal.  General  Murray  was  left 
to  defend  battered  and  half-ruined  Quebec,  and  the  British  fleet,  fearful  of  frost,  retreated 
down  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  ocean.  Levi  determined  on  attempting  to  regain  all  that 
the  French  had  lost,  and  in  the  spring  of  1760  he  marched  upon  Quebec  with  a  motley 
army  of  ten  thousand  men,  composed  of  French,  Canadians,  and  Indians.  Murray,  with 
seven  thousand  men,  went  out  and  attacked  him,  but  was  sorely  defeated,  lost  aU.  ^prjiog 
his  guns,  and  was  nearly  cut  off  in  his  retreat  back  to  the  city.  Levi  followed  up  ^~'^'^- 
his  success  vigorously,  and  as  soon  as  the  ice  left  the  St.  Lawrence  he  brought  up  six  French 
frigates  and  prepared  to  beleaguer  the  city  by  land  and  by  water.  He  encamped  upon  the 
heights  above  Point  Levi,  and  felt  sure  of  his  prey.  Fortunately  for  the  English,  Lord  Col- 
ville  arrived  at  this  juncture  with  two  good  frigates,  and  destroyed  the  French  vessels 
under  the  eyes  of  Levi.  Thoroughly  frightened  by  the  suddenness  of  the  event,  and 
learning  that  these  two  fast  sailers  were  only  the  van  of  a  powerful  fleet,  the  French  com- 
mander retreated  precipitately  to  Montreal,  leaving  his  artillery  and  stores  behind  him. 
Vaudreuil,  the  governor  general  of  the  province,  was  at  Montreal,  and  Amherst,  Murray, 
and  Haviland  proceeded  to  invest  that  city.  Despairing  of  succor  from  abroad,  Vaudreuil 
capitulated  on  the  8th  of  September,  and  on  that  memorable  day  French  power  in 
Canada  expired  and  hostilities  in  America  ceased.  Peace  ensued  between  the  two 
governments  by  the  conclusion  and  signing  of  a  treaty  at  Paris,  on  the  ]  0th  of  February, 
1763,  and  thus  ended  the  famous  "Seven  Years'  War."  From  that  time  the  two  races 
have  not  been  arrayed  in  battle  against  each  other  in  the  Western  world,  except  while  the 
French  were  here  as  allies  in  1780—81,  and  assisted  in  the  battle  at  Yorktown  and  the 
capture  of  Cornwallis. 


May  16. 


1760. 


'  Since  my  visit  to  Quebec  (August,  1848)  the  remains  of  this  monument  have  been  removed,  and  a  col- 
umn forty  feet  high,  surmounted  by  a  bronze  helmet  and  sword,  has  been  erected.  The  monument  is  from 
the  design  of  Sir  James  Alexander 


190  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Collection  of  an  Army  near  Boston.         Washington's  Appointment.  His  Generals.  E.xpedition  under  Arnold  planned 

Quebec  enjoyed  tranquillity  until  the  Americans,  under  Montgomery  and  Arnold,  invaded 
Canada  in  the  autumn  and  wmter  of  1775.  We  left  the  former  pressing  forward  toward 
the  city,  with  the  rigors  of  a  Canadian  winter  gathering  around  him.  Let  us  return  and 
watch  the  progress  of  that  little  array  of  patriots,  and  also  consider  the  wonderful  expedition 
of  the  brave  Arnold  through  the  wilderness  of  the  east. 

We  mentioned  incidentally,  in  a  previous  chapter,  that  when  the  tidings  of  the  capture 
of  the  forts  on  Lake  Champlain  reached  the  Continental  Congress,  that  body  promptly  took 
action  to  defend  the  liberties  of  the  people,  and  secure  their  rights  by  force  of  arms,  if  neces- 
sary. The  skirmishes  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  the  menaces  against  Massachusetts,  and 
Boston  in  particular,  fulminated  by  the  home  government,  and  the  arrival  of  several  regi- 
ments of  British  troops,  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  crushing  the  anticipated  rebellion,  aroused 
a  spirit  of  resistance  in  the  colonies  hitherto  unknown,  even  when  the  Stamp  Act,  ten 
years  before,  had  awakened  a  terrible  storm  of  indignation  throughout  the  land.  From  all 
directions  men  flew  to  arms,  and  in  a  few  weeks  a  large  patriot  army  invested  Boston,  and 
threatened  Governor  Gage  and  his  mercenary  troops  with  destruction.  The  incongruous 
material  which  composed  the  army  was  partially  organized  by  appointing  Artemas  Ward' 
commander-in-chief  until  the  general  Congress  should  act  in  the  premises.  That  action 
was  not  long  delayed,  and  on  the  15th  of  June  Congress  adopted  a  resolution  to  ap- 
point a  general  "  to  command  all  the  Continental  forces  raised  for  the  defense  of  Amer- 
ican  liberty."  George  Washington  was  unanimously  chosen  to  fill  the  important  office,^ 
July  12  ^^^  ^^  repaired  to  Cambridge,  near  Boston,  and  took  command  of  the  army.  He 
^'^~^-  set  about  organizing  and  disciplining  the  troops,  and  making  preparations  for  an  act- 
ive campaign. 

About  the  middle  of  August,  a  committee  of  Congress  visited  Washington  in  his  camp, 
and  a  plan  was  then  devised  to  send  a  force  to  Canada,  by  way  of  the  Kennebec  River,  to 
co-operate  with  Schuyler,  already  preparing  to  invade  that  province  by  way  of  the  North 
ern  lakes.  Arnold  was  then  at  Cambridge,  uttering  loud  complaints  of  ill  usage  upon  Lake 
Champlain.  His  bravery  was  well  known,  and  the  proposed  expedition  was  exactly  suited 
to  his  adventurous  disposition.  To  silence  his  complaints  and  to  secure  his  services,  Wash- 
ington appointed  him  to  the  command  of  that  perilous  expedition,  and  at  the  same  time 
gave  him  a  commission  of  colonel  in  the  Continental  army.  Eleven  hundred  hardy  men 
were  detached  for  the  service  from  the  army,  consisting  of  ten  companies  of  musketeers  from 
New  England  and  three  companies  of  riflemen  from  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.  Arnold's 
field  officers  were  Lieutenant-colonel  Christopher  Greene  (the  hero  of  Red  Bank,  on  the 
Delaware),  Lieutenant-colonel  Roger  Enos,  and  Majors  Meigs  and  Bigelow.  The  riflemen 
were  commanded  by  Captain  Daniel  Morgan,  the  renowned  partisan  leader  in  subsequent 
years  of  the  war. 

Arnold  and  his  troops  marched  from  Cambridge  to  Newburyport,  where  they  embarked 
^9M-  on  board  eleven  transports  for  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec.      They  reached 

Gardiner  in  safety,  and  found  two  hundred  bateaux  ready  for  them  at  Pitts- 
ton,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.      Carpenters  had  been  previously  sent  to  construct 

'  Artemas  Ward  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1748.  He  was  success- 
ively a  representative  in  the  Legislature  and  member  of  the  Council  of  his  state.  He  was  also  a  justice 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  Worcester  county.  Having  considerable  military  knowledge,  he  was 
chosen  to  command  the  army  that  gathered  around  Boston  in  the  spring  of  1775.  Congress  appointed 
him  the  first  of  the  four  major  generals  under  Washington,  and  to  him  was  assigned  the  division  of  the 
army  at  Roxbury,  when  the  siege  of  Boston,  in  1776,  took  place.  He  resigned  his  commission  a  month 
after  that  event,  yet,  at  the  request  of  Washington,  he  continued  in  command  till  toward  the  last  of  May. 
He  was  a  member  of  Congress  under  the  Confederation,  and  also  after  the  adoption  of  the  present  Consti- 
tution.    He  died  at  Shrewsbury  in  1800,  ag-ed  73  years. 

*  Four  major  generals  and  eight  brigadiers  were  appointed  at  the  same  time.  To  the  former  rank 
were  chosen  Artemas  Ward,  Charles  Lee,  Philip  Schuyler,  and  Israel  Putnam  (the  Major  Putnam  in  the 
French  and  Indian  war)  ;  to  the  latter,  Seth  Pomeroy  (supposed  to  be  the  soldier  who  shot  Dieskau),  Rich- 
ard Montgomery,  David  AVooster,  William  Heath,  Joseph  Spencer,  John  Thomas,  John  Sullivan,  and  Na- 
ihaniel  Greene.     Horatio  Gates  was  appointed  adjutant  general,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


191 


\rrivul  at  Fort  Western. 


Norridgewock  Falls. 


The  Ancient  Indians. 


Father  Ralle. 


Fatiguing  Portage, 


these  vessels.      The  troops  then  rendezvoused  at  Fort  Western,  opposite  the  present  town 

, •_ of  Auffusta.      This  was  on  the  ver»e  of  an  uninhabited  and 

I  ->.  ,^  I  almost  unexplored  wilderness,'  and  toward  its  learful  shadows 

,\  _,     Jr-V;;^-^     l  these  brave  men  turned  their  faces. 

v-i.-v      ^  J  I        A  small  reconnoitering  party  was  sent  in  advance  to  Lake 

Megantic,  or  Chaudicre  Pond,  and  another  to  survey  the  course 
and  distances  of  the  Dead  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Kennebec. 
The  main  body  moved  forward  in  four  divisions,  a  day  apart  in 
time.  Morgan,  with  the  riflemen,  was  in  the  van  ;  next  were 
Greene  and  Bigelow,  with  their  companies  of  musketeers ; 
Meigs,  Avith  four  other  companies,  followed,  and  the  rear  was 
brought  up  by  Enos,  with  three  remaining  companies.  Arnold 
was  the  last  to  leave  Fort  Western.  He  proceeded  in  a  birch 
canoe,  passed  the  several  parties,  and  overtook  Morgan  on  the 
third  day  at  Norridgewock  Falls.  Here,  upon  a  beautiful  plain 
on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river,  the  ancient  Norridgewock  In- 
dians, a  tribe  of  the  Abenakes,  had  a  village,  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  grandeur,  beauty,  and  fertility  of  nature,  and  the  barbar- 
ous heathenism  of  man  in  this  picturesque  region.  Father  Pwalle, 
a  French  Jesuit,  had  erected  a  Christian  altar,  and  taught  the 
sublime  truths  of  the  Gospel.^ 

Here  the  first  severe  toils  of  the  little  army  began,  for  they 
were  obliged  to  carry  all  their  bateaux,  provisions,  and  stores 
around  the  falls,  a  mile  and  a  quarter,  into  the  navigable  wa- 
ters above.  The  banks  were  rocky  and  precipitous.  They 
found,   too,   that  their  boats  were  leaky,   and  much  of  their 

provisions  was  spoiled 
or  greatly  damaged. 
Seven  days  were  con- 
sumed in  passing  the 
falls  and  repairing  the 


NOKRIDGEWOCK    FaLLS,    1775. 

vessels.      The  same  labor,  though  not  so  fatiguing,  was  demanded  at  the  Carratunc  Falls. 

'  Colonel  Montressor,  a  British  officer,  had  traversed  the  wilderness  fifteen  years  before.  He  ascended 
the  Chaudicre  from  Quebec,  crossed  the  Highlands  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Penobscot,  passed  through 
Moose-head  Lake,  and  entered  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Kennebec.  Arnold  possessed  an  imperfect  copy 
of  the  printed  journal  of  Montressor,  and  this,  with  information  received  from  some  St.  Francis  Indians 
who  visited  Washington's  camp,  gave  him  an  idea  of  the  country  and  the  privations  his  men  must  suffer. 

The  same  region  was  traversed  by  a  French  missionary  named  Dreuillettcs,  more  than  two  hundred 
years  before.  He  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  sources  of  the  Kennebec,  down  which  river  he  descended 
to  its  mouth,  and  thence  coasted  eastward  to  the  missionary  station  on  the  Penobscot. — Hildrcth,  ii.,  84. 

*  Father  Ralle  resided  among  the  Norridgewocks  twenty-six  years,  and  possessed  great  influence  over 
them.  He  was  considered  an  enemy  to  the  British  settlers  in  Massachusetts,  and  an  expedition  was  plan- 
ned against  him  and  the  settlement.  A  party  fell  upon  them  suddenly,  and  killed  and  scalped  the  priest 
and  thirty  of  the  Indians.     This  event  occurred  in  1724,  and  when  Colonel  Arnold  was  there,  in  1775,  the 


192  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Voyage  up  the  Kennebec.      The  Dead  River.      Elevated  Country.      A  Freshet.      Return  of  Enos.      His  Trial  and  Acquittal 

Desertions  and  sickness  reduced  their  number  to  about  nine  hundred  and  fifty  effective  men 
when  they  arrived  at  the  great  carrying-place,  twelve  miles  below  the  junction  of  Dead  River 
with  the  Kennebec.  So  rapid  was  the  stream,  that  the  men  waded  more  than  half  way, 
pushing  the  bateaux  against  the  current ;  yet  they  were  in  good  spirits,  and  seemed  to  par- 
take of  the  enthusiasm  of  their  leader. 

Arnold  now  examined  his  muster-roll  and  commissariat.  The  troops,  though  somewhat 
reduced  in  number,  were  strong  and  enthusiastic,  and  he  ascertained  that  he  had  twenty-five 
days'  provisions  in  store.  The  Chaudiere,  on  which  were  French  settlements,  he  estimated 
to  be  at  a  distance  of  ten  days'  travel.  The  weather  was  fine,  and  the  prospect  so  encour- 
aging that  they  pushed  forward  with  alacrity.  The  great  carrying-place  was  a  portage  of 
fifteen  miles,  broken  by  three  ponds.  Oxen  dragged  the  bateaux  part  of  the  way  on  sleds, 
and  the  baggage  and  stores  were  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  men.  Over  craggy  knolla 
and  tangled  ravines,  through  deep  morasses,  creeks,  and  ponds,  they  pursued  their  journey, 
sometimes  carrying  their  vessels  and  the  vessels  sometimes  bearing  them,  until  they  reached 
the  Dead  River.  The  ponds  afforded  an  abundance  of  delicious  salmon-trout,  and  want  of 
food  had  not  yet  been  among  their  privations.  The  surface  of  the  Dead  River  was  smooth, 
and  the  waters  flowed  on  in  a  gentle  current  in  the  midst  of  the  magnificent  forest,  now  ren- 
dered gorgeous  by  the  brilliant  hues  imparted  to  the  foliage  by  early  frost.  Occasional  falls 
interrupted  their  progress,  but  the  labors  of  the  men  were  far  less  severe  than  hitherto.  Sud- 
denly the  monotony  of  the  vast  forest  was  broken  by  the  appearance  of  a  lofty  mountain  cov- 
ered with  snow,  at  the  foot  of  which  Arnold  encamped  three  days,  raising  the  Continental 
flag  over  his  tent.'  A  small  hamlet  called  Flag-staff',  in  commemoration  of  the  event,  is 
upon  the  camp-ground,  and  the  lofty  eminence  bears  the  name  of  Mount  Bigelow.^  — - 

When  the  expedition  moved  forward,  a  heavy  rain  set  in,  which  sent  down  such  torrents 
from  the  hills  that  the  river  arose  eight  feet  in  one  night,  overflowing  its  banks 
"^  '  and  filling  its  channels  with  rafts  of  drift  wood.  So  suddenly  did  this  freshet  oc- 
cur, that  the  water  came  roaring  down  the  valley  where  the  soldiers  were  encamped,  so  unex- 
pectedly and  powerfully  that  they  had  barely  time  to  retreat  to  their  bateaux  before  the  whole 
plain  was  overflowed.  Seven  boats  were  overturned  and  the  provisions  lost,  and  others  were 
in  imminent  peril  in  the  midst  of  the  flood.  They  were  yet  thirty  miles  from  the  head  of  the 
Chaudiere,  and  but  about  twelve  days'  provisions  remained.  The  storm  and  exposure  made 
many  sick,  and  despondency  supplanted  cheerfulness,  for  the  future  seemed  pregnant  with 
misery.  A  council  of  war  was  held,  and  it  was  decided  to  send  the  sick  and  feeble  back, 
and  to  press  forward  with  the  healthy.  Arnold  wrote  to  Greene  and  Enos,  who  were  in 
the  rear,  to  select  as  many  of  their  best  men  as  they  could  supply  with  fifteen  days'  provi- 
sions, and  come  on  with  them,  leaving  the  others  to  return  to  Norridgewock.  Enos,  either 
through  a  false  construction  of  the  order  or  willful  disobedience,  returned  to  Cambridge  with 
his  whole  division.  His  appearance  excited  the  greatest  indignation  in  the  Continental  camp, 
and  Enos  was  looked  upon  as  a  traitor  for  thus  deserting  his  companions  and  endangering  the 
whole  expedition.  He  was  tried  by  a  court-martial,  and  it  being  proved  that  he  was  short 
of  provisions,  and  that  none  could  be  procured  in  the  wilderness,  he  was  acquitted.  He 
never  was  restored  in  public  estimation,  however,  and  soon  afterward  left  the  army. 

In  the  mean  while  Arnold,  with  the  rest  of  the  troops,  pressed  onward.  The  rain  changed 
to  siiow,  and  ice  formed  upon  the  water  in  which  the  men  waded  to  push  the  bateaux  as 

foundations  of  the  church  and  altar  were  still  visible,  but  the  red  men  had  forever  departed.  Father  Ralle 
left  a  manuscript  dictionary  of  the  Abenake  language  (the  dialect  of  the  Norridgewocks),  which  is  preserved 
ill  the  library  of  Harvard  University. 

'  What  the  device  on  this  flag,  or  what  its  color  was,  we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining.  The  stripes 
and  stars  were  not  used  until  1777.  On  the  14th  of  June  that  year,  Congress  "resolved  that  the  flag  of 
the  thirteen  United  States  be  thirteen  stripes,  alternate  red  and  white ;  that  the  Union  be  thirteen  stars, 
white  in  a  blue  field,  representing  a  new  constellation."     Since  then  we  have  added  a  star  for  every  new  state. 

^  Tradition  asserts  that,  while  the  Americans  encamped  there,  Major  Bigelow  ascended  to  the  summit 
of  the  mountain,  with  the  expectation  of  seeing  the  spires  of  Quebec  !  From  this  supposed  adventure  the 
mountain  derives  its  name.  , 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


19 


Lake  Megantic  and  the  Chaudidre.  Perilous  Voyage.  Narrow  Escape.  Scrtigan.         Timely  Relief  for  the  Troopa 


October  2!). 


they  passed  the  numerous  ponds  and  marshes  near  the  sources  of  the  Dead  River.  Seven- 
teen falls  were  passed,  and  on  a  bleak  day,  marching  through  snow  two  inches  deep,  they 
reached  the  Highlands  which  separated  the  waters  of  New  England  from  Canada.  A  port- 
age of  four  miles  brought  them  to  a  small  stream,  down  which  they  pushed  their  vessels  and 
reached  Lake  Megantic,  the  great  source  of  the  Chaudiere.  There  they  found  Lieutenants 
Steele  and  Church,  who  had  been  sent  forward  from  the  great  carrying-place  to  explore  aiid 
clear  the  portages.  Here  also  was  Jakins,  who  had  been  sent  to  the  French  settlers  on  tho 
Chaudiere  to  ascertain  their  political  sentiments,  which  he  reported  to  be  favorable.* 

The  little  army  encamped  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing Arnold,  witli  a  party  of  fifty-five  men  on  shore,  under  Captain  Hanchet,  and 

thirteen  men  with  himself,  in  five  bateaux  and  a  birch  canoe,  push- 
ed onward  down  the  Chaudiere  to  the  French  settlements,  there  to 
obtain  provisions  and  send  them  back  to  meet  the  main  forces.  It 
was  a  fearful  voyage.  As  soon  as  they  left  the  lake  and  October  27 
entered  the  river,  the  current  ran  with  great  rapidity,  boil-  '^'^~^- 
ing  and  foaming  over  a  rocky  bottom.  They  had  no  guide.  They 
lashed  their  baggage  and  provisions  to  the  bateaux  and  committed 
themselves  to  the  mercy  of  the  stream.  At  length  the  fearful  roar  of 
rushing  waters  met  their  ears,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  plung- 
ing amid  rapids.  Three  of  the  boats  were  dashed  in  pieces  upon  the 
rocks  and  their  contents  ingulfed,  but,  fortunately,  no  lives  were  lost. 
Six  men  struggled  long  in  the  waters,  but  were  saved.  The  other 
bateaux  were  moored  in  shallow  estuaries,  while  aid  was  rendered  to 
those  in  the  stream,  and  this  proved  the  salvation  of  the  whole  party. 
The  apparent  calamity  was  a  mercy  in  disguise,  for  had  they  not  been 
thus  checked,  they  must  all  have  plunged  into  destruction  over  a  fall 
just  beyond,  which  was  discovered  by  one  of  the  rescued  men.  For 
seventy  miles  falls  and  rapids  succeeded  each  other,  but  the  voyagers 
reached  Sertigan  (four  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Des  Lou- 
pis),  the  first  French  settlement,  in  safely.  The  people 
were  friendly,  and  sold  provisions  freely.  As  soon  as  the  wants  of 
his  own  party  were  supplied,  Arnold  sent  back  some  Canadians  and 
Indians  with  flour  and  cattle  for  the  approaching  troops,  who  were  in 
great  distress,  all  their  boats  having  been  destroyed,  with  their  provi- 
sions. They  had  slaughtered  their  last  ox  several  days  before.  In  a 
few  days  the  whole  army  emerged  in  detachments  from  the  forests, 
and  united  at  Sertigan.^ 


Route  through  the  Wil 

DERNESS. 


'  Two  Indians  were  sent  forward  with  Jakins  to  carry  letters,  one  to  General  Schuyler  on  Lake  Cham- 
jilain,  the  other  to  some  persons  in  Quebec.  They  betrayed  their  trusts,  for  the  latter,  named  Eneas,  was 
known  to  have  reached  Quebec,  but  the  letters  went  into  the  hands  of  Lieutenant-governor  Carmahe  instead 
of  those  for  whom  they  were  intended.     The  letters  to  General  Schuyler  never  reached  him. 

'^  Judge  Henry,  who  at  the  close  of  the  last  century  was  president  of  the  second  judicial  district  in  Penn- 
sylvania,  was  one  of  the  soldiers  in  this  expedition,  and  has  left  behind  him  a  lucid  and  exceedingly  inter 
e.-sting  narrative  of  the  "hardships  and  sufferings  of  that  band  of  heroes."  In  reference  to  the  destitute 
condition  of  the  troops  before  food  was  sent  back  from  Sertigan,  he  says,  "  Coming  to  a  low,  sandy  beacli 
of  the  Chaudiere,  for  we  sometimes  had  such,  some  of  our  companies  were  observed  to  dart  from  the  file, 
and  with  their  nails  tear  out  of  the  sands  roots  which  they  esteemed  eatable,  and  ate  them  raw,  even  witli- 
out  washing.     The  knowing  one  sprang  ;   half  a  dozen  followed  ;   he  who  obtained  it  ate  the  root  instantly. 

They  washed  their  moose-skin  moccasins  in  the  river,  scraping  away  the  dirt  and  sand  with  greal 

care.  These  were  brought  to  the  kettle  and  boiled  a  considerable  time,  under  the  vague  but  consolatory 
liope  that  a  mucilage  would  take  place.  The  poor  fellows  chewed  the  leather,  but  it  was  leather  still. 
They  had  not  received  food  for  the  last  forty-eight  hours.  Disconsolate  and  weary  we  passed  the  night."' 
A  dog  was  killed  and  furnished  material  for  broth,  but  starvation  would  have  destroyed  them  all  in  a  few  days.* 

*  "iMy  dog  was  very  large  ana  a  great  favorite.  I  gave  him  up  to  several  men  of  Captniu  CJoodrich's  company.  They  car- 
led  him  to  their  company,  and  killed  and  divided  him  among  those  who  wore  suft'ering  most  severely  from  hun;,'er.  They  ate 
t  ery  part  of  him,  not  excepting  his  eutrails." — Letter  nf  General  Dearborn  to  the  Rev.  William  Allen. 

N 


194  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Valley  of  the  Chaudiere.       Washington's  Manifesto.       Joined  by  Indians.       Arrival  at  Point  Levi.       Incidents  of  the  March 

The  beautiful  valley  of  the  Chaudiere  was  now  before  them,  enlivened  with  a  friendly 
population  and  blessed  with  abundance  of  provisions.  Arnold  had  been  furnished  with 
printed  copies,  in  French,  of  a  manifesto  by  Washington,  to  be  distributed  among  the  peo- 
ple. It  explained  the  causes  of  the  contest,  and  asked  them,  as  neighbors  and  friends,  to 
join  the  standard  of  liberty.  Arnold,  with  great  discretion,  circulated  these  freely,  at  the 
same  time  acquiescing  in  the  wishes  of  Washington  by  treating  the  inhabitants  with  the 
greatest  respect.  Every  thing  received  from  them  was  paid  for,  and  they  rendered  aid  in 
return  with  a  hearty  good  will.' 

About  forty  Indians  of  the  Norridgewocks,  under  the  famous  Natanis  and  his  brother 
Sabatis,  here  joined  the  Americans,  and  on  the  9th  of  November  the  whole  army  that  re- 
mained arrived  at  Point  Levi,  opposite  Quebec,  after  one  of  the  most  wonderful  marches  on 
record,  during  the  space  of  two  months.  Thirty-two  days  they  traversed  the  gloomy  wil- 
derness without  meeting  a  human  being.  Frost  and  snow  were  upon  the  ground,  and  ice 
was  upon  the  surface  of  the  marshes  and  streams,  which  they  were  obliged  to  traverse  and 
ford,  sometimes  armpit  deep  in  water  and  mud  ;  yet  they  murmured  not,  and  even  women 
followed  in  the  train  of  the  suffering  patriots.^  It  was  an  effort  in  the  cause  of  freedom 
worthy  of  its  divine  character ;  and  the  men  who  thus  periled  life  and  endured  pain,  what- 
ever may  have  been  their  course  in  after  life,  deserve  the  highest  praise  from  the  hearts  and 
lips  of  posterity.' 

'  I  met  a  gentleman  at  Quebec  (August,  1848)  who  had  just  made  a  journey  across  the  country  from 
the  Kennebec  to  the  St.  Lawrence  by  the  way  of  the  Chaudiere.  He  said  that  many  of  the  old  habitans 
were  still  living  in  that  beautiful  valley,  and  spoke  very  highly  of  the  "good  Bostonians,"  whose  passage 
through  their  country  was  one  of  the  greatest  events  in  the  quiet  lives  of  those  isolated  and  simple  people. 
He  showed  me  an  order  for  flour  and  cattle,  signed  by  Arnold  at  Sertigan,  which  he  procured  from  an  old 
man  93  years  of  age.     Many  documents  of  the  kind  are,  he  said,  preserved  in  the  families  of  the  old  settlers. 

'^  Judge  Henry  speaks  of  two  women,  the  wives  of  soldiers  attached  to  the  division  of  the  army  to  which 
he  belonged.  Their  names  deserve  preservation  for  the  admiration  of  posterity.  "  One  was  the  wife  of 
Sergeant  Grier,  a  large,  virtuous,  and  respectable  woman."  The  other  was  the  wife  of  a  private  soldiei 
named  Warner.  Judge  H.  says,  in  reference  to  their  march  through  the  wet  country  near  Megantic  Lake. 
"  Entering  the  ponds,  and  breaking  the  ice  here  and  there  with  the  butts  of  our  guns  and  feet,  we  were 
soon  waist  deep  in  mud  and  water.  As  is  generally  the  case  with  youths,  it  came  to  my  mind  that  a  better 
path  might  be  found  than  that  of  the  more  elderly  guide.  Attempting  this,  the  water  in  a  trice  cooling  my 
armpits,  made  me  gladly  return  in  the  file.  Now  Mrs.  Grier  had  got  before  me.  My  mind  was  humbled, 
yet  astonished,  at  the  exertions  of  this  good  woman.  Her  clothes  more  than  waist  high,  she  waded  on 
before  me  to  firm  ground.  Not  one,  so  long  as  she  was  known  to  us,  dared  to  intimate  a  disrespectful 
idea  of  her." 

^  Those  most  prominent  afterward  in  the  history  of  our  country,  who  accompanied  Arnold  on  that  expe- 
dition, were  Morgan,  Greene,  Dearborn,  Febiger,  Meigs,  and  Burr.  "  Here  it  was"  (near  Sertigan),  says 
Judge  Henry,  "that,  for  the  first  time.  Aaron  Burr,  a  most  amiable  youth  of  twenty,  came  to  my  view. 
He  was  then  a  cadet." 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION 


195 


American  Array  at  Point  Levi. 


Alarm  of  the  Canadians. 


Storm  on  the  St.  Lawrence. 


Passage  of  the  Army. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"  Oh,  few  and  weak  their  numbers  were, 

A  handful  of  brave  men  ; 
But  to  their  God  they  gave  their  prayer, 

And  rush'd  to  battle  then. 
They  left  the  plowshare  in  the  mold, 
Their  flocks  and  herds  without  a  fold, 
The  siekle  in  the  unshorn  grain. 
The  corn  half  garner'd  on  the  plain. 
And  muster'd  in  their  simple  dress 
For  wrongs  to  seek  a  stern  redress — 
To  right  those  wrongs,  come  weal,  come  wo, 
To  perish  or  o'ercome  their  foe." 

M'Lellan. 


UCH  were  the  men  who  followed  the  bold  Arnold,  through  terrible  difficultie? 
and  privations,  from  their  quiet  homes  in  New  England,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
light  falling  snow,  appeared  like  a  specter  army  on  the  heights  of  Point  Levi, 
to  the  wondering  people  of  Quebec.  Through  the  treachery  of  the  Indian 
Eneas  (who  pretended  to  have  been  taken  prisoner),  Cramahe  and  his  council 
knew  that  a  small  American  force  was  in  the  wilderness,  but  they  would  not 
believe  that  it  would  ever  reach  Quebec  ;  therefore  the  fact  was  not  made 
known  to  the  military  or  the  people.  They  had  taken  the  precaution,  how- 
ever, to  keep  all  boats  on  the  Quebec  side  of  the  river.  It  Avas  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  when  Arnold  and  his  followers  emerged  from  the  forest 
[■•  !  '  and  displayed  upon  the  banks  of  the  St.  La-\\Tence.  Quebec  was  at  once  in  a 
'  tumult.      The  drums  beat  to  arms,  and  the  Canadians  were  terribly  alarmed. 

Some  near  Point  Levi  had  fled  across  to  the  city,  and  their  fears  caused  them  to  greatly 
magnify  the  number  and  character  of  the  Americans.  By  a  mistake  of  a  single  word  the 
fears  of  the  people  were  greatly  increased,  for  the  news  spread  that  the  mysterious  army  that 
descended  from  the  wilderness  was  clad  in  sheet  iron.^ 

Arnold  resolved  to  cross  the  river  immediately,  and  found  means  to  communicate  his  in- 
tentions to  his  friends  in  Quebec.^  But  for  several  days  and  nights  a  tempest  of  wind  and 
sleet  raged  upon  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  he  was  obliged  to  wait  its  pleasure  at  Point  Levi. 
In  the  mean  while  the  garrison  of  the  city  was  strengthened  by  troops  from  Sorel,  under 
M'Lean,  and  the  prospect  of  success  for  the  patriots  was  proportionably  lessened.  At  length 
the  wind  ceased.  Between  thirty  and  forty  birch  canoes  were  procured,  and  about  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  1 3th  the  first  division  crossed  ;  before  daylight  five  November, 
hundred  Americans  landed  safely,  and  rendezvoused  at  Wolfe's  Cove.  The  ene-  ^"^ 
my  had  placed  a  frigate  (the  Lizzard)  and  a  sloop  in  the  river,  to  intercept  them,  but  the 
vigilance  of  these  they  eluded  until  just  as  the  last  party  passed  a  guard-boat.  One  bund- 
led and  fifty  men  were  at  Point  Levi,  but  it  was  too  late  to  return  for  them.      No  time  was 

'  Morgan's  riflemen  wore  linen  frocks,  their  common  uniform.  The  Canadians,  who  first  saw  these 
emerge  from  the  woods,  said  they  were  vctu  en  totVe— clothed  in  linen  cloth.  The  word  toih  was  changed 
!o  tole^  iron  plate. 

*  In  earlier  life  Arnold  was  engaged  in  trafficking  in  horses,  and  shipped  many  for  the  West  Indies.  He 
visited  Quebec  several  times  to  procure  stock,  and  thus  became  well  acquainted  with  the  place  and  many 
people  there.  His  knowledge  of  the  city  and  vicinity  was  doubtless  one  cause  that  led  to  his  appointment 
to  the  command  of  the  expedition. 


196  PIC  TORIALFIELD- BOOK 

Arnold's  Troops  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  Expected  Aid  from  within.  Arnold's  formal  Summons  to  surrender 


to  be  lost,  for  the  garrison  would  soon  be  alarmed.  Arnold,  placing  himself  at  the  head  of 
his  little  band  of  heroes,  scaled  the  heights  where  Wolfe  had  ascended  sixteen  years  befoi'e, 
and  at  dawn  they  stood  upon  the  lofty  Plains  of  Abraham.  That  goal  where  glory  was  to 
be  won  and  freedom  vindicated,  which  had  lured  them  from  the  camp  at  Cambridge,  and 
haunted  them  in  their  disturbed  dreams  amid  the  perils  of  the  wilderness,  was  now  before 
the  zealous  patriots  ;  but  their  hearts  sank,  and  the  whisperings  of  hope  were  like  the  breath- 
ings of  despair,  when  they  saw  the  dark  castle  and  the  massy  walls  that  inclosed  the  garri- 
son of  the  enemy.  They  numbered  only  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men.  They  had  no  artil- 
lery, and  nearly  half  their  muskets  were  rendered  useless  during  their  march  thi'ough  the 
wilderness.  They  learned,  too,  that  troops  from  Sorel  and  Newfoundland  had  been  added 
to  the  garrison,  making  an  attack  upon  the  town  a  hopeless  waste  of  effort.'  But  Arnold 
relied  upon  the  friendly  disposition  of  the  Canadian  militia  and  the  people  of  the  city,  and, 
to  ascertain  their  feelings,  he  drew  up  his  men  within  eight  hundred  yards  of  the  walls  and 
gave  three  cheers,  hoping  that  the  regulars  would  sally  out  to  attack  them,  and  that  then, 
the  gates  being  unclosed,  he  might  rush  in,  and,  by  the  aid  of  friends  within,  secure  the  city. 
The  parapets  of  the  walls  were  lined  by  hundreds  of  the  people,  and  many  of  them  huzzaed 
in  return.  Several  guns  were  fired  by  the  Americans,  but  without  effect.  The  British  at 
length  brought  a  thirty-two  pounder  to  bear  upon  the  patriots,  but  not  a  shot  injured  them. 
Lieutenant-governor  Cramahe  and  M'Lean  were  too  wary  to  be  lured  into  such  a  snare  as 
making  a  sortie,  for  they  knew  well  the  disloyalty  of  the  French  citizens  and  most  of  the 
leading  men  of  Quebec.      The  English  citizens  were  much  dissatisfied  with  the  French  laws 

that  had  governed  them  since  the  passage  of  the  "  Quebec  Bill,"  the  previous  year. 

The  French,  on  the  other  hand,  though  petted,  so  as  to  be  won,  could  not  forget  their 
ancient  national  animosities,  and  were  willing  to  see  the  English  discomfited.  The  unruly 
conduct  of  the  soldiery  had  also  disgusted  the  people,  and  some  were  loud  in  their  complaints 
against  Carleton  and  his  deputy,  for  exposing  Quebec,  by  withdrawing  its  garrison  when 
Montreal  was  threatened.  The  Royal  Scotch,  under  M'Lean,  were  all  that  could  be  cer- 
tainly relied  upon.  These  elements  of  disaffection  combined,  made  the  force  in  the  city,  se- 
curely sheltered,  quite  inactive,  for  M'Lean  well  knew  that  Arnold's  little  army  was  too 
weak  to  attempt  an  assault,  and  he  felt  sure  that  the  fierce  winter  winds  and  driving  snow 
would  soon  force  them  from  their  bleak  encampment. 

Finding  his  attempts  vain,  by  frequent  hostile  displays  upon  the  heights,  to  draw  out  the 
garrison,  Arnold,  in  accordance  with  military  usage,  sent  a  flag  to  M'Lean,  with  a  formal 
summons  to  surrender,  threatening  him  with  terrible  disasters  if  he  refused.  The  movement 
was  exceedingly  ridiculous,  and  was  not  only  treated  with  utter  contempt  by  the  British  com- 
mander, but  the  bearer  was  fired  upon.^  About  this  time  Arnold  learned  that  Carleton, 
who  had  fled  from  Montreal,  was  approaching  Quebec.  He  also  inspected  his  ammunition 
and  stores,  and  to  his  surprise  found  that  nearly  all  the  cartridges  were  spoiled,  hardly  five 
rounds  to  a  man  being  left  fit  lor  use.  Learning,  also,  from  his  friends  in  the  city,  that  a 
sortie  was  about  to  be  made,  he  broke  up  his  camp  and  retreated  to  Point  aux  Trembles, 
twenty  miles  above  Quebec,  to  av/ait  the  approaching  troops  of  Montgomery.  On  his  arrival 
at  Aiiz  Trembles,  Arnold  was  informed  that  Carleton  had  gone  from  that  place  but  a  few 
hours  before,  and  shortly  afterward  was  heard  the  cannonading  at  Quebec  that  welcomed  his 

'  The  garrison,  including  the  regulars  and  militia  within  the  town,  and  the  marines  in  the  ships,  was 
about  eighteen  hundred  strong.  Surprise  has  been  expressed  that  these  did  not  march  out  and  destroy  the 
feeble  force  of  the  Americans.  The  obvious  reason  was,  that  the  majority  of  the  garrison  troops  were  mili- 
tia, and  supposed  to  be  ready  to  join  the  Americans  in  the  event  of  a  battle. 

^  "  It  must  be  confessed,"  says  Judge  Henry,  "  that  this  ridiculous  affair  gave  me  a  contemptible  opinion 
of  Arnold.  Morgan,  Febiger,  and  other  officers  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  of  it  in  that  point  of  view.  How- 
ever, Arnold  had  a  vain  desire  to  gratify.  He  was  well  known  at  Quebec.  Formerly,  he  had  traded  from 
this  port  to  the  West  Indies,  most  particularly  in  the  article  of  horses ;  hence  he  was  despised  by  the  prin- 
cipal people.  The  epithet  of  horse-jockey  was  freely  and  universally  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  British. 
.Having  now  obtained  power,  he  became  anxious  to  display  it  in  the  faces  of  those  who  had  formerly  de 
spised  and  contemned  him." 


UF   THE   REVOLUTION.  197 


Junction  of  Montgomery  and  Arnold.  Ineflcctual  Eftbrta  against  the  Town.  Mutiny  in  the  Cnmp.  Plan  of  Assault 


return  to  the  city.      Montgomery  landed  at  Point  aux  Trembles  on  the  ]  st  of  Decem- 
ber, his  troops,  by  sickness  and  desertion,  reduced  to  a  mere  handful.      'J'hore  he  took 
command  of  the  combined  troops,  amounting  to  only  about  nine  hundred  elfective  men.      He 
brought  clothing  from  Montreal  for  Arnold's  half-naked  trooT)S.      The  next  day, 

.    .  ...  December  2 

in  the  face  of  a  driving  snow-storm,  they  started  for  Quebec,  and  arrived  in  sight 

of  the  city  on  the  5th.  Their  march  was  slow  and  excessively  fatiguing,  for  the  snow  was 
deep,  and  drifted  high  in  the  roads.  Montgomery  established  his  headquarters  at  Holland 
House,  and  Arnold  occupied  a  house  near  Scott's  Bridge.  The  Americans  were  chiefly  en- 
camped near  the  Intendant's  Palace,  by  the  St.  Charles,  in  the  suburb  St.  Roche. 

The  American  forces  were  considerably  inferior  in  numbers  to  those  of  the  garrison,  but 
this  was  unknown  Avithin  the  city.  Montgomery  endeavored  to  send  a  summons  to  surren- 
der, but  Carleton  would  not  allow  a  flag  to  approach  the  walls.  At  length  a  letter  was 
conveyed  by  a  citizen  to  Governor  Carleton,  in  which  Montgomery  demanded  an  immediate 
surrender,  at  the  same  time  magnifying  the  number  of  his  followers,  and  threatening  all  the 
calamities  of  an  assault.  Although  Carleton  thought  Montgomery's  army  larger  than  it 
really  was,  he  was  not  easily  frightened.  Montgomery,  like  Arnold,  counted  upon  friends 
within  the  city,  but  they  were  paralyzed  by  the  presence  of  troops,  and  dared  do  nothing 
favorable  to  the  besiegers.  With  no  other  ordnance  than  some  light  cannon  and  a  few  mor- 
tars, a  feeble,  ill-clad,  and  ill-fed  army,  exposed  to  the  severest  fro.st  in  the  open  fields,  and 
snow  falling  almost  constantly,  the  American  commander  nearly  despaired  of  success  ;  yet 
tlip  love  of  his  adopted  country,  and  thoughts  of  the  depression  of  spirit  throughout  the  colo- 
nies which  a  failure  would  produce,  moved  him  to  extraordinary  efforts.  He  resolved  to  an- 
noy the  people  into  submission  by  harassing  attacks  upon  the  city,  and  accordingly  attempted 
to  throw  bombs  over  the  walls.  These  efforts  were  unavailing,  and  he  then  erected  a  six- 
gun  battery  upon  some  heaps  of  snow  and  ice  within  seven  hundred  yards  of  the  walls,  but 
his  guns  were  too  light  for  any  efficiency.  Nearly  three  weeks  were  thus  consumed  in  un- 
availing attempts  to  make  an  entrance.  Mutinous  murmurs  were  audible  in  the  camp,  the 
term  of  service  of  many  of  the  troops  had  nearly  expired,  the  small-pox  appeared  among  the 
soldiers,  and  the  general  looked  for  a  speedy  dissolution  of  his  whole  army. 

Perils  were  gathering  a  fearful  web  around  the  brave  Montgomery.  He  called  a  council 
of  war,  and  it  was  resolved,  as  a  last  resort,  to  make  a  regular  assault  upon  the  town  at  dif- 
ferent points.  The  troops  were  accordingly  ordered  to  parade  in  three  divisions  at  two  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  31st  of  December.  All  obeyed  with  alacrity,  except  three  com- 
panies of  Arnold's  detachment,  whose  term  of  service  was  about  expiring.  They  threat- 
ened to  leave  the  army  at  once  unless  transferred  to  another  command,  but  the  firmness  and 
wisdom  of  Montgomery  restored  order,  and  they  took  their  places  in  the  ranks.'  The  New 
York  regiments  and  a  part  of  Easton's  militia  paraded  at  Holland  House,  under  the  imme- 
diate command  of  Montgomery  ;  the  Cambridge  detachment  and  Colonel  Lamb's  company 
of  artillerists,  with  one  field  piece,  at  Morgan's  quarters  ;  and  the  two  small  corps  of  Liv- 
ingston and  Brown  at  their  respective  parade-grounds.  The  plan  was,  for  the  first  and  sec- 
ond divisions  to  assault  the  lower  town  on  opposite  sides,  and  the  third,  under  Livingston 
and  Brown,  to  make  feigned  attacks,  from  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  upon  the  upper  town,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  St.  John's  and  St.  Louis  Gates  and  Cape  Diamond  Bastion. 

Montgomery,  at  the  head  of  the  finst  division,  descended  from  the  Plains  of  Abraham  to 
Wolfe's  Cove,  south  of  the  city,  and  commenced  his  march  toward  the  lower  town  by  a  road 
(now  Champlain  Street)  that  ran  along  the  margin  of  the  river,  under  Cape  Diamond.     Ar- 


'  The  cause  of  this  outbreak  is  not  known.  Montgomery,  in  a  letter  to  Sehuyler  (the  last  lie  ever  wrote), 
spoke  of  the  oecurrencc,  and  intimated  that  Major  Brown  was  at  the  l)ottom  of  it.  He  promised  a  full  ex- 
planation in  his  next,  but,  alas  !  ''  the  next"  was  never  written.  It  appears  that  Arnold  had  quarreled  with 
Hanchet,  one  of  his  captains,  before  reaching  Point  Levi,  and  two  others  took  sides  with  the  captain.  Brown 
and  Arnold  had  quarreled  at  Ticonderopra,  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  former  took  this  opportunity  to  gall 
Arnold,  by  widening  the  breach  between  him  and  his  captains,  and  endeavoring  to  get  them  detached  from 
Arnold's  command  and  joined  to  his  own. 


1  98 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Montgomery's  Approach  to  Cape  Diamond. 


Opposing  Battery. 


His  Charge  upon  the  Battery. 


nold,  at  the  head  of  the  second  division,  advanced  from  the  general  hospital,  around  the 
^  ^_^,-  north  side  of  the  town,  on  the  St.  Charles.      Both  parties 

were  to  meet  at  Mountain  Street,  and  force  Prescott  Gate. 
The  snow  was  falling  fast,  and  furious  winds  were  piling 
it  in  frightful  drifts.  Cautiously  Montgomery  led  his  men 
in  the  dark  toward  the  narrowest  point  under  Cape  Dia- 
mond, called  Pres  de  Ville,  where  the  enemy  had  planted 
a  battery  of  three  pounders.'  This  post  was  in  charge 
of  a  captain  of  Canadian  militia,  with  thirty-eight  men, 
and  nine  British  seamen,  under  Captain  Barnsfare,  mas- 
ter of  a  transport,  to  work  the  guns.  On  the  river  side 
was  a  precipice,  and  on  the  left  the  rough  crags  of  dark 
slate  towered  far  above  him.      When  within  fifty  yards 


St.  John's  Gate,  outside. 


of  the  battery,  the  Americans  halted  to 
reconnoiter.      The  guard  at  the  battery 
and  the  artillerymen  with  lighted  match- 
es were  perfectly  silent,  and  Montgomery 
concluded  that  they  were  not  on  the  alert.      ;„, 
But  Barnsfare,  through  the  dim  light  of     iii:, 
early  dawn  and  the  drifting  snow,  saw     '^* 
faintly  their  movements.      Montgomery,  in 
the  van  of  his  troops,  cried  out,  "  Men  of 
New  York,  you  will  not  fear  to  follow  where 
your  general  leads.      March  on  I"  and  rush- 
ed boldly  over  heaps  of  ice  and  snow  to  charge  the 
battery.      At  that  moment,  when  the  Americans 
were  within  forty  paces,  Captain  Barnsfare  gave 
the  word,  the  match  was  applied,  and  a  discharge 
of  grape-shot  swept  the  American  column  with  ter- 
rible efiect.       Montgomery,  Major  M'  Phunn  his 
aid,  and    Captain    Cheeseman    were  killed,  to- 
gether with  several  privates  near.      The  rest,  appalled  at 
the  dreadful  havoc  and  the  death  of  their  general,  fled  in 
confusion  back  to  Wolfe's  Cove,  where  Colonel  Campbell 
took  the  command,  but  made  no  further  attempts  to  force 
a  junction  with  Arnold.      Ten  minutes  the  battery  belched 
its  iron  storm  in  the  dim  space,  but,  after  the  first  discharge, 
there  was  no  enemy  there  to  slaughter. 


Cape  Diamond.* 


'  Judge  Henry,  who  was  one  of  the  American  prisoners  at  Quebec,  was  allowed,  with  some  others,  to 
go  out  and  see  the  place  where  Montgomery  was  slain.  He  thus  describes  the  British  fortification  there  : 
It  was  a  sort  of  block-house  forty  or  fifty  feet  square.  The  logs,  neatly  hewn,  were  tightly  bound  together 
by  dove-tail  work.  The  lower  story  contained  loop-holes  for  musketry,  so  narrow  that  those  within  could 
not  be  harmed  by  those  without.  The  upper  story  had  four  or  more  port-holes  for  cannon  of  a  large  cali- 
ber. These  guns  were  charged  with  grape  and  canister  shot,  and  were  pointed  with  exactness  toward  the 
avenue  at  Cape  Diamond.  The  block-house  seemed  to  take  up  the  space  between  the  foot  of  the  hill  and 
the  river,  leaving  only  a  cart-way  on  each  side.  The  bulwarks  of  the  city  came  only  to  the  edge  of  the 
hill,  above  that  place ;  hence  down  the  side  of  the  precipice,  slantingly  to  the  brink  of  the  river,  there  was 
a  stockade  of  strong  posts  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  knit  together  by  a  stout  railing  at  bottom  and  toji 
with  pins.  It  was  asserted  that  Montgomery  sawed  four  of  these  posts  himself,  so  as  to  admit  four  men 
abreast  to  attack  the  block-house. 

-  This  is  a  view  of  the  spot  where  Montgomery  was  killed.  The  cliff"  is  Cape  Diamond,  crowned  with 
the  citadel.  The  street  at  the  foot  of  it  is  called  Champlain,  and  is  inhabited  chiefly  by  a  mixed  population 
of  French,  Canadians,  and  Irish.  It  extends  from  Mountain  Street  south  almost  to  Wolfe's  Cove.  This 
view  is  from  Champlain  Street,  a  few  rods  south  oi Prea  de  Ville,  looking  north.  High  upon  the  rocks  Alfred 
Hawkins,  Esq.,  of  Quebec,  has  placed  a  board  with  this  inscription :  "  Here  Major-general  Montgom- 
Epy  FELL,  December  31st,  1775." 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


l'J9 


Arnold's  Operations. 


Wounded. 


Assailants  led  by  Morgan. 


Severe  Fight. 


Capture  of  Dearborn. 


While  this  dreadful  scene  was  in  progress  at  Cape  Diamond,  Arnold,  at  the  head  of  the 
second  division,  was  pressing  onward  along  the  St.  Charles,  where  the  snow  was  worse  drifted 
than  on  the  St.  Lawrence.      He  led  his  men  in  files  until  he  reached  the  narrow  street  called 

Saiilt  ail  Matelot,  where,  under  a  high,  jutting  rock, 
the  enemy  had  a  two-gun  picketed  battery,  well  man- 
ned. Like  Montgomery,  he  headed  his  men,  and, 
while  leading  Lamb's  artillery  to  the  attack  upon  the 
barrier,  was  completely  disabled  by  a  musket-wound 
in  the  knee,  and  was  carried  back  to  the  general  hos- 
pital, where  he  heard  of  the  death  of  Montgomery. 
The  command  of  his  division  now  devolved  upon  Mor- 
gan, and  for  more  than  an  hour  the  Americans  with- 
stood the  storm  of  grape-shot  and  musket-balls  at  the 
first  barrier,  and  finally  carried  it,  for  the  deadly  aim 
of  the  riflemen  caused  great  consternation  in  the  ranks 
of  the  enemy.  Passing  the  first  barrier,  the  patriots 
rushed  on  to  the  second,  which  commanded  both  Sault 
au  Matelot  and  St.  Peter's  Streets.  The  defenses 
here  extended  from  the  cliff  to  the  river  ;  and  the 
present  custom-house,  then  a  private  dwelling,  had 
cannons  projecting  from  the  windows  of  the  gable. 
Here  a  fierce  contest  of  three  hours  ensued,  and  many 
were  killed  on  both  sides.  At  length  the  Americans 
took  shelter  from  the  fire  of  the  battery,  in  the  houses 
on  both  sides  of  the  street,  and  in  the  narrow  pass  that 
leads  up  to  Hope  Gate.  The  English  and  Canadians 
already  occupied  houses  near,  and  the  patriots  were 
terribly  galled  on  all  sides,  and  from  the  walls  of  the  city  above  them.  Captain  Lamb  was 
severely  wounded  by  a  grape-shot,  which  carried  away  a  part  of  his  cheek-bone,  and  other 
officers  were  more  or  less  injured.  The  Americans  finally  captured  the  barrier,  and  were 
preparing  to  rush  into  the  town,  when  Carleton  sent  a  large  de- 
tachment from  the  garrison,  through  Palace  Gate,  to  attack  them 
in  the  rear-  The  news  of  the  death  of  Montgomery  and  the  re- 
treat of  his  detachment  gave  the  people  and  the  troops  within  the 
walls  fresh  courage.  Captain  Dearborn,  with  some  provincials, 
was  stationed  near  Palace  Gate,  and  was  completely  surprised 
when  its  leaves  were  thrown  open  and  the  troops  rushed  out.  It 
was  a  movement  entirely  unlocked  for  ;  and  so  suddenly  and  in 
such  overwhelming  force  did  the  enemy  pour  upon  them,  that 
they  were  obliged  to  surrender. 

While  Morgan  was  pressing  on  vigorously  into  the  town,  he 
heard  of  the  death  of  Montgomery,  the  capture  of  Dearborn   and  his  company,  and  the  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy  in  his  rear.      Surrounded  by  foes  on  all  sides,  and  every  support  cut  ofi, 


PL.4CE  WHERE  Arnold  was  Wounded. i 


Palace  Gate,  ooTsiDE.a 


'  This  view  is  in  a  narrow  alley  near  the  north  end  of  Sault  au  Matelot  Street,  in  the  rear  of  St.  Paul's 
Street.  At  the  time  in  qae.stion  St.  Paul's  Street  did  not  e.xist,  and  the  water,  at  hijTh  tide,  came  nearly  up 
to  the  precipice.  The  first  barrier  and  battery  extended  from  the  jutting  roek  seen  in  the  picture,  to  the 
water.  The  present  alley  was  then  the  beach.  The  circular  wall  on  the  top  of  the  rock  is  a  part  of  the 
^rand  battery,  one  of  the  most  formidable  and  commanding  defenses  in  the  world. 

*  This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  gates  of  the  city,  and  opens  toward  the  St.  Charles,  on  the  northern 
side  of  the  town.  A  strong  guard-house  is  seen  at  the  left,  pierced  for  muskets  to  defend  the  entrance. 
Immediately  adjoining  this  gate  are  the  artillery  barracks.  The  gate  is  at  the  northern  extremity  of  Palace 
Street,  one  of  the  broadest  in  the  city,  and  "so  named,"  says  Hawkins,  ''from  the  circumstance  that  it  led 
out  to  the  Intendant's  house,  or  palace,  which  stood  on  the  beach  of  the  St.  Charles,  where  the  queen's 
wood-yard  now  is." 


200 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Loss  of  the  Americans  at  Quebec.    Recovery  and  Burial  of  Montgomery's  Body.    His  Life  and  Services.    Courtesy  of  Carleton 

the  patriots  yielded,  and  surrendered  themselves  prisoners  of  war.*  The  remainder  of  the 
division  in  the  rear  retreated  to  their  camp,  leaving  behind  them  one  field  piece  and  some 
mortars  in  a  battery  at  St.  Roche.  The  whole  loss  of  the  Americans  at  Cape  Diamond  and 
Sault  au  Matelot,  in  killed  and  wounded,  was  about  one  hundred  and  sixty.  The  British 
loss  was  only  about  twenty  killed  and  wounded. 

As  soon  as  hostilities  ceased,  search  was  made 
for  the  bodies  of  those  who  fell  with  Montgomery. 
Thirteen  were  found  nearly  buried  in  the  snow, 
and  with  them  was  Montgomery's  orderly  sergeant, 
dreadfully  wounded,  but  alive.  The  sergeant 
would  not  acknowledge  that  his  general  was  killed, 
and  persisted  in  his  silence  until  he  died,  an  hour 
afterward.  For  several  hours  Carleton  was  un- 
certain whether  the  general  was  slain  ;  but  a  field 
officer  among  the  captured  troops  of  Arnold's  divi- 
sion recognized  the  body  of  the  young  hero  among 
those  in  the  guard-house,  and,  it  is  said,  he  there 
pronounced  a  most  touching  eulogium  on  the  brav- 
ery and  worth  of  the  deceased,  while  tears  of  grief 
coursed  down  his  cheeks."  Cramahe,  the  lieuten- 
ant governor,  who  had  known  Montgomery  years 
before,  took  charge  of  the  body,  and  it  was  buried 
/>?  -^  -''^jy^^:yp^^^y>  Z^-^'^'^^- /!■■  within  a  wall  that  surrounded  a  powder  magazine, 
^    '^  yT  y^        near  the  ramparts  bounding  on  St.  Louis  Street, 

where  it  remained  forty-two  years.'  It  has  been  well  observed  that  it  would  be  difficult  to 
select,  from  so  small  a  body  of  men  as  that  engaged  in  besieging  Quebec,  so  large  a  number 
who  afterward  distinguished  themselves  for  patriotism  and  courage,  as  that  little  band  pre- 
sented.     Morgan  and  his  rifle  corps  became  world  renowned.      Dearborn  was  distinguished 


'  The  force  that  surrendered  consisted  of  1  lieutenant  colonel,  2  majors,  8  captains,  15  lieutenants,  1 
adjutant,  1  quartermaster,  4  volunteers,  350  rank  and  file,  and  44  officers  and  soldiers,  who  were  wounded, 
making  a  total  of  426.  The  prisoners  were  treated  humanely.  The  officers  were  confined  in  the  semin- 
ary, the  oldest  literary  institution  in  Quebec.  Major  Meigs  was  sent  out  for  the  clothing  and  baggage  of 
the  prisoners,  and  all  testified  to  the  humanity  of  Carleton. 

*  Montgomery  had  a  watch  in  his  pocket  which  Mrs.  M.  was  very  desirous  of  obtaining.  She  made  her 
wishes  known  to  Arnold,  who  sent  word  to  Carleton  that  any  sum  would  be  paid  for  it.  Carleton  imme- 
diately sent  the  watch  to  Arnold,  and  refused  to  receive  any  thing  in  return. 

^  Richard  Montgomery  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ii-eland  in  1737.  He  entered  the  army  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  and  was  with  Wolfe  at  the  storming  of  Quebec  in  1759.  He  was  in  the  campaign  against  the 
Spanish  West  Indies,  and  afterward  resided  some  time  in  this  country.  He  quitted  his  regiment  and  return- 
ed to  England.  While  here  he  imbibed  an  attachment  for  the  country,  and  in  1772,  returned  to  make  it 
his  home.  He  purchased  an  estate  upon  the  Hudson,  in  Rhinebeck,  Dutchess  county,  and  married  the 
daughter  of  Robert  R.  Livingston.  When  the  Revolution  broke  out,  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  colonists, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  1775  was  second  in  comma,nd,  under  Schuyler,  in  the  expedition  against  Canada,  with 
the  rank  of  brigadier.  The  illness  of  Schuyler  caused  the  chief  command  to  devolve  upon  Montgomery, 
and  in  the  capture  of  St.  John's,  Chambly,  and  Montreal,  and  his  attack  on  Quebec,  he  exhibited  great 
judgment  and  military  skill.  He  was  commissioned  a  major  general  before  he  reached  Quebec.  In  that 
campaign  he  had  every  difficulty  to  contend  with — undisciplined  and  mutinous  troops,  scarcity  of  provisions 
and  ammunition,  want  of  heavy  artillery,  lack  of  clothing,  the  rigor  of  winter,  and  desertions  of  whole  com- 
panies. Yet  he  pressed  onward,  and,  in  all  probability,  had  his  life  been  spared,  would  have  entered  Quebec 
in  triumph.  His  death  was  a  great  public  calamity,  and  throughout  the  land  public  honors  were  paid  to 
his  memory.  The  eloquence  of  Chatham,  Burke,  and  Barre  sounded  his  praises  upon  the  floor  of  the  Brit- 
ish Parliament,  and  the  prime  minister  (Lord  North),  while  acknowledging  his  worth,  and  reprobating  the 
cause  in  which  he  fell,  concluded  by  saying,  "  Curse  on  his  virtues,  they  have  undone  his  country."  As 
soon  as  the  news  of  his  death  reached  Congress,  resolutions  of  condolence  with  his  family  for  their  bereave- 
ment, and  expressive  of  their  "  grateful  remembrance,  profound  respect,  and  high  veneration,"  were  adopted, 
ft  was  voted  to  erect  a  monument  to  his  memory,  which  was  accordingly  done,  in  the  front  of  St.  Paul's 
Church  in  New  York  city,  on  which  is  the  following  inscription  : 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


201 


Eminent  Officers  at  Quebec. 


Promotion  of  Arnold. 


Blockade  of  Quebec. 


Honor  to  the  Memory  of  Montgomery. 


as  a  skillful  officer  at  Saratoga  and  other  fields  of  the  Revolution,  and  commanded  the  troopg 
that  captured  York,  in  Upper  Canada,  in  the  spring  of  1 8 1 3.  Meigs  boldly  attacked 
and  destroyed  shipping  and  stores  at  SagHarbor,  and  of  his  regmient,  and  that  of  Febi-  ^"  " 
ger,  were  the  forlorn  hope  at  Stony  Point.  Greene's  prowess  and  skill  were  well  attested 
at  Red  Bank,  on  the  Delaware.  Thayer  behaved  nobly  in  defense  of  Fort  Miillin,  opposite 
Red  Bank.  Lamb  was  distinguished  at  Compo,  Fort  Montgomery,  and  Yorktown.  Os- 
wald was  at  Compo,  and  fought  bravely  at  Monmouth  ;  and  Poterfield  was  killed  at  Cam- 
den, in  South  Carohna,  when  Gates  was  so  terribly  defeated  there.  M'Pherson  and  Cheese- 
man,'  Montgomery's  aids,  were  brave  and  accomplished,  and  gave  assurance  of  future  re- 
nown ;  but  they  fell  with  their  leader,  and  share  with  him  the  grateful  reverence  of  posterity. 
Colonel  Arnold  took  command  of  the  remnant  of  the  patriot  army  after  the  death  of  Mont- 
gomery, and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  general.  He  could  muster  only  about 
eight  hundred  men  ;  and,  feeling  unsafe  in  his  camp  imder  the  walls  of  the  city,  he  retired 
about  three  miles  from  the  town,  intrenched  himself  as  well  as  circumstances  would  allow, 
and  assumed  the  attitude  of  a  blockade,  hoping,  by  cutting  oft'  supplies  for  the  city  from  the 
country,  to  bring  the  enemy  to  terms.  Carleton,  feeling  secure  within  the  walls,  and  ex- 
pecting re-enforcements  from  England  as  soon  as  the  ice  should  move  out  of  the  St.  Law- 


This 
monument  is  erected  by  order  of  Congress, 

25th  of  January,  1776, 
to  transmit  to  posterity  a  grateful  remem- 
brance of  the  patriotic  conduct,  enterprise,  and  perseverance 
o{  Major-general  Richard  Montgomery, 
who,  after  a  series  of  success  amid  the  most  discour- 
aging difficulties,  Fell  in  the  attack  on 
Quebec,  31st  December,  1775,  aged  37  years. 

In  J  818  a  request  in  behalf  of  the  widow  of  General  Montgomery  was 
made  to  the  Governor-in-chief  of  Canada,  Sir  John  Sherbrooke,  to  allow 
his  r<jmains  to  be  disinterred  and  conveyed  to  New  York.     The  request 
was  readily  acceded  to,  and  Mr.  James  Thompson,  of  Quebec,  who  was 
one  of  the  engineers  at  the  time  of  the  storming  of  the  city,  and  ass'sted 
in  burying  the  general,  also  assisted  in  the  disinterment,  making  an  affi- 
davit to  the  identity  of  the  body.     He  said,  in  his  affidavit,  that  the  body 
was  taken  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Gobert,  and  placed  in  a  coffin  lined  with 
flannel  and  covered  with  black  cloth  ;   that  Rev.  Mr.  de  Montmolin,  chap- 
lain to  the  garrison,  performed  the  funeral  service  ;   that  Montgomery's 
aids  (M'Pherson  and  Chceseman)  were  buried  in  their  clothes,  without 
coffins ;  and  that  he  (Thompson)  afterward  wore  Montgomery's  sword, 
but  the  American  prisoners  were  so  afTccted  by  the  sight  of  it,  that  he 
laid  it  aside.     He  identified  the  coffin  taken  up  on  the  16th  of  June,  1818, 
as  the  one.     The  remains  were  placed  in  another  coffin  and  deposited  be- 
neath the  monument.     The  following  is  the  inscription  upon  a  silver  plate  on  the  coffin  :  "The  state  of 
New  York,  in  honor  of  General  Richard  Montgomery,  who  fell  gloriously  fighting  for  the  independence  and 
liberty  of  the  United  States  before  the  walls  of  Quebec,  the  31st  of  December,  1775,  caused  these  remains 
of  the  distinguished  hero  to  be  conveyed  from  Quebec,  and  deposited,  on  the  8lh  day  of  July  (1818),  in  St.' 
Paul's  Church,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  near  the  monument  erected  to  his  memory  by  the  United  States." 

General  Montgomery  left  no  children  whom  "  the  state,  in  gratitude  toward  their  father,  distinguished 
with  every  mark  of  kindness  and  protection,"  as  Botia  asserts.  His  widow  survived  him  more  than  half  a 
century.  When  at  the  house  of  his  brother-in-law,  the  late  Peter  R.  Livingston,  at  Rhinebeck,  a  few  years 
ago,  I  saw  an  interesting  memento  of  the  lamented  general.  A  day  or  two  before  ho  left  home  to  join  the 
army  under  Schuyler,  he  was  walking  on  the  lawn  in  the  rear  of  his  brother-in-law's  mansion  with  the 
owner,  and  as  they  came  near  the  house,  Montgomery  stuck  a  willow  twig  in  the  ground,' and  said,  "  Peter, 
let  that  grow  to  remember  me  by."  It  did  grow,  and  is  now  a  willow  with  a  trunk  at  least  ten  feet  in 
circumference. 

'  This  officer  had  a  presentiment  that  he  should  not  survive  the  battle.  When  preparing  to  go  forth  on 
tnat  stormy  December  morning,  he  dressed  himself  with  more  care  than  usual,  and  putting  a  considerable 
sum  of  money,  in  gold,  in  his  pocket,  remarked,  with  a  smile,  "  This  will  insure  me  a  decent  burial."  Ho 
was  of  the  New  York  line.  A  sergeant  and  eleven  men  fell  with  him.  Ho  was  not  instantly  killed,  but 
arose  to  press  forward  to  charge  the  battery.  It  was  a  feeble  effort,  and  he  fell  back  a  corpse,  in  a  wind 
iiifj-shcet  of  snow. 


MONTGOMEKV'S   .Mo.Nf.MK.VT. 


202 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


6mall-pox  in  the  Army.         Preparations  to  storm  Quebec.         Arrival  and  Death  of  General  Thomas.         Temperance  Crosg. 


1776, 


rence,  remained  quiet ;  and  in  this  relative  position  the  belligerents  continued  until  the  1st 
of  April,  when  General  Wooster,  who  had  remained  inactive  all  winter  in  Montreal,  came 
down,  and,  being  superior  in  rank  to  Arnold,  took  the  chief  command.  The  force  which  he 
brought  with  him,  and  the  small  addition  made  by  troops  that  reached  the  encampment 
from  New  England  during  the  winter,  and  Canadian  recruits,  swelled  the  array  to  nearly 
three  thousand,  eight  hundred  of  whom  were  sick  with  the  small-pox,  which  raged  terribly 
in  the  American  camp. 

Preparations  were  made  to  beleaguer  the  city  at  once.  A  battery  was  erected  upon  the 
Plains  of  Abraham,  and  another  at  Point  Levi,  and  a  cannonade  was  opened  upon  the  town, 
but  without  efl'ect.  At  that  moment  the  falling  of  Arnold's  horse  upon  his  wounded  leg  so 
disabled  him,  that  he  was  unfit  for  active  service,  and  he  asked  and  obtained  leave  from  Gen- 
eral Wooster  (with  whom  he  was  upon  unfriendly  terms)  to  retire  to  Montreal.  General 
Thomas,  who  was  appointed  to  succeed  Montgomery,  arrived  early  in  May,  but  Carle- 
ton  having  received  re-enforcements  under  Bargoyne,  the  Americans  were  obliged  to 
make  a  hasty  retreat,  leaving  their  stores  and  sick  behind.  The  latter  were  kindly  treated, 
and  finally  sent  home.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel  the  Americans  were  re-enforced,  but 
they  could  not  brave  the  power  of  the  enemy.  General  Thomas  died  there  of  small-pox, 
and  Sullivan  succeeded  to  the  command.'  But  Burgoyne,  with  a  considerable  force,  was 
pressing  forward,  and  ultimately,  as  we  have  noted  in  a  preceding  chapter,  the  patriots 
were  driven  out  of  Canada. 

We  have  taken  a  long  historic  ramble  ;  let  us  vary  our  pleasure  by  a  ride  to  Montmo- 
renci,  and  a  visit  to  other  celebrities  about  Quebec. 

The  morning  was  excessively  hot  when  we  left  the  city  for  the  falls  of  the  Montmorenci 

Our  egress  was  from  the  Palace  Gate,  and  with  us  was  quite 
a  train  of  vehicles  destined  for  the  same  point.  We  passed 
through  the  suburb  of  St.  Roche,  in  the  lower  town,  and  cross- 
ed over  Dorchester  Bridge,  a  noble  structure  which  spans  the 
St.  Charles,  a  short  distance  below  the  site  of  the  old  bridge 
fortified  by  Montcalm.  The  distance  from  Quebec  to  the 
Montmorenci  is  between  seven  and  eight  miles.  The  road 
(McAdamized)  is  very  good,  and  passes  through  a  rich  and 
thoroughly  cultivated  region.  Like  the  road  from  St.  John's 
to  Chambly  and  Longueuil,  it  is  so  thickly  strewn  with  farm- 
houses that  we  seemed  to  be  in  a  suburban  street  the  whole 
distance.  The  village  of  Beauport,  an  old  town,  where  Mont- 
calm's headquarters  were,  is  about  midway  between  the  St. 
Charles  and  the  Montmorenci,  and,  like  other  Lower  Canadian 
villages,  has  an  antiquated  appearance.  Between  Quebec  and  Beauport  we  passed  a  large 
gilt  cross  reared  upon  the  top  of  a  beautiful  Corinthian  column,  painted  white,  green,  and 
vermilion.  It  was  erected,  as  we  were  told,  by  some  priests  in  Quebec,  and  consecrated  to 
the  cause  of  temperance.  A  strong  iron  railing  incloses  it,  except  in  front,  where  two  oi 
three  steps  lead  to  a  platform  at  the  foot  of  the  column,  whereon  devout  passers-by  may 
kneel  in  prayer. 


PaLAOE    (jATE,    INiIDE.2 


'  John  Thomas  was  descended  from  a  respectable  family  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts.  He  served,  with 
reputation,  in  the  French  and  Indian  war.  At  the  head  of  a  regiment  raised  by  himself  in  Kingston,  Mas- 
sachusetts, he  marched  to  Roxbury  in  1775,  and  joined  the  Continental  army.  Congress  appointed  him 
one  of  the  first  eight  brigadier  generals,  and  he  commanded  a  division  at  the  siege  of  Boston.  In  March, 
1776,  he  was  appointed  a  major  general,  and  on  the  1st  of  May  following  joined  the  army  before  Quebec. 
He  died  of  small-pox,  at  Chambly,  on  the  second  of  June.  General  Thomas  was  greatly  beloved 
by  his  soldiers,  and  his  judgment,  prudence,  and  firmness  commended  him  to  Washington  as  one  promising 
to  do  much  for  the  cause  of  the  colonists. 

^  This  sketch  is  a  view  from  within  Palace  Street,  looking  out  upon  the  open  country  beyond  the  Si 
Charles.  The  river,  with  a  few  masts,  is  seen  just  over  the  top  of  the  gate.  Adjoining  the  gate,  on  the 
right,  is  seen  a  portion  of  the  guard-house. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


French  Canadian  Children. 


Falls  of  MontmorencL 


Island  of  Orleans. 


Point  Levi 


Quebec  in  the  Distance. 


Temperance  Cross 


After  passing  Beauport,  we  were  beset  by  troops  of  urchins,  who  stood  in  groups  making 
poHte  bows  to  win  attention  and  coin,  or  ran  beside  the  carriage 
with  the  speed  of  trotting  horses,  lustily  crying  out,  with  extend- 
ed hand,  "  un  sou  I  un  sou  /"  They  were  miniature  Falstafis 
in  figure,  some  not  more  than  four  or  five  years  old,  with  dark 
skins  and  lustrous  black  eyes.  It  was  amusing  to  see  their  vig- 
orous but  good-natured  scrambles  for  a  sou  when  cast  among 
them,  and  the  persevering  race  of  the  unsuccessful  for  the  next 
expected  piece  of  copper.  Many  a  dollar  is  thus  scattered  and 
picked  up  by  the  road  side  to  Montmorenci,  during  "  the  sea- 
son," for  the  amusement  of  the  passengers  and  the  comfort  of 
the  Imbitans. 

We  left  our  barouche  on  the  south  side  of  the  Montmorenci, 
and  crossing,  upon  a  bridge,  the  turbulent  stream  that  rushes 
leaping  and  foaming  among  broken  rocks,  toward  the  cascade 
ust  below,  we  paid  a  sou  each  to  a  pretty  French  girl  who 
guarded  a  gate  opening  to  a  winding  pathway  through  the  fields 
to  the  margin  of  the  bank  a  little  below  the  falls.  The  path  is 
down  a  gentle  slope  for  several  rods,  and  at  almost  every  step 
the  picturesque  scenery  of  the  cascade  assumes  a  new  aspect. 

These  falls,  though  much  high- 
er than  those  of  Niagara,  have  none  of  the  grandeur  of  that 
great  wonder.  Our  first  thought  here  is.  How  beautiful  ' 
but  when  the  eye  and  the  ear  are  first  impressed  with  thi; 
avalanche  of  waters  at  Niagara,  the  solemn  thought  is.  How 
sublime  and  wonderful !  When  we  visited  the  Montmo- 
renci, a  long  drought  had  greatly  diminished  the  volume  of 
its  waters,  yet  it  exhibited  a  scene  strikingly  picturesque  and 
pleasing.  For  two  or  three  hundred  yards  the  river  is  con- 
fined in  a  narrow  limestone  bed,'  whence  it  rushes  with  great 
velocity  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice,  and  leaps  into  a  cres- 
cent-shaped bay  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  more  than  two  hund- 
red feet  below.  There,  at  low  tide,  the  bare  rocks  receive 
the  flood,  and  send  up  clouds  of  spray  a  hundred  feet  or  more, 
on  which  the  rays  of  the  evening  sun  often  depict  the  beau- 
tiful bow.  In  front,  cleaving  the  broad  bosom  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  is  the  Island  of  Orleans,  a  paradise  of  beauty  in 
summer,  and  a  place  of  much  resort  by  the  citizens  of  Que- 
bec, particularly  the  English  residents,  who  see  in  it  much 
that  resembles  their  "  sweet  Devonshire  coast."  Its  length 
is  nineteen  miles,  and  its  average  breadth  about  five.  A 
population  of  five  thousand  inhabit  it,  and  its  rich  soil  is 
thoroughly  cultivated  for  the  production  of  vegetables  for  thi' 
Quebec  market.  Beyond,  on  the  right,  is  Point  Levi,  and  uj) 
the  St.  Lawrence,  glittering  in  the  sun,  lies  Quebec.  Group- 
ing the  beauties  of  the  natural  scenery,  the  historical  asso- 
ciations, and  the  delights  of  a  summer  ride,  a  trip  to  Mont- 
morenci is  an  event  to  be  long  remembered  with  pleasure. 
Mo.NTMOKENci  Falls.  The  suu  was  at  meridian,  and  the  mercury  indicated  ninety- 


'  The  river,  in  this  channel,  is  not  more  than  twelve  feet  wide,  and  here  the  Natural  Steps  occur.  They 
rise  on  one  side  of  the  stream  like  irregular  stairs.  They  have  been  formed  by  the  action  of  the  water  o:j 
the  softer  layers  of  limestone,  and  present  a  curiosity  for  the  visitor. 


204  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Religious  Edifices  in  Quebec.  The  Citadel  and  the  Walls.  View  from  Dalhousie  Bastion.  Plains  of  Abraham. 

three  degrees  in  the  shade.  The  points  of  view  were  sparsely  shadowed  by  trees,  and  we 
tarried  only  long  enough  to  glance  at  the  beauties  of  the  fall  and  steal  its  features  with  a 
pencil,  and  then  returned  to  Quebec,  where,  before  dinner,  we  visited  several  churches,  the 
chapel  of  the  Ursuline  Convent,^  the  Seminary  of  Quebec,''  the  chapel  of  the  Hotel  Dieu,^ 
and  the  citadel. 

The  citadel  crowning  Cape  Diamond  is  a  combination  of  powerful  works.  It  is  three 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  river,  and  is  terminated  on  the  east  by  a  round  tower,  ovei 
which  floats  the  national  standard  of  England,  the  flag 

"  That's  braved,  a  thousand  3'ears, 
The  battle  and  the  breeze." 

The  approach  to  the  citadel  is  by  a  winding  road  through  the  acclivity  of  the  glacis  from  St. 
Louis  Gate.  It  is  foreign  to  my  plan  to  notice  in  detail  modern  fortifications  upon  Revolu- 
tionary ground,  and  we  will  stop  to  consider  only  a  few  points  of  interest  in  this  most  perfecl 
military  work.  The  main  entrance  is  through  Dalhousie  Gate,  where  we  presented  our  per- 
mit, and  were  joined  by  a  young  Highland  soldier  to  guide  and  guard  us.  On  the  top  of 
Dalhousie  Bastion  is  a  covered  way  with  a  broad  gravel  walk,  from  which  is  obtained  the 
finest  view  of  the  city,  harbor,  and  surrounding  country.  The  St.  Charles  is  seen  winding 
through  a  beautiful  undulating  plain,  and  the  spires  of  Beauport,  Charlesbourg,  and  Lorette, 
with  the  white  cottages  around  them,  form  a  pleasing  feature  in  the  landscape.  The  cita- 
del and  its  ravelins  cover  about  forty  acres  ;  and  the  fortifications,  consisting  of  bastions, 
curtains  of  solid  masonry,  and  ramparts  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  in  height,  mounted  with 
cannon,  are  continued  entirely  around  the  upper  town.  Upon  the  cliff' called  Sault  au  Male- 
lot  is  the  grand  battery,  of  eighteen  thirty-two  poundei's,  commanding  the  basin  and  harbor 
below.  At  the  different  gates  of  the  city  sentinels  are  posted  day  and  night,  and  in  front 
of  the  jail  and  other  public  buildings  the  solemn  march  of  military  guards  is  seen  The 
garrison  at  Quebec  numbered  about  three  thousand  soldiers.  Among  them  was  the  79th 
regiment  of  Scotch  Highlanders,  lately  from  Gibraltar.  They  were  six  hundred  strong,  and, 
dressed  in  their  picturesque  costume,  made  a  fine  appearance.  To  a  stranger  the  military 
forms  a  principal  feature  of  Quebec,  and  the  mind  is  constantly  carried  back  to  the  era  of 
Froissart,  when  "  Everie  fayre  towne  had  strong  high  walls,  and  bowmen  and  spearmen 
were  more  numerous  than  all  others." 

We  left  the  citadel,  emerged  from  St.  Louis  Gate,  and,  after  visiting  the  monument  where 
"  Wolfe  died  victorious,"  rode  over  the  battle-ground  upon  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  and,  cross- 
ing to  the  iS^.  Foix  Road,  went  into  the  country  as  far  as  Holland  House  (the  headquarters 
of  Montgomery),  and  then  returned,  pleased  and  wearied,  to  the  Albion.  We  strolled  at 
evening  through  the  governor's  garden,  rested  upon  Durham  Terrace  (see  view  on  page 
185),  which  was  crowded  with  promenaders,  and,  losing  our  way  in  trying  to  ferret  out  the 
Albion,  found  ourselves  at  Hope  Gate,  where  a  kind  priest,  in  long  black  cassock  and  broad 
beaver,  conducted  us  back  to  Palace  Street. 

I  devoted  the  following  day  to  business.      Before  breakfast  I  went  to  Durham  Terraoe, 

'  The  Ursuline  Convent  is  situated  on  Parloir  Street,  near  the  English  Cathedral.  Influenced  by  an  ap- 
peal from  the  French  Jesuits  of  Canada,  a  young  widow  of  Alenjon,  named  Madame  de  la  Pcltrie,  resolved 
to  devote  her  life  and  fortune  to  the  work  of  establishing  a  convent  in  Quebec.  She  founded  the  Ursuline 
Convent  in  1641.  An  excellent  school  for  the  education  of  females  is  attached  to  it.  In  the  chapel,  as 
already  noticed,  is  an  inscribed  marble  slab,  in  memory  of  Montcalm,  whose  body  lies  within  the  grounds 
of  the  institution. 

-  This  literary  institution  was  founded  in  1633,  by  Be  Laval  de  Montmorency,  the  first  bishop  of  Canada 
The  professors,  and  all  attached  to  it,  receive  no  money  compensation;  they  are  simply  guarantied  "food 
and  raiment,  in  sickness  and  in  health."  The  chapel  contains  several  fine  paintings.  The  library  has 
nearly  10,000  volumes. 

^  The  Hotel  Dieu,  a  nunnery,  stands  between  Palace  and  Hope  Gates.  It  was  founded  in  1636,  by  the 
Duchess  d'Aquillon,  a  niece  of  the  famous  Cardinal  Richelieu.  The  cardinal  was  a  libera  benefactor  of 
the  establishment  during  his  life.     The  chapel  is  plain,  and  ha,s  but  a  few  paintings 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


205 


Historical  Lucalitiea  at  Quet^ec.        An  alarmed  Englishmnu.        Wolfe  and  Montcalm's  MonumenL        Departure  for  Montreal 


and  sketched  Point  Levi  and  the  adjacent  scenery  beyond  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  and  after  re- 
ceiving explicit  directions  respecting  the  various  historical  localities  about  the  city  iVom  an 
old  and  intelligent  resident,  I  procured  a  caleche  and  started  in  search  of  them,  the  result 
of  which  is  given  in  the  several  sketches  and  the  descriptions  on  preceding  pages.  As  the 
day  advanced,  the  heat  became  almost  intolerable,  until  we  reached  the  cool  retreats  of  Wolfe's 
Cove,  where,  in  the  shade  of  a  maple  that  overhangs  a  bubbling  spring,  I  loitered  an  hour, 
dreading  my  intended  ramble  over  the  Plains  of  Abraham  above.  We  slowly  ascended  the 
steep  and  winding  road  up  Wolfe's  Ravine  (in  pity  for  the  poor  horse,  walking  half  the  way), 
and  at  the  top  I  dismissed  the  vehicle  and  went  over  the  plains  on  foot.  Hardly  a  shrub 
breaks  the  smooth  surface.  The  ground  slopes  from  the  city,  and  only  a  few  chimney-tops 
and  a  roof  or  two  indicated  the  presence  of  a  populous  town. 

While  sketching  the  broken  monument  on  the  spot  where  Wolfe  fell,  a  young  English- 
man, full  of  zeal  for  the  perpetuity  of  British  colonial  rule,  was  a  spectator,  and  was  very 
inquisitive  respecting  my  intentions.  With  a  pointer's  keen  perception,  he  determined  my 
whereabout  when  at  home,  and  of  course  looked  upon  me  as  a  meddling  foreigner.  He  saw 
me  using  the  pencil  on  Durham  Terrace  in  the  morning,  and  also  happened  to  pass  while  I 
was  delineating  Palace  Gate.  The  idea  of  "horrible  rebellion"  and  "Yankee  sympathy" 
seemed  to  haunt  his  mind,  and  I  fed  his  suspicions  so  bountifully  with  sinless  fibs,  that  be- 
fore I  finished  my  sketch  he  started  off  for  the  city,  fully  impressed  with  the  notion  that  he 
had  discovered  an  emissary  from  the  War  Department  at  Washington,  collecting  military 
data  preparatory  to  an  invasion  of  her  majesty's  dominions  I  I  soon  followed  him,  glad  to 
escape  from  the  burning  heat  upon  the  plains,  and  took  shelter  under  the  lofty  trees  in  the  gov- 
ernor's garden,  near  the  citadel,  a  delightful  public  promenade  on  the  west  side  oi  Des  Car- 

rieres  Street.  In  the  garden,  near  the  street,  is  a  fine  mon- 
ument, consisting  of  an  obelisk  and  pedestal  of  granite,  erect- 
ed to  the  memory  of  Wolfe  and  Montcalm.  At  the  sugges- 
tion of  EarlDalhousie,  who  was  Governor  of  Canada  in  1827, 
a  subscription  was  opened  for  the  purpose,  and  when  it  reach- 
ed seven  hundred  pounds,  the  earl  made  up  the  deficiency 
and  superintended  the  erection  of  the  monument.  It  bcar« 
the  names  of  Wolfe  and  Montcalm,  and  a  Latin  explana- 
tory inscription.' 

We  left  Quebec  toward  evening  for  Montreal,  Au-njstii 
on  our  way  up  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Ontario.  A  ^'^•"^■ 
gentle  shower  crossed  our  track  two  miles  distant,  leaving  a 
cool  breeze  upon  the  waters,  and  dispelling  the  haziness  of 
the  atmosphere.  Like  a  thin  veil,  it  hung  athwart  the  east- 
ern sky,  not  thick  enough  to  cover  the  face  of  the  moon  that 
gleamed  dimly  through  it,  yet  sufficiently  dense  to  refract  and 
reflect  the  solar  rays,  and  exhibit  the  radiant  bow.  While 
admiring  the  beautiful  phenomenon,  I  had  occasion  to  administer  a  quiet  rebuke  to  a  young 
fop,  whose  attempts  at  wit,  loud  tone,  and  swaggering  manner  had  attracted  our  attention  at 
the  dinner-table  at  Quebec.  He  was  accompanied  by  an  elderly  lady  and  two  young  maid- 
ens, and  on  the  boat  I  observed  him  contributing  largely  to  the  amusement  of  the  latter  by 
asking  silly  questions  of  unsuspecting  passengers,  and  receiving  grave  and  polite  answers,  over 
which  they  made  merry.  At  length  it  was  my  turn  to  be  his  "  subject."  "  Can  you  tell 
me,"  he  said,  "  what  causes  that  rainbow  ?"  "  Do  you  ask  for  information  ?"  I  inquired, 
in  return.      "  Well,  yes,"  he  said,  a  little  confused.      "  Do  you  understand  the  Newtonian 

'  The  following  is  the  inscription:  Mortem  virtus,  communem  famam  historia, nQonumentum  postcrita.>^ 
dedit.  Hanc  column.im  in  virorum  illustrium  memoriam  Wolfe  et  Montcalm  P.  C.  Georgius  Come)- 
De  Dalhousie  in  Septentrionalis  AnaericcE  partibus  ad  Biitannos  pertimentibus  summam  rerum  adminis- 
trans ;  opas  per  multos  annos  praetermissiim,  quid  duel  epregio  convenientiiis  ?  Auctorifate  proraorens. 
exemplo  stimulans,  munificentia  fovcns  A.S.,  >iDCCCXXVII.,  Gcorgio  IV.,  Biitanniarum  Roge. 


Wolfe  and  Montcal.m  s  Monume.nt. 


206  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

ft  Fop's  Lesson.  Arrival  at  La  Chine.  The  Cascades.  Dangerous  Voyage.  Moore's  Boat  Song, 

theory  of  light  ?  the  laws  of  refraction  and  reflection  ?  and  are  you  familiar  with  the  science 
of  optics  ?"  I  asked,  with  a  serious  manner.  "  No,  not  much,"  he  mumbled,  with  an  effort 
to  assume  a  careless  air.  "  I  perceive,  sir,  that  you  are  not  far  enough  advanced  in  knowl- 
edge to  understand  an  explanation  if  I  should  give  it,"  I  mildly  replied,  and  left  him  to  his 
own  reflections.  Perhaps  I  was  rude  in  the  presence  of  that  matron  and  those  young  girls, 
but  the  injunction  of  high  authority,  to  "  answer  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,"  did  not  parley 
with  politeness.  The  maidens,  half  smiling,  bit  their  lips,  while  the  young  man  gazed  .stead- 
fastly from  the  window  of  the  saloon  upon  the  beautiful  shores  we  were  passing  by.  They 
werQ  indeed  beautiful,  dotted  with  villages,  neat  white  farm-houses,  fields  of  grain,  and  wide- 
spreading  woods  bathed  in  the  light  of  the  evening  sun  ;  and  I  hope  the  calm  beauty  of  the 
scene,  above  and  below,  soothed  the  disquieted  spirit  of  the  young  gazer,  and  awakened  in 
his  bosom  aspirations  for  that  wisdom  which  leads  her  willing  pupils  to  perceive 

"  Tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the  running  brooks, 
Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  every  thing." 

We  arrived  at  Montreal  at  six  in  the  morning,  left  it  by  rail-road  at  ten  for  La  Chine, 
nine  miles  distant,  and  at  the  head  of  La  Chine  Rapids  embarked  in  the  steamer  British 
Queen  for  Ogdensburgh.  We  were  soon  at  the  foot  of  the  Cascades,  or  St.  Ann's  Rapids, 
near  the  southwestern  extremity  of  the  Island  of  Montreal. 


The  Cascades,  or  St.  Ann's  Rapids.'' 

The  St.  Lawrence  here  falls  eighty-seven  feet  in  the  distance  of  seven  miles.  Steam- 
boats and  other  vessels  go  down  the  rapids,  but  are  obliged  to  ascend  through  the  Beauhar- 
nois  Canal,  which  we  entered  at  about  noon.  This  canal  is  fifteen  miles  long,  fifty  feet 
wide,  and  nine  feet  deep.  The  navigation  of  the  rapids  is  very  dangerous,  and  vessels  are 
sometimes  wrecked  upon  the  submerged  rocks.  A  sloop,  loaded  with  staves  and  lumber, 
was  lying  in  the  midst  of  the  foaming  rapids,  where  it  had  struck  the  day  before  while  guided 
by  an  unskillful  pilot.  The  canal  voyage  was  slow,  for  we  passed  nine  locks  before  we  reach- 
ed the  waters  above  Lake  St.  Louis,  an  expansion  of  the  river,  where  the  Ottawa  or  Uta- 
was  comes  sweeping  around  each  side  of  Isle  Pero,  at  its  mouth,  and  swells  the  volume  of 

'  These  rapids  are  so  called  from  the  circumstance  that  a  village  of  the  same  name  is  near.  This  was 
considered  by  the  Canadian  voyagcurs  the  place  of  departure  when  going  from  Montreal  on  fui--trading  ex- 
cuisions,  as  here  was  the  last  church  upon  the  island.  This  fact  suggested  to  Mooi-e  the  thoughts  expressed 
in  the  first  verse  of  his  Canadian  Boat  Song  : 

"  Faintly  as  tolls  the  evening  chime, 
Our  voices  keep  tune  and  our  oars  keep  time  , 
Soon  as  the  vroods  on  shore  look  dim, 
We'll  sing  at  St.  Ann's  our  evening  hymn. 

Row,  brothers,  row,  the  stream  runs  fast, 

The  rapids  are  near,  and  the  daylight's  past" 

Moore  says,  in  reference  to  this  song,  "  I  wrote  these  words  to  an  air  which  our  boatmen  sung  to  us  fre- 
quently while  descending  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Kingston  to  Montreal.  Our  voyagcurs  had  good  voices, 
and  sung  perfectly  in  tune  together.  I  remember  when  we  had  entered,  at  sunset,  upon  one  of  those  beau- 
tiful lakes  into  which  the  St.  Lawrence  so  grandly  and  unexpectedly  opens,  I  have  heard  t'lis  sinqile  air 
with  a  pleasure  which  the  finest  compositions  of  the  first  masters  have  never  given  me." 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


207 


Junction  of  the  Ottawa  and  St.  Lawrence.        Cedars  Rapids.        Garrison  there  in  1776.         Conduct  of  Bedell  and  Butterfield. 

the  St.  Lawrence  with  its  turbid  flood.'  We  were  most  of  the  time  in  full  view  of  the  river, 
and  had  a  fine  opportunity  to  observe  the  people,  dwellings,  and  agricultural  operations  along 
ihe  line  of  the  canal. 

We  passed  the  Cedars  Rapids,  twenty-four  miles  from  La  Chine,  at  about  three  o'clock. 
These  rapids  vary  in  intricacy,  depth,  and  rapidity  of  current,  and  are  nine  miles  long,  run- 
ning at  the  rate  of  nine  to  twelve  miles  an  hour.  In  some  places  the  rocks  are  covered  with 
only  a  few  feet  of  water,  and  the  descent  is  at  all  times  rather  perilous.  Small  islands,  cov- 
ered with  trees  and  shrubbeiy,  accelerate  the  speed  of  the  waters.      These  rapids  derive  their 


C^EDAUs  Rapids,  at  t-T.  Timothv. 

name  from  the  village  of  Cedars,  on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  in  Vaudreuil  dis 
trict.  The  sketch  was  made  from  the  steam-boat,  in  the  canal,  while  stopping  for  wood 
and  water  at  St.  Timothy. 

The  Cedars  occupy  quite  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  annals  of  the  Northern  campaign  of 
1775—76.  Three  hundred  and  ninety  Americans,  under  Colonel  Bedell,  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire line,  occupied  a  small  fortress  there  in  the  spring  of  1776.  Early  in  May,  Captain 
Foster,  of  the  British  army,  with  a  detachment  of  forty  regulars,  one  hundred  Canadians, 
and  five  hundred  Indians,  under  the  celebrated  Brant,  or  Thayeudanegea,  descended  from 
the  British  station  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswegatchie  (now  Ogdensburgh),  and  approached 
the  fort.  Bedell,  under  pretense  of  going  to  Montreal  for  re-enforcements,  left  the  garrison 
in  command  of  Major  Butterfield,  an  officer  quite  as  void  of  courage  as  his  superior.  Both 
have  been  branded  by  cotemporary  writers  as  cowards,  and  their  conduct  on  this  occasion 
confirms  the  opinion.^     Butterfield  did  not  even  make  a  fair  show  of  resistance,  but  quietly 


'  For  several  miles  below  the  confluence  of  the  two  rivers  the  muddy  water  of  the  Ottawa  and  the  clear 
stream  of  the  St.  Lawrence  are  seen  contending  for  the  mastery.  The  line  of  demarkation  may  be  traced 
by  the  color  even  below  the  St.  Ann's  Rapids. 

'^  Washington,  writing  to  General  Schuyler  under  date  of  June  10th,  1776,  said,  "  If  the  accounts  of  Col- 
onel Bedell  and  Major  Butterfield's  conduct  be  true,  they  have  certainly  acted  a  part  deserving  the  most 
exemplary  notice.  I  hope  you  will  take  proper  measures,  and  have  good  courts  appointed  to  bring  them, 
and  every  other  officer  that  has  been  or  shall  be  guilty  of  misconduct,  to  trial,  that  they  may  be  punished 
according  to  their  offenses.  Our  misfortunes  at  the  Cedars  were  occasioned,  as  it  is  said,  entirely  by  their 
base  and  cowardly  behavior,  and  can  not  be  ascribed  to  any  other  cause."  A  late  writer  for  one  of  our 
weekly  papers,  in  giving  a  "  true  account  of  the  Northern  campaign,"  is  particularly  laudatory  of  the  brav- 
ery of  Colonel  Bedell  at  St.  John's  and  Chambly.  He  seems  to  regard  all  the  ofiicial  and  other  records  of 
the  events  there  as  quite  erroneous,  and  "  sets  the  matter  right"  by  quoting  a  letter  written  by  Bedell  to 
the  Committee  of  Safety  of  New  Hampshire.  He  calls  the  style  of  the  letter  "  Ca^sarean,"  and  in  the  free 
use  of  the  pronoun  /  there  is  certainly  a  similarity  to  CiEsar's  Vcni,  Vidi,  Vici.  Taking  the  colonel's  letter 
as  verity,  we  must  suppose  that,  in  the  capture  of  Forts  Chambly  and  St.  John's,  Montgomery  and  all  other 
officers  were  mere  puppets  in  his  hands.  In  a  postscript  he  says,  "  This  moment  I  have  got  possession  of 
St.  John's;  and,  the  post  being  obliged  to  set  off",  have  not  time  to  copy  the  articles  of  capitulation;  and 
to-morrow  shall  march  for  Montreal,  leaving  a  detachment  to  keep  the  fort."  Other  portions  of  his  letter 
plainly  indicate  that  he  wished  to  impress  those  who  sent  him  to  the  field  with  tho  idea  that  he  was  the 
master-spirit  there.  I  should  not  have  noticed  tliis  matter  so  minutely  but  for  the  disposition  of  a  class  of 
writers  at  present  to  make  prominent  the  exploits  of  subalterns,  upon  cx-parte  evidence,  by  hiding  tiie  brill 
iant  deeds  of  those  to  whom  compatriots  and  cotemporary  historians  have  awarded  the  highest  meed  ol 
praise.  It  is  an  easy,  and  the  only,  way  to  make  a  sapling  conspicuous,  to  fell  the  noble  trees  that  sur- 
■onnd  and  overshadow  it. 


208  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Massacre  of  Sherburne's  Corps.    Attempt  of  Arnold  to  release  the  Prisoners.    Menaces  of  the  Indians.    Letter  from  Sherburne 

May  15,     surrendered  the  fort  and  garrison  as  soon  as  Foster  arrived.      Meanwhile,  Major 

1775.  Henry  Sherburne  was  sent  by  Arnold  from  Montreal,  with  one  hundred  and  forty 
men,  to  re-enforce  the  garrison,  but  Bedell,  "  valuing  safety  more  than  fidelity  and  honor,'" 
refused  to  accompany  him.  Sherburne  arrived  upon  the  shore  of  Lake  St.  Louis  on  the  day 
of  the  surrender,  and,  having  crossed  the  day  after,  left  forty  men  as  guards,  and,  with  one 
hundred,  proceeded  toward  the  fort,  unconscious  of  the  disgraceful  conduct  of  Butterfield. 
About  five  in  the  evening  the  whole  force  of  Foster's  Canadians  and  Indians  burst  from  an 
ambuscade  and  fell  upon  the  republicans.  They  made  a  brave  defense  for  nearly  an  hour 
and  a.  half,  when  the  Indians,  in  number  greatly  superior,  formed  a  girdle  around  them,  and 
at  a  given  signal  rushed  upon  the  devoted  Uttle  band  and  disarmed  them.  Infuriated  by  the 
obstinate  resistance  of  the  Americans,  the  Indians  butchered  about  twenty  of  them  with  knives 
and  tomahawks,  and,  stripping  the  Remainder  almost  naked,  drove  them  in  triumph  to  the 
fort.^  The  loss  of  the  Americans,  in  the  action  and  by  massacre,  was  fifty-eight ;  the  ene- 
my lost  twenty-two,  among  whom  was  a  brave  of  the  Senecas. 

As  soon  as  Arnold  heard  of  the  disasters  at  the  Cedars,  he  marched  with  about  eight 
hundred  men  against  the  enemy,  then  at  Vaudreuil,  for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  chastising 
ji  them  and  releasing  the  American  prisoners.  He  arrived  at  St.  Ann's  on  the  after- 
^'^'^^-  noon  of  the  20th,  at  which  time  the  bateaux  of  the  enemy  were  distinctly  seen  taking 
the  American  prisoners  from  an  island  three  miles  distant,  toward  the  main  land  on  the 
south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  About  the  same  time  a  party  of  Caughnawaga  Indians,' 
whom  Arnold  had  sent  to  the  hostile  savages  in  the  morning,  demanding  a  surrender  of  the 
prisoners,  and  threatening  them  with  extermination  if  any  more  murders  of  Americans  should 
be  perpetrated,  returned  with  an  answer  of  defiance.  The  Indians  sent  back  word  to  Ar 
nold  that  they  were  too  numerous  to  fear  him,  and  that  if  he  should  attempt  to  cross  the 
river  and  land,  for  the  purpose  of  rescuing  the  Americans,  every  prisoner  should  be  imme- 
diately put  to  death.  Unmindful  of  this  threat,  Arnold  filled  his  boats  with  men,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  island  which  the  enemy  had  just  left.  Five  Americans,  naked  and  almost 
famished,  were  there,  and  informed  him  that  all  the  other  prisoners,  except  two  (who,  being 
sick,  were  butchered),  had  been  taken  to  Quinze  Chiens,  four  miles  below.  Arnold,  with 
his  flotilla,  proceeded  thither.  The  enemy  opcxied  an  ineflectual  fire  upon  them,  but  as  night 
May  26     "^^^  closing  in,  and  his  men  were  fatigued,  the  general  returned  to  St.  Ann's  and  called 

1776.  a^  council  of  war.  He  there  received  a  flag  from  the  British  commander,  accompa- 
nied by  a  letter  from  Major  Sherburne,  giving  him  the  assurances  that  if  he  persisted  in  his 
design  of  attacking  him,  it  would  be  entirely  out  of  his  power  to  restrain  his  savages  from 
disencumbering  themselves  of  the  prisoners,  by  putting  them  to  death.  Major  Sherburne 
confirmed  the  information  that  a  massacre  had  already  been  agreed  upon.  Foster  also  de- 
manded of  Arnold  an  agreement,  on  his  part,  to  a  proposed  cartel  which  Sherburne  and  the 
other  ofl[icers  had  been  compelled  to  sign.      This  agreement  covenanted  for  the  delivery  oi 

'  Gordon,  ii.,  65. 

*  Stone,  in  his  Life  of  Brant,  asserts  that  that  chief  used  his  best  endeavors  to  restrain  the  fury  of  the  In 
dians  after  the  surrender  of  Sherburne.  Captain  M'Kinstry  (late  Colonel  M'Kinstry,  of  Livingston's  JManor, 
Columbia  county)  commanded  the  company,  on  that  occasion,  vv-hich  fought  most  obstinately  \vi:h  the  In 
dians.  On  that  account  the  savages  had  determined  to  put  him  to  death  by  the  torture,  and  had  made  prep 
arations  for  the  horrid  rite.  Brant  interposed,  and,  in  connection  with  some  humane  English  officers,  made 
up  a  purse  and  purchased  an  ox,  which  the  Indians  roasted  for  their  carousal  instead  of  the  prisoner.  Brani 
and  M'Kinstry  became  personal  friends,  and  the  cW.ef  often  visited  the  latter  at  the  manor  after  the  war. — 
Life  of  Brant^  i.,  155. 

^  The  Caughnawagas  called  themselves  the  Seven  Nations  of  Canada.  JNIany  of  them  were  with  the 
Mohawks  and  others  of  the  Six  Nations  of  New  York  in  the  battle  of  the  Cedars,  but  those  upon  the  Island 
of  Montreal  were  friendly  to  the  republicans.  A  remnant  of  the  tribe  now  inhabit  a  village  called  Caugh- 
nawaga, about  twelve  miles  from  Montreal,  and  profess  Christianity.  They  have  a  handsome  church,  arc 
industrious,  temperate,  and  orderly,  and,  unlike  others  of  the  Indian  tribes,  increase  rather  than  diminish  in 
population.  I  saw  several  of  them  in  Montreal  selling  their  ingenious  birch  bark  and  bead  work.  They 
are  quite  light,  having  doubtless  a  liberal  tinctiu'e  of  French  blood.  Their  language  is  a  mixture  of  Iro- 
quois and  French. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


209 


DUbonorable  Conduct  ot'a  British  Commander.         Washington's  Opinion.        Final  Adjustment        Cairn  on  the  St.  Lawrence 

an  equal  number  of  British  soldiers  in  exchange  for  the  Americans,  with  the  condition  that 
the  latter  should  immediately  return  to  their  homes,  and  not  again  take  up  arms.  Four 
American  captains  were  to  go  to  Quebec  as  hostages  till  the  exchange  should  be  eflected. 
Arnold  was  strongly  averse  to  making  such  an  agreement,  but  the  dictates  of  humanity  and 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  case  caused  him  to  yield  to  the  terms,  except  the  conditions 
that  the  Americans  should  not  again  take  up  arms,  and  that  they  should  be  pledged  not  to 
give  any  information,  by  words,  writings,  or  signs,  prejudicial  to  his  majesty's  service.  Fos- 
ter waived  these  points,  and  the  convention  was  signed.' 

The  part  performed  by  Foster  in  coercing  the  American  ofRcers  into  compliance  with  his 
demands,  by  suspending  the  bloody  hatchet  of  the  Indians  over  their  heads,  was  thought  dis- 
graceful, and  Congress  refused  to  ratify  the  agreement,  except  upon  such  terms  as  the  Brit- 
ish government  would  never  assent  to.  Although  Washington  abhorred  the  act,  he  consid- 
ered the  convention  binding  ;  and  General  Howe  complained  of  the  bad  faith  of  Congress. 
The  British  government,  however,  indicated  its  appreciation  of  the  matter  by  letting  the 
waters  of  oblivion  flow  quietly  over  the  whole  transaction.  The  prisoners  were  finally  re- 
leased by  General  Carleton,  and  the  hostages  at  Quebec  were  sent  home  on  parole. 

Arnold,  with  his  detachment,  returned  to  Montreal,  where,  a  few  days  afterward,  a  Com- 
mittee of  Congress,  consisting  of  Franklin,  Chase,  and  Carroll,  arrived,  to  inquire  into  the 
state  of  affairs.  Their  mission  was  fruitless,  for  all  hope  of  maintaining  a  foothold  in  Can- 
ada was  abandoned  by  the  military  leaders,  and,  as  previously  noted,  the  Americans  soon 
afterward  withdrew  entirely  from  the  province. 

"VVe  entered  the  lake  near  Grand  Island,  above  Cedars  Hapids,  and,  passing  the  Rapids 
of  Coteau  du  Lac,  six  miles  above  the  latter,  landed  at  a  pretty  little  village  of  the  same 
name.  Here  the  St.  Lawrence  expands  into  one  of  those  broad  lakes  which  mark  its  course 
from  Ontario  to  the  gulf.  It  is  called  Lake  St.  Francis,  and  is  forty  miles  long,  and  in  some 
places  twelve  or  thirteen  broad.      Beautiful  islnnds,  covered  with  timber  and  luxuriant  shrub- 


bery, are  scattered 
over  its  bosom.  We 
passed  many  of  those 
floating  islands — ex- 
tensive rafts  of  lum- 


LuMBER  Raft  on  the  St.  Lawrence. 


ber — which  indicate 
a  chief  feature  in  the 
commerce  of  that  no- 
ble river.  On  one 
of  the  small  islands 


on  the  northern  shore,  opposite  the  district  of  Glengary,  is  a  huge  "cairn,"  sixty  feet  high, 
the  pinnacle  of  which  is  an  iron  cannon,  from  whose  muzzle  a  flag-staff  is  projected.  A 
spiral  path-way  leads  from  base  to  summit,  sufl^ciently 
wide  for  a  person  to  pass  up  and  down  by  it  in  safety. 
It  is  built  of  loose  stones,  without  mortar  or  cement. 
The  people  of  the  neighboring  parish  of  Glengary  (who 
are  chiefly  Scotch),  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Car- 
raichael,  reared  it,  in  general  testimony  of  their  loyalty 
during  the  Canadian  rebellion  so  called,  of  1837—8,  and 
in  especial  honor  of  Sir  John  Colborne  (now  Lord  Sea- 
ton),  who  was  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  ^, 
forces  in  Canada  at  that  time.  In  imitation  of  the 
manner  in  which  tradition  asserts  that  the  ancient 
cairns  were  built,  each  person  in  the  district,  man, 
woman,  and  child,  capable  of  lifting  a  stone,  went  to 
the  island  and  added  one  to  the  pile.      We  passed  St. 


'  Marshall,  Gordon,  Allen,  Sparks. 

*  This  is  probably  the  only  structure  of  the  kind  on  the  American  continent.  Cairn  is  a  word  of  Celtic 
origin,  used  to  denote  the  conical  piles  of  stones  frequently  found  upon  the  hills  of  Britain.  These  piles 
are  supposed  by  some  to  have  been  erected  as  memorials  of  some  local  event,  while  others  assign  to  them 
a  sepulchral  character.  Some  are  supposed  to  be  sacrificial,  like  the  carnedd  of  the  Welsh.  They  all 
have  a  similar  appearance  wherever  found,  being  composed  of  loose  stones  piled  in  a  conical  form. 

o 


210  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

St  Regis  and  ita  ancient  Church.       Passage  of  Rapids.       Wind-mill  Point  and  Ogdensburgh.        Loyalty  of  a  British  Veteran. 

Regis/  the  first  village  upon  the  St.  Lavi^rence  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States, 
about  sunset,  and  before  the  twilight  had  entirely  faded  we  Avere  again  out  of  the  river  and 
in  the  Cornwall  Canal,  on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  avoid  the  swift  rapids,  call- 
ed the  Long  Sault,  nearly  two  miles  in  extent.  We  passed  the  Die  Platte  Rapids  in  the 
night,  and  at  dawn  entered  the  Gallopes  or  Galoose  Rapids,  nine  miles  below  Ogdensburgh. 
These  are  a  mile  and  a  half  long,  and  present  a  formidable  obstacle  to  the  upward  passage 
of  vessels.  The  channel  is  exceedingly  narrow,  and  very  near  the  southern  shore.  With 
three  men  at  the  tilier-wheel,  and  a  full  head  of  steam,  our  goodly  "  Queen"  came  up  to  the 
most  rapid  and  intricate  part,  where,  for  nearly  ten  minutes,  it  was  difficult  to  determine 
whether  an  inch  of  progress  was  made,  and  we  were  more  than  half  an  hour  in  making  the 
mile  and  a  half.  The  usual  time  occupied  in  going  down  from  Ogdensburgh  to  Montreal 
by  steam-boat  is  nine  hours.  On  account  of  rapids  and  currents,  and  the  canal  navigation, 
the  voyage  up  occupies  about  seventeen  hours. 

We  caught  the  first  rays  of  the  morning  sun  reflected  from  the  spires  at  Prescott  and 
Ogdensburgh,  flourishing  villages,  which  flank  the  St.  Lawrence  at  the  head  of  all  its  nu- 
merous rapids.  Wind-mill  Point,  on  the  Canada  side,  is  close  by,  and  as  we  passed  the 
famous  cape  we  were  edified  with  a  running  commentary  on  the  beneficence  of  monarchy 
and  the  horrors  of  republicanism,  from  an  old  officer  of  a  British  corps  of  marine  engineers, 
who,  with  his  daughter,  was  a  passenger  from  Montreal.  He  had  amused  me  for  an  hour 
the  evening  previous,  after  passing  St.  Pt-egis,  by  a  relation  of  his  personal  adventures  in  that 
vicinity  during  our  last  war  with  Great  Britain.  He  then  commanded  a  gun-boat  with  eighty 
men  ;  and  he  boasted,  with  much  warmth  and  satisfaction,  of  the  terrible  manner  in  which 
he  galled  the  Yankees  with  "  grape  and  cannister"  at  the  time  of  the  engagements  at  Chrys- 
ler's Farm,  Williamsburgh,  and  near  St.  Regis.  He  was  bubbling  over  with  loyalty,  and 
became  rabid  at  the  mere  mention  of  annexation.  His  head  was  white  with  the  bleaching 
of  threescore  and  ten  years.  Great  experience  and  extensive  practical  knowledge,  vidth  frank- 
ness and  volubility  in  conversation,  made  him  a  most  agreeable  companion,  and  we  much 
regretted  parting  with  him  and  his  amiable  daughter  at  Kingston. 

I  called  Wind-mill  Point  a  "  famous  cape."  Its  notoriety  is  very  youthful,  yet  its  history 
is  one  of  those  epitomes  of  progress  worth  noticing,  which  make  up  the  movements  of  the 
nations.  It  was  here  that  the  Canada  patriots  (so  called)  in  1837  took  post  with  a  view 
of  attacking  Fort  Wellington,  a  small  fortification  between  the  point  and  Prescott.      There 

^  St.  Regis  is  an  old  Indian  village,  and  contains  a  small  Roman  Catholic  Church,  built  about  the  year 
1700.  It  is  said  that  the  priest  informed  the  Indians  that  a  bell  was  highly  important  to  their  worship, 
and  they  were  ordered  to  collect  furs  sufficient  to  purchase  one.  They  obeyed,  and  the  money  was  sent  to 
France  for  the  purpose.  The  French  and  English  were  then  at  war.  The  bell  was  shipped,  but  the  ves- 
sel that  conveyed  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  and  was  taken  into  Salem,  in  the  fall  of  1703.  The 
bell  was  purchased  for  a  small  church  at  Deerfield,  on  the  Connecticut  River,  the  pastor  of  which  was  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Williams.  The  priest  of  St.  Regis  heard  of  the  destination  of  his  bell,  and,  as  the  Governor  of 
Canada  was  about  to  send  an  expedition,  under  Major  Rouville,  against  the  colonies  of  New  England,  he 
exhorted  the  Indians  to  accompany  him  and  get  possession  of  it.  Rouville,  with  200  French  and  142  In- 
dians, arrived  near  Deerfield  in  the  evening  of  the  29th  of  February,  1704.  During  the  night  they  attacke</ 
the  unsuspecting  villagers,  killed  47,  and  made  112  prisoners.  The  latter,  among  whom  were  the  pastor 
and  a  part  of  his  family,  were  taken  to  Canada.  The  only  house  left  standing  was  that  of 
Mr.  Williams,  which  the  assailants  themselves  occupied  in  securing  their  prisoners.  It 
is  still  standing,  near  the  center  of  the  village,  and  is  represented  in  the  annexed  cut.  The 
bell  was  conveyed  in  triumph  through  the  forest  to  Lake  Champlain,  to  the  spot  where  Bur- 
lington now  stands,  and  there  they  buried  it  with  the  benedictions  of  Father  Nicolas,  the 
priest  of  St.  Regis,  who  accompanied  them.  Thus  far  they  had  carried  it,  by  means  of  tim- 
ber, upon  their  shoulders.  They  hastened  home,  and  returned  in  early  spring  with  oxen 
and  sled  to  convey  the  sacred  bell,  now  doubly  hallowed  in  their  minds,  to  its  destination.  House. 

The  Indians  of  the  village  had  never  heard  the  sound  of  a  bell,  and  powerful  was  the  im- 
pression upon  their  minds  when  its  deep  tones,  louder  and  louder,  broke  the  silence  of  the  foi'est  as  it  ap- 
proached their  village  at  evening,  suspended  upon  a  cross  piece  of  timber,  and  rung  continually  by  the  de- 
lighted carriers.  It  was  hung  in  the  steeple,  and  there  it  remains.  The  material  incidents  of  this  narrative 
doubtless  occurred,  but  later  investigations  show  that  the  bell  was  taken  to  a  church  at  Caughnawaga,  nesur 
Montreal,  instead  of  St.  Regis. — See  Hough's  Hist,  of  St.  Lawrence  and  Franklin  Counties,  p    114. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


21  1 


The  •' Patriots"  of  1837.     Preparations  for  a  Battle.      Fort  Wellington.     Battle  at  Windmill  Point.      Defeat  of  the  "  Patriots.' 


were  several  stone  buildings  and  a  strong  stone  wind-mill  on  the  point.  These  were  taken 
possession  of  by  the  insurgents  toward  noon  on  the  12th  of  November,  1838.  They  num- 
bered about  two  hundred,  many  of  them  being  from  our  frontier  towns.  They  came  in  two 
schooners,  which  were  towed  down  the  St.  Lawrence  by  the  steamer  United  States,  the  cap- 
tain (Van  Cleve)  supposing  them  to  be,  as  represented  by  a  passenger,  laden  with  merchand- 
ise. As  soon  as  he  discovered  the  character  of  the  vessels,  he  resolved  to  go  no  further, 
and  stopped  at  Morristown,  ten  miles  above  Ogdensburgh.  The  schooners'  lines  were  cast, 
and  the  next  morning,  filled  with  armed  men,  they  were  at  anchor  between  Ogdensburgh 
and  Prescott.  The  insurgents  landed  at  Wind-mill  Point,  and  commenced  fortifying  their 
position.  Recruits  from  our  shores  swelled  their  ranks  for  the  first  twelve  hours  after  their 
landing.  Ogdensburgh  and  Prescott  were  in  great  commotion,  and  before  night  not  a  hving 
being  was  to  be  seen  in  the  latter  place,  for  there  would  evidently  be  the  battle-field. 

Preparations  were  immediately  made  at  Fort  Wellington  to  dislodge  the  patriots,  and  a 
British  armed  steam-boat,  lying  at  Prescott,  prepared  to  co-operate  with  the  garrison.  Dur- 
ing the  evening  the  steam-boat  Telegraph  arrived,  having  on  board  Colonel  Worth,  of  the 
United  States  army,  and  two  companies  of  troops,  with  a  marshal,  to  maintain  neutrality. 
Early  next  morning  two  armed  British  steamers  arrived  with  troops,  and  an  assault  was 

commenced  upon  the  patriots  by  throwing 
bombs  upoii  the  houses  and  the  mill.  The 
field  pieces  of  their  battery  on  shore  returned 
the  fire,  and,  after  a  fight  of  an  hour,  the  Brit- 
ish were  driven  back  into  the  fort,  with  the  loss 
of  about  one  hundred  men  killed,  and  many 
wounded.  Many  of  the  patriots  had  fled  in 
the  morning,  and  when  the  action  commenced 
there  were  only  a  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
left  on  the  point,  while  the  government  troops 
amounted  to  more  than  six  hundred.  The 
insurgents  lost  five  men  killed  and  thirteen 
wounded.  The  next  day  they  sent  out  a  flag,  but  the  bearer  was  shot.  On  the  15th  the 
British  received  a  re-enforcement  of  four  hundred  regulars,  with  cannon  and  gun-boats.  The 
patriots  were  also  re-enforced,  and  numbered  more  than  two  hundred.  The  government 
troops,  with  volunteers  from  Kingston,  in  all  about  two  thousand  men,  surrounded  the  pa- 
triots by  land  and  water,  and  kept  up  a  continual  cannonading  until  the  evening  of  the  1 6th, 
when  the  latter  surrendered.  A  white  flag  was  displayed  from  the  mill,  and  three  or  four 
others  were  sent  out  by  the  patriots,  but  the  bearers  were  shot  down."  Indeed,  there  seemed 
to  be  but  little  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  conquerors  to  give  quarter.  The  dwellings  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  wind-mill  were  burned,  and  it  is  asserted  that  a  number  of  the  patriots 
were  consumed  in  one  of  them,  which  stood  upon  the  beach.  Other  buildings  have  been 
burned  since,  and  their  blackened  ruins,  with  the  wind-mill,  battered  by  cannon-balls,  stand 
there  now,  gloomy  mementoes  of  an  abortive  attempt  to  sever  the  chains  of  colonial  vassalage. 
According  to  Theller,  thirty-six  patriots  M^ere  killed,  two  escaped,  and  ninety  were  made 
prisoners.  The  British  lost  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  and  twenty  ofiicers  killed,  among  whom 
was  Captain  Drummond.  The  commander  of  the  insurgents  was  a  young  Pole,  only  thirty- 
one  years  of  age,  named  Von  Schoultz,  who,  with  ten  others,  was  hung,  and  a  large  portion 
of  the  remainder  of  the  prisoners  was  banished  to  Van  Diemen's  Land. 

At  Ogdensburgh  we  left  the  British  Queen,  and  went  on  board  the  Lady  of  the  Lake, 
bound  for  Oswego.      Having  an  hour  to  pass  before  her  departure,  we  employed  it  in  a  pleas- 


WiND-MiLL  Point.' 


'  This  view  was  sketched  from  the  steam-boat,  when  a  little  below  the  wind-mill,  looking  west-north- 
west. The  mill  is  a  stiong  stone  structure,  and  answered  a  very  good  purpose  for  a  fort  or  block-house. 
Its  narrow  windows  were  used  by  the  patriots  as  loop-holes  for  their  muskets  during  the  action. 

2  See  "Theller's  Canada  in  1837-8." 


212  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

The  Oswegatchie.  Old  French  Fort  at  Ogdeneburgh.  Putnam's  Feats.  Testimony  of  History. 

ant  ramble  through  the  town  and  along  the  banks  of  the  dark  Oswegatchie.  It  was  Sab- 
bath morning,  and  all  was  quiet  in  that  pleasant  village.  We  traversed  the  high  banks  of 
the  stream,  along  its  majestic  course  from  the  bridge  to  the  dam,  about  half  a  mile.  The 
declivity  of  the  bank  is  studded  with  oaks,  sycamores,  and  pines,  and  lofty  trees  shade  the 
pleasant  pathway  the  whole  distance,  making  it  a  delightful  promenade  either  at  hot  nocn 
or  in  the  evening  twilight.  The  water  is  of  an  amber  color  vv^hen  not  turbid,  and  from  this 
one  of  its  chief  tributaries,  the  Black  Lake,  derives  its  name. 

Ogdensburgh  is  near  the  site  of  the  old  French  fort  generally  known  as  Fort  Osioegatchie, 
but  on  their  maps,  as  early  as  1740,  it  is  called  Fort  Preseiitation,  and  sometimes  La  Gal- 
lette.  This  fort  was  garrisoned  by  the  French  during  a  part  of  the  Seven  Years'  War,  but 
was  taken  by  the  English  in  1760,  while  they  were  descending  the  St.  Lawrence  to  attack 
Montreal.  It  is  related  that  Putnam,  then  a  lieutenant  colonel,  performed  one  of  his  daring 
and  original  feats  here,  in  the  attack  upon  the  fort  and  upon  the  two  armed  vessels  that  lay 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswegatchie  Hiver.  Humphreys  says  that  he  undertook,  with  one  thou- 
sand men  in  fifty  bateaux,  to  capture  the  vessels  by  boarding.  With  beetle  and  wedges,  he 
proceeded  to  secure  the  rudders,  to  disable  the  vessels  and  prevent  them  from  bringing  their 
broadsides  to  bear,  and  then  to  make  a  furious  attack  upon  and  board  them.  As  they  ap- 
proached, the  crew  of  one  of  the  vessels,  panic-struck,  forced  the  commander  to  surrender, 
and  the  other  vessel  was  run  ashore.  The  fort  was  the  next  object  of  solicitude.  With  the 
permission  of  Amherst,  Putnam  caused  a  number  of  boats  to  be  prepared  with  musket-proof 
fascines'  along  the  sides,  so  as  to  form  a  shelter  from  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  The  fort  was 
defended  by  an  abatis  overhanging  the  water  ;  and,  to  overcome  such  a  formidable  obstacle, 
he  caused  a  broad  plank,  twenty  feet  in  length,  to  be  attached  to  the  bow  of  each  boat,  so 
that  it  might  be  raised  and  lowered  at  pleasure.  This  was  to  form  a  bridge  over  the  pro- 
jecting abatis,  on  which  the  besiegers  might  pass  to  the  attack  on  the  fort.  As  soon  as  the 
boats,  thus  strangely  equipped,  began  to  move  toward  the  fort,  the  alarmed  garrison,  unused 
to  such  martial  enginery,  surrendered  without  firing  a  shot. 

These  tales,  like  many  others  of  which  Putnam  is  the  reputed  hero,  partake  somewhat  of 
the  marvelous,  and  in  this  instance  rather  conflict  with  cotemporary  history  as  well  as  prob- 
ability. Colonel  Mante,  who  was  intimate  with  Rogers  and  Putnam,  says  that  one  of  the 
vessels  was  grounded  before  the  attack,  and  that  an  action  o^  four  hours  occurred  with  the 
other.  He  also  says  that  "  the  general  ordered  the  vessels  [of  the  English]  to  fall  down  the 
stream,  post  themselves  as  close  to  the  fort  as  possible,  and  man  their  tops  well,  in  order  to 
fire  upon  the  enemy,  and  prevent  their  making  use  of  their  guns,  while  the  grenadiers  rowed 
in  with  their  broadswords  and  tomahawks,  fascines  and  scaling-ladders,  under  cover  of  the 
light  infantry,  who  were  to  fire  into  the  embrasures."^  He  says  nothing  about  Putnam's 
project  or  the  "  planks."  Dr.  Trumbull  says,  "  The  general,  receiving  intelligence  that  one 
of  the  enemy's  vessels  was  aground  and  disabled,  and  that  another  lay  ofi'  La  Gallette,  de- 
termined, with  the  utmost  dispatch,  to  go  down  the  river  and  attack  Oswegatchie  and  Isle 
Pi-oyal.  On  the  17th  of  August  the  row-galleys  fell  in  with  the  French  sloop  com- 
manded by  M.  de  la  Broquirie,  who,  after  a  smart  engagement,  surrendered  to  the  En- 
glish galleys By  the  23d  two  batteries  were  opened  against  the  fort,  and  it  was 

cannonaded  by  them  in  concert  with  the  row-galleys  in  the  river.  M.  Ponchaut,  the  com- 
mander, beat  a  parley,  and  surrendered  the  fort  on  terms  of  capitulation."^  From  personal 
observation  of  the  ground,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  a  plank  twenty  feet  long  could  hardly- 
have  reached  the  abatis  from  the  water,  even  in  a  perpendicular  position,  unless  the  altitude 
of  the  shores  was  less  then  than  now.  Very  possibly  the  ingenious  idea  of  wedging  up  the 
rudders  of  the  vessels  and  of  scaling  the  outworks  of  the  fort  was  conceived  by  the  fertile 

'  Fascines,  from  the  Latin  fascina,  ^agof,  is  a  term  used  in  fortifications  to  denote  bundles  of  fagots,  twigs, 
or  branches  of  trees,  which,  being  mixed  with  earth,  are  used  for  filling  up  ditches,  forming  parapets,  &>-! 

*  History  of  the  Late  War  in  North  America,  &c.,  by-Thomas  Mante,  major  of  a  brigade  in  the  cam 
paignofl764;  London,  1772. 

*  History  of  Connecticut  from  1630  to  1764,  by  Benjamin  Trumbull,  D.D. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


213 


Capture  of  Fort  Oswegatchie  by  the  English. 


Attacks  upon  Ogdensburgh  by  the  British  in  1813-13. 


mind  of  Putnam,  but  it  is  not  one  of  the  strong  points  upon  which  the  reputation  of  the  gen- 
eral for  skill  and  bravery  rests,  for  it  must  have  been  a  failure  if  attempted.  One  thing  is 
certain — Fort  Oswegatchie  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English  at  that  time,  after  a  pretty 
warm  engagement.  Lieutenant-colonel  Massey,  with  the  grenadiers,  took  possession  of  the 
fort,  the  garrison  were  sent  to  New  York,  and  the  post  was  named  by  Amherst  Fort  Will 
iam  Augustus. 

Ogdensburgh  was  a  place  of  considerable  importance,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  during 
our  war  with  England,  begun  in  1812.  Lying  directly  opposite  a  Canadian  village  (Pres- 
cott)  and  a  military  post,  it  was  among  the  earliest  of  the  points  of  attack  from  Canada. 
As  early  as  the  2d  of  October,  1812,  it  was  assaulted  by  the  enemy.  General  Jacob  Brown, 
with  four  hundred  Americans,  commanded  there  in  person.  On  Sunday,  the  4th,  the  Brit- 
ish, one  thousand  in  number,  in  forty  boats,  approached  to  storm  the  town,  but,  after  a  sharp 
engagement,  they  were  repulsed.  Another  attack  was  planned,  and  in  February  fol- 
lowing it  was  carried  into  effect.  On  the  21st  of  that  month,  the  British,  twelve  hund- 
red strong,  attacked  it  in  two  columns,  and,  after  an  hour  of  hard  fighting,  drove  Captain 
Forsyth  and  his  troops  out  of  the  place  as  far  as  Black  Lake,  and  took  possession  of  the  vil- 
lage.     The  Americans  lost  twenty  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  the  British  about  sixty. 

We  can  not  stay  longer  upon  the  beautiful  banks  of  the  Oswegatchie,  for  the  signal-bell  for 
departure  is  ringing  merrily  upon  the  Lady  of  the  Lake. 


t 


2  14 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Departure  from  Ogdensburgh. 


The  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Thousand  Islands. 


CHAPTER  X. 


"  Billows  !  there's  not  a  wave  !  the  waters  spread 
One  broad,  unbroken  mirror ;  all  around 
Is  hush'd  to  silence — silence  so  profound 
That  a  bird's  carol,  or  an  arrow  sped 

Into  the  distance,  would,  like  'larum-bell. 
Jar  the  deep  stillness  and  dissolve  the  spell." 

Park  Benjamin. 

CALM,  sweetly  consonant  with  ideas  of  Sabbath  rest,  was  upon  the  main, 
-,  the  islands,  and  the  river,  and  all  the  day  long  not  a  breath  of  air  rippled 
''  the  silent-flowing  but  mighty  St.  Lawrence.  We  passed  the  ^u,rust  i3, 
morning  in  alternately  viewing  the  ever-changing  scene  as  onr  ^^'^S- 
vessel  sped  toward  Ontario,  and  in  perusing  Burke's  "  Essay  on  the  Sub- 
lime and  Beautiful."  I  never  read  that  charming  production  v/ith  so  much 
pleasure  as  then,  for  illustrative  examples  were  on  every  side.  And  when,  to- 
ward noon,  our  course  was  among  the  Thousand  Islands,  the  propriety  of  his 
citation  of  the  stars  as  an  example,  by  their  number  and  confusion,  of  the  cause 
of  the  idea  of  sublimity  was  forcibly  illustrated.  "  The  apparent  disorder,"  he 
says,  "  augments  the  grandeur,  for  the  appearance  of  care  is  highly  contrary  to 
our  idea  of  magnificence."  So  with  these  islands.  They  fill  the  St.  Lawrence 
through  nearly  sixty  miles  of  its  course,  commencing  fifteen  miles  below  Kingston,  and  vary 
in  size  from  a  few  yards  to  eighteen  miles  in  length.  Some  are  mere  syenite  rocks,  bearing 
suflicient  alluvium  to  produce  cedar,  spruce,  and  pine  shrubs,  which  seldom  grow  to  the  dig- 
nity of  a  tree  ;  while  others  were  beautifully  fringed  with  luxuriant  grass  and  shaded  by  lofty 
trees.  A  few  of  the  larger  are  inhabited  and  cultivated.  They  are  twelve  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  in  number.  Viewed  separately,  they  present  nothing  remarkable ;  but  scat- 
tered, as  they  are,  so  profusely  and  in  such  disorder  over  the  bosom  of  the  river,  their  feat- 
ures constantly  changing  as  we  made  our  rapid  way  among  them,  an  idea  of  magnificence 
and  sublimity  involuntarily  possessed  the  mind,  and  wooed  our  attention  from  the  tuition  of 
books  to  that  of  nature. 

We  reached  Kingston,  Upper  Canada,  at  about  four  o'clock,  where  we  remained  until 
nearly  sunset.  This  is  a  large  and  flourishing  town,  at  the  lower  end  of  Lake  Ontario,  and 
its  commercial  position  is  valuable  and  important.  It  stands  near  the  site  of  old  Fort  Fron- 
tenac,  and  is  now  a  British  military  post.  It  seems  strongly  fortified,  and  completely  com- 
mands, by  its  military  works,  the  entrance  of  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Ontario.  A  strong 
bomb-proof  round  tower  stands  upon  Cedar  Island,  just  below  the 
_^*^-.  city.      Similar  structures  guard  the  portals  of  Fort  Henry,  the 

open  space  between  the  city  and  the  fort,  and  one  is  a  huge  sentinel 
in  the  harbor,  directly  in  front  of  the  magnificent  market-house 
that  fronts  upon  the  quay.  They  are  mounted  with  cannon,  and 
the  hollow  buttresses  are  pierced  for  musketry.  A  flourishing  In- 
dian settlement,  called  Candaragui,  was  upon  the  site  of  Kings- 
ton when  first  discovered  by  the  French,  and  traces  of  the  build- 
er's art,  evidently  older  than  the  fortifications  of  the  whites,  have 
been  discovered.  I  was  informed  by  a  resident  at  Kingston,  whom  I  met  at  Quebec,  that 
while  excavating  to  form  a  terrace  near  his  residence,  a  few  months  previous,  his  workmen 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  215 


Fort  Frontenac.         Its  Capture  by  Colonel  Bradatreet         Hia  Life.         Bradatreet's  Officers.         Lake  Ontario.         Oawe'e 


struck  the  stump  of  a  tree  three  feet  in  diameter,  and,  upon  removing  it,  a  stone  wall,  rcr- 
ularly  laid,  was  found  beneath  it. 

This  spot,  known  as  Fort  Frontenac,  was  a  place  of  much  importance  during  the  inter- 
colonial wars  of  the  last  century.  It  was  first  a  fur  trading  and  missionary  station  of  the 
Quebec  colony.  In  1673,  Count  Louis  Frontenac,  governor  of  Canada,  erected  a  fort  there 
and  gave  it  his  own  name,  and  for  eighty  years  it  was  one  of  the  strongest  mihtary  posts  in 
America.  It  was  from  this  point  that  Father  Marquette  (under  the  patronage  of  Fronte- 
nac) and  other  missionaries  took  their  final  departure  for  explorations  in  the  Far  West,  antl 
here  provisions  and  stores  were  kept  to  supply  other  military  and  religious  establishments 
upon  the  great  lakes.  Fort  Frontenac  remained  in  possession  of  the  French  until  1758, 
when  Colonel  Bradstreet,*  with  a  detachment  of  men,  chiefly  provincials  of  New  York  and 
New  England,  captured  it.  After  the  disastrous  defeat  of  Abercrombie  at  Ticonderoga, 
Colonel  Bradstreet  solicited  and  obtained  permission  to  undertake  that  expedition.  He  trav- 
ersed the  wilderness  to  Oswego,  where  he  embarked  in  three  vessels  already  prepared  for  him, 
descended  the  lake,  and  suddenly  appeared  before  Frontenac.  The  weak  garrison,  over- 
whelmed by  numbers,  surrendered  without  resistance.  The  commander  of  the  fort  was  ex- 
changed for  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler,  then  a  prisoner  in  Canada. 

Leaving  a  small  garrison  to  keep  the  post,  Bradstreet  and  his  troops  returned  and  aided 
in  building  Fort  Stanwix,  upon  the  Mohawk,  at  the  portage  between  that  river  and  Wood 
Creek,  a  tributary  of  Oneida  Lake.  Among  his  ofllicers  were,  Colonel  Charles  Clinton,  of 
Ulster  county,  New  York  ;  Major  Nathaniel  Woodhull,  who  fell  on  Long  Island  in  1776  , 
and  Goosen  Van  Schaick,  of  Albany,  and  Lieutenant  Marinus  Willett,  of  New  York,  who 
were  afterward  colonels  in  the  New  York  Revolutionary  line.'' 

We  did  not  land  at  Kingston,  for  the  tarrying  time  of  the  boat  was  uncertain.  It  was 
nearly  sunset  when  we  left,  and  we  passed  the  southern  extremity  of  Gage  Island  just  in 
time  to  see  its  last  rays  sparkling  upon  the  tree-tops  on  Amherst  Island,  in  the  far  distance. 
Ontario,  like  the  St.  Lawrence,  was  unruffled,  and  the  evening  voyage  between  Kingston 
and  Sackett's  Harbor  was  exceedingly  pleasant,  rendered  so  chiefly  by  a  cool  breeze,  cush- 
ioned seats,  agreeable  company,  and  the  anticipations  of  meeting  dear  friends  at  Oswego  the 
next  morning.  We  landed  there  a  little  after  daybreak,  and  tarried  three  days  before  start- 
ing for  the  "  Niagara  frontier." 

Oswego  is  beautifully  situated  upon  Lake  Ontario,  on  each  side  of  the  Chouegesen  or  Os- 
wego Pviver,  a  large  and  rapid  stream,  through  which  flow  the  waters  of  eight  considerable 
lakes  in  the  interior  of  New  York — the  Canandagua,  Crooked,  Seneca,  Cayuga,  Owasoo, 
Skaneateles,  Onondaga,  and  Oneida,  with  their  numerous  little  tributaries — and  drains  a 
surface  of  four  thousand  five  hundred  square  miles.  Beautifully  significant  are  the  Indian 
names  of  Oswego  and  Ontario — rapid  ivater  and  pretty  lake — for  the  river  comes  foaming 

'  John  Bradstreet  was  a  native  of  England.  He  was  Lieutenant-governor  of  St.  John's,  Newfoundland, 
in  1746,  and  ten  years  afterward  accompanied  the  expeditions  against  the  French  on  the  frontier  of  New 
York.  In  1756  he  was  comraissary  general,  and  engaged  in  keeping  up  a  communication  between  Albany 
and  Oswego.  He  had  charge  of  boats  that  carried  provisions,  and  so  much  were  they  annoyed  by  the  In 
dians  in  the  French  service,  while  passing  down  the  Onondaga  or  Oswego  River,  that  it  required  a  great 
deal  of  skill  and  bravery  to  defend  them.  A  small  stockade  fort  near  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Rome 
was  cut  off  by  the  enemy,  and  they  were  obliged  to  depend  upon  their  own  power,  in  the  open  forest,  for 
protection.  He  had  a  severe  engagement  near  the  margin  of  Oneida  Lake,  with  a  large  war  party  of  sav- 
ages,  but  gained  a  victory,  leaving  nearly  two  hundred  of  the  enemy  dead  upon  the  field.  His  own  loss 
was  about  thirty.  His  capture  of  Fort  Frontenac,  in  1758,  put  into  the  possession  of  the  English  the  fort, 
nine  armed  vessels,  forty  pieces  of  cannon,  a  vast  quantity  of  provisions  and  stores,  and  one  hundred  and 
ten  prisoners.  In  the  summer  of  1764  he  was  employed  against  the  Indians  on  the  borders  of  Ontario,  and 
at  Presque  Isle  he  compelled  the  Delawares,  Shawnees,  and  other  tribes  to  agree  to  terms  of  peace.  He 
was  appointed  major  general  in  1772,  and  died  at  New  York,  October  21st,  1774. 

'  The  captains  of  the  New  York  troops  engaged  in  this  expedition  were,  Jonathan  Ogdcn,  of  West  Ches- 
ter ;  Peter  Dubois,  of  New  York  ;  Samuel  Bladgely  and  William  Humphrey,  of  Dutchess ;  Daniel  Wright 
and  Richard  Howlet,  of  Queens ;  Thomas  Arrowsmith,  of  Richmond ;  F.benezer  Seely,  of  Ulster ;  and 
Peter  Yates  and  Goosen  Van  Schaick,  of  Albany 


216  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Oswego.  Expedition  of  Frontenac.  Fort  built  by  Governor  Burnet.  Fort  Niagara 

down  broad  rapids  several  miles  before  it  expands  into  the  harbor  and  mingles  its  flood  with 
the  blue  waters  of  Ontario.  Its  hydraulic  power,  its  commercial  position  relative  to  Can- 
ada and  the  great  West  of  our  own  dominion,  and  the  healthfulness  of  its  climate,  mark  out 
Oswego  for  a  busy  and  populous  city.  These  advantages  of  locality  were  early  perceived 
by  the  English,  and  were  probably  not  entirely  overlooked  by  the  French.  But  military 
occupation,  for  the  purpose  of  spreading  wide  the  overshadowing  wings  of  empire,  through 
the  two-fold  influences  of  religion  and  traffic,  seemed  to  be  the  chief  design  of  the  French 
in  planting  small  colonies  at  commanding  points. 

As  early  as  July,  1696,  Frontenac,  governor  of  Canada,  fitted  out  an  expedition  to  attack 
the  Five  Nations  in  New  York,'  and  Oswego  was  made  his  place  of  rendezvous.  There  he 
built  a  small  stockade  fort  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  then  proceeded  with  fifty  men 
into  the  interior  as  far  as  the  Onondaga  Valley.  The  Indians  fled  before  him,  but  upon  the 
shore  of  Onondaga  Lake,  near  the  present  Salina,  they  left  their  emblem  of  defiance — two 
bundles  of  rushes  suspended  from  a  branch.  The  governor  returned  to  Oswego,  and  sailed 
for  Fort  Frontenac,  without  accomplishing  any  good  for  himself  or  harm  to  the  Indians,  ex- 
cept burning  their  dwellings  when  they  fled  from  them.  Three  years  previously,  Frontenac, 
by  another  route,  fell  upon  the  Indians  on  the  Mohawk,  near  Schenectady,  slew  many,  and 
took  about  three  hundred  prisoners. 

These  expeditions  seemed  to  be  a  part  of  the  grand  scheme  of  the  French  to  confine  the 
English,  now  pushing  into  the  wilderness  in  all  directions,  to  the  Atlantic  sea-board  ;  but 
their  forts  on  the  lakes  and  upon  the  Ohio,  and  their  extensive  alliances  with  Indian  tribes, 
could  not  repress  the  spirit  of  adventure  and  love  of  gain  which  marked  their  southern  neigh- 
bors. The  great  confederacy  of  the  Five  Nations  of  New  York  remained  for  a  long  time 
the  fast  friends  and  allies  of  the  English,  none  but  the  Caughnawagas,  as  the  French  Jes- 
uits termed  their  converts  of  the  confederacy,  hfting  the  hatchet  against  them.  Protected 
by  these  friendly  savages,  trading  posts  were  founded,  and  these  in  turn  became  military  es- 
tablishments. In  1722,  Governor  Burnet,  of  New  York  (son  of  the  celebrated  English  bishop 
of  that  name),  established  a  trading  house  at  Oswego.  His  object  seemed  to  be  political 
rather  than  commercial,  for  he  desired  to  gain  a  foothold  there,  and  thus,  in  a  measure,  com- 
mand Lake  Ontario.  He  had  been  advised  by  the  Board  of  Trade,  after  the  treaty  of  Utrecht 
in  1713,  "to  extend  with  caution  the  English  settlements  as  far  as  possible,  as  there  was  no 
probability  of  obtaining  an  arrangement  of  general  boundaries."  Acting  under  this  advice 
and  the  promptings  of  his  own  clear  judgment,  he  planted  the  English  standard,  for  the  first 
time,  upon  the  great  lakes,  and,  in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  the  French  and  the  mur- 
murings  of  the  Oneidas  and  Senecas  (who  disliked  to  see  fortresses  rising  in  their  neighbor- 
hood), he  built  and  armed,  at  his  own  expense,  a  small  fort  at  Oswego  in  1727.  The  French, 
in  the  mean  while,  had  strongly  fortified  their  trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara 
River,  and  thus  outflanked  the  English  so  far  as  the  lake  was  concerned.  Beauharnois, 
the  governor  of  Canada,  ordered  Burnet  to  desist.  Burnet  defied,  the  Frenchman  threaten- 
ed, but,  after  blustering  for  a  while,  the  latter,  as  a  countervailing  measure,  took  possession 
of  Crown  Point  and  built  Fort  St.  Frederic  there.  From  that  time  until  1755,  the  En- 
;^lish  had  undisturbed  possession  of  Burnet's  fort,  and  kept  it  garrisoned  by  a  lieutenant  and 
twenty-five  men. 

I  am  indebted  to  E.  W.  Clarke,  Esq.,  of  Oswego,  for  much  local  information  concerning 
that  city  and  neighborhood.  He  kindly  permitted  me  to  use  the  manuscript  of  a  lecture  de- 
livered by  him  before  a  literary  society  there,  and  from  it  I  gleaned  a  description  of  the  trad- 
ing-house and  fort  erected  by  Governor  Burnet.  It  was  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  directly  on  the  bank  of  the  lake,  and  forty  feet  above  the  water.  The  bank,  composec? 
of  rock  and  hard-pan,  was  almost  perpendicular.  The  building  was  of  stone,  and  about 
ninety  feet  square.      The  eastern  end  was  circular.      It  was  provided  with  port-holes  and  a 

'  The  name  of  the  Confederation  of  the  Five  Nations  was  changed  to  that  of  Six  Nations  when  it  wa^ 
joined  by  the  Tuscaroras  of  Carolina  in  1714. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION 


217 


Deecription  of  Burnet's  Fort  Erection  of  otlier  Fortifications.  Fort  Ontario.  Shirley's  Expedition  against  Niagara. 


Jeep  well. 


OswEOO  IN   1735.1 


The  ascent  to  it  from  the  south  ■was  a  flight  of  stone  steps  (see  engraving),  the 

TH     remains  of  which  have  been  visible 

within  a  few  years.  The  eartli  em- 
bankments of  the  fort,  with  its  ditch 
and  palisades,  were  about  two  hund- 
red feet  west  of  the  building,  upon 
liigher  ground,  and  traces  of  these 
might  be  seen  until  the  late  growth 
of  the  city  obliterated  them.  The 
bluff  on  which  the  trading-house  and 
fort  rested  has  been  leveled  in  filling 
in  the  basin,  for  the  construction  of 
wharves. 

While  Braddock  was  making  his  fatal  march  against  Fort  Duquesne,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Ohio  and  Monongahela,  in  1755,  Governor  Shirley,  of  Massachusetts,  with  a  force  of 
about  one  thousand  five  hundred  men,  composed  of  provincials  and  Indians,  was  on  the  march 
from  Albany  to  Oswego,  for  the  purpose  of  making  attacks  simultaneously  upon  Niagara  and 
Frontenac.  His  march  through  the  wilderness  was  perilous  and  fatiguing,  and  when  he  ar- 
rived at  Oswego  in  August,  his  troops  were  reduced  by  sickness,  and  dispirited  by  the 
intelligence  of  Braddock's  defeat.  But  Shirley,  who  succeeded  Braddock  in  the  chief 
command,  was  not  disheartened.  He  strengthened  Oswego  by  erecting  two  o<!ier  forts  ;  one 
westward  of  old  Fort  Oswego,  called  New  Fort,  one  hund- 
red and  seventy  feet  square,  with  bastions  and  a  rampart 
of  earth  and  stones  ;  and  another  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
basin,  four  hundred  and  seventy  yards  distant  from  the  old 
fort.  The  east  fortification,  called  Fort  Ontario,  was  built 
of  logs  from  twenty  to  thirty  inches  in  diameter.  It  was 
eight  hundred  feet  in  circumfei'ence,  and  its  outer  Myalls 
were  fourteen  feet  high.  Around  it  was  a  ditch  fourteen 
feet  wide  and  ten  deep,  and  within  were  barracks  for  three 
hundred  men.  It  was  intended  to  mount  sixteen  pieces  of 
cannon.  This  fort  was  on  a  commanding  site,  the  perpen- 
dicular bank  being  higher  than  that  upon  the  west  side.^ 
Shirley  built  vessels  and  made  other  great  preparations 
at  Oswego  to  proceed  against  Niagara.  He  constructed  and  equipped  a  sloop  and  schooner 
of  sixty  tons  each,  two  row-galleys  of  twenty  tons  each,  and  eight  whale-boats,  each  capable 
of  carrying  sixteen  men.  His  views  were  promptly  seconded  by  the  New  York  Assembly. 
That  body  had  already  voted  eight  thousand  pounds  toward  the  enlistment  of  two  thousand 
men  in  Connecticut,  and  raised  four  hundred  men  of  their  own  in  addition  to  their  eight 
hundred  then  in  the  field.  Shirley  was  also  directed  to  complete  the  forts,  and  prepare  for 
building  one  or  more  vessels  of  a  large  class,  to  mount  ten  six  pounders  besides  swivels,  two 
more  row-galleys,  and  one  hundred  whale-boats.  But  heavy  rains  delayed  his  embarkation 
so  long,  that  winter  approached,  and  he  abandoned  the  expedition  against  .Niagara.  He 
left  seven  hundred  men  in  garrison  at  Oswego,  and  returned  to  Albany,  where  the  remainder 
of  his  troops  were  disbanded.  Additional  fortifications,  to  complete  the  works,  were  made  to 
the  fort  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  stronger  outworks  were  added  to  Fort  Ontario. 


Forts  at  Osweoo.^ 


'  This  view  is  looking  north  toward  the  lake.  It  is  a  reduced  copy  of  the  frontispiece  to  Smith's  History 
of  New  York,  first  edition,  London,  1757,  and  represents  the  encampment  of  Shirley  there  at  that  time. 

^  Smith's  History  of  New  York  ;   Clarke's  IMS. 

'  There  are  but  few  traces  left  of  old  Fort  Oswego.  The  light-house  that  stood  upon  the  bluff  between 
'he  old  fort  and  the  present  Fort  Ontario,  is  removed,  and  another  substantial  one  is  erected  upon  the  left 
pier,  in  front  of  the  harbor.  The  citv,  on  the  east,  is  now  fast  crowding  npon  the  ravelins  of  the  old 
Fort. 


218  PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 

Remains  of  the  "  New  Fort."       Shirley's  Preparations  at  Albany.       Montcalm's  Approach  to  Oswego.      Attack  on  the  Works. 

The  remains  of  the  ramparts  and  ditches  of  the  New  Fort  are  now  quite  prominent  at  the 
junction  of  Montcalm  and  Van  Buren  Streets.      The  annexed  engraving  is  a  view  of  the 

appearance  of  these  remains  when  I  August, 
visited  them.  The  view  is  from  ^848. 
Montcalm  Street,  looking  north,  toward  the 
lake.  The  mounds  and  ditch  were  covered 
with  a  green  sward  ;  and  decayed  stumps  of 
trees,  three  feet  in  diameter,  were  upon  the 
former.  The  fort  had  been  abandoned  about 
ninety  years  (for  Fort  Ontario  became  the 
main  fortification  after  1758),  and,  therefore, 
those  large  trees  must  have  been  produced 
„^.      ^       „       ^  within  that  time. 

Remains  of  "ISew  Fort,"  at  Osweoo.  ch  •  i  i        • 

Shirley  made  vigorous  preparations  at  Al- 
bany to  re-enforce  Oswego,  the  following  spring,  for  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  an 
enterprising  and  experienced  commander,  was  governor  of  Canada,  and  offensive 
operations  on  the  part  of  the  French  were  certainly  expected.  Colonel  Bradstreet  was  ap- 
pointed commissary  general,  and,  aided  by  Captain  (afterward  General)  Philip  Schuyler,  for- 
warded large  quantities  of  provisions  to  Oswego.  William  Alexander,  afterward  Lord  Ster 
ling,  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  was  Shirley's  secretary.  Early  in  the  spring  an  army  of 
seven  thousan!f'men,  under  General  Winslow,  was  at  Albany,  waiting  the  arrival  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  Lord  Loudon.  His  procrastination,  which  defeated  all  the  plans  for  the 
season's  campaign,  was  fatal  in  this  instance.  He  did  not  arrive  until  late  in  the  summer. 
In  the  mean  while  the  French,  about  five  thousand  in  number,  under  the  Marquis  de  Mont- 
calm, came  up  the  lake  from  Fort  Frontenac,  and  landed  stealthily  behind  a  heavily-wooded 
cape  (now  called  Four-mile  Point),  a  few  miles  below  Oswego.  Montcalm  was  there  nearly 
two  days  before  the  fact  was  known  to  the  garrison.  He  had  thirty  pieces  of  heavy  artil- 
lery, and  was  about  commencing  a  march  through  the  forest,  to  take  Fort  Ontario  by  sur 
prise,  when  he  was  discovered  by  the  English.  Colonel  Mercer,  the  commandant  of  the 
garrison,  ordered  a  brigantine  to  cruise  eastward,  and  prevent  any  attempt  of  the  enemy  to 
approach  the  fort  by  water.  The  next  day  a  heavy  gale  drove  the  brigantine  ashore,  and 
while  she  was  thus  disabled,  the  French  transported  their  cannon,  unmolested,  to  within  two 
miles  of  the  fort.  One  or  two  other  small  vessels  were  sent  out  to  annoy  them,  but 
the  heavy  guns  of  the  French  drove  them  back  to  the  harbor.  The  enemy  pressed 
steadily  forward  through  the  woods,  and  toward  noon  of  the  same  day  invested  the  fort  with 
thirty-two  pieces  of  cannon,  ranging  from  twelve  to  eighteen  pounders,  several  large  bras.s 
pounders  and  hoyets,  and  about  five  thousand  men,  one  half  of  whom  were  Canadians  and 
jyj  9  Indians.  Some  of  this  artillery  was  taken  from  the  English  when  Braddock  was  de- 
1755.  feated.  The  garrison,  under  Colonel  Mercer,  numbered  only  one  thousand  four  hund- 
red, and  a  large  portion  of  these  were  withdrawn  to  the  fort  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  to 
strengthen  it,  and  to  place  the  river  between  Mercer's  main  body  and  the  enemy.  The  French 
began  the  assault  with  small  arms,  which  were  answered  by  the  guns  of  Fort  Ontario,  and 
bombs  from  the  small  fort  on  the  other  side  of  the  basin.  Finding  an  open  assault  danger- 
ous, Montcalm  commenced  approaching  by  parallels  during  the  night,  and  the  next 
"^^  ■  day  he  began  another  brisk  fire  with  small  arms.  On  the  day  following  he  opened 
a  battery  of  cannons  within  sixty  yards  of  the  fort.  As  soon  as  Colonel  Mercer  perceived 
this,  he  sent  word  to  the  garrison,  consisting  of  three  hundred  and  seventy  men,  to  destroy 
their  cannon,  ammunition,  and  provisions,  and  retreat  to  the  west  side.  This  they  effected 
without  the  loss  of  a  man.  During  the  night  of  the  13th  the  enemy  were  employed,  in  the 
face  of  a  destructive  cannonade,  in  erecting  a  heavy  battery  to  play  upon  the  fort.  On  the 
morning  of  the  14th  they  had  finished  their  battery  of  twelve  heavy  guns,  and  under  its 
cover  two  thousand  five  hundred  Canadians  and  Indians  crossed  the  river  in  three  divisions. 
Colonel  Mercer  was  killed  during  this  movement,  and  the  command  devolved  upon  Colonel 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  ojg 


Surrender  of  the  Forts  and  Garrison  to  Montcalm.         His  Courteay.        Destruction  of  the  Forts.        St.  Leger.        Mrs.  Grant 

Littlehales.  The  enemy  had  a  mortar  battery  in  readiness  by  ten  o'clock,  and  their  forces 
were  so  disposed  that  all  the  works  of  defense  were  completely  enfiladed.  At  the  same  time, 
the  regulars,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Montcalm,  were  preparing  to  cross  to  the 
attack.  Colonel  Littlehales  called  a  council  of  war,  and,  it  being  agreed  that  a  defense  was 
no  longer  practicable,  a  cluimade,  or  parley,  was  beaten  by  the  drums  of  the  fort,  and  the 
firing  ceased  on  both  sides.  Two  officers  were  sent  to  the  French  general  to  inquire  upon 
what  terms  he  would  accept  a  surrender.  He  sent  back  a  polite  and  generous  answer,  re- 
marking, at  the  same,  time  that  the  English  were  an  enemy  to  be  esteemed,  and  that  none 
but  a  brave  nation  would  have  thought  of  defending  so  weak  a  place  so  long.'  The  fort, 
the  whole  garrison,  one  hundred  and  twenty  cannons,  fourteen  mortars,  a  large  quantity  of 
ammunition  and  stores,  and  quite  a  respectable  fleet  in  the  harbor,  were  the  spoils  of  victory 
The  forts  were  dismantled,  the  prisoners  were  placed  on  transports  for  Frontenac,  and,  with- 
out leaving  a  garrison  behind,  the  whole  military  armament  went  down  the  lake,  and  left 
Oswego  solitary  and  desolate. 

The  destruction  of  the  forts  was  a  stroke  of  policy  on  the  part  of  Montcalm.  They  had 
been  a  continual  eyesore  to  the  Six  Nations,  for  they  had  reason  to  suspect  that,  if  the  En- 
glish became  strong  enough,  their  fortifications  would  be  used  as  instruments  to  enslave  the 
tribes.  This  act  of  Montcalm  was  highly  approved  by  the  Indians,  and  caused  them  to  as- 
sume a  position  of  neutrality  toward  the  belligerent  Europeans.  This  was  what  Montcalm 
desired,  and  he  gained  far  more  power  by  destroying  the  forts  than  he  would  by  garrisoning 
them.  French  emissaries  were  sent  among  the  Indians,  and  by  their  blandishments,  and  in 
consequence  of  their  successes,  they  seduced  four  of  the  tribes  wholly  from  the  British  inter- 
est.    These  were  the  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas,  and  Senecas. 

The  following  year  English  troops  again  took  possession  of  Fort  Ontario,  and  par- 
tially restored  it  to  its  former  strength,  and  in  1759  it  was  rebuilt  on  a  larger  scale. 
They  also  erected  a  small  stockade  fort  near  the  Oswego  Falls,  and  built  Fort  Stan- 

...  1758 

wix,  on  the  Mohawk.      Thus,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  Oswego  remained  until  our 
war  for  independence  broke  out.'* 

This  post  was  rather  too  remote  for  active  operations,  during  the  first  years  of  the  war, 
to  attract  the  serious  attention  of  either  party,  and  the  fort  was  garrisoned  by  only  a  few 
men  until  the  summer  of  1777,  when  St.  Leger,  with  seven  hundred  Rangers,  detached 
from  the  army  of  Burgoyne  at  St.  John's,  on  the  Sorel,  made  this  his  place  of  rendezvous 
preparatory  to  his  incursion  into  the  Valley  of  the  Mohawk.  Here  he  was  joined  by  Sir 
John  Johnson  and  Colonel  Daniel  Claus,  with  nearly  seven  hundred  Indians,  under  Brant, 
and  four  hundred  regular  troops.  Here  a  war  feast  was  given,  and,  certain  of  success,  the 
party,  in  high  spirits,  departed  to  invest  Fort  Stanwix.  A  difierent  scene  was  exhibited  a 
few  weeks  later  at  Oswego.  St.  Leger,  foiled,  and  his  troops  utterly  routed,  came  hastening 
back  in  all  the  terror  and  confusion  of  a  retreat,  the  victors  in  hot  pursuit.  His  Indian  al- 
lies, greatly  alarmed,  were  scattered  over  the  vast  forests,  and  a  mere  remnant  of  his  army, 

'  His  note  to  Colonel  Littlehales  was  as  follows :  "  The  INIarquis  of  Montcalm,  army  and  field  marshal, 
commander-in-chief  of  his  most  Christian  majesty's  troops,  is  ready  to  receive  a  capitulation  upon  the  most 
honorable  conditions,  surrendering  to  him  all  the  forts.  They  shall  be  shown  all  the  regard  the  politest 
nation  can  show.  I  send  an  aid-de-camp  on  my  part,  viz.,  Mons.  de  Bougainville,  captain  of  dragoons ; 
ihey  need  only  send  the  capiluiation  to  be  signed.  I  require  an  answer  by  noon.  I  have  kept  Mr.  Drake 
for  a  hostage.  "  Montcalm. 

"August  14, 1756." 

*  Mrs.  Grant,  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  her  "  Memoirs  of  an  American  Lady,"  gives  a  charming  pic- 
ture of  the  scenery  about  Oswego  in  1761—2.  She  was  then  a  child,  and  resided  there  with  her  father; 
and  her  book  presents  all  the  vividness  of  a  child's  impressions.  She  noted,  in  particular,  a  feature  in  the 
forest  scenery  which  now  delights  the  sojourner  upon  the  southern  shores  of  Lake  Ontario — the  sudden 
bursting  forth  of  leaves  and  flo%vers  in  the  spring.  Major  Duncan,  who  was  in  command  of  the  fort  at  that 
lime,  was  a  gentleman  of  taste,  and,  in  addition  to  a  large  and  well-cultivated  garden,  ho  had  a  bowling 
green  and  other  pleasure  grounds.  These  were  the  delight  of  the  author  of  the  "  Memoirs,"  whose  pleas- 
ing pictures  may  be  found  in  chapters  xliv.  to  xlvii.  inclusive. 


220  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

VVillett's  Attempt  to  Capture  Fort  Oswego.  Oswego  in  1798.  Attack  upon  Oswego  in  1814.  Fort  Oswego 

without  arms,  half  naked,  and  nearly  starved,  followed  him  to  Fort  Ontario,  whence  he  fled 
to  Montreal.      The  details  of  the  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix  will  be  given  hereafter. 

There  was  no  engagement  at  Oswego  during  the  Revolution.  Just  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  Washington  conceived  the  design  of  securing  Fort  Ontario,  and  sent  an  expedition 
thither  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Marinus  Willett,  who  had  been  an  efficient  officer  in 
the  Mohawk  Valley  from  the  time  of  the  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix.  Preliminary  articles  of 
peace  had  been  signed  in  November  previous,  but  as  the  terms  were  not  definitely  agreed 
upon,  it  was  the  policy  of  the  commander-in-chief  to  be  prepared  for  the  reopening  of  hostil- 
ities, and,  therefore,  until  the  settlement  was  finally  made,  in  September,  1783,  by  the  sign- 
ing of  the  definitive  treaty,  his  vigilance  was  unrelaxed.  This  enterprise  was  undertaken  in 
mid-winter.  Willett  assembled  his  troops  at  Fort  Herkimer,  on  the  German  Flats,  and  on 
the  9th  of  February  crossed  lhe  Oneida  Lake  on  the  ice,  and  reached  Oswego  Falls 
the  next  morning.  Not  being  strong  enough  in  numbers  to  attempt  a  siege  or  an  open 
assault,  he  there  prepared  scaling-ladders,  and  determined  to  surprise  the  garrison  that  night. 
A  deep  snow  lay  upon  the  ground,  and  the  weather  was  so  intensely  cold  that  one  of  the  sol- 
diers was  frozen  to  death.      A  young  Oneida  Indian  acted  as  guide,  but  the  snow  and  the 

^     —  darkness  caused  him  to  lose  his  way. 

At  daylight  they  found  themselves  in 
sight  of  the  fort,  and  soon  afterward 
I  they  discovered  three  wood-choppers 
I  1  near.  Two  of  them  were  captured,  but 
~M^^  the  third  escaped  to  the  fort  and  gave 
the  alarm.  Willett  and  his  party  im- 
:  v  mediately  retreated,  and  thus  ended  the 
expedition.^  In  1796  this  post,  with 
all  others  upon  the  frontier,  was  given 
up  by  the  English  to  the  United  States. 
A  prize,  in  the  shape  of  public  stores 
deposited  at  the  Oswego  Falls,  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  British  in  1814,  and  a  fleet,  bearing  three  thousand  men,  appeared  be- 
fore the  toM^n  on  the  fifth  of  May.  Fort  Oswego,  (called  Ontario  when  repaired  sub- 
sequent to  the  War,)  on  the  East  side  of  the  harbor,  was  quite  dilapidated,  and  the  little 
garrison  had  small  means  of  defense.  They  had  only  six  cannons,  and  three  of  these  had 
lost  their  trunnions.  As  soon  as  the  sail  of  the  enemy  appeared,  information  was  sent  to 
Captain  Woolsey,  of  the  navy,  then  at  the  village  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  to  the 
neighboring  militia.  Four  large  ships,  three  brigs,  and  a  number  of  gun  and  other  boats 
appeared,  about  seven  miles  distant,  at  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth  of  May. 
The  Americans  prepared  a  battery  on  the  shore,  and  gave  the  enemy  such  a  warm  re- 
ception, while  approaching  in  boats  to  land,  that  they  returned  to  their  ships.  Early  on  the 
morning  of  the  6  th  the  fleet  came  within  cannon-shot  of  the  works,  and  for  three  hours  kept 
up  a  discharge  of  grape  and  heavy  balls  against  the  fort  and  batteries.^  The  troops  finally 
effected  a  landing,  and  the  little  band  of  Americans,  not  exceeding  three  hundred  in  num- 
ber, after  maintaining  their  ground  as  long  as  possible,  withdrew  into  the  rear  of  the  fort, 
and  halted  within  four  hundred  yards  of  it.  After  fighting  about  half  an  hour,  they  mareh- 
__^ • 

1  Clarke's  MS. 

*  This  view  is  from  the  west  side  of  the  river,  near  the  site  of  the  present  United  States  Hotel. 

^  I  visited  Fort  Ontario,  which  is  now  a  strong  and  admirably  appointed  fortification.  A  small  garrison 
is  usually  stationed  there,  but  at  the  time  of  my  visit  the  fort  was  vacated  by  troops  and  left  in  charge  of  a 
sergeant  (Mr.  Brown),  whose  courtesy  made  our  little  party  feel  as  much  at  home  amid  the  equipments  of 
war  as  if  we  were  veritable  soldiers  and  our  ladies  attaches  of  the  camp.  He  gave  me  a  four-pound  can- 
non-ball, which  was  fired  into  the  fort  from  the  British  ship  Wolfe,  the  only  ship  engaged  in  the  action,  on 
the  monring  of  the  Sixth  of  May,  1814.  It  bears  the  rude  anchor  mark  of  British  ordnance  shot,  and 
was  labeled  by  the  sergeant,  "A  present  from  John  Bull  to  Uncle  Sam." 


View  of  Oswego  and  the  Fort  in  17 

From  a  drawing  by  Dewitt,  surveyor  general. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


2  2  1 


Result  of  the  Battle  in  1814. 


Oswego  Bt  Present. 


Major  Cochran. 


Dr.  John  Cochrtm. 


cd  toward  the  falls,  to  defend  the  stores,  destroying  the  bridges  in  their  rear.  The  British 
burned  the  barracks,  and,  after  spiking  some  of  the  guns,  evacuated  the  fort,  and  retired  to 
their  ships  at  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  7th.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  six 
killed,  thirty-eight  wounded,  and  twenty-five  missing.  The  enemy  lost,  in  killed,  wounded, 
drowned,  and  missing,  two  hundred  and  thirty-five.'  They  returned  on  the  9th,  and  sent 
a  flag  into  the  village,  to  inform  the  people  of  their  intention  to  land  a  large  force  and  cap- 
ture the  stores  ;  but,  being  informed  that  the  bridges  were  destroyed  and  the  stores  removed, 
the  fleet  weighed  anchor  and  returned  to  Kingston. 

Scarcely  a  feature  of  old  Oswego  is  left.  The  little  hamlet  of  the  Revolution  and  the  tiny 
village  of  1814  have  grown 
into  a  flourishing  city.  Heavy 
stone  piers,  built  by  the  United 
States  government,  guard  the 
harbor  from  storms,  and  a 
strong  fortification  protects  it 
from  enemies.  Lake  com- 
merce enlivens  the  mart,  and  a 
canal  and  rail-road  daily  pour 
their  freights  of  goods  and  trav- 
el into  its  lap. 

While  in  Oswego  I  visited 
the  venerable  Major  Cochran  and  his  excellent  lady, 
the  daughter  of  General  Philip  Schuyler.  Major 
Cochran  was  then  nearly  eighty  years  old,  and  feeble 
in  bodily  health,  but  his  mind  was  active  and  vigor- 
ous. His  father  was  Dr.  John  Cochran,^  the  surgeon 
general  of  the  Middle  Department  of  the  Revolutionary 
army  ;   and  himself  was  a  member  of  Congress  during  ^'^^  °^  Oswego  Harbok.  1846.3 

the  administration  of  the  elder  Adams.*  His  family  relationship  and  position  made  him  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  general  oflicers  of  the  Revolution,  and  his  reminiscences  afforded  me 
much  pleasure  and  instruction  during  my  brief  visit.  He  has  since  gone  down  into  the  grave, 
and  thus  the  men  of  that  generation,  like  the  sands  of  an  hour-glass,  fall  into  their  resting- 

'  Letter  of  Commodore  Chauncy  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

^  Dr.  Cochran  was  born  in  Chester,  Pennsylvania,  in  1730.  His  father  came  from  the  north  of  Ire- 
land. He  studied  medicine  at  Lancaster,  and  served  as  surgeon's  mate  in  the  hospital  department  during 
the  French  and  Indian  war.  At  the  close  of  that  contest  he  settled  in  Albany,  and  married  Gertrude,  tho 
only  sister  of  General  Schuyler.  He  entered  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  in  the  spring  of  1777  Wash- 
ington appointed  him  surgeon  general  of  the  Middle  Department,  and  in  October,  1781,  director  general  of 
the  hospitals  of  the  United  States.  He  removed  to  New  York  alter  the  peace,  and  his  eminent  services 
were  not  forgotten  by  Washington,  who  nominated  him  commissioner  of  loans  for  that  state.  He  died  at 
Palatine,  Montgomery  county,  April  6th,  1807,  aged  76. 

*  This  view  is  from  the  top  of  the  United  States  Hotel,  looking  east-northeast.  It  was  hastily  sketched 
during  the  approach  of  a  thunder-storm,  and  the  "huge  herald  drops"  came  down  just  as  I  traced  the  dis 
tant  water-line  of  the  lake.  The  objects  by  the  figure  in  the  foreground  are  the  balustrade  and  chimney 
of  the  hotel,  now  (1848)  a  summer  boarding-house  for  strangers.  The  first  height  beyond  tho  water  oi- 
the  right  is  the  point  on  which  stands  Fort  Oswego.  The  land  in  the  far  distance,  on  the  same  side,  i> 
Four-milft  Point,  behind  which  INIontcalra  landed  his  forces.  On  the  left  is  seen  the  light-house  upon  onb 
of  the  stone  piers,  and  beyond  it  spread  out  the  waters  of  Lake  Ontario. 

■•  Circumstances  connected  with  his  election  are  rather  amusing.  A  vessel  was  to  be  lanchcd  upon  (1 
think)  Seneca  Lake,  at  Geneva,  and,  it  being  an  unusual  event,  people  came  from  afar  to  see  it.  The  youny 
folks  gathered  there,  determined  to  have  a  dance  at  night.  A  fiddle  was  procured,  but  a  fiddler  was  want- 
ing. Young  Cochran  was  an  amateur  performer,  and  his  services  were  demanded  on  the  occasion.  He 
gratified  the  joyous  company,  and  at  the  supper-tablo  one  of  the  gentlemen  remarked,  in  commendation  of 
his  talents,  that  he  was  "fit  for  Congress."  The  hint  was  favorably  received  by  the  company,  the  mattei 
was  "  talked  up,"  and  he  wa.s  nominated  and  elected  a  representative  in  Congress  for  the  district  then  com- 
prising the  whole  state  of  New  York  west  of  Schenectady.  He  always  claimed  to  have  fiddled  hirasoll' 
into  Conuress. 


222  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Attempted  Abduction  of  General  Schuyler  by  Waltermeyer.  Alarm  of  the  Family.  Narrow  Escape  of  an  Infant. 

place.  His  lady,  many  years  his  junior,  was  the  youngest  and  favorite  daughter  of  General 
Schuyler.  She  was  his  traveling  companion  during  his  old  age,  and  constantly  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  the  refined  society  by  which  he  was  surrounded.  When  her  mother  departed 
from  earth,  she  was  his  companion  and  solace,  and  was  at  his  bedside,  to  minister  to  his  wants, 
in  the  hour  of  death.'  Although  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  Revolution  were  passed  before 
the  years  of  her  infancy  were  numbered,  her  intercourse  with  the  great  and  honorable  of  that 
generation,  during  her  youth  and  early  womanhood,  brought  facts  and  circumstances  to  her 
vigorous  mind  so  forcibly,  that  their  impressions  are  as  vivid  and  truthful  as  if  made  by  actual 
observation.  She  related  many  interesting  circumstances  in  the  life  of  her  father,  and  among 
them  that  of  an  attempted  abduction  of  his  person  in  1781. 

At  the  time  in  question,  General  Schuyler  was  residing  in  the  suburbs  of  Albany,  having 
left  the  army  and  engaged  in  the  civil  service  of  his  country.  Notwithstanding  his  compar- 
atively obscure  position,  his  aid  and  counsel  were  constantly  sought,  in  both  military  and 
civil  transactions,  and  he  was  considered  by  the  enemy  one  of  the  prominent  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  their  success.  He  was  then  charged  by  Washington  with  the  duty  of  intercepting 
all  communications  between  General  Haldimand  in  Canada  and  Clinton  in  New  York. 
For  some  time  the  Tories  in  the  neighborhood  of  Albany  had  been  employed  in  capturing 
prominent  citizens  and  carrying  them  off  to  Canada,  for  the  purpose  of  exchange.  Such  an 
attempt  was  made  upon  Colonel  Gansevoort,  and  now  a  bold  project  was  conceived  to  carry 
off  General  Schuyler.  John  Waltermeyer,  a  bold  partisan  and  colleague  of  the  notorious 
Joe  Bettys,  was  employed  for  the  purpose.  Accompanied  by  a  gang  of  Tories,  Canadians, 
and  Indians,  he  repaired  to  the  neighborhood  of  Albany,  but,  uncertain  how  well  General 
Schuyler  might  be  guarded,  he  lurked  among  the  pine  shrubbery  in  the  vicinity  eight  or  ten 
days.  He  seized  a  Dutch  laborer,  and  learned  from  him  the  exact  position  of  affairs  at 
Schuyler's  house,  after  which  he  extorted  an  oath  of  secrecy  from  the  man  and  let  him  go. 
The  Dutchman  seems  to  have  made  a  mental  reservation,  for  he  immediately  gave  inform- 
ation of  the  fact  to  General  Schuyler.  A  Loyahst,  who  was  the  general's  personal  friend, 
and  cognizant  of  Waltermeyer's  design,  also  warned  him.  In  consequence  of  the  recent  ab- 
ductions, the  general  kept  a  guard  of  six  men  constantly  on  duty,  three  by  day  and  three  by 
night,  and  after  these  warnings  they  and  his  family  were  on  the  alert, 
^^^g.  At  the  close  of  a  sultry  day,  the  general  and  his  family  were  sitting  in  the  front 

I'^si.  ball.  The  servants  were  dispersed  about  the  premises.  The  three  guards  relieved 
for  the  night  were  asleep  in  the  basement  room,  and  the  three  on  duty,  oppressed  by  the  heat, 
were  lying  upon  the  cool  grass  in  the  garden.  A  servant  announced  to  the  general  that  a 
stranger  desired  to  speak  to  him  at  the  back  gate.  The  stranger's  errand  was  at  once  com- 
prehended. The  doors  of  the  house  were  immediately  shut  and  close  barred.  The  family 
were  hastily  collected  in  an  upper  room,  and  the  general  ran  to  his  bed-chamber  for  his  arms. 
From  the  window  he  saw  the  house  surrounded  by  armed  men.  For  the  purpose  of  arous- 
ing the  sentinels  upon  the  grass,  and  perchance  to  alarm  the  town,  he  fired  a  pistol  from  the 
window.  The  assailants  burst  open  the  doors,  and  at  that  moment  Mrs.  Schuyler  perceived 
that,  in  the  confusion  and  alarm  of  the  retreat  from  the  hall,  her  infant  child,  a  few  months 
old,  had  been  left  in  the  cradle  in  the  nursery  below.  Parental  love  subdued  all  fear,  and 
she  was  flying  to  the  rescue  of  her  child,  when  the  general  interposed  and  prevented  her. 
But  her  third  daughter^  instantly  rushed  down  the  two  flights  of  stairs,  snatched  the  still 
sleeping  infant  from  the  cradle,  and  bore  it  off  safely.  One  of  the  miscreants  hurled  a  sharp 
tomahawk  at  her  as  she  left  the  room,  but  it  effected  no  other  harm  than  a  slight  injury  to 
her  dress,  within  a  few  inches  of  the  infant's  head.  As  she  ascended  a  private  stair-case  she 
met  Waltermeyer,  who,  supposing  her  to  be  a  servant,  exclaimed,  "  Wench,  wench,  where 

'  Grief  for  the  loss  of  his  wife,  and  the  melancholy  circumstances  connected  with  the  death  of  his  son-in- 
law,  General  Alexander  Hamilton,  weighed  heavily  upon  his  spirits.  His  death  was  hastened  by  exposure 
and  fatigue  while  accompanying  two  French  dukes  over  the  battle-ground  of  Saratoga.  He  was  taken  ill 
there,  and  never  recovered. 

*  JMargaret,  afterward  the  first  wife  of  the  late  venerated  General  Van  Rensselaer  (the  patroon)  of  Albany- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


223 


Robbery  of  General  Schuyler's  House. 


Retreat  of  the  Marauders. 


Abduction  of  other  Patriots. 


Mrs.  Coehraa 


ig  your  master  ?"      With  great  presence  of  mind,  she  repHed,  "  Gone  to  alarm  the  town." 

The  Tory's  followers  were  then 
in  the  dining-room,  plundering  it 
of  the  plate  and  other  valuables, 
and  he  called  them  together  for 
consultation.      At  that  moment 
the  general  threw  up  a  window, 
and,  as  if  speaking  to  numbers, 
called  out,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Come 
on,  my  brave  fellows,  surround 
the  house  and  secure  the  villains, 
who  are  plundering."      The  as- 
sailants made  a  precipitate  re- 
treat,  carrying  with  them   the 
three  guards  that  were  in  the 
house,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
silver  plate.      They  made  their 
way  to  Ballsto^\^a  by  daybreak, 
where  they  took  General  Gor- 
don a  prisoner  from  his  bed,  and 
with  their  booty  returned  to  Can- 
ada.*     The  bursting  open  of  tht- 
doors  of  General   Schuyler's  house 
aroused  the  sleeping  guards  in  the  cellar, 
^^^'^l      who  rushed  up  to  the  back  hall,  where  they 
'  ^^    had  left  their  arms,  but  thej'  were  gone.     Mrs. 
Church,'  another  daughter  of  General  Schuyler, 
who  was  there  at  the  time,  without  the  slightest 
suspicion  that  they  might  be  wanted,  caused  the 
arms  to  be  removed  a  short  time  before  the  attack, 
on  account  of  apprehended  injury  to  her  little  son, 
whom  she  found  playing  with  them.      The  guards 
had  no  other  weapon  but  their  brawny  fists,  and 
these  they  used  manfully  until  overpowered.     They 
v/ere  taken  to  Canada,  and  when  they  were  ex- 
changed, the  general  gave  them  each  a  farm,  in 
Saratoga  county.      Their  names  were  John  Tubbs, 
John  Corlies,  and  John  Ward. 

Mrs.  Cochran  was  the  infant  rescued  by  her  in- 
trepid sister.  The  incident  is  one  of  deep  interest, 
and  shows  the  state  of  constant  alarm  and  danger 
in  which  the  people  lived  at  that  day,  particularly 
those  whose  position  made  them  conspicuous.  Mrs.  Cochran  kindly  complied  with  my  so- 
licitation for  a  likeness  of  herself  to  accompany  the  narrative  here  given. 


<^Aj^:  -^l  -^c^-ty^^O^^^ 


'  Major  Cochran  related  to  me  an  incident  connected  with  the  booty  in  question.  Amonjr  the  plunder- 
ed articles  was  a  silver  soup  tureen.  He  was  at  Washington  city  at  the  time  of  the  inauguration  of  Har- 
rison, in  1841,  and  while  in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol,  viewing  Trumbull's  picture  of  the  surrender  of  Bur- 
goyne,  a  stranger  at  his  elbow  inquired,  "Who  is  that  fine-looking  man  in  the  group,  in  citizen's  dress?" 
"General  Schuyler,"  replied  Major  Cochran.  "General  Schuyler!"  repeated  the  stranger.  "Why,  1 
ate  soup  not  long  since,  at  Belleville,  in  Canada,  from  a  tureen  that  was  carried  ofT  from  his  house  by  some 
Tories  in  the  Revolution."     This  was  the  first  and  only  trace  the  family  ever  had  of  the  plundered  articles. 

'  She  was  the  wife  of  John  B.  Church,  Esq.,  an  English  gentleman,  who  was  a  contractor  for  the  French 
army  in  America  under  Rochambeau.     He  returned  to  England,  and  was  afterward  a  member  of  Parliament. 


224  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Departure  from  Oswego.  The  Genesee  River.  Storm  on  the  Lake.  Sea-sickness.  Fort  Niagara. 

It  was  my  intention  to  go  directly  from  Oswego  to  Rome,  by  the  plank  road  that  trav- 
erses the  old  war-paths  of  the  last  century  between  those  points,  for  the  region  westward  is 
(pite  barren  of  incident  connected  Avith  the  Pwevolution.  Old  Fort  Niagara,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Niagara  River,  was  a  place  of  rendezvous  for  Tories  and  Indians  while  preparing  for 
marauding  excursions  on  the  borders  of  civilization  in  New  York,  or  when  they  returned  with 
prisoners  and  scalps.  Beyond  this  it  offered  no  attractions,  for  hardly  a  remnant  of  its  for- 
mer material  is  left.  But  having  been  joined  at  Oswego  by  another  member  of  my  family, 
who,  with  my  traveling  companion,  was  anxious  to  see  the  great  cataract,  and  desirous  my- 
self to  look  again  upon  that  wonder  of  the  New  World,  I  changed  my  course,  and  on  a 
AuoTist  17  stormy  morning,  with  a  strong  north  wind  awakening  the  billows  of  Ontario,  we  left 
1848.  Oswego  for  Lewiston  in  the  steamer  Cataract,  commanded  by  the  same  excellent 
Van  Cleve  whose  vessel  got  a  little  entangled,  tea  years  before,  in  the  affair  at  Wind-mill 
Point,  near  Ogdensburgh.  The  lake  was  very  rough,  and  nearly  all  on  board  turned  their 
thoughts  inwardly,  conversing  but  little  until  we  entered  the  Genesee  River  in  the  afternoon. 
Many  lost  the  breakfast  they  had  paid  for,  and  others,  by  commendable  abstinence  and  econ- 
omy, saved  the  price  of  dinner  by  shunning  it  altogether. 

The  scenery  upon  the  tortuous  course  of  the  Genesee  is  very  picturesque.  The  stream  is 
deep  and  narrow,  and  its  precipitous  shores  are  heavily  wooded.  The  voyage  terminated 
three  fourths  of  a  mile  below  the  Lower  Falls  of  the  Genesee,  and  five  miles  from  Ontario. 
Here  is  the  port  of  Rochester.  The  city  lies  upon  the  plains  at  the  Upper  Falls,  two  miles 
distant.  Our  boat  remained  there  until  toward  evening,  and,  the  rain  having  abated,  I 
strolled  up  the  winding  carriage-way  as  far  as  the  Lower  Falls.  This  road  is  cut  in  the 
precipitous  bank  of  the  river,  presenting  overhanging  cliffs,  high  and  rugged,  on  one  side,  and 
on  the  other  steep  precipices  going  down  more  than  a  hundred  feet  below  to  the  sluggish  bed 
of  the  stream.  Every  thing  about  the  falls  is  broken  and  confused.  The  stream,  the  rocks, 
the  hills,  and  trees  are  all  commingled  in  chaotic  grandeur,  varying  in  lineament  at  each  step, 
and  defying  every  attempt  to  detect  a  feature  of  regularity.  There  sandstone  may  be  seen 
in  every  stage  of  formation,  from  the  loose  soil  to  shale,  and  slate-like  lamina,  and  the  solid 
stratified  rock.  The  painter  and  the  geologist  are  well  rewarded  for  a  visit  to  the  Lower 
Falls  of  the  Genesee. 

We  descended  the  river  toward  evening.  Heavy  clouds  were  rolling  over  the  lake  ;  and 
the  white  caps  that  sparkled  upon  its  bosom,  and  the  spray  that  dashed  furiously  over  the 
unfinished  stone  pier  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  betokened  a  night  of  tempest  and  gloom. 
The  wind  had  increased  almost  to  a  gale  upon  the  lake  while  we  had  been  quietly  lying  in 
the  sheltering  arms  of  the  Genesee.  Premonitions  of  sea-sickness  alarmed  my  prudence,  and 
by  its  wise  direction  I  slipped  into  my  berth  before  eight  o'clock,  and  slept  soundly  until 
aroused  by  the  porter's  bell,  a  little  before  daybreak,  at  Lewiston  Landing.  The  rain  con- 
tinued, though  falling  gently.  We  groped  our  way  up  the  slippery  road  to  the  cars,  and, 
shivering  in  the  damp  air,  took  seats  for  Niagara,  fully  resolved  to  give  the  bland  invitation 
of  the  "  lake  route"  a  contemptuous  refusal  on  our  return  eastward.  It  may  be  very  pleas- 
ant on  a  calm  day  or  a  moonlight  night,  but  our  experience  made  us  all  averse  to  the  aquatic 
journey. 

We  passed  from  Ontario  into  the  Niagara  Pi-iver,  seven  miles  below  Lewiston,  while  slum- 
bering, and,  consequently,  I  have  nothing  to  say  of  Fort  Niagara  from  personal  observation. 
We  will  turn  to  veritable  history  for  the  record,  and  borrow  the  outlines  of  an  illustration 
from  another  pencil. 

In  1679,  during  the  administration  of  Frontenac,  a  French  officer  named  De  Salle  in- 
closed a  small  spot  in  palisades  at  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara  River,  and  in  1725,  two  years 
before  Governor  Burnet  built  his  fort  at  Oswego,  a  strong  fortification  was  erected  there.  It 
was  captured  by  the  British,  under  Sir  WiUiara  Johnson,  in  1759.  The  forces,  chiefly  pro 
vincials,  that  were  sent  against  the  fort  were  commanded  by  General  Prideaux,  who  sailed 
'illy  7,  from  Oswego,  and  landed  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  July.  He  at  once  opened 
^'^^'''     his  batteries  upon  the  fortress,  but  was  soon  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a  gun.      The 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


225 


Distant  View  of  Fort  Niagara.' 


Attack  on  Fort  Niagara.         Stratagem  of  the  French.         Traditions  reEpecting  the  Fort         A  Refuge  for  Tories  and  Indiana 

command  then  devolved  upon  Johnson.  An  army  of  French  regulars,  twelve  hundred  strong, 
drawn  chiefly  from  western  posts,  and  accompanied  by  an  equal  num- 
ber of  Indians,  marching  to  the  relief  of  the  garrison,  were  totally  rout- 
ed by  Johnson,  and  a  large  part  of  them  made  prisoners.  The  siege 
had  then  continued  more  than  a  fortnight,  and  the  beleaguered  garri- 
son, despairing  of  succor,  surrendered  the  next  day.  In  addi-  juiv23 
tion  to  the  ammunition  and  stores  that  fell  into  their  hands,  i'^^. 
the  strong  fort  itself  was  an  important  acquisition  for  the  English. 
Within  its  dungeons  were  found  instruments  for  executions  or  murders^ 
and  the  ears  of  the  English  received  many  horrid  tales  from  the  captive 

Indians  of  atrocities  committed 
there  during  French  rule. 

It  is  said  that  the  mess- 
house,  a  strong  building  still 
standing  within  the  fort,  was 
built  by  the  French  by  strata- 
gem. The  Indians  were  op- 
posed to  the  erection  of  any 
thing  that  appeared  like  a  for- 
tress. The  French  troops  were  kindly  received  by  the  savages,  and  obtained  their  consent 
to  build  a  wigwam.  They  then  induced  the  Indians  to  engage  in  an  extensive  hunt  with 
some  French  officers,  and  when  they  returned  the  walls  were  so  far  advanced  that  they  might 
defy  the  savages  if  they  should  attack  them.  It  grew  into  a  large  fort,  with  bastions  and 
ravelins,  ditches  and  pickets,  curtains  and  counter-scarp,  covered  way,  draw-bridge,  raking 
batteries,  stone  towers,  bakery,  blacksmith  shop,  mess-house,  barracks,  laboratory,  magazine, 
and  a  chapel  with  a  dial  over  its  door  to  mark  the  progress  of  the  hours.  It  covered  about 
eight  acres.  A  few  rods  from  the  barrier-gate  was  a  burial-ground,  over  the  portal  of  which 
was  painted,  in  large  letters,  Rest.  The  dungeon  of  the  mess-house,  called  the  black-hole, 
was  a  strong,  dark,  and  dismal  place,  and  in  one  corner  of  the  room  was  fixed  an  apparatus 
for  strangling  those  whom  the  despotic  officers  chose  to  kill.  The  walls  were  profusely  in- 
scribed with  French  names  and  mementoes  in  that  language,  and  the  letters  and  emblems 
were  many  of  them  so  well  executed  as  to  prove  that  some  of  the  victims  were  not  of  com- 
mon stamp.  When,  in  June,  1812,  an  attack  upon  the  fort  by  the  English  was  momenta- 
rily expected,  a  merchant,  residing  near  the  fort,  deposited  some  valuable  articles  in  the  dun- 
geon. He  went  there  one  night  with  a  light,  and  discovered  his  own  family  name  upon  the 
walls.  Like  other  ruins,  it  has  its  local  legends.  The  headless  trunk  of  a  French  officer 
has  been  seen  sitting  on  the  margin  of  the  well  in  the  dungeon  ;  and  large  sums  of  money 
have  been  buried  there,  and  their  localities  pointed  out  by  fingers  visible  only  to  money- 


During  the  American  Pvevolution  "  it  was  the  headquarters,"  says  De  Veaux,  ««  of  all  that 
was  barbarous,  unrelenting,  and  cruel.  There  were  congregated  the  leaders  and  chiefs  of 
those  bands  of  murderers  and  miscreants  who  carried  death  and  destruction  into  the  remote 
American  settlements.  There  civilized  Europe  reveled  with  savage  America,  and  ladies  of 
education  and  refinement  mingled  in  the  society  of  those  whose  only  distinction  was  to  wield 
the  bloody  tomahawk  and  the  scalping-knife.  There  the  squaws  of  the  forests  were  raised 
to  eminence,  and  the  most  unholy  unions  between  them  and  officers  of  the  highest  rank  smiled 
upon  and  countenanced.  There,  in  their  strong-hold,  like  a  nest  of  vultures,  securely,  for 
seven  years,  they  sallied  forth  and  preyed  upon  the  distant  settlements  of  the  Mohawk  and 

'  This  is  copied  from  one  published  in  Barber  and  Howe's  "  Historical  Collections  of  New  York."  They 
copied  it  from  an  engraving  published  during  the  war  of  1812.  It  gives  the  appearance  of  the  locality  at 
that  time.  The  view  is  from  the  west  side  of  the  Niagara  River,  near  the  light-honse.  The  fort  is  on  the 
east  side  (the  right  of  the  picture),  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  ateam-boat  seen  in  the  distance  is  out 
on  Lake  Ontario.  '  See  De  Vcaux's  Niagara  Falls. 

P 


226  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

The  Niagara  River.  Events  there  of  the  War  of  1812.  Ainencac  Militia.  Broclc's  Death.  His  Monument 

Susquehanna  Valleys.  It  was  the  depot  of  their  plunder  :  there  they  planned  their  forays, 
and  there  they  returned  to  feast,  until  the  time  of  action  came  again." 

The  shores  of  Niagara  River,  from  Erie  to  Ontario,  abound  m  historic  associations  con- 
nected with  the  military  operations  on  that  frontier  during  the  war  of  1812,  The  battles 
of  Chippewa,  Lundy's  Lane,  Queenston,  and  Fort  Erie  occurred  in  this  vicinity  ;  but  these 
events  are  so  irrelevant  to  our  subject,  that  we  must  give  them  but  brief  incidental  notice 
as  we  happen  to  pass  by  their  localities. 

Fort  Niagara  was  feebly  garrisoned  by  the  Americans,  and  on  the  19th  of  December, 
1813,  a  British  force  of  twelve  hundred  men  crossed  the  river  and  took  it  by  surprise.  The 
garrison  consisted  of  three  hundred  and  seventy  men.  The  commanding  officer  was  absent, 
the  gates  were  open  and  unguarded,  and  the  fortress,  strong  as  it  was,  became  an  easy  prey 
to  the  enemy.  Sixty-five  of  the  garrison  were  killed,  and  twenty-seven  pieces  of  ordnance 
and  a  large  quantity  of  military  stores  were  the  spoils  of  victory  for  the  British. 

It  was  broad  daylight  when  our  train  moved  from  Lewiston,  and  across  the  Niagara,  on  the 
Canada  shore,  the  heights  of  Queenston,  surmounted  by  Brock's  monument,  were  in  full  view. 
The  battle  that  renders  this  towering  slope  so  famous  occurred  on  the  13th  of  October,  1812. 
The  Americans  were  commanded  by  the  late  General  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer,  the  Brit- 
ish by  General  Sir  Isaac  Brock.  The  former  were  about  twenty-five  hundred  strong  ;  the 
latter  numbered  about  the  same,  besides  a  horde  of  Chippewa  Indians.  The  British  were 
strongly  posted  upon  the  heights.  At  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  about 
six  hundred  Americans,  under  Colonel  Solomon  Van  Rensselaer  and  Lieutenant-col- 
onel Christie,  crossed  over  in  boats  to  dislodge  the  enemy.  The  passage  was  made  in  the 
face  of  a  destructive  fire,  and  the  brave  Americans  rushed  impetuously  up  the  acclivity  and 
attacked  the  first  battery,  captured  it,  and  soon  stood  victorious  upon  the  height  from  which 
they  had  driven  the  enemy.  General  Brock  endeavored,  in  person,  to  rally  his  scattered 
troops,  and  was  fatally  wounded  while  leading  them  to  the  charge.'  Dismayed  when  they 
saw  their  leader  fall,  they  fled  in  great  confusion.  At  this  time  Colonel  Scott,^  with  a  re- 
enforcement  of  six  hundred  men,  regulars  and  volunteers,  crossed  over  ;  and  the  enemy  was 
also  re-enforced  by  troops  from  Fort  George,  and  five  hundred  Chippewa  Indians.  The 
strife  was  fierce  for  a  long  time.  The  British,  re-enforced,  far  outnumbered  the  Americans, 
and  the  militia  remaining  at  Lewiston  could  not  be  induced  to  cross  over  to  support  their 
friends  in  the  combat.  Overwhelming  numbers  closed  in  upon  the  Americans,  and,  after 
fighting  eleven  hours,  they  were  obliged  to  surrender.  The  American  loss  was  about  ninety 
killed  and  nine  hundred  wounded,  missing,  and  prisoners.  The  behavior  of  many  of  our 
militia  on  this  occasion  was  extremely  disgraceful.  Taking  advantage  of  the  darkness  when 
they  crossed  in  the  morning,  they  hid  themselves  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks  and  clumps  of 
bushes  near  the  shore,  where  they  remained  while  the  fighting  ones  were  periling  liie  upon 
the  heights  above.  The  cowards  were  dragged  out  from  their  hiding-places  by  the  legs,  by 
the  British  soldiers,  after  the  surrender. 

The  rail-road  cars  from  Lewiston  to  the  Falls  ascend  in  their  course  an  inclined  plane  that 
winds  up  what  is  evidently  the  ancient  southern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario.  Deposits  of  peb- 
bles at  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  and  many  other  facts  connected  with  this  physical  feature  of 
the  country  from  Niagara  to  Oswego,  prove  conclusively,  to  the  mind  of  the  close  observer, 
that  this  was  the  shore  of  Ontario  before  the  great  convulsion  took  place  which  formed  the 

^  General  Brock  was  lieutenant  governor  of  Upper  Canada.  The  Legislature  of  that  province  caused  a 
monument  to  be  erected  to  his  memory,  on  the  heights  near  the  spot  where  he  fell.  It  is  in  a  position  so 
elevated,  that  it  may  be  seen  at  different  points  nearly  fifty  miles  distant.  The  monument  is  constructed 
of  freestone.  The  base,  which  covers  the  vault  wherein  lie  the  remains  of  General  Brock  and  his  aid,  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel John  M'Donald  (who  was  killed  in  the  same  action),  is  twenty  feet  square.  The  shaft  rise.s 
one  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  from  the  ground.  A  miscreant  named  Lett  attempted  to  destroy  it  by 
gunpowder  on  the  night  of  the  17th  of  April,  1840.  The  keystone  over  the  door  was  thrown  out,  and  the 
shaft  was  cracked  nearly  two  thirds  of  its  height. 

'  Now  Major-general  Scott,  of  the  United  States  army.  The  present  General  Wool  was  a  captain,  and 
commanded  a  company  in  the  action. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  007 


Arrival  at  Niagara.      Falls  Village.      View  from  Goat  Island.       Biddle's  Tower.       Sublime  Voyage  in  the  "  Maid  of  the  Mist." 

Falls  of  Niagara.  We  leave  what  questions  upon  this  point  remain  open,  to  be  settled  by 
wiser  minds,  and  hasten  on  to  the  Falls.  We  caught  a  few  glimpses  of  the  green  waters 
from  the  windows  of  the  car,  and  in  a  few  minutes  were  in  the  midst  of  the  tumult  of  porters 
at  the  village,  more  clamorous  for  our  ears  than  the  dull  roar  of  the  cataract  near  by.  The 
fasting  upon  the  lake  and  the  early  morning  ride  had  given  us  a  glorious  appetite  for  break- 
fast, and  as  soon  as  it  was  appeased  we  sallied  out,  guide-book  in  hand,  to  see  the  celebrities. 
These  have  been  described  a  thousand  times.  Poets,  painters,  travelers,  historians,  philos- 
ophers, and  penny-a-liners  have  vied  with  each  other  in  magnifying  this  wonder,  and  as  I 
can  not  (if  I  would)  "  add  one  cubit  to  its  stature"  for  the  credulous,  a  thought  concerning 
its  sublimity  and  beauty  for  the  romantic,  a  hue  to  the  high  coloring  of  others  for  the  senti- 
mental, or  a  new  fact  or  theory  for  the  philosophical,  I  shall  pass  among  the  lions  in  almost 
perfect  silence,  and  speedily  leave  the  excitements  of  this  fashionable  resort  for  the  more 
quiet  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the  Mohawk  Valley,  once  the  "  dark  and  bloody  ground,"  but 
now  a  paradise  of  fertility,  repose,  and  peace. 

We  crossed  the  whirling  rapids  and  made  the  circuit  of  Goat  Island.  In  this  route  all 
the  remarkable  points  of  the  great  cataract  are  brought  to  view.  From  the  Hog's  Back,  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  island,  there  is  a  fine  prospect  of  the  river  below,  and  the  distant  Can- 
ada shore  beyond.  The  almost  invisible  Suspension  Bridge,  like  a  thread  in  air,  was  seen 
two  miles  distant ;  and  beneath  us,  through  the  mist  of  the  American  Fall,  glorious  with 
rainbow  hues,  the  little  steam-boat,  the  "  Maid  of  the  Mist,"  came  breasting  the  powerful 
current.  We  looked  down  from  our  lofty  eyrie  (literally,  in  the  clouds),  through  the  mist 
veil,  upon  her  deck,  and  her  passengers  appeared  like  Lilliputians  in  a  tiny  skiff.  From  the 
southern  side  of  the  island  we  had  a  noble  view  of  the  Horse-shoe  Fall,  over  which  pours 
the  greater  portion  of  the  Niagara  River.  The  water  is  estimated  to  be  twenty  feet  deej) 
upon  the  crown  of  the  cataract.  Biddle's  Tower  is  a  fine  observatory,  overlooking,  on  one 
side,  the  boiling  abyss  below  the  fall,  and  standing  apparently  in  the  midst  of  the  rushing 
waters  as  they  hurry  down  the  rapids  above.  We  spent  two  hours  upon  the  verge  of  the 
floods,  in  the  shadows  of  the  lofty  trees  that  cover  the  island,  but  these  scenes  were  tame 
compared  with  what  we  beheld  from  the  "  Maid  of  the  Mist"  toward  noon.  We  rode  nearly  to 
the  Suspension  Bridge,  and,  walking  down  a  winding  road  cleft  in  the  rocks,  reached  the  brink 
of  the  river  at  the  head  of  the  great  rapids  above  the  Avhirlpool.  There  we  embarked  on  the 
little  steam-boat,  and  moved  up  the  river  to  the  cataract.  As  we  approached  the  American 
Fall,  all  retreated  into  the  cabins,  and,  the  windows  being  closed,  we  were  soon  enveloped  in 
spray.  It  was  a  sight  indescribably  grand.  As  we  looked  up,  the  waters  seemed  to  be  pour- 
ing from  the  clouds.  A  feeling  of  awe,  allied  to  that  of  worship,  pervaded  us,  and  all  were 
silent  until  the  avalanche  of  waters  was  passed.  The  beautiful  lines  of  Brainerd  came  vivid- 
ly up  from  the  shrine  of  memory,  and  aided  my  thoughts  in  seeking  appropriate  language  : 

"  It  would  seem 
As  if  God  poured  thee  from  his  'hollow  hand,' 
And  hung  his  bow  upon  thine  awful  front, 
And  spoke  in  that  loud  voice  which  seemed  to  him 
Who  dwelt  in  Patmos  for  his  Savior's  sake, 
'  The  sound  of  many  waters,'  and  had  bade 
The  flood  to  chronicle  the  ages  back, 
And  notch  his  cent'ries  in  the  eternal  rocks. 

Deep  calleth  unto  deep.     And  what  are  we 

That  hear  the  question  of  that  voice  sublime  ? 

Or  what  are  all  the  notes  that  ever  rung 

From  war's  vain  trumpet,  by  thy  thundering  side  ? 

Yea,  what  is  all  the  riot  man  can  make 

In  his  short  life  to  thy  unceasing  roar? 

And  yet,  bold  babbler,  what  art  thou  to  Him 

Who  drowned  the  world,  and  heaped  the  waters  fcr 

Above  its  loftiest  mountains  ?  a  liijht  wave 

That  breaks  and  whispers  of  its  Maker's  might." 


228 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Buckingham's  Lines.        Voyage  of  the  Maid  of  the  Mist.       Romantic  Marriage.       The  Whirlpool.        The  Suspension  Bridge, 

Beautifully  has  Buckingham  expressed  the  reverential  thoughts  which  fill  the  mind  and 
part  the  lips  for  utterance  in  that  majestic  presence  : 

"  Hail !  sovereign  of  the  world  of  floods  !  whose  majesty  and  might 
First  dazzles — then  enraptures — then  o'erawes  the  aching  sight ; 
The  pomp  of  kings  and  emperors  in  every  clime  and  zone 
Grow  dim  beneath  the  splendors  of  thy  glorious  watery  throne. 

"  No  fleets  can  stop  thy  progress,  no  armies  bid  thee  stay, 
But  onward,  onward,  onward  thy  march  still  holds  its  way ; 
The  rising  mist  that  veils  thee,  as  thine  herald,  goes  before, 
And  the  music  that  proclaims  thee  is  the  thundering  cataract's  roar. 

"  Thy  reign  is  of  the  ancient  days,  thy  scepter  from  on  high — 
Thy  birth  was  when  the  distant  stars  first  lit  the  gloomy  sky ; 
The  sun,  the  moon,  and  all  the  orbs  that  shine  upon  thee  now. 
Beheld  the  wreath  of  glory  which  first  bound  thy  infant  brow !" 

Our  little  boat,  after  sweeping  around  as  near  the  great  Horse-shoe  Fall  as  prudence  would 
allow,  touched  a  moment  at  the  landing  on  the  Canada  side,  and  then  returned  to  her  moor- 
ings. We  felt  relieved  when  we  stood  again  on  land,  for  there  is  some  peril  in  the  voyage  ; 
yet  the  wonderful  scene  yields  a  full  compensation  for  the  risk.  It  affords  an  opportunity  to 
exhibit  courage  more  sensibly  than  the  foolish  periling  of  life  in  clambering  over  the  slippery 
rocks  under  the  Falls,  and  sentiment  has  here  some  chance  for  respectable  display.  The  week 
previous  to  our  visit  a  young  couple,  with  a  parson,  took  passage  in  the  "  Maid  of  the  Mist,'' 
and,  when  enveloped  in  the  spray  of  the  cataract,  were  united  in  wedlock.  What  an  altar 
oefore  which  to  make  nuptial  vows  I  Can  they  ever  forget  the  solemn  promises  there  made, 
^e  be  unfaithful  to  the  pledge  there  sealed  ? 

We  visited  the  whirlpool,  and  that  wonder  of  art,  the  Suspension  Bridge,  before  returning 
to  the  village.  The  former  is  at  the  elbow  of  the  Niagara  River,  two  and  a  half  miles  be- 
low the  cataract,  and  should  never  be  left  unseen  by  the  visitor  at  the  Falls.  The  Suspen- 
sion Bridge  spans  the  river  near  the  head  of  the  rapids  above  the  whirlpool.  The  present 
structure  is  only  the  scaffolding  for  constructing  the  one  intended  for  the  passage  of  a  train 
of  rail-road  cars.  Numerous  foot-passengers  were  upon  it,  and  a  coach  and  horses,  with  driver 
and  two  passengers,  crossed  it  while  we  were  there.  The  light  structure  bent  beneath  the 
weight  like  thin  ice  under  the  skater,  yet  the  passage  is  considered  perfectly  safe.  I  visited 
it  again  toward  evening,  and  made  the  accompanying  sketch  to  illustrate  the  method  of  its 

construction  and 


Part  of  Niagara  Suspension  Bridge. = 


its  relative  posi- 
tion lo  the  Falls.' 
To  attempt  to 
sketch  the  Falls 
truthfully  is 
vain.  They 

have  never  yet 
been     portrayed 


'  The  bridge  from  pier  to  pier  is  eight  hundred  feet  long.  Its  breadth  is  eight  feet.  The  whole  bridge 
is  suspended  upon  eight  cables,  four  on  each  side,  which  pass  over  towers  fifty-four  feet  high,  built  of  heavy 
timbers.  The  towers  for  the  large  bridge  will  be  of  solid  masonry  eighty  feet  high.  Each  cable  is  eleven 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  and  composed  of  seventy-two  number  ten  iron  wires,  around  which  is  wrapped 
.small  wire  three  times  boiled  in  linseed  oil,  which  anneals  it,  and  gives  it  a  coat  that  can  not  be  injured  by 
exposure  to  the  weather,  and  preserves  the  wire  from  rust.  The  cables,  after  passing  over  the  piers  on  the 
banks,  are  fast  anchored  in  masonry  fifty  feet  back  of  them.  The  suspenders  are  composed  of  eight  wires 
each,  and  are  placed  four  and  a  half  feet  apart.     The  bridge  is  two  hundred  feet  above  the  water. 

'^  This  view,  looking  up  the  river,  comprises  about  one  half  the  bridge,  a  portion  of  the  bank  on  the  Can- 
ada side  on  the  right,  the  American  shore  on  the  left,  and  a  part  of  the  Falls,  seen  under  the  bridge,  in  the 
extreme  distance. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  229 


Departure  from  the  Falls.  A  Day  upon  the  Railroad.  Syracuse.  Early  History  of  that  Region.  The  French. 

in  their  grandeur,  and  never  can  be.  A  picture  can  not  convey  an  idea  of  their  magnificence 
to  the  eye.  They  must  be  seen  to  be  known.  Art  utterly  fails  in  attempts  to  transfer  their 
ieatures  to  canvas,  and  degrades  nature  by  its  puny  eflbrts.  In  their  motion  consists  their 
great  sublimity,  and  the  painter  might  as  well  attempt  to  delineate  the  whirlwind  as  to  de- 
pict Niagara  in  its  glory. 

We  left  Niagara  early  on  Saturday  morning,  stopped  in  Buffalo  just  long  enough  AuinistiD 
to  go  from  one  rail-way  station  to  another,  and  reached  Syracuse  at  about  eight  in  ^S'*^- 
the  evening,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles.  That  day's  journey  seems  more  like  a  dream 
than  reality,  for  hills  and  valleys,  woods  and  meadows,  hamlets  and  villages,  lakes  and  riv- 
ers, the  pulFof  the  engine,  the  rattle  of  the  train,  men,  women,  and  children  in  serried  ranks, 
are  all  mingled  in  confusion  in  the  kaleidescope  of  memory,  and  nothing  but  a  map  or  a  Trav- 
eler's Guide-book  can  unravel  the  tangled  skein  of  localities  that  was  spun  out  in  that  rapid 
journey  of  fourteen  hours.  We  remember  the  broad  Niagara,  the  dark  Erie  with  white 
sails  upon  its  bosom,  the  stately  houses  and  busy  streets  of  Buflalo,  the  long  reaches  of  flat, 
new  country,  dotted  with  stumps,  from  Buflalo  to  Attica  and  beyond,  the  stirring  mart  of 
Rochester,  the  fields,  and  orchards,  and  groves  of  lofty  trees  that  seemed  waltzing  by  us,  the 
'oeautiful  villages  of  Canandaigua  and  Geneva,  the  falls  of  the  Seneca,  the  long  bridge  ot 
Cayuga,  the  strong  prison  and  beautiful  dwellings  of  Auburn,  and  the  golden  sunset  and  cool 
breeze  that  charmed  us  as  we  approached  Syracuse.  In  that  flourishing  city  of  the  recent 
wilderness  we  passed  a  quiet  Sabbath  with  some  friends,  and  the  next  morning  I  journeyed 
to  Rome. 

Although  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  scarcely  passed  since  Syracuse  was  a  village  of  mean 
huts,'  it  has  a  history  connected  with  European  civilization  more  than  two  hundred  years 
old.  At  Salina,  now  a  portion  of  the  city  of  Syracuse,  where  the  principal  salt-wells  are, 
the  French,  under  the  Sieur  Dupuys,  an  officer  of  the  garrison  at  Quebec,  made  a  settlement 
as  early  as  1655.  The  Onondaga  tribe  then  had  their  villages  in  the  valley,  a  few  miles  from 
Syracuse,  and  a  good  understanding  prevailed  between  them  and  the  new-comers.  The 
jealousy  of  the  MohaAvks  was  aroused,  and  they  attempted  to  cut  off' the  colonists  while  on 
their  way  up  the  St.  Lawrence.  They,  however,  reached  their  destination  in  safety,  and 
upon  the  borders  of  the  Onondaga  Lake  they  reared  dwellings  and  prepared  for  a  permanent 
colony.  But  the  uneasiness  of  the  Indian  tribes  soon  manifested  itself  in  hostile  preparations, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1658  Dupuys  was  informed  that  large  parties  of  Mohawks,  Oneidas, 
and  even  Onondagas,  were  arming.  Unable  to  procure  assistance  in  time  from  Quebec,  he 
succeeded,  by  stratagem,  in  constructing  some  bateaux  and  escaping  with  the  whole  colony 
secretly  down  the  river  to  Oswego,  and  thence  to  Montreal. 

Relying  implicitly  upon  the  good  faith  and  promised  friendship  of  the  Indians,  Dupuys 
had  neglected  to  preserve  his  canoes.  To  construct  new  ones  in  view  of  the  Indians  would 
advertise  them  of  his  intentions,  and  bring  their  hatchets  upon  the  settlement  at  once.  He 
therefore  had  small  bateaux  made  in  the  garret  of  the  Jesuit's  house,  and  kept  them  concealed 
when  finished.      A  young  Frenchman  had  been  adopted  into  the  family  of  a  chief,  and  had 

'  In  1820  the  late  William  L.  Stone  visited  Syracuse  in  company  with  Mr.  Forman,  one  of  the  earliest 
and  most  industrious  friends  of  the  Erie  Canal.  "  I  lodged  for  the  night,"  says  Mr.  Stone,  "  at  a  miserable 
tavern,  thronged  by  a  company  of  salt-boilers  from  Salina,  forming  a  group  of  about  as  roujrh-looking  sjicc- 
imens  of  humanity  as  I  had  ever  seen.  Their  wild  visages,  beards  thick  and  long,  and  matted  hair  even 
now  rise  up  in  dark,  distant,  and  picturesque  cireet  before  me.  I  passed  a  restless  night,  disturbed  by 
strange  fancies,  as  I  yet  well  remember.  It  was  in  October,  and  a  flurry  of  snow  during  the  night  had 
rendered  the  morning  aspect  of  the  country  more  dreary  than  the  evening  before.  The  few  houses  I  have 
already  described,  standing  upon  low  and  almost  marshy  ground,  and  surrounded  by  trees  and  entangled 
thickets,  presented  a  very  uninviting  scene.  '  Mr.  Forman,'  said  I,  '  rfo  you  call  this  a  villai^e?  It  would 
make  an  owl  weep  to  fly  over  it.'  '  Never  mind,'  said  he,  in  repl)',  '  you  will  live  to  sec  it  a  city  yet.'  "  ]\Ir. 
Stone  did,  indeed,  live  to  see  it  a  city  in  size,  when  he  wrote  the  above  in  1840,  and  it  is  now  a  city  in  fact, 
with  mayor  and  aldermen,  noble  stores  and  dwellings,  and  a  population  of  some  14,000. 

Judge  Forman  was  one  of  the  projectors  of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  the  founder  of  Syracuse.  He  died  at 
Ruiherfordton,  North  Carolina,  on  the  4th  of  August,  1849,  aged  72  years. 


230  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Stratagem  of  a  young  Frenchman.     Escape  of  the  French.     Early  Explorations.    Monumental  Stcne.    Siiver-bottomed  Lake, 

acquired  great  influence  over  the  tribe.  By  their  customs  an  adopted  son  had  all  the  priv 
ileges  of  a  son  by  birth.  When  Dupuys  had  a  sufficient  number  of  bateaux  finished,  this 
young  man  went  to  his  foster-father,  and  in  a  solemn  manner  related  that  he  had  dreamed, 
the  previous  night,  that  he  was  at  a  feast,  where  the  guests  ate  and  drank  every  thing  that 
was  set  before  them.  He  then  asked  the  old  chief  to  permit  him  to  make  such  a  feast  for 
the  tribe.  The  request  was  granted,  and  the  feast  was  spread.  Many  Frenchmen  were 
present,  and  with  horns,  drums,  and  trumpets,  they  kept  a  continual  uproar.  The  French, 
in  the  mean  while,  were  diligently  embarking  and  loading  their  bateaux,  unobserved  by  the 
feasting  savages.  At  length  the  guests,  who  had  been  eating  and  drinking  for  hours,  ceased 
gormandizing,  to  take  some  repose.  The  young  Frenchman  commenced  playing  upon  a 
guitar,  and  in  a  few  minutes  every  red  man  was  in  a  profound  slumber.  He  then  joined 
his  companions,  and  before  morning  the  whole  colony  were  far  on  their  way  toward  Oswego. 
Late  the  next  day  the  Indians  stood  wondering  at  the  silence  that  prevailed  in  the  dwellings 
of  the  whites,  and  when,  at  evening,  having  seen  no  signs  of  human  life  through  the  day, 
they  ventured  to  break  open  the  fastened  dwellings,  they  were  greatly  astonished  at  finding 
every  Frenchman  gone  ;  and  greater  was  their  perplexity  in  divining  the  means  by  which 
they  escaped,  being  entirely  ignorant  of  their  having  any  vessels.^ 

Ten  years  afterward  another  French  colony  settled  in  what  now  is  called  Pompey,  about 
fourteen  miles  from  Syracuse,  and  for  three  years  it  prospered,  and  many  converts  were  made 
to  the  Catholic  faith  from  the  Onondaga  tribe.  A  company  of  Spaniards,  having  been  in- 
formed of  a  lake  whose  bottom  was  covered  with  brilliant  scales  like  silver,  arrived  there, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  animosities  of  the  respective  adventurers  caused  them  to  accuse  each 
other  to  the  Indians  of  foul  designs  upon  the  tribes.  The  Onondagas  believed  both  parties, 
and  determined  to  rid  themselves  of  such  troublesome  neighbors.  Assisted  by  the  Oneidas 
and  Cayugas,  they  fell  upon  the  colony  on  All-Saints'  day,  1669,  and  every  Frenchman  and 
Spaniard  was  massacred.^ 

Evidences  of  much  earlier  visits  by  Europeans  have  been  found  in  the  vicinity,  among 
which  was  a  sepulchral  stone  that  was  exhumed  near  Pompey  Hill.  It  was  of  an  oblong 
figure,  being  fourteen  inches  long  by  twelve  wide,  and  about  eight  inch- 
es in  thickness.  In  the  center  of  the  surface  was  a  figure  of  a  tree, 
and  a  serpent  climbing  it ;  and  upon  each  side  of  the  tree  was  an  in- 
scription, as  seen  in  the  cut :  " ieo  X..,  De  Viz,  1520.  L.  S.  t  H-" 
This  inscription  may  be  thus  translated  :  "  Leo  X.,  by  the  grace  of 
God;  sixth  year  of  his  pontificate,  1520."  The  letters  L.  S.  were 
doubtless  the  initials  of  the  one  to  whose  memory  the  stone  was  set  up. 
The  cross  denoted  that  he  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  but  the  meaning  of 
the  inverted  U  is  not  so  clear.  It  has  been  supposed  that  the  stone 
was  carved  on  the  spot  by  a  friend  of  the  deceased,  who  may  have  been  one  of  several  French 
or  Spanish  adventurers  that  found  their  way  hither  from  Florida,  which  was  discovered  by 
the  Spaniards  in  1502.  They  were  amused  and  excited  by  stories  of  a  lake  far  in  the  north, 
whose  bottom  was  lined  with  silver,  and  this  was  sufficient  to  cause  them  to  peril  every  thing 
in  searching  it  out.  De  Soto's  historian  speaks,  in  the  course  of  his  narrative  of  the  adven- 
tures of  that  commander  in  the  interior  of  America,  of  extreme  cold  at  a  place  called  by  the 
natives  Saqueckama.  It  is  supposed  that  this  name  and  Susquehanna  are  synonymous  ap- 
pellations for  the  country  in  Central  New  York,  and  that  the  silver-bottomed  lake  was  the 
Onondaga,  the  flakes  and  crystals  of  salt  which  cover  its  bottom  giving  it  the  appearance 
of  silver.^ 

'  See  extracts  from  a  MS.  history  of  Onondaga  county,  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Adams,  of  Syracuse,  quoted  in  the 
Historical  Collections  of  New  York,  p.  398. 

*  Dewitt  Clinton's  Memoir  on  the  Antiquities  of  Western  New  York. 

'  See  Clinton's  Memoir.,  &c. ;  also,  Sandford's  Aborigines,  note  on  page  114.  The  crystals  of  salt  on  the 
bottom  of  the  lake,  into  which  the  salt  springs  flow,  were,  like  the  scales  of  mica  discovered  on  the  eastern 
coast  by  Gosnold  and  his  party,  mistaken  for  laminae  of  silver.     There  are  not  many  salt  springs  near  the 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


231 


Site  of  Fort  Stanwix. 


Fort3  Newport  and  Ball. 


The  Portage  and  Canal. 


The  Mobawk  Valley. 


We  have  already  noticed  the  expe'dition  of  the  French,  under  Frontenac,  as  far  as  the 
Onondaga  Valley.  From  that  time  nothinnf  hut  Indian  feuds  disturbed  the  repose  that  rested 
upon  Onondaga  Lake  and  the  beautiful  country  around,  until  business  enterprise  within  the 
present  century  began  its  warfare  upon  the  forests  and  the  rich  soil. 

I  arrived  at  Rome,  upon  the  Mohawk,  toward  noon.  It  is  a  pleasant  village,  and  stands 
upon  the  site  of  old  Fort  Stanwix,  on  the  western  verge  of  the  historical  ground  of  the  Mo- 
liawk  Valley.  Here  was  the  outpost  of  active  operations  in  this  direction,  and  here  was  en- 
acted one  of  the  most  desperate  defenses  of  a  fortress  that  occurred  during  our  struggle  for 

independence.  The  village,  in  its  rapid 
growth,  has  overspread  the  site  of  the  fortifi- 
cation, and  now  not  a  vestige  of  antiquity  re- 
mains, except  a  large  elm-tree  by  the  house  of 
Alvah  Mudge,  Esq.,  which  stood  within  the 
southwest  angle  of  the  fort.  Mr.  Mudge 
kindly  pointed  out  to  me  the  area  compre- 
hended within  the  fort,  and  the  portion  of 
the  village  seen  in  the  picture  covers  that 
area.  The  mason-work  in  the  foreground 
is  a  part  of  the  first  lock  of  the  Black  River 
Canal,  at  present  an  unproductive  work. 
The  large  building  in  the  center  of  the  pic 
ture  is  the  mansion  of  John  Striker,  Esq., 
president  of  the  Rome  Bank,  and  stands  near 
the  site  of  the  northeast  angle  of  the  fort. 
The  whole  view  is  only  a  few  rods  north- 
west of  the  Mohawk  Pi-iver,  and  a  mile  east- 
ward of  Wood  Creek,  the  main  inlet  of 
Oneida  Lake.  Here  was  a  portage  of  a 
mile,  and  the  only  interruption  of  water  communication  between  Schenectady  and  Oswego. 
This  inconvenience  was  obviated  by  the  constructron  of  a  canal  between  the  Mohawk  and 
Wood  Creek,  in  1797. 

Fort  Stanwbc  was  built  in  1758,  under  the  direction  of  General  Stanwix,  after  the  defeat 
of  Abercrombie  at  Ticonderoga.  It  was  a  strong  square  fortification,  having  bomb-proof  bas- 
tions, a  glacis,  covered  way,  and  a  well-picketed  ditch  around  the  ramparts.  Its  position 
was  important  in  a  military  point  of  view,  for  it  commanded  the  portage  between  the  Mo- 
hawk and  Wood  Creek,  and  was  a  key  to  communication  between  the  Mohawk  Valley  and 
Lake  Ontario.  Other,  but  smaller,  fortifications  were  erected  in  the  vicinity.  Fort  New- 
port, on  Wood  Creek,  and  Fort  Ball,  about  half  way  across  the  portage,  formed  a  part  of  the 
military  works  there,  and  aflbrded  not  only  a  strong  post  of  resistance  to  French  aggression 
in  that  direction,  but  also  a  powerful  protection  to  the  Indian  trade.  The  works  cost  the 
British  and  Colonial  government  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  thousand  f  ur  hundred  dollars, 
yet  when  the  Revolution  broke  out  the  fort  and  its  outposts  were  in  ruins. 

From  the  commencement  of  hostilities  the  Mohawk  Valley  was  a  theater  of  great  activ- 
ity, and  all  through  the  eventful  years  of  the  contest  it  suflered  dreadfully  from  the  effects 
of  partisan  warfare.  Every  rood  of  ground  was  trodden  by  hostile  parties,  and  for  seven 
years  the  fierce  Indian,  and  the  ofttimes  more  ferocious  Tory,  kept  the  people  in  continual 
alarm,  spreading  death  and  desolation  over  that  fair  portion  of  our  land.  So  frequent  and 
sanguinary  were  the  stealthy  midnight  attacks  or  open  daylight  struggles,  that  Tryon  coun- 

sarface,  but  under  the  marshes  that  surround  Onondaga  Lake,  and  beneath  the  lake  itself,  there  seems  to 
lie  a  vast  salt  lake,  and  shafts  are  sunken  from  the  surface  above  into  it.  The  water  or  brino  is  pumped 
up  from  these  shafts  or  wells,  and  vast  quantities  of  salt  are  manufactured  annually  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Syracuse.  A  great  number  of  men  find  employment  there,  and  the  state  derives  a  handsome  revenue  from 
the  works. 


Site  of  I'okt  Stanwix. 


232 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Sil  William  Johnson  and  his  Associatea. 


Effect  of  Political  Movements  upon  the  People. 


Formation  of  Parties. 


ty'  obtained  the  appropriate  appellation  of  "  the  dark  and  bloody  ground,"  and,  long  after 

peace  blessed  the  land,  its  forests  were  traversed  with  fear  and  distrust.      Here  was  the  seat 

of  Sir  William  Johnson,*  agent  for  the  British  govern- 
ment in  its  transactions  with  the  Six  Nations.  He  was 
shrewd,  cunning,  and  licentious,  having  little  respect  for 
the  laws  of  God  or  man,  and  observed  them  only  so  fai 
as  compliance  was  conducive  to  his  personal  interest.  By 
presents,  conformity  in  dress  and  manners,  and  other  ap- 
pliances, he  obtained  almost  unbounded  influence  over  the 
tribes  of  the  valley,  and  at  his  beck  a  thousand  armed  war- 
riors would  rush  to  the  field.  He  died  before  the  events 
of  our  Revolution  brought  his  vast  influence  over  the  In- 
dians into  play,  in  active  measures  against  the  patriots. 
Yet  his  mantle  of  power  and  moral  sway  fell,  in  a  great 
degree,  upon  his  son,  Sir  John  Johnson,  who  succeeded  to 
his  title,  office,  and  estates.  The  latter,  his  cousin  Guy 
Johnson,  Thayendane^ea  (Brant)  the  Mohawk  sachem, 
Daniel  Claus,  and  the  Butlers  were  the  leading  spirits  of  loy- 
alty in  Tryon  county,  and  the  actors  and  abettors  of  scenes 
that  darken  the  blackest  page  in  the  history  of  our  race. 
These  will  be  noticed  hereafter.  For  the  present  we  will 
confine  our  thoughts  to  the  most  prominent  local  eventb 
immediately  antecedent  to  the  siege  of  Fort  Stanwix,  or 
Schuyler,  upon  the  site  of  which,  at  Rome,  we  are  standing. 
The  excitement  of  the  Stamp  Act  reached  even  the  quiet  valley  of  the  Mohawk, 
and  implanted  there  the  seeds  of  rebellion,  and  the  people  were  eager  listeners  while 

the  conflict  of  power  and  principle  was  going  on  upon  the  sea-board,  during  the  ten  years 

preceding  the  organization  of  the  Continental  army.^     The  meeting  of  the  general 

Continental  Congress  caused  opinions  to  take  a  definite  shape  and  expression,  and  in 

the  autumn  of  that  year  the  demarkation  line  between  patriots  and  Loyalists  was  distinctly 

draAvn  among  the  people  of  this  inland  district. 

In  the  spring  of  1775,  just  before  the  second  Congress  assembled  at  Philadelphia,  at  a 

court  holden  at  Johnstown,  the  Loyalists  made  a  demonstration  against  the  proceedings  oi' 


*  Tiyon  county  then  included  all  the  colonial  settlements  in  New  York  west  and  southwest  of  Schenec- 
tady. It  was  taken  from  Albany  county  in  1772,  and  named  in  honor  of  William  Tryon,  then  governor  of 
the  province.  The  name  was  changed  to  Montgomery  in  1784.  The  county  buildings  were  at  Johns- 
town, where  was  the  residence  of  Sir  William  Johnson  (still  standing). 

*  Sir  William  Johnson  -was  born  in  Ireland,  about  the  year  1714.  He  was  a  nephew  of  Sir  Peter  War- 
ren, the  commodore  who  was  distinguished  in  the  attack  on  Louisburgh, 
Cape  Breton,  1745.  Sir  Peter  married  a  lady  (Miss  Watts)  in  New  York, 
purchased  large  traci-;  of  land  upon  the  Mohawk,  and  about  1734  young 
Johnson  was  induced  to  come  to  America  and  take  charge  of  his  uncle's 
affairs  in  that  quarter.  He  learned  the  Indian  language,  adopted  their 
manners,  and,  by  fair  trade  and  conciliatory  conduct,  won  their  friendship 
and  esteem.  He  built  a  large  stone  mansion  on  the  Mohawk,  about  three 
miles  west  of  Amsterdam,  where  he  resided  twenty  years  previous  to  the 
erection  of  Johnson  Hall  at  Johnstown.  It  was  fortified,  and  was  called 
Fort  Johnson.  It  is  still  standing,  a  substantial  specimen  of  the  domestic 
architecture  of  that  period.  In  1755  he  commanded  a  force  intended  to 
invest  Crown  Point.  He  was  attacked  by  Dieskau  at  the  head  of  Lake 
George,  where  he  came  off  victorious.  For  this  he  was  made  major  gen- 
eral and  a  knight.  He  commanded  the  assault  upon  Niagara,  after  the 
death  of  Prideaux,  and  was  successful  there.  He  was  never  given  credit 
for  great  military  skill  or  personal  bravery,  and  was  more  expert  in  intriguing  with  Indian  warriors,  and 
sending  them  to  the  field,  than  in  leading  disciplined  troops  boldly  into  action.  He  died  at  Johnson  Hall 
(Johnstown)  on  the  11th  of  July,  1774,  aged  60  years. 


Fort  Johnson. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION 


Violence  of  Loyalists.      Assault  upon  Jacob  Sammona.      Caughnawaga  Church.      Meeting  at  Cherry  Valley.      John  Johnson. 

the  National  Council,  by  drawing  up  and  obtaining  signatures  to  a  declaration  disapproving 
of  the  acts  of  that  body  in  the  preceding  autumn.  This  proceeding  of  the  Tories  aroused 
the  indignation  of  the  Whigs,  who  composed  a  considerable  majority  of  the  whites  in  Tryon 
county.  Committees  were  appointed  and  public  meetings  were  called  in  every  district  in 
the  county.  The  first  was  held  at  the  house  of  John  Veeder,  in  Caughnawaga,'  where  pa- 
triotic speeches  were  made,  and  a  liberty  pole,  a  most  ofi'ensive  object  to  the  eyes  of  the  Loy- 
alists, was  erected.  Before  this  was  accomplished,  Sir  John  Johnson,  accompanied  by  Col- 
onel Claus,  Guy  Johnson,  and  Colonel  John  Butler,  with  a  large  number  of  their  retainers, 
armed  with  swords  and  pistols,  arrived  upon  the  ground  and  interrupted  the  proceedings. 

Guy  Johnson  mounted  a  high  stoop  near  the  old  church 
and  harangued  the  people.  He  expatiated  upon  the 
strength  of  the  king  and  government,  and  tlie  folly  of  op- 
posing the  authority  of  the  crown.  He  had  not  a  concil- 
iatory word  for  the  people,  but  denounced  their  proceed- 
ings in  virulent  and  abusive  language,  so  irritating,  that 
Jacob  Sammons,  a  leader  among  the  Whigs,  could  no 
longer  restrain  himself,  but  boldly  pronounced  the  speaker 
a  liar  and  a  villain.  Johnson  leaped  frRm  his  tribune  and 
seized  Sammons  by  the  throat ;  one  of  his  party  felled  the 
patriot  to  the  ground  by  a  blow  from  a  loaded  whip-han- 
dle, and  then  bestrode  his  body.  AVhen  Sammons  recov- 
ered from  the  momentary  stupor,  he  hurled  the  fellow  from 
him,  and,  springing  upon  his  feet,  stripped  off  his  coat  and 
prepared  to  fight,  when  he  was  again  knocked  down.  Most 
of  his  Whig  friends  had  fled  in  alarm,  and  he  was  carried 
to  his  father's  house,  "  bearing  upon  his  body  the  first  scar.s 
of  the  Revolutionary  contest  in  the  county  of  Tryon. "^ 

A  spirited  Whig  meeting  was  held  soon  afterward,  in  Cherry  Valley,  where  the  conduct 
of  the  Tories  at  Johnstown  was  strongly  condemned  ;  but  in  the  Palatine  district  and  other 
places  the  threats  and  the  known  strength  of  the  Johnsons  and  their  friends  intimidated  the 
Whigs  for  a  while. 

In  the  mean  time,  Colonel  Johnson  fortified  the  baronial  hall  by  planting  swivels  around 
it.  He  paraded  the  militia,  armed  the  Scotch  Highlanders  (who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of 
Johnstown,  and  were  Roman  Catholics),  and  by  similar  acts,  hostile  to  the  popular  move- 
ment, the  suspicions  of  the  Whigs  were  confirmed  that  he  was  preparing  for  the  suppression 
•A  £.11  patriot  demonstrations  in  the  county,  and  was  inciting  the  Indians  to  join  the  enemies 


Caughnawaga  Church.!" 


'  Caujrhnawaga  is  the  ancient  name  of  the  Indian  village  that  stood  a  little  eastward  of  the  present  vil 
lage  of  Fonda.  Its  name  signifies  cojfin,  and  was  given  to  the  place  in  consequence  of  there  being  in  tho 
Mohawk,  opposite  the  village,  a  black  stone  (still  to  be  seen)  resembling  a  coffin,  and  projecting  above  the 
surface  at  low  water. — Historical  Collections  of  New  York,  p.  281.  m 

*  This  old  church,  now  (1848)  known  as  the  Fonda  Academy,  under  the  management  of  Rev.  Douw 
Van  Olinda,  is  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  court-hou.se,  in  the  village  of  Fonda.  It  is  a  stone  edifice,  and 
was  erected  in  1763  by  voluntary  contributions.  Sir  William  Johnson  contributed  liberally.  Its  first  pas- 
tor was  Thomas  Romayne,  who  was  succeeded  in  1795  by  Abraham  Van  Horn,  one  of  the  earliest  grad- 
uates of  King's  (now  Columbia)  College,  in  the  city  of  New  York.  He  was  from  Kingston,  Ulster  county, 
and  remained  its  pastor  until  1840.  During  his  ministry  he  united  in  marriage  1500  couples.  The  church 
was  without  a  bell  until  tho  confiscated  property  of  Sir  John  Johnson  was  sold  in  the  Revolution,  when  the 
dinner-bell  of  his  father  was  purchased  and  hung  in  the  steeple.  Tho  bell  weighs  a  little  more  than  ono 
hundred  pounds,  and  bears  the  following  inscription:  '' S.  R.  William  Johnson,  baronet,  1774.  Made  by 
Miller  and  Ross,  in  Eliz.  Town." — Simms's  Schoharie  County,  &c, 

Over  the  door  of  the  church  is  a  stone  tablet,  with  this  inscription  in  Dutch :  "  Komt  laett  ons  op  gaen 
tot  den  Bergh  des  Heereo,  to  den  huyso  des  godes  Jacobs,  op  dat  hy  ons  leero  van  syne  wegen,  en  dat  wy 
wandel  in  syne  paden."  English,  "  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord ;  to  the  house 
of  the  God  of  Jacob,  and  he  will  teach  us  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths." 

•*  Stone's  Life  of  Brant,  i.,  53. 


234 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Attempted  Removal  of  Mr.  Kirkland.         Hostile  Movements  of  the  Johnsons.  Indian  CovincUs.         Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland. 

of  liberty  as  soon  as  actual  hostilities  should  commence.'  Another  circumstance  confirmed 
these  suspicions.  Brant  was  the  secretary  of  Colonel  Guy  Johnson,  the  superintendent  of 
Indian  atlairs  after  the  death  of  Sir  William,  and  his  activity  in  visiting  the  tribes  and  hold- 
ing secret  conferences  with  the  sachems  was  unceasing.  Suddenly  his  former  friendly  inter- 
course with  Mr.  Kirkland,  the  faithful  Christian  missionary,  was  broken  off  in  1774,  and, 
at  Brant's  instigation,  an  Oneida  chief  preferred  charges  against  the  pious  minister  to  Guy 
Johnson,  and  asked  for  his  removal.  It  was  well  known  that  Mr.  Kirkland  was  a  Whig,^ 
and  this  movement  of  the  wily  sachem  could  not  be  misinterpreted.  But  the  Oneida  nation 
rallied  in  support  of  the  minister,  and  his  removal  was  for  a  time  delayed. 

During  the  summer  of  1775  the  Johnsons  were  very  active  in  winning  the  Six  Nations 
from  their  promises  of  neutrality  in  the  coming  contest.'      A  council  of  thu  Mohawks  was 
held  at  Guv  Park  in  May, 

1775  . 

which  was  attended  by 
delegates  from  the  Albany  and 
the  Tryon  county  Committees. 
Little  Abraham,  brother  of  the 
famous  Hendrick  who  was  kill- 
ed near  Lake  Geerge,  was  the 
principal  chief  of  the  Mohawks, 
and  their  best  speaker  on  the  oc- 
casion. Guy  Johnson,  the  In- 
dian agent,  was  in  attendance 


at  the  council,  but  the  result 
was  unsatisfactory  to  both  par- 
ties. The  delegates,  cognizant 
of  the  disaffection  and  bad  faith 
of  the  Indians,  could  not  rely 
upon  their  present  promises  ; 
and  Guy  Johnson,  alarmed  by 
the  events  at  Lexington  and 
Concord,  and  by  intimations 
which  he  had  received  that  his 
person  was  in  danger  of  seizure 
by  order  of  the  General  Congress,  broke  up  the  council  abruptly,  and  immediately  directec 
the  assembling  of  another  at  the  Upper  Castle,  on  the  German  Flats,  whither  himself  and 
family,  attended  by  a  large  retinue  of  Mohawks,  at  once  repaired.  But  this  council  was 
not  held,  and  Johnson,  with  his  family  and  the  Indians,  pushed  on  to  Fort  Stanwix.  His 
sojourn  there  was  brief,  and  he  moved  on  to  Ontario,  far  beyond  the  verge  of  civilization. 
Brant  and  the  Butlers  attended  him,  and  there  a  large  council  was  held,  composed  chiefly 
of  Cayugas  and  Senecas. 

Thus  far  no  positive  acts  of  hostility  had  been  committed  by  Guy  Johnson  and  his  friends, 
yet  his  design  to  alienate  the  Indians  and  prepare  them  for  war  upon  the  patriots  was  un- 
doubted. His  hasty  departure  with  his  family  to  the  wilderness,  accompanied  by  a  largo 
train  of  Mohawk  warriors,  and  the  holding  a  grand  council  in  the  midst  of  the  fierce  Cayu- 


'  See  letter  of  the  Palatine  Committee  to  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Albany,  dated  May  18th,  1775. 

^  Samuel  Kirkland  was  son  of  the  pious  minister,  Daniel  Kirkland,  of  Norwich,  Connecticut.  He  learned 
the  language  of  the  Mohawks,  was  ordained  a  missionary  to  the  Indians  at  Lebanon  in  1766,  and  removed 
his  wife  to  the  Oneida  Castle  in  1769.  The  next  spring  he  removed  to  the  house  of  his  friend,  General 
Herkimer,  near  Little  Falls,  where  his  twin  children  were  born,  one  of  whom  was  the  late  Dr.  Kirkland, 
president  of  Harvard  College.  The  very  air  of  Norwich  seemed  to  give  the  vitality  of  freedom  to  its  sons, 
and  Mr.  Kirkland  early  imbibed  those  patriotic  principles  which  distinguished  him  through  life.  His  at- 
tachment to  the  republican  cause  was  well  known,  and,  after  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord,  the 
provincial  Conirress  of  Massachusetts,  desirous  of  securing  either  the  friendship  or  neutrality  of  the  Six  Na- 
tions, sent  a  letter  to  him  inclosing  an  address  to  the  Indians,  and  requesting  him  to  use  his  influence  in 
obtaining  the  ends  in  view.  Mr.  Kirkland  succeeded  in  securing  the  attachment  of  the  Oneidas  to  the 
patriot  cause,  and  continued  his  religious  labors  among  them  during  the  war,  when  the  other  tribes,  through 
the  influence  of  Brant  and  the  Johnsons,  had  taken  up  arms  for  the  king.  He  officiated  as  chaplain  to  the 
American  forces  in  the  vicinity  of  his  labors,  and  accompanied  Sullivan  in  his  expedition  in  1779.  The 
state  of  New  York,  in  consideration  of  his  patriotic  services,  gave  him  the  lands  of  the  "  Kirkland  patent," 
in  the  town  of  Kirkland.  After  40  years'  service  for  his  God  and  country,  he  fell  asleep  at  Paris,  Oneida 
county,  on  the  28th  of  March,  1808,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age. 

^  General  Schuyler  had  held  a  conference  with  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  during  the  previous  win- 
ter, and,  setting  before  them  the  nature  of  the  quarrel  that  had  led  to  hostile  movements,  received  from 
them  solemn  promises  that  they  would  remain  neutral. 

■•  This  was  the  residence  of  Guy  Johnson,  and  is  still  standing,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Mohawk,  about 
a  mile  fnom  the  village  of  Amsterdam,  in  Montgomery  county.  It  is  substantially  built  of  stone,  and  may 
stand  a  century  yet.     Embowered  in  trees,  it  is  a  beautiful  summer  residence. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  235 


Alurm  of  the  People  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  Sir  John  Johnson  and  Highlandcra.  Orders  to  General  Schuyler. 

jras  and  Senecas,  greatly  alarmed  the  people  of  the  lower  valley,'  inasmuch  as  his  reply  to  a 
letter  from  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New  York,  which  he  wrote  Irom  the  council-  j„,^  p 
room  in  the  wilderness,  glowed  with  sentiments  of  loyalty.  It  was,  moreover,  posi-  i"''- 
tiveJy  asserted  that  he  was  collecting  a  large  body  of  savages  on  that  remote  frontier,  to  fall 
upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley,  and  tliis  belief  was  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  Sir  John 
Johnson,  who  held  a  commission  of  brigadier  general  of  militia,  remained  at  Johnson  Hall, 
then  fortified  and  surrounded  by  a  large  body  of  Loyalists.  The  alarmed  patriots  appealed 
to  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Albany  for  protection,  and  every  preparation  was  made  to 
avert  the  threatened  disaster.  Guy  Johnson,  however,  did  not  return  to  the  valley,  but 
went  to  Oswego,  where  he  called  another  council,  and  then,  accompanied  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  Six  Nations,  among  whom  was  Brant,  departed  for  Canada, 
lie  descended  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal,  where  he  met  Sir  Guy  Carleton  and  Sir  Fred- 
eric Haldimand,  then  governor  of  Canada,  with  whom  the  Indians  entered  into  a  formal 
agreement  to  take  up  arms  for  the  king.^  These  were  the  Indians  who  appeared  against 
the  Americans  at  St.  John's,  on  the  Sorel,  and  who,  in  connection  with  some  Caughnawa- 
gas,  made  the  terrible  massacre  of  Major  Sherburne's  corps  at  the  Cedars  ni  the  following 
spring,  noticed  in  a  previous  chapter. 

These  movements  of  the  Johnsons  and  their  friends,  the  strengthening  of  Johnsou  Hall, 
the  military  organization  of  the  Scotch  Highlanders  in  the  vicinity,  the  increasing  alienation 
of  the  Indians,  the  boldness  of  the  Tories,  and  the  continual  alarm  of  the  people  of  Tryon 
county,  caused  the  General  Congress,  in  December,  1775,  to  take  active  measures  in  that 
direction.  The  Dutch  and  Germans  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  Schoharie,  Cherry  Valley,  and, 
indeed,  in  all  parts  of  that  extensive  country,  were  ardent  Whigs  ;  and  the  Highlanders,  with 
the  retainers  of  the  Johnsons  and  their  friends,  composed  the  bulk  of  the  Tory  population, 
except  a  few  desperate  men  who  looked  for  plunder  and  reward.  Had  these  alone  been  in- 
imical to  the  patriots,  there  would  have  been  little  alarm  ;  but  the  country  swarmed  with 
Indians,  who  were  hourly  becoming  more  and  more  hostile  to  the  Whigs,  through  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Johnsons  and  their  powerful  ally,  Joseph  Brant.  It  was  also  reported  that  mil- 
itary stores  were  collected  at  Johnson  Hall,  and  that  three  hundred  Indians  were  ready  to 
fall  upon  the  whites  when  Sir  John  Johnson  should  give  the  signal.  Congress,  therefore, 
ordered  General  Schuyler  (who  had  returned  to  Albany  from  Lake  Champlain,  on  account 
of  ill  health)  to  take  such  measures  as  he  should  think  proper  to  seize  the  military  stores,  to 
apprehend  the  Tory  leaders,  and  to  disarm  the  loyal  inhabitants.  He  had  no  troops  at  com- 
mand, but,  aided  by  the  Albany  Committee  of  Safety,  he  soon  mustered  seven  hundred  men 
and  marched  to  Schenectady.  The  Mohawks  of  the  "  Lower  Castle"  (near  Amsterdam), 
with  Little  Abraham  at  their  head,  had  not  been  seduced  by  Brant  and  Johnson,  but  kept 
to  their  promise  to  remain  neutral.  To  preserve  their  good-will,  Schuyler  sent  to  them  a 
messenger  (Mr.  Bleecker,  the  Indian  interpreter,  then  residing  at  Albany)  with  a  janunry  lo, 
belt,  informing  them  of  the  object  of  his  expedition.  They  were  not  pleased  with  i""*^- 
the  idea  of  invasion,  and  a  deputation  was  sent  to  the  general  to  persuade  him  to  desist.  He 
conferred  with  them  at  Schenectady,  satisfied  them  of  his  good  intentions  and  the  necessity 
of  the  movement,  and  then  marched  on  as  far  as  Guy  Park.      He  dispatched  a 

•^  ...        January  IC. 

letter  at  the  same  time  to  Sir  John  Johnson,  requesting  a  personal  interview  with 

him.      They  met  at  Guy  Park  in  a  friendly  way,  and  General  Schuyler  proposed  terms  by 

'  On  the  11th  of  July,  Colonel  Herkimer  wrote  from  Canajoharic  to  the  Palatine  Committee,  that  he  had 
received  credible  intelligence  that  morning  that  Johnson  was  ready  to  march  back  upon  the  .settlement  with 
a  body  of  800  or  900  Indians,  and  that  his  point  of  attack  would  be  just  below  the  Little  Falls.  This  in- 
telligence proved  to  be  untrue. 

*  British  historians  assert  that  General  Carleton  wa.s  averse  to  the  employment  of  the  savages  against 
the  Americans.  ]Mr.  Stone,  in  his  Life  of  Brant,  quotes  from  a  speech  of  that  chief,  wherein  the  reverse 
is  as.serted.  The  British  commanders  never  failed  to  employ  Indians  in  warfare,  when  their  services  could 
be  obtained.  Their  feelings  of  humanity  doubtless  revolted  when  coalescinf;  with  the  savages  of  the  forest 
lo  butcher  their  brethren,  but  with  them  principle  too  often  yielded  to  expediency  in  that  unrighloous  war. 


236  PICTORIAL   TIELD-BOOK 

Disarming  of  the  Tories  »t  Johnson  Hall.  Perfidy  of  Sir  John  Johnson.  His  Flight  Royal  Greens. 

which  the  matter  might  be  settled  without  bloodshed.  He  demanded  the  immediate  sur- 
render of  all  arms,  ammunition,  and  stores  in  the  possession  of  Johnson,  the  delivery  to  him 
of  all  the  arms  and  military  acconterments  held  by  the  Tories  and  Indians,  and  Sir  John's 
parole  of  honor  not  to  act  inimical ly  to  the  patriot  cause.  Sir  John  asked  twenty-four  hours 
for  consideration.  His  reply  was  unsatisfactory,  and  Schuyler  marched  on  to 
Caughnawaga,  within  four  miles  of  Johnstown.  The  militia  had  turned  out  with 
alacrity,  and  his  force  of  seven  hundred  men  had  increased  to  three  thousand.  Sir  John, 
alarmed,  acceded  to  all  the  terms  proposed  by  General  Schuyler,  and  the  next  day  that  offi- 
cer proceeded  to  Johnson  Hall,  where  arms  and  other  munitions  of  war  were  surrendered  by 
the  baronet.  About  three  hundred  Scotchmen  also  delivered  up  their  arms.  Colonel  (aft- 
erward General)  Herkimer  was  empowered  to  complete  the  disarming  of  the  Tories,  and 
General  Schuyler  and  his  forces  marched  back  to  Albany. 

It  soon  afle]:ward  became  evident  that  what  Sir  John  had  promised  when  constrained  by 
fear  would  not  be  performed  when  the  cause  of  that  fear  was  removed.  He  violated  his 
parole  of  honor,  and  the  Highlanders  began  to  be  as  bold  as  ever  in  their  opposition  to  the 
Whigs.  Congress  thought  it  dangerous  to  allow  Johnson  his  liberty,  and  directed  Schuyler 
to  seize  his  person,  and  to  proceed  vigorously  against  the  Highlanders  in  his  interest.  Col- 
onel Dayton  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  an  expedition  for  the  purpose,  and  in 
May  he  proceeded  to  Johnstown.  The  baronet  had  friends  among  the  Loyalists  in 
Albany,  by  whom  he  was  timely  informed  of  the  intentions  of  Congress.  His  most  valuable 
articles  were  put  in  an  iron  chest  and  buried  in  his  garden'  when  he  heard  of  Dayton's  ap- 
proach, and,  hastily  collecting  a  large  number  of  his  Scotch  tenants  and  other  Tories,  he  fled  to 
the  woods  by  the  way  of  the  Sacandaga,  where  it  is  supposed  they  were  met  by  Indians  sent 
from  Canada  to  escort  them  thither.''  Amid  perils  and  hardships  of  every  kind,  they  trav- 
ersed the  wilderness  between  the  head  waters  of  the  Hudson  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  and, 
after  nineteen  days'  wanderings,  arrived  at  Montreal.  Sir  John  was  immediately  commis- 
sioned a  colonel  in  the  British  service,  raised  two  battalions  of  Loyalists  called  the  Johnson 
Greens,  and  became  one  of  the  bitterest  and  most  implacable  enemies  of  the  Americans  that 
appeared  during  the  war.  He  afterward,  as  we  shall  observe,  scourged  the  Mohawk  Valley 
with  fire  and  sword,  and  spread  death  and  desolation  among  the  frontier  settlements  even  so 
far  south  as  the  Valley  of  Wyoming. 

After  the  flight  of  Johnson  and  the  Tories,  Tryon  county  enjoyed  a  short  season  of  repose, 
and  nothing  of  importance  occurred  during  the  remainder  of  1776  and  the  winter  of  1777. 
Yet  the  people  did  not  relax  their  vigilance.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  received 
by  them  with  great  joy,  but  they  clearly  perceived  that  much  was  yet  to  be  done  to  support 
that  declaration.  Congress,  too,  saw  the  importance  of  defending  the  Northern  and  West- 
ern" frontiers  of  New  York  from  the  incursions  of  the  enemy  and  their  savage  allies.  The 
fortresses  on  Lake  Champlain  were  already  in  their  possession,  and  General  Schuyler  was 
ordered  to  repair  and  strengthen  old  Fort  Stanwix,  then  in  ruins,  and  to  erect  other  fortifi- 
cations, if  necessary,  along  the  Mohawk  River.      Colonel  Dayton  was  charged  with  the  duty 

'  Sir  John  had  a  faithful  black  slave,  to  ■whom  he  intrusted  the  duty  of  burying  his  iron  chest.  Colonel 
Voikert  Veeder  bought  the  slave  when  Johnson  Hall  was  sold,  but  he  would  never  tell  where  the  treasure 
was  concealed.  Sir  John  visited  the  Mohawk  Valley  in  1780,  recovered  his  slave,  and  by  his  directions 
found  the  iron  chest. —  Simms. 

'^  This  is  inferred  from  a  sentence  in  one  of  Brant's  speeches,  quoted  by  Mr.  Stone,  as  follows :  "  We 
then  went  in  a  body  to  a  town  then  in  possession  of  the  enemy,  and  rescued  Sir  John  Johnson,  bringing  him 
fearlessly  through  the  streets."     Brant  and  Guy  Johnson  were  both  in  England  at  that  time. 

Lady  Johnson  was  conveyed  to  Albany,  and  there  kept  for  some  time,  as  a  sort  of  hostage  for  the  good 
conduct  of  her  husband.  Among  the  articles  left  in  Johnson  Hall  was  the  family  Bible  of  Sir  William. 
When  the  confiscated  property  was  sold,  the  Bible  was  bought  by  John  Taylor,  who  was  afterward  Lieu- 
tenant-governor of  New  York.  Perceiving  that  it  contained  the  family  record  of  the  Johnsons,  Mr.  Taylor 
wrote  to  Sir  John,  olTering  its  restoration,  A  rude  messenger  was  sent  for  the  Bible.  "1  have  come  for 
Sir  William's  Bible."  he  said,  "and  there  are  the  four  guineas  which  it  cost."  The  man  was  asked  what 
messatre  Sir  John  had  sent.  He  replied,  "  Pay  four  guineas  and  take  the  book." — Stances  Life  of  Brant, 
ii.,  145 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION  237 


Repairs  of  Fort  Stanwix.      Brant  at  Oghkwaga.      Hi3  hostile  Movemects.      Expeditions  of  Herkimer  and  of  Colonel  Harper. 

of  repairing  Fort  Stanwix,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Tryon  county  rniUtia,  but  he  seems  to 
have  made  httle  progress,  for  it  was  not  complete  when,  in  the  summer  of  the  next 
year,  it  was  invested  by  St.  Leger.      He  named  the  new  fortress  Fort   Schuyler,  in 
honor  of  the  commanding  general  of  the  Northern  Department,  and  by  that  appellation  it 
was  known  through  the  remainder  of  the  war.' 

In  the  course  of  the  spring  of  1777,  Brant  came  from  Canada,  and  appeared  among  the 
Mohawks  at  Oghkwaga,'  or  Oquaca,  with  a  large  body  of  warriors.  He  had  not  yet  com- 
mitted any  act  of  hostility  within  the  borders  of  New  York,  nor  was  his  presence  at  the  Cedars 
known  in  the  Mohawk  Valley.  Yet  none  doubted  his  hostile  intentions,  and  his  presence 
gave  much  uneasiness  to  the  patriots,  while  the  Tories  became  bolder  and  more  insolent. 
In  June  his  intentions  became  more  manifest,  when  he  ascended  the  Susquehanna,  from 
Oghkwaga  to  Unadilla,  with  about  eighty  of  his  warriors,  and  requested  an  interview  with 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnstone,  of  the  "  Johnstone  Settlement."  He  declared  that  his  object  was 
to  procure  food  for  his  famished  people,  and  gave  the  whites  to  understand  that,  if  provisions 
were  not  furnished,  the  Indians  would  take  them  by  force.  Mr.  Johnstone  sounded  Brant 
concerning  his  future  intentions,  and  the  chief,  without  reserve,  told  him  that  he  had  made 
a  covenant  with  the  king,  and  was  not  inclined  to  break  it.  The  people  supplied  him  with 
food,  but  the  marauders,  not  satisfied,  drove  off  a  large  number  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  swine. 
As  soon  as  the  Indians  had  departed,  not  feeling  safe  in  their  remote  settlement,  the  whites 
abandoned  it,  and  took  refuge  in  Cherry  Valley.  Some  families  in  the  neighborhood  of  Una- 
dilla fled  to  the  German  Flats,  and  others  to  Esopus  and  Newburgh,  on  the  Hudson  River. 

As  the  Indian  forces  were  constantly  augmenting  at  Oghkwaga,  it  was  determined  by 
General  Schuyler  and  his  officers,  in  council,  that  Herkimer  (now  a  brigadier)  should  repair 
thither  and  obtain  an  interview  with  Brant.  Herkimer  took  with  him  three  hundred  Tryon 
county  militia,  and  invited  Brant  to  meet  him  at  Unadilla.  This  the  chief  agreed  to.  In 
the  mean  while,  Colonel  Van  Schaick  marched  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  as  far  as 
Cherry  Valley,  and  General  Schuyler  held  himself  in  readiness  to  repair  to  Unadilla  if  his 
presence  should  be  needed.  These  precautions  seemed  necessary,  for  they  knew  not  what 
might  be  the  disposition  of  Brant. 

It  was  a  week  after  Herkimer  arrived  at  Unadilla  before  Brant  made  his  appearance. 
He  came  accompanied  by  five  hundred  warriors.  He  dispatched  a  runner  to  Herkimer  to 
inquire  the  object  of  his  visit.'     Herkimer  replied  that  he  came  to  see  and  converse  with 

'  This  change  in  the  name  of  the  fort,  from  Stanwix  to  Schuyler,  produced  some  confusion,  for  there  was 
already  an  old  fort  at  Utica  called  Fort  Schuyler,  so  named  in  honor  of  Colonel  Peter  Schuyler,  a  com- 
mander of  provincial  troops  in  the  war  with  the  French  and  Indians. 

*  Toward  the  close  of  the  winter  of  1777  a  large  gathering  of  Indians  was  held  at  Oghkwaga.  The 
Provincial  Congress  of  New  York  dispatched  tliither  Colonel  John  Harper,  of  Hurpersfield,  to  ascertain 
their  intentions.  He  arrived  on  the  27th  of  February,  and  was  well  received  by  the  Indians.  They  ex- 
pressed their  sorrow  for  the  troubles  that  afflicted  Tryon  county,  and  gave  every  assurance  of  their  pacific 
dispositions.  Colonel  Harper  believed  them,  and  gave  them  a  feast  by  roasting  an  ox.  It  was  afterward 
discovered  that  all  their  friendship  was  feigned ;  their  professions  of  peaceful  intentions  were  gross  hypoc- 
risy. A  few  weeks  subsequently,  while  taking  a  circuit  alone  through  the  woods  near  the  head  waters  of 
the  Susquehanna,  Harper  met  some  Indians,  who  exchanged  salutations  with  him.  He  recognized  one  of 
them  ds  Peter,  an  Indian  whom  he  had  seen  at  Oghkwaga,  but  they  did  not  know  him.  His  great-coat 
covered  his  uniform,  and  ho  feigning  to  be  a  Tory,  they  told  him  they  were  on  their  way  to  cut  off  the 
.Johnstone  settlement  on  the  east  shore  of  the  Susquehanna,  near  Unadilla.  Colonel  Harper  hastened  back 
to  Harpersfield,  collected  fifteen  stout  and  brave  men,  and  with  them  gave  chase  to  the  marauders.  In  the 
course  of  the  following  night  they  came  upon  the  Indians  in  the  valley  of  Charlotte  River.  It  was  almost 
daylight  when  their  waning  fires  were  discovered.  The  savages  were  in  a  profound  slumber.  Their  arms 
were  silently  removed,  and  then  each  man  of  Harper's  party,  selecting  his  victim,  sprang  upon  him,  and 
before  he  was  fairly  awake  the  savage  found  himself  fast  bound  with  cords  which  the  whites  had  brought 
with  them.  It  was  a  bolder  achievement  than  if  the  red  men  had  been  killed,  and  nobler  because  bloodless. 
When  the  day  dawned,  and  the  Indians  saw  their  captors,  Peter  exclaimed,  "  Ugh  !  Colonel  Harper ! 
Why  didn't  I  know  you  yesterday?"  They  were  taken  to  Albany  and  surrendered  into  the  bands  of  tho 
Committee  of  Safety. 

'  The  real  object  of  the  conference  is  not  known.  It  is  supposed  that,  as  Herkimer  and  Brant  had  been 
near  neighbors  and  intimate  friends,  the  former  hoped,  in  a  personal  interview,  to  persuade  tho  chief  to  join 


238  PICTORIAL   FIELD  BOOK 

Conference  with  Brant.  His  Frankness.  Herkimer's  precautionary  Measures.  Haughty  Bearing  of  Brant 

his  brother,  Captain  Brant.  "  And  all  these  men  wish  to  converse  with  the  chief  too  ?" 
asked  the  quick-witted  messenger.  He  returned  to  Brant  and  communicated  the  reply. 
The  parties  were  encamped  within  two  miles  of  each  other,  and  the  whole  assemblage  made 
an  imposing  display.  By  mutual  agreement,  their  arms  were  to  be  left  in  their  respective 
encampments.  The  preliminaries  being  arranged,  Brant  and  about  forty  warriors  appeared 
upon  the  skirt  of  a  distant  wood,  and  the  parties  met  in  an  open  field.  A  circle  was  form- 
ed, and  the  two  commanders,  with  attendants,  entered  it  for  conference.  After  exchanging 
a  few  words.  Brant  asked  Herkimer  the  object  of  his  visit.  He  made  the  same  reply  as  to 
the  messenger.  "  And  all  these  have  come  on  a  friendly  visit  too  ?"  said  the  chief.  "  All 
want  to  see  the  poor  Indians.  It  is  very  kind,"  he  added,  while  his  lip  curled  with  a  sar- 
castic smile.  After  a  while  the  conversation  became  animated,  and  finally  the  chief,  being 
pressed  by  direct  questions  concerning  his  intentions,  firmly  replied,  "  That  the  Indians  were 
in  concert  with  the  king,  as  their  fathers  had  been  ;  that  the  king's  belts  were  yet  lodged 
with  them,  and  they  could  not  violate  their  pledge  ;  that  General  Herkimer  and  his  follow- 
ers had  joined  the  Boston  people  against  their  sovereign  ;  that,  although  the  Boston  people 
were  resolute,  the  king  would  humble  them  ;  that  General  Schuyler  was  very  smart  on  the 
Indians  at  the  treaty  of  German  Flats,  but,  at  the  same  time,  was  not  able  to  afibrd  the 
smallest  article  of  clothing  ;  and,  finally,  that  the  Indians  had  formerly  made  war  on  the 
white  people  when  they  were  all  united,  and,  as  they  were  now  divided,  the  Indians  were 
not  frightened."  He  also  told  General  Herkimer  that  a  war-path  had  been  opened  across 
the  country  to  Esopus,  for  the  Tories  of  Ulster  and  Orange  to  join  them.  The  conference 
ended  then,  with  an  agreement  to  meet  the  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  the  respective  forces 
to  remain  encamped  as  they  were.' 

During  the  conference,  some  remarks  made  by  Colonel  Cox  greatly  irritated  the  sachem, 
and  on  his  signal  to  his  warriors,  who  were  near,  they  ran  to  their  encampment,  raised  the 
shrill  war-hoop,  and  returned  with  their  rifles.  In  the  mean  while  the  chief  became  paci- 
fied, and  the  warriors  were  kept  at  a  proper  distance.  Herkimer,  however,  fearful  that 
Brant's  pacific  appearance  might  be  feigned,  prepared  to  act  with  decision  on  the  following 
morning.  He  charged  an  active  young  soldier,  named  Wagner,  with  the  duty  of  shooting 
Brant,  if  any  hostile  movement  should  appear  on  the  part  of  the  chief.  Wagner  was  to  se- 
lect two  assistants,  who  were  to  shoot  the  two  attendants  of  Brant  at  the  same  time.  He 
chose  Abraham  and  George  Herkimer,  nephews  of  the  general,  and  the  three  stood  by  the 
side  of  Herkimer  the  next  morning.  There  was  no  necessity  for  their  services,  and,  haply, 
no  blood  was  shed  on  the  occasion.  Mr.  Stone  seems  to  have  mistaken  Herkimer's  precau- 
tion, in  this  instance,  for  premeditated  perfidy,  and  says  that,  had  the  intent  been  perpetra- 
ted, the  stain  upon  the  character  of  the  provincials  would  have  been  such  that  "  all  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Mohawk  could  not  have  washed  it  away."  Mr.  Wagner  was  yet  living  at  Fort 
Plain  when  I  visited  that  place  in  1848,  and  I  have  his  own  authority  for  saying  that  the 
arrangement  was  only  a  precautionary  one,  for  which  Herkimer  deserved  praise.  Mr.  Stone 
gives  his  version  upon  "the  written  authority  of  Joseph  Wagner  himself"  Simms  has  de- 
clared, in  his  "  History  of  Schoharie  County,"  and  repeated  in  conversation  with  myself, 
that  Wagner  told  him  he  never  furnished  a  MS.  account  of  the  afi'air  to  any  one.  Here  is 
some  mistake  in  the  matter,  but  the  honorable  character  of  General  Herkimer  forbids  the 
idea  of  his  having  meditated  the  least  perfidy. 

Again  they  met,  and  the  haughty  chief — haughty  because  conscious  of  strength — as  he 
ent'^red  the  circle,  addressed  General  Herkimer,  and  said,  "  I  have  five  hundred  warriors 
with  me,  armed  and  ready  for  battle.  You  are  in  my  power,  but,  as  we  have  been  friends 
and  neighbors,  I  will  not  take  advantage  of  you."  He  then  gave  the  signal,  and  all  his 
warriors,  painted  in  the  hideous  colors  that  distinguished  them  when  going  into  battle,  burst 


the  patriots,  or,  at  least,  to  remain  neutral.     It  is  also  supposed  that  he  went  to  demand  restitution  for  the 
cattle,  sheep,  and  swine  of  which  the  savages  had  plundered  the  Johnstone  and  UnaJilla  settlements. 
'  Campbell's  jinnals  of  Tiyon  County. 


OFTHEllEVOLUTIOiN.  239 

Bi«alc1ng  up  of  the  Council.        Grand  Council  at  Oswego.       Seduction  of  the  Indians.        Their  Coalescence  with  the  Whites. 

from  the  surrounding  forest,  gave  the  war-hoop,  and  discharged  their  rifles  in  the  air.  Brant 
coolly  advised  the  general  to  go  back  to  his  house,  thanked  him  for  his  courtesy  on  the  occa- 
sion, expressed  a  hope  that  he  might  one  day  return  the  compliment,  and  then  turned  proudly 
upon  his  heel  and  disappeared  in  the  shadowy  forest.  "  It  was  early  in  July,  and  the  morn- 
ing was  remarkably  clear  and  beautiful.  But  the  echo  of  the  war-hoop  had  scarcely  died 
away  before  the  heavens  became  black,  and  a  violent  storm  obliged  each  party  to  seek  the 
nearest  shelter.  Men  less  superstitious  than  many  of  the  unlettered  yeomen,  who,  leaning 
upon  their  arms,  were  witnesses  of  the  events  of  this  day,  could  not  fail,  in  aftertimes,  to 
look  back  upon  the  tempest,  if  not  as  an  omen,  at  least  as  an  emblem,  of  those  bloody  mas- 
sacres with  which  these  Indians  and  their  associates  subsequently  visited  the  inhabitants  of 
this  unfortunate  frontier.'" 

A  k\v  days  after  this  conference,  Brant  withdrew  his  warriors  from  the  Susquehanna  and 
joined  Sir  John  Johnson  and  Colonel  John  Butler,  who  were  collecting  a  large  body  of  To- 
ries and  refugees  at  Oswego,  preparatory  to  a  descent  upon  the  Mohawk  and  Schoharie  set- 
tlements. There  Guy  Johnson  and  other  officers  of  the  British  Indian  Department  sum- 
moned a  grand  council  of  the  Six  Nations.  They  were  invited  to  assemble  "  to  eat  the 
flesh  and  drink  the  blood  of  a  Bostonian" — in  other  words,  to  feast  on  the  occasion  of  a  pro- 
posed treaty  of  alliance  against  the  patriots,  whom  the  savages  denominated  Bostonians,  for 
the  reason  that  Boston  was  the  focus  of  the  rebellion.  There  was  a  pretty  full  attendance 
at  the  council,  but  a  large  portion  of  the  sachems  adhered  faithfully  to  their  covenant  of  neu- 
trality made  with  General  Schuyler,  until  the  appeals  of  the  British  commissioners  to  their 
avarice  overcame  their  sense  of  honor.  The  commissioners  represented  the  people  of  the 
king  to  be  numerous  as  the  forest  leaves,  and  rich  in  every  possession,  while  those  of  the  col- 
onies were  exhibited  as  few  and  poor ;  that  the  armies  of  the  king  would  soon  subdue  the 
rebels,  and  make  them  still  weaker  and  poorer ;  that  the  ricm  of  the  king  was  as  abundant 
as  Lake  Ontario  ;  and  that  if  the  Indians  would  become  his  allies  during  the  war,  they 
should  never  want  for  goods  or  money.  Tawdry  articles,  such  as  scarlet  clothes,  beads,  and 
trinkets,  were  then  displayed  and  presented  to  the  Indians,  which  pleased  them  greatly,  and 
they  concluded  an  alliance  by  binding  themselves  to  take  up  the  hatchet  against  the  patriots, 
and  to  continue  their  warfare  until  the  latter  were  subdued.  To  each  Indian  were  then  pre- 
sented a  brass  kettle,  a  suit  of  clothes,  a  gun,  a  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife,  a  piece  of  gold, 
a  quantity  of  ammunition,  and  a  promise  of  a  bounty  upon  every  scalp  he  should  bring  in.' 
Tha7jenda7iegea  (Brant)  was  thenceforth  the  acknowledged  grand  sachem  of  the  Six  Nations, 
and  soon  afterward  commenced  his  terrible  career  in  the  midst  of  our  border  settlements.' 

We  have  thus  glanced  at  the  most  important  events  that  took  place  in  the  Mohawk  Val- 
ley and  adjacent  districts  prior  to  the  attack  of  St.  Leger  upon  Fort  Stanwix,  or  Schuyler 
(as  it  will  hereafter  be  called),  which  mark  the  progress  of  the  Revolution  there,  before  Brant 
and  his  more  savage  white  associates  brightened  the  tomahawk  and  musket,  and  bared  the 
knife,  in  avowed  alliance  with  the  enemies  of  liberty.  Volumes  might  be,  and,  indeed,  have 
been,  written  in  giving  details  of  the  stirring  events  in  Tryon  county  during  our  Revolution- 
ary struggle.''  To  these  the  reader  is  referred  for  local  particulars,  while  we  consider  trans- 
actions there  of  more  prominent  and  general  interest. 

'  Campbell's  Annals  of  Tryon  County. 

'  Sec  Life  of  Mary  Jemison.  This  pamphlet  \va.s  written  in  1823,  and  published  by  Janes  D.  Bemi- 
of  Canandaigua,  New  York.  She  was  taken  a  captive  near  Fort  Duquesne  (now  Piitsliurgli)  when  a  chilt" 
and  was  reared  among  the  Indians.  She  married  a  chief,  and  became  an  Indian  in  every  partimilar,  excepi 
birth.  At  the  council  here  spoken  of  she  was  present  with  her  husband.  Her  death  occurred  at  the  agf 
of  89.  She  says  that  the  brass  kettles  mentioned  in  the  text  were  in  use  among  the  Senera  Indians  as  laf 
as  1823,  when  her  narrative  was  printed. 

^  Soon  after  Brant  joined  the  Indians  at  Oghkwaga,  he  made  a  hostile  movement  against  the  scttlemen: 
of  Cherry  Valley.  He  hovered  around  that  hamlet  for  some  days,  but  did  not  attack  it.  Of  this  a  detail 
ed  accouDt  wiil  be  given  hereafter. 

*  The  most  voluminous  are  Campbell's  Jnnals  of  Tr-jon  County,  Stone's  Life  of  Brant  and  ?imns'. 
Sc/wharit  County  and  Border  Wars  of  New  York. 


240 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


[Ddian  Battle-ground. 


Fort  Schuyler. 


Colonel  Peter  Gansevocrt 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"  A  scream  !   'tis  but  the  panther's — naught 
Breaks  the  calm  sunshine  there  ; 

A  thicket  stirs  !  a  deer  has  sought- 
From  sight  a  closer  lair ; 

Again  upon  the  grass  they  droop, 

Then  bursts  the  well-known  whoop  on  whoop, 
Shrill,  deafening  on  the  air, 

And  onward  from  their  ambush  deep, 

Like  wolves,  the  savage  warriors  leap." 

Street. 


E  are  now  upon  an  Indian  battle-ground,  in  the  bosom  of  the  deep  forest, 
where  the  cunning  and  ferocity  of  the  savage  had  free  exercise  in  the  pan- 
ther-like maneuvers  of  the  ambuscade,  and  the  unrestrained  use  of  the 
hatchet  and  knife.  Hitherto  we  have  seen  the  red  warriors  subordinate, 
and  comparatively  ineffective  in  the  conflicts  we  have  considered,  except 
in  the  battle  at  Lake  George  and  in  the  massacre  at  the  Cedars.  We 
have  seen  their  method  of  warfare  wholly  subverted  by  European  tactics, 
and  their  fiery  courage  con- 


trolled by  a  policy  unknown 
in  their  sanguinary  battles, 
unsuited  to  their  martial  training,  and  unsatis- 
factory to  their  fierce  natures  when  aroused  by 
the  flow  of  blood.  But  in  the  siege  of  Fort 
Schuyler,  which  we  are  about  to  chronicle,  and 
particularly  in  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  which 
formed  a  part  of  the  operations  of  that  siege, 
the  Indians,  commanded  by  Brant,  the  most 
subtle  and  accomplished  war  chief  of  his  time, 
formed  the  strong  right  arm  of  St.  Leger,  and 
Avere  left  free  to  fight  according  to  the  customs 
of  their  race. 

In  the  spring  of  1777,  Colonel  Peter  Gan- 
sevoort'  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  Fort 
Schuyler,  and  held  that  post  in  the  summer  of 
that  year,  when  Burgoyne  was  making  his  vic- 
torious march  toward  Albany  by  way  of  Lake 
Champlain.  The  successful  progress  of  the 
British  commander  greatly  alarmed  the  people 
of  the  north,  and  those  of  Tryon  county  were 
particularly  disturbed  by  intelligence  that  a  de- 


1  Peter  Gansevoort  was  born  in  Albany,  July  17th,  1749.  He  accompanied  Montgomery  into  Canada  in 
1775,  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  the  next  year  he  was  appointed  a  colonel  in  the  New  York  line,  which 
commission  he  held  when  he  defended  Fort  Schuyler  against  St.  Leger.  For  his  gallant  defense  of  that 
post  he  received  the  thanks  of  Congress,  and  in  1781  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  general  by  the 
state  of  New  York.  After  the  war  he  was  for  many  years  a  military  agent.  He  held  several  offices  of 
trust,  and  was  always  esteemed  for  his  bravery  and  judgment  as  a  soldier,  and  for  his  fidelity,  intelligence 
and  probity  as  a  citizen.     He  died  July  2d,  1812,  aged  62  years. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


24] 


A  Spy's  Intellige  nee. 


Rumored  Preparations  for  an  Invasion. 


Eftect  on  the  Whips. 


Approiich  of  St.  Lejer. 


scent  upon  them  from  Oswego  might  be  expected.  As  early  as  June,  a  man  from  Canada, 
arrested  as  a  spy,  had  disclosed  the  fact  that  a  detachment  of  British  troops,  Canadians  and 
Indians,  was  to  penetrate  the  country  by  way  of  Oswego  and  the  Mohawk,  to  join  Burgoyne 
when  he  should  reach  Albany.  This  intelligence  was  soon  after  confirmed  by  Thomas  Spen- 
cer, a  friendly  Oneida  half-breed  sachem,  who  was  sent  to  Canada  a  secret  emissary  for  in- 
formation. He  was  present  at  a  council  where  Colonel  Clans,'  a  brother-in-law  of  Sir  John 
Johnson,  presided,  and  there  he  became  acquainted  with  the  general  plans  of  Burgoyne. 
The  Oneida  further  informed  the  inhabitants  that  Sir  John  Johnson  and  Colonel  Claus,  with 
their  families,  were  then  at  Oswego  in  command  of  seven  hundred  Indians  and  four  hund- 
red regular  troops  ;  that  there  were  six  hundred  Tories  at  Oswegatchie  (Ogdensburgh)  ready 
to  join  them  ;  and  that  Colonel  John  Butler  was  to  arrive  at  Oswego  on  the  Mth  of  July, 
from  Niagara,  with  Tories  and  Indians. 

This  information,  instead  of  arousing  the  Whigs  of  the  Mohawk  Valley  to  prompt  and  effi- 
cient action,  seemed  to  paralyze  them  with  alarm.  The  timid  were  backward  in  preparing 
for  fhe  field,  and  the  wavering,  considering  the  patriot  cause  almost  hopeless,  became  Loy- 
alists, or,  at  best,  passive  Whigs.  Fort  Schuyler  was  still  unfinished,  and  feebly  garrison- 
ed, and  certain  discomfiture  seemed  to  await  the  patriots  in  that  region.  Colonel  Ganse- 
voort,  hoM-ever,  was  vigilant,  active,  and  hopeful.  He  wrote  spirited  letters  to  General 
Schuyler,  imploring  aid,  and  that  officer  as  urgently  laid  the  condition  of  Tryon  county  be- 
fore the  Provincial  Congress  of  New  York,  and  also  the  General  Congress.  But  it  was 
then  too  late  to  expect  succor  from  a  distance,  and  the  peo-  ^ 

pie  of  the  Mohawk  Valley  were  thrown  upon  their  own  fee- 
ble resources  for  defense.  St.  Leger  and  his  Rangers,  with 
the  forces  of  Johnson,  Claus,  Butler,  and  Brant,  mentioned 
by  the  Oneida  chief,  were  already  in  motion,  and  on  the  1st 
of  August  the  enemy,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  strong, 
came  up  Oneida  Lake,  and  near  the  ruins  of  old  Fort  New- 
port prepared  to  invest  Fort  Schuyler.  The  Indians  were 
led  by  Brant,  and  the  whole  beleaguering  force,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  march  at  Oswego  Falls,  was  disposed  in  ad- 
mirable order  for  the  journey  through  the  forest.  The  main 
body  was  led  by  the  Indians,  under  Brant,  in  five  columns, 
four  hundred  and  sixty  paces  in  front  of  the  advanced  guard. 
The  Indians  marched  in  single  file,  at  large  distances  apart. 
Between  the  five  columns  and  the  rear-guard  a  file  of  In- 
dians, ten  paces  apart,  formed  a  line  of  communication.  The 
advanced  guard  was  one  hundred  paces  in  front  of  the  main 
column,  which  was  disposed  in  Indian  file,  the  right  and  left 
flanks  covered  by  a  file  of  savages.  The  rear-guard  was 
formed  of  regular  troops.  The  advanced  guard  was  com- 
posed of  sixty  marksmen,  selected  from  the  corps  of  John- 
son's Royal  Greens,  and  led  by  Captain  Watts,  a  brother- 


2^^ 


Obdeb  of  Mabcii.> 


•  Daniel  Claus  married  the  daughter  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  anJ  was  a  man  of  considerable  influence. 
Brant  entertained  for  him  sentiments  of  the  strongest  personal  hostility,  although  both  were  engaged  in  the 
same  cause.  His  wife  died  in  Canada  in  1801,  and  Brant,  in  the  name  of  the  Five  Nations,  made  a  speech 
of  condolence  on  her  death.  William  Claus,  deputy  superintendent  of  Indian  afluirs,  was  his  son. —  Sabiru'a 
Lives  of  the  Loyalists. 

*  This  diagram,  representing  the  order  of  march  of  the  besieging  force,  is  a  reduced  copy  of  an  engrav- 
ing in  Stone's  Life  of  Brant.  The  original  drawing,  beautifully  colored,  was  found  in  the  writing-desk  of 
St.  Leger,  which  he  left  behind  when  he  fled  from  his  camp  before  Fort  Schuyler.  The  following  is  an  ex- 
planation of  the  diagram  :  aaaaa,  five  columns  of  Indians  in  front,  flanking  the  British  flag ;  b,  advanced 
guard;  n,  line  of  communication  between  the  advanced  guard  and  Indian  columns;  cc,  dd,  the  left  and 
right  wings  of  the  eighth  and  thirty-fourth  regiments  (the  thirty-fourth  on  the  left  side)  ;  e,  rear-guard , 
//,  Indians  on  the  r-ght  and  left  flanks ;  i  t,  line  of  communication. 


Q 


242  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Investiture  of  Fort  Schuyler.  A  curious  Flag.  Arrival  of  St  Leger.  His  pompous  Manifesto 

in-law  of  Sir  John  Johnson.  Each  corps  was  likewise  furnished  with  practiced  marksmen 
at  short  intervals,  who  were  ordered  to  concentrate  their  strength  upon  any  point  that  might 
be  attacked.  St.  Leger,  as  appears  from  his  private  diary,  was  much  annoyed  on  the  way 
by  the  disposition  of  his  Indian  allies  to  proceed  according  to  their  own  notions  of  expediency. 
They  were  averse  to  approaching  the  fort  in  a  body,  but  the  commander  finally  persuaded 
them  to  be  governed  by  his  directions,  which,  at  Oswego,  they  had  promised  to  obey,  and 
on  the  2d  of  August  Lieutenant  Bird  and  Brant  commenced  the  investment  of  the  fort. 

The  garrison,  under  Colonel  Gansevoort,  consisted  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men.  In 
.Tuly,  Colonel  Marinus  Willett,  an  active  and  judicious  officer,  had  joined  the  garri.son  with 
his  regiment,  and,  on  the  very  day  when  Bird  commenced  the  investiture  of  the  fort.  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel Mellon,  of  Colonel  Wesson's'  regiment,  arrived  with  two  hundred  men,  and 
two  bateaux  laden  with  provisions  and  military  stores.  With  this  timely  addition,  the  gar- 
rison had  sufficient  provision  for  six  weeks,  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  ammunition  for  small 
arms.  But  for  their  cannon,  their  most  important  means  of  defense,  they  had  only  about 
four  hundred  rounds,  or  nine  cartridges  for  each  piece  a  day  for  that  length  of  time.  The 
garrison  was  also  ivitliout  a  flag  when  the  enemy  appeared,  but  their  pride  and  ingenuity 
soon  supplied  one  in  conformity  to  the  pattern  adopted  by  the  Continental  Congress.  Shirts 
were  cut  up  to  form  the  white  stripes,  bits  of  scarlet  cloth  were  joined  for  the  red,  and  the 
blue  ground  for  the  stars  was  composed  of  a  cloth  cloak  belonging  to  Captain  Abraham 
Swartwout,  of  Dutchess  county,  who  ^was  then  in  the  fort."  Before  sunset  the  curious  mo- 
saic-work standard,  as  precious  to  the  beleaguered  garrison  as  the  most  beautifully-wrought 
flag  of  silk  and  needle-work,  was  floating  over  one  of  the  bastions. 

On  the  3d,  Colonel  St.  Leger  arrived  before  the  fort  with  his  whole  force.  It  was  a  mot- 
ley collection  of  British  regulars,  a  few  Hessians  and  Canadians,  well-armed  Tories,  and 
troops  of  warriors  from  the  various  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations,  except  the  Oneidas,  who  were 
faithful  to  their  agreement  to  remain  neutral.  St.  Leger  dispatched  an  officer,  bearing  a 
flag,  to  the  fort,  immediately  after  his  arrival,  with  a  copy  of  a  pompous  manifesto  which  he 
had  sent  among  the  people,  conceived  very  much  in  the  vein  of  the  one  issued  by  Burgoyne 
from  Crown  Point,  a  few  weeks  before.  He  magnified  the  power,  clemency,  and  justice  of 
the  king,  and  charged  the  General  Congress,  and  other  assemblies,  committees,  &c.,  with 
cruelty  in  the  form  of  "  arbitrary  imprisonment,  confiscation  of  property,  persecution  and 
torture,  unprecedented  in  the  inquisitions  of  the  E-omish  Church."  He  also  denounced  the 
patriot  civil  authorities  every  where  as  guilty  of  "  the  profanation  of  religion,"  and  of  "  shock- 
ing proceedings"  of  almost  every  shade  of  darkness.  He  then  exhorted  the  people  who  were 
disposed  to  do  right,  to  remember  that  he  was  "  at  the  head  of  troops  in  the  full  power  of 
health,  discipline,  and  valor,  determined  to  strike  when  necessary  and  anxious  to  spare  when 
possible,"  and  tempted  them  with  offers  of  employment  if  they  would  join  his  standard,  se- 
curity to  the  infirm  and  industrious,  and  payment  in  coin  for  all  supplies  for  his  army  that 
might  be  brought  into  his  camp.  "  If,  notwithstanding  these  endeavors  and  sincere  inten- 
tions to  effect  them,"  he  said,  in  conclusion,  "  the  phrensy  of  hostility  should  remain,  I  trust 

'  The  name  of  this  officer  is  variously  spelled  in  the  books — Weston,  Wesson,  and  Wessen.  At  the  close 
of  an  autograph  letter  of  his  among  Gates's  Papers  (vol.  x.),  in  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  it  is  writ- 
ten Wesson,  and,  presuming  that  he  spelled  his  own  name  correctly,  I  give  that  orthography.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  Colonel  Wesson  and  his  regiment  were  active  participators  in  the  battles  of  Bemis's 
Heights,  a  few  weeks  later  than  the  time  in  question. 

^  It  was  in  Captain  Swartwout's  company,  while  at  Poughkeepsie,  that  Samuel  Geake,  an  emissary  of 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  enlisted,  in  the  character  of  a  recruit,  insinuated  himself  into  the  good  graces  of  the  offi- 
cers at  Fort  Schuyler,  and  acquired  much  valuable  information  respecting  the  means,  designs,  and  expecta- 
tions of  the  Americans.  He  was  suspected,  arrested,  tried  by  court-martial  as  a  spy,  and  was  condemned 
to  death.  He  was  spared,  however,  as  a  witness  against  Major  Hanimell,  another  recreant  American,  who 
had  accompanied  him  to  Poughkeepsie,  and  who  was  under  arrest  at  that  time.  Geake  confessed  that  he 
was  employed  for  the  purpose  of  which  he  was  accused.  He  said  that  Major  Hammell  (who  had  been 
taken  prisoner  by  the  British)  had  espoused  the  cause  of  the  enemy,  and  was  promised  a  colonelcy  in  the 
British  army,  and  that  he  (Geake)  was  to  receive  the  commission  of  lieutenant  as  soon  as  he  should  return 
to  New  York  from  Fort  Schuyler. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  21j 


Siege  of  Fort  Schuyler.     Operations  of  the  Indians.     Visit  to  the  Oriskany  Battle-ground.     General  Herkimer  and  the  Militia. 

I  shall  stand  acquitted  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  man  in  denouncinfr  and  executing  the  venge- 
ance of  the  state  against  the  willful  outcasts.  The  messengers  of  justice  and  of  wrath 
await  them  in  the  field  ;  and  devastation,  famine,  and  every  concomitant  horror  that  a  re- 
luctant, but  indispensable,  prosecution  of  military  duty  must  occasion,  will  bar  the  way  to 
their  return."  The  patriot  people  who  received  the  manifesto  treated  it  with  derision,  and 
the  little  garrison,  which  had  already  counted  the  cost  of  a  siege,  and  determined  upon. a 
defense  of  the  fort,  laughed  at  its  threats,  and  regarded  its  oiler  of  bribes  with  scorn. 

The  siege  commenced  on  the  4  th.  A  few  bombs  were  thrown  into  the  fort,  and  Au<ni«L 
the  Indians,  concealed  behind  trees  and  bushes,  wounded  several  men  who  were  em-  i^^- 
ployed  in  raising  the  parapets.  Similar  annoyances  occurred  on  the  oth,  and  toward  even- 
ing the  Indians  spread  out  through  the  woods,  encircled  the  fort,  and,  by  hideous  yells  through 
the  night,  attempted  to  intimidate  the  garrison.  St.  Leger,  confident  of  success,  sent  a  dis- 
patch to  Burgoyne  at  this  juncture,  expressing  his  assurance  that  Fort  Schuyler  would  be 
m  his  possession  directly,  and  the  hope  that  they  would  speedily  meet  as  victors  at  Albany. 
Let  us  leave  the  besiegers  and  besieged  a  moment,  and  ride  down  to  Oriskany,  eight  miles 
eastward  of  Fort  Schuyler,  where  a  terrible  episode  in  the  siege  occurred. 

I  left  Rome  (site  of  Fort  Schuyler)  at  about  two  o'clock,  in  an  open  light  wagon,  for  Oris- 
kany.' The  day  was  very  warm  ;  the  road,  although  nearly  level,  was  excessively  stony, 
and  when  I  arrived  at  the  village  I  was  almost  overcome  by  the  heat  and  fatigue.  Desir- 
ous of  reaching  Utica  that  evening,  I  stayed  at  the  village  only  long  ertough  to  procure  a  com- 
petent guide  to  the  battle-ground.  Mr.  George  Graham,  a  resident  of  the  village  (who  was 
one  of  the  committee  of  arrangements  for  the  celebration  held  upon  the  battle-ground,  on  the 
anniversary  of  the  event,  in  1  844),  kindly  accompanied  me  to  the  spot,  and  pointed 
out  the  various  localities  which  were  identified  on  the  occasion  referred  to  by  many  "^^ 
old  men  who  were  present,  some  of  whom  were  in  the  battle.  The  locality  is  about  two 
miles  west  of  the  canal  landing  in  the  village,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  agricultural 
country.  Let  us  consult  the  history  while  on  our  way  thither,  and  then  we  shall  better 
understand  our  "  topographical  survey." 

As  soon  as  St.  Leger's  approach  up  Oneida  Lake  was  known  to  General  Herkimer,  he 
summoned  the  militia  of  Tryon  county  to  the  succor  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Schuyler.  The 
timidity  which  seemed  to  have  abated  the  fire  of  the  Whigs,  when  the  first  intimations  of 
the  invasion  were  given  by  the  Canada  spy  and  the  Oneida  sachem,  now  disappeared,  when 
the  threatened  danger  was  at  their  doors,  and  the  call  of  Herkimer  was  responded  to  with 
alacrity,  not  only  by  the  militia,  but  most  of  the  members  of  the  Tryon  county  committee 
entered  th^  field  as  officers  or  volunteers.  They  rendezvoused  at  Fort  Dayton,  on  the  Ger- 
man Flats,  and,  on  the  day  when  the  Indians  encircled  the  fort,  Herkimer  was 
near  Oriskany  with  more  than  eight  hundred  men,  eager  to  face  the  enemy.  He  " 
sent  a  messenger  to  Gansevoort,  informing  him  of  his  approach,  and  requesting  him  to  ap- 
prise him  of  the  arrival  of  his  courier  by  discharging  three  guns  in  rapid  succession,  which 
he  knew  would  be  heard  at  Oriskany.  But  the  messenger  did  not  arrive  until  near  noon 
the  next  day.  Herkimer  was  brave,  but  cautious,  and  determined  to  halt  there  until  he 
should  receive  re-enforcements  or  hear  the  signal  guns  from  the  fort.  His  officers,  influenced 
by  the  impatience  of  their  men  to  press  on  toward  the  foi't,  were  opposed  to  delay.  Herki- 
mer, self-relying,  was  firm.  Harsh  words  ensued,  and  two  of  his  colonels.  Cox  and  Paris, 
more  impertinent  than  generous,  denounced  the  old  man  as  a  coward  and  a  Tory.  This 
bitter  taunt  sank  deep  into  his  heart,  but  his  duty  governed  his  feelings,  and  he  calmly  re- 
plied, "  I  am  placed  over  you  as  a  father  and  guardian,  and  shall  not  lead  you  into  difficul- 
ties from  which  I  may  not  be  able  to  extricate  you."  But  they  persisted  in  their  demands 
for  an  immediate  advance,  and  continued  their  ungenerous  taunts.      Stung  by  imputations 

'  Oriskany  is  a  little  village  about  eight  miles  west  of  Utica,  at  the  junction  of  the  Oriskany  Creek  with 
the  IMohawk.  The  Erie  Canal  and  the  rail-road  both  pass  throucfh  it,  and  the  establishment  of  woolen 
factories  there  promises  growth  and  prosperity  to  the  pleasant  town. 


244 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Herkimer's  Advancce  to  Oriskany  Sortie  from  Fort  Schuyler,  under  Colonel  Willett.  Biographical  Sketch  of  Willett 

of  cowardice,  Herkimer  at  lenp;th  yielded,  and  gave  the  word  to  "  March  on  I"  at  the  same 
time  telling  those  who  boasted  loudest  of  their  courage  that  they  would  be  the  first  to  run 
on  seeing  the  enemy. 

St.  Leger  had  intelligence  of  the  advance  of  Herkimer,  and  detached  a  division  of  John- 
son's Greens,  under  Major  Watts,  Colonel  Butler  with  his  Rangers,  and  Brant  with  a  strong 
body  of  Indians,  to  intercept  him,  and  prevent  an  attack  upon  his  intrenchments.  Before 
the  arrival  of  Herkimer's  messenger,  Gansevoort  had  observed  the  silence  of  the  enemy's 
camp,  and  also  the  movement  of  a  portion  of  his  troops  along  the  margin  of  a  wood  down 
the  river.  The  arrival  of  the  courier  dispelled  all  doubts  as  to  the  destination  of  the  detach- 
ment, and  the  signal  guns  were  immediately  fired.     Herkimer  had  informed  Gansevoort,  by  the 


messenger,  that  he  in- 
tended, on  hearing  the 
signals,  to  cut  his  way 
to  the  fort  through 
the  circumvallating 
camp  of  the  enemy, 
and  requested  him  to 
make  a  sortie  at  the 
same  time.  This  was 
done  as  soon  as  the 
arrangement  could  be 
made,  and  a  detach- 
ment of  two  hundred 
men,  consisting  of  por- 
tions of  Gansevoort's 
and  Wesson's  regi- 
ments, was  detailed 
for  the  purpose,  who 
took  with  them  an 
iron  three  pounder. 
Fifty  men  were  also 


added,  to  protect  the 
cannon,  and  to  act 
otherwise  as  circum- 
stances might  require. 
The  enterprise  was  in- 
trusted to  Colonel  Ma- 
rinus  Willett,'  who, 
by  quick  and  judicious 
movements  and  dar- 
ing courage,  with  his 
small  force,  accom- 
plished wonders  in  a 
few  hours.  Rain  was 
falling  copiously  while 
preparations  for  the 
sortie  were  in  prog- 
ress, but  the  moment 
it  ceased  Willett  sal- 
lied out  and  fell  furi- 
ously upon  that  por- 
tion of  the   camp  oc- 


cupied by  Sir  John  Johnson  and  his  R.oyal  Greens,  a  detachment  of  whom,  as  we  have  seen, 


^  Marinus  Willett  was  born  at  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  July  31st  (O.S.),  1740.  He  was  the  youngest 
of  six  sons  of  Edward  Willett,  a  Queen's  county  farmer.  He  was  early  imbued  with  a  military  spirit,  and 
joined  the  army,  under  Abercrombie,  as  a  lieutenant  in  Colonel  Delancy's  regiment,  in  1758.  He  was  in 
the  disastrous  battle  at  Ticonderoga,  and  accompanied  Bradstreet  in  his  expedition  against  Fort  Frontenac. 
Exposure  in  the  wilderness  injured  his  health,  and  he  was  confined  by  sickness  in  the  newly-erected  Fort 
Stanwix  until  the«nd  of  the  campaign.  Willett  early  espoused  the  republican  cause  when  British  aggres- 
sion aroused  resistance  here.  When  the  British  troops  in  the  New  York  garrison  were  ordered  to  Boston, 
after  the  skirmish  at  Lexington,  they  attempted,  in  addition  to  their  own,  to  carry  off  a  large  quantity  of 
spare  arms.  Willett  resolved  to  prevent  it,  and,  though  opposed  bj^  the  mayor  and  other  Whigs,  he  cap- 
tured the  baggage- wagons  containing  them,  and  took  them  back  to  the  city.  These  arms  were  afterward 
used  by  the  first  regiment  raised  by  the  state  of  New  York.  He  was  appointed  second  captain  of  a  com- 
pany in  Colonel  M'Dougal's  regiment,  and  accompanied  Montgomery  in  his  northern  expedition.  He  was 
placed  in  command  of  St.  John's,  and  held  that  post  until  January,  1776.  He  was  that  year  appointed  lieu- 
tenant colonel,  and,  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign  of  1777,  placed  in  command  of  Fort  Constitution,  on 
the  Hudson.  In  May  he  was  ordered  to  Fort  Stanwix,  or  Schuyler,  where  he  performed  signal  services, 
as  noticed  in  the  text.  He  was  left  in  command  of  the  fort,  and  remained  there  until  the  summer  of  1778 
when  he  joined  the  army  under  Washington,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  He  accompanied  Sulli. 
van  in  his  campaign  against  the  Indians  in  1779,  and  was  actively  engaged  !■■  cbe  Mohawk  Valley  in  1780, 
1781,  and  1782.  In  1792  he  was  sent  by  Washington  to  treat  with  the  Creek  Indians  at  the  south  ;  and 
the  same  year  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier  general  in  the  army  intended  to  act  against  the  Northwestern 
Indians.  He  declined  the  appointment,  for  he  was  opposed  to  the  expedition.  He  was  for  some  time  sheriff 
of  New  York,  and  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city  in  1807.  He  was  chosen  elector  of  President  and  Vice- 
president  in  1824,  and  was  made  president  of  the  Electoral  College.  He  died  in  New  York,  August  23d, 
1830.  in  the  91st  year  of  his  age. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


2  45 


Dispersion  of  Johnson's  Camp.    Capture  of  Stores  and  other  Valuables.     View  and  Description  of  the  Oriskany  Battle-groumi 


had  been  sent  to  oppose  the  approach  of  Herkimer.  The  advanced  guard,  unable  to  with- 
stand the  impetuosity  of  the  attack,  were  driven  in  ;  and  so  suddenly  was  Sir  John's  camp 
assailed,  that  he  was  not  allowed  time  to  put  on  his  coat.  He  endeavored  to  brinjj  his  troops 
into  order,  but  they  fled  in  dismay.  The  Indian  encampment  was  then  assaulted,  and  in  a 
few  moments  the  savages,  too,  were  scattered.  Sir  John  and  his  troops  fled  across  the  river, 
to  the  temporary  camp  of  St.  Leger,  and  the  Indians  buried  themselves  in  the  deep  forest 
near.  No  less  than  twenty-one  wagon-loads  of  spoil,  consisting  of  clothing,  blankets,  stores, 
camp  equipage,  five  British  standards,  the  baggage  of  Sir  John,  with  all  his  papers,  and 
those  of  other  officers,  containing  every  kind  of  information  necessary  to  the  garrison,  were 
captured.  Having  secured  their  prize,  Willett  and  his  party  returned  to  the  fort  without 
the  loss  of  a  man.  The  five  British  colors  were  raised  in  full  view  of  the  enemy,  upon  the 
flag-staff',  beneath  the  uncouth  American  standard,  and  the  whole  garrison,  mounting  the 
parapets,  made  the  forest  ring  with  three  loud  cheers.  This  chivalrous  exploit  was  duly  no- 
ticed by  Congress,  and  an  elegant  sword  was  presented  to  Colonel  Willett  in  the  name  of 
the  United  States. 

General  Herkimer,  in  the  mean  while,  had  moved  from  the  mills,  at  the  mouth  of  Oris- 
kany Creek,  toward  the  fort,  entirely  unconscious  of  the  ambuscade  that,  in  a  deep  ravine 
two  miles  distant,  awaited  his  approach.  The  morning  was  dark,  sultry,  and  lowering. 
His  troops,  composed  chieffy  of  the  militia  regiments  of  Colonels  Cox,  Paris,  Visscher,  and 
Klock,  were  quite  undisciplined,  and  their  order  of  march  was  irregular  and  without  precau- 
tion. The  contentions  of  the  morning  had  delayed  their  advance  until  about  nine  o'clock, 
and  the  hard  feelings  that  existed  between  the  commander  and  some  of  his  officers  caused  a 
degree  of  insubordination  which  proved  fatal  in  its  consequences.      Brant  and  his  Tory  asso- 


THE  BaTTLE-GKOUND  of  OalSKANY.' 


'  This  sketch  was  made  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  ravine,  looking  west.  The  marsh  in  the  bottom 
of  the  ravine,  mentioned  in  the  text,  is  partially  drained  by  a  rivulet.  When  I  visited  the  spot  (Aujiust, 
1848),  many  logs  of  the  old  causeway  were  still  visible,  and  afforded  a  crossing-place  fL>r  cattle.  These 
logs  are  seen  in  the  picture.  The  road  on  the  left  is  the  present  hichway  between  Oriskany  and  Rome. 
The  barn  stands  upon  the  western  side  of  the  ravine,  and  along  the  hi<jh  f,'round  upon  which  it  is  situated, 
and  crossing  the  road  southeasterly,  the  ambush  was  placed.  The  hottest  of  the  battle  occurred  upon  the 
high  plain  between  the  ravine  in  the  foreground  and  another  beyond  the  most  distant  trees  in  the  picture 
The  hills  seen  in  the  extreme  distance,  on  the  right,  are  those  upon  the  north  side  of  the  Mohawk.  Th« 
frame-work  in  the  ravine  is  the  remains  of  the  scalToldrng  erected  for  the  speakers  at  the  celebration  alluded 
to,  in  1844.     The  chief  speakers  on  the  occasion  were  John  A.  Dix  and  Senator  Dickinson,  and  the  audi- 


246  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Indian  Ambush.         Surprise  of  Herkimer  and  his  Troops.         The  General  wounded.         His  Coolness.         Desperato  Battle. 

ciates  had  learned  from  their  scouts  the  exact  route  the  patriots  had  taken,  and  arranged  an 

ambuscade  accordingly.  A  deep  ravine  crossed  the  path  of  Herkimer  in  a  north  and  south 
direction,  extending  from  the  high  grounds  on  the  south  to  the  river,  and  curved  toward  the 
east  in  a  semicircular  form.  The  bottom  of  this  ravine  was  marshy,  and  the  road  crossed  it 
by  means  of  a  causeway  of  earth  and  logs.  On  each  side  of  the  ravine  the  ground  was  nearly 
level,  and  heavily  timbered.  A  thick  growth  of  underwood,  particularly  along  the  margin 
of  the  ravine,  favored  concealment.  It  was  upon  the  high  ground  on  the  western  side  of 
this  ravine  that  the  ambush  of  the  Tories  and  Indians  was  laid,  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
causeway  was  surrounded  by  them,  as  by  a  circle,  leaving  only  a  small  segment  open  where 
the  road  entered.  Unsuspicious  of  the  proximity  of  the  enemy,  the  whole  body  of  provin- 
cials, except  the  rear-guard,  composed  of  Visscher's  regiment,  descended  into  the  ravine,  fol- 
lowed by  the  baggage-wagons.  Brant  gave  a  signal,  and  in  an  instant  the  circle  closed,  the 
war-hoop  was  sounded,  and  spear,  and  hatchet,  and  deadly  rifle-ball  fell  upon  the  patriots 
like  hail  from  the  clouds  that  hovered  over  them.  The  rear-guard,  in  fulfillment  of  Herki- 
mer's prediction,  instantly  fled,  and  left  their  companions  in  the  ravine  to  their  fate.  They 
were  pursued  by  the  Indians,  and  probably  suffered  more,  in  their  cowardly  flight,  than  if 
they  had  boldly  aided  their  environed  companions  in  arms. 

This  sudden  onslaught  produced  great  confusion  in  the  patriot  ranks,  but  they  soon  re- 
covered, and  fought  with  the  courage  and  skill  of  veteran  troops.  The  slaughter,  however, 
was  dreadful.  Herkimer  was  severely  wounded  at  the  commencement  of  the  action,  and 
Colonel  Cox  and  Captain  Van  Slyk  were  killed  at  the  first  fire.  A  musket-ball  passed 
through  and  killed  the  horse  of  the  general,  and  shattered  his  own  leg  just  below  the  knee. 
With  perfect  composure  and  cool  courage,  he  ordered  the  saddle  to  be  taken  from  his  slaugh- 
tered horse  and  placed  against  a  large  beech-tree  near.  Seated  there,  with  his  men  falling 
like  autumn  foliage,  and  the  bullets  of  the  enemy,  like  driving  sleet,  whistling  around  him, 
the  intrepid  general  calmly  gave  his  orders,  and  thus  nobly  rebuked  the  slanderers  who  called 
him  a  coward.' 

For  nearly  an  hour  the  fierce  action  continued,  and  by  slow  degrees  the  enemy  was  clos- 
ing in  upon  the  republicans.  The  latter  then  made  an  admirable  change  in  their  method 
of  repulsion.  They  formed  themselves  into  circles,  and  thus  met  the  enemy  at  all  points. 
Their  fire  became  so  destructive  in  this  way,  that  the  Johnson  Greens  and  a  portion  of  But- 
ler's Tories  attempted  a  bayonet  charge.  This  was  promptly  met  by  the  patriots,  and  the 
battle  assumed  the  terrible  form  of  a  death-struggle  in  close  personal  contact.      They 

"  Fought  eye  to  eye,  and  hand  to  hand, 

Alas  !   'twas  but  to  die  ; 
In  vain  the  rifle's  deadly  flash 
Scorch'd  eagle  plume  and  wampum  sash; 

The  hatchet  hiss'd  on  high, 
And  down  they  fell  in  crimson  heaps, 
Like  the  ripe  corn  the  sickle  reaps." 

At  this  moment  a  heavy  thunder-peal  broke  over  the  forest,  and  the  rain  came  down  in  such 

ence  was  estimated  at  15,000  people.  The  scaffold  was  erected  upon  the  spot,  as  nearly  as  it  could  be 
defined,  where  General  Herkimer  fell.  In  the  middle  of  the  field  beyond  the  scafTold,  in  the 
lightest  part  near  the  tree,  toward  the  barn,  is  seen  a  dark  spot.  It  marks  the  site,  now  indi 
cated  by  a  cavity,  where  the  beach-tree  stood  under  which  Herkimer  sat  and  delivered  his  or 
ders.  Avarice  cut  the  tree  down  about  eight  years  ago,  and  then  uprooted  the  stump  to  make 
room  for  a  more  precious  hill  of  potatoes.  This  view  is  about  two  miles  west  of  Oriskany,  on 
the  north  .side  of  the  main  road.  Arrow-heads,  bullets,  bayonets,  tomahawks,  pipes,  &c.,  are 
still  found  there  by  the  cultivator.  The  bowl  of  an  earthen  pipe  was  shown  to  me  by  a  resi- 
dent upon  the  ground  (whose  house  is  seen  in  the  distance,  beyond  the  barn),  which  he  had 
plowed  up  the  day  before.     He  had  several  other  relics  of  the  battle,  but  would  not  part  with 

any.     The  above  is  a  drawing  of  the  pipe-bowl. 

'  It  is  related  that,  during  the  hottest  of  the  action,  the  general,  seated  upon  his  saddle,  quietly  took  hi» 

tinder-box  from  his  pocket,  lighted  his  pipe,  and  smoked  as  composedly  as  if  seated  at  his  own  fire-side. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  247 


IntennUsion  in  the  Battle.    Its  Resumption.     Unsuccessful  Stratagem  of  Colonel  Butler.    The  Enemy  routed.     Mutual  Losses. 

torrents  that  the  combatants  ceased  their  strife,  and  sought  shelter  beneath  the  trees.  It 
was  during  this  heavy  shower  that  Willett  made  his  preparations  at  the  fort  for  the  success- 
ful sortie  just  noticed  ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  rain  subsided,  he  fell  upon  Johnson's  camp,  and 
the  battle  was  renewed  at  Oriskany. 

During  the  lull  in  the  conflict,  both  parties  viewed  the  ground,  and  made  new  arrange- 
ments for  attack  and  defense.  It  had  been  observed  by  the  patriots  that  the  Indians,  as 
soon  as  they  saw  a  gun  fired  by  a  provincial  behind  a  tree,  would  rush  forward  and  toma- 
hawk him  before  he  could  reload.  To  meet  such  an  exigency  in  the  renewed  conflict,  two 
men  stood  together  behind  a  tree,  and,  while  one  fired,  the  other  awaited  the  approach  of 
the  savage  with  his  tomahawk,  and  felled  him  Avith  his  bullet.  The  provincials  had  also 
made  choice  of  more  advantageous  ground,  and,  soon  after  the  renewal  of  the  fight,  so  de- 
structive was  their  fire  that  the  Indians  began  to  give  way.  Major  Watts  came  up  with  a 
detachment  of  Johnson's  Greens  to  support  them,  but  the  presence  of  these  men,  mostly  ref- 
ugees from  the  Mohawk,  made  the  patriots  more  furious,  and  mutual  resentments,  as  the 
parties  faced  and  recognized  each  other,  seemed  to  give  new  strength  to  their  arms.  They 
leaped  upon  each  other  with  the  fierceness  of  tigers,  and  fought  hand  to  hand  and  foot  to 
ibot  with  bayonets  and  knives.  It  was  a  terrible  struggle,  and  exhibited  the  peculiar  cruelty 
and  brutality  which  distinguishes  civil  war. 

A  firing  was  now  heard  in  the  direction  of  the  fort.  It  was  the  attack  of  Willett  upon 
the  enemy's  camp.  Colonel  Butler  instantly  conceived  a  stratagem,  and  was  nearly  suc- 
cessful in  its  execution.  He  so  changed  the  dress  of  a  detachment  of  Johnson's  Greens,  that 
they  appeared  like  American  troops.  These  were  made  to  approach  from  the  direction  of 
the  fort,  and  were  at  first  (as  intended  by  Butler)  mistaken  by  the  patriots  for  a  re-enforce- 
ment from  the  garrison.  But  the  quick  eye  of  Captain  Gardinier,  an  officer  who  performed 
deeds  of  great  valor  on  that  memorable  day,  discovered  their  real  character,  and,  ordering 
his  men  to  fall  upon  these  pretended  friends,  they  were  soon  scattered  in  confusion.  The 
Indians,  finding  their  ranks  greatly  thinned,  and  the  provincials  still  undismayed,  raised  the 
loud  retreating  cry,  Oo7iah  !  Oo)iah  !  and  fled  in  all  directions.  The  panic  was  commu- 
nicated to  the  Tories  and  Canadians,  and  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy  retreated  in  confu- 
sion, pursued  by  the  provincials  with  shouts  of  victory.  Thus,  after  a  conflict  of  six  hours, 
ended  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  the  bloodiest  encounter,  in  proportion  to  the  numbers  engaged, 
that  occurred  during  the  war.  Neither  party  could  claim  a  decided  victory.  Both  had 
suffered  dreadfully.  The  patriots  remained  masters  of  the  field,  but  they  did  not  accomplish 
the  design  of  the  expedition,  the  relief  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Schuyler.  Their  wounded, 
nearly  fifty  in  number,  were  carried  from  the  field  on  litters,  and  among  them  was  General 
Herkimer,  who  was  taken  to  his  residence  below  the  Little  Falls,  on  the  Mohawk,  where 
he  died  ten  days  afterward.  The  manner  and  circumstances  of  his  death  will  be  noticed 
in  the  relation  of  my  visit  to  his  mansion,  which  is  still  standing. 

The  loss  in  this  battle  seems  not  to  have  been  officially  given  on  either  side.  St.  Leger,  in 
a  letter  to  Burgoyne,  dated  August  11  th,  five  days  after  the  battle,  says,  "  Above  four 
hundred  [patriots]  lay  dead  on  the  field,  among  the  number  of  whom  were  almost  all  of 
the  principal  movers  of  the  rebellion  in  that  county."  The  enemy  also  claimed  to  have  taken 
two  hundred  prisoners.  Dr.  Thatcher,  in  his  Military  Journal  (page  89),  records  the  loss 
of  the  Americans  at  "  one  hundred  and  sixty  killed,  and  a  great  number  wounded."  This 
is  the  number  stated  by  Gordon  and  other  cotemporary  writers.  The  Indians  lost  about 
seventy,  among  whom  were  several  chiefs.'  Major  Watts  was  badly  wounded,  and  left  for 
dead  upon  the  field.  He  revived  from  the  faintness  produced  by  loss  of  blood,  crawled  to  a 
brook  and  quenched  his  thirst,  and  there  remained  until  he  was  found,  nearly  three  days 
afterward,  by  an  Indian  scout,  and  taken  into  St.  Leger's  camp.      There  were  many  deeds 

'  Gordon  and  others  relate  that,  in  the  course  of  the  battle,  a  portion  of  the  Indians  became  impressed 
with  the  belief  that  there  was  a  coalition  between  Johnson's  and  Herkimer's  men  to  destroy  them,  and  that, 
toward  the  close  of  the  conflict,  the  savages  killed  many  of  the  Tories.  "  It  is  thought,"  says  Gordon  (i-, 
237),  "  that  near  as  many  of  Sir  John's  Tory  party  were  killed  by  the  Indians  as  by  the  militia." 


248  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

True  Aim  of  History.     Capture  of  Billenger  and  Frey.     St.  Leger's  Messengers.     Their  Threats,  Persuasions,  and  Falsehoods 

of  personal  courage  exhibited  in  that  battle,  which,  according  to  the  military  ethics  of  a  lesf 
benevolent  age,  would  entitle  the  actors  to  the  crown  of  laurel,  the  applause  of  multitudes, 
and  the  panegyric  of  the  historian.  But  the  picture  is  so  revolting  to  the  eye  of  Christian 
benevolence,  and  so  repugnant  to  the  nobler  feelings  of  brotherhood,  which  are  now  happily 
impressing  their  benignant  features  upon  society,  that  it  is  far  better  to  draw  the  curtain  of 
silence  before  it,  and  plead  for  the  warriors,  in  extenuation,  the  dreadful  necessity  that  im- 
pelled them  to  deeds  so  shocking  to  humanity.  It  is  high  time  that  the  practice  of  pamper- 
ing a  depraved  public  taste  by  giving  the  horrid  details  of  slaughter  in  battle,  and  of  invest- 
ing with  glory,  as  models  for  imitation,  those  who  fight  most  furiously  and  slay  most  pro- 
fusely, should  fall  into  desuetude.  These  details  are  not  essential  elements  of  history.  They 
contain  no  useful  lesson,  no  seed  of  philosophy  worthy  of  germination,  no  real  benefit  for  the 
understanding  or  the  heart."  Thus  far  I  have  avoided  such  recitals,  and  I  shall  do  so  through 
the  whole  work  before  me.  Neither  pen  nor  pencil  shall  intentionally  contribute  one  thought 
for  a  panegyric  on  war  or  its  abettors.  The  student  of  our  Revolution,  while  he  may  justly 
rejoice  at  the  vast  and  invaluable  blessings  which  followed  that  event,  should  be  taught  to 
lament  rather  than  achnire  the  dreadful  instrumentalities  that  were  necessarily  employed. 
He  may  thus  be  taught  without  lessening  the  veneration  which  he  ought  to  feel  for  those  who 
periled  life  and  fortune  in  defense  of  the  liberty  we  now  enjoy.  Let  us  turn  from  these  better 
contemplations  to  the  more  unpleasant  task  of  tracing  out  the  succeeding  events  of  the  siege 
of  Fort  Schuyler. 

So  completely  was  the  garrison  still  environed  by  the  besieging  force,  after  the  battle  at 
Oriskany,  that  no  correct  intelligence  of  that  event  could  reach  them.  St.  Leger  took  ad- 
vantage of  this  circumstance,  and,  by  false  representations  of  victory  for  himself,  the  total 
discomfiture  of  the  provincials,  and  the  victorious  advance  of  Burgoyne,  endeavored  to  bring 
the  garrison  to  surrender.  Colonel  Billenger  and  Major  Frey  were  made  prisoners,  and  on 
the  evening  of  the  battle  they  were  forced  to  write  a  letter  to  Colonel  Gansevoort,  which 
contained  many  misrepresentations,  and  a  recommendation  to  cease  resistance.  St.  Leger's 
adjutant  general,  Colonel  John  Butler,  delivered  the  letter  to  Gansevoort,  and  at  the  same 
time  communicated  a  verbal  demand  of  surrender  from  his  commander.  Gansevoort  refused 
an  answer  to  a  verbal  summons,  unless  made  by  St.  Leger  himself.  On  the  next  morning. 
Colonel  Butler  and  two  other  officers  approached  the  fort  with  a  white  flag,  and  asked  per- 
mission to  enter  as  bearers  of  a  message  to  the  commander.  The  request  was  granted  ; 
they  were  conducted,  blind-folded,  within  the  fortress,  and  received  by  Gansevoort  in  his 
dining-room,  which  was  lighted  with  candles,  the  windows  being  closed.  Colonels  Willett 
and  Mellen  were  present,  and  the  messengers  of  St.  Leger  were  politely  received.  Major 
Ancram,  one  of  them,  more  fluent  in  speech  than  the  others,  made  known  the  wishes  of  St. 
Leger.  He  spoke  of  the  hunaanity  of  his  feelings,  and  his  desire  to  prevent  further  blood- 
shed. He  assured  Gansevoort  that  it  was  with  much  difficulty  the  Indians  were  restrained 
from  massacre,  and  that  the  only  salvation  of  the  garrison  was  an  immediate  surrender  of 
the  fort  and  all  the  public  stores.  The  officers  and  soldiers  would  be  allowed  to  retain  their 
baggage  and  other  private  property,  and  their  personal  safety  should  be  guarantied.  He  ex 
pressed  a  hope  that  these  honorable  terms  would  be  immediately  complied  with,  for,  if  they 
were  not,  it  would  be  out  of  St.  Leger's  power  to  renew  the  proposition.  The  Indians,  he 
remarked,  were  ready  and  eager  to  march  down  the  country  and  destroy  the  inhabitants  : 
and  they  were  reminded  that  the  total  destruction  of  Herkimer's  relief  corps,  and  the  fact 
that  Burgoyne  had  possessio}i  of  Albamj,  extinguished  all  hope  of  succor  for  the  garrison. 

'  An  example  in  an  account  of  the  battle  in  question,  given  in  Stones  Life  of  Brant,  may  be  cited  as  an 
illustration.  A  Captain  Dilienback  was  assailed  by  three  of  Johnson's  Greens.  "  This  officer,"  says  the 
biographer,  "  had  declared  he  would  not  be  taken  alive,  and  he  was  not.  One  of  his  three  assailants  seized 
his  gun,  but  he  suddenly  wrenched  it  from  him  and  felled  him  with  the  butt.  He  shot  the  second  dead,  and 
thrust  the  third  through  with  his  bayonet.  But  in  the  moment  of  his  triumph  at  an  exploit  of  which  even  the 
mighty  Hector,  or  either  of  the  sons  of  Zeruiah,  might  have  been  proud,  a  ball  laid  this  brave  man  low  in  the 
dust."  It  is  the  last  clause  which  is  chiefly  objectionable,  for  therein  the  historian,  not  content  with  record- 
ing the  bloody  act  (justified  by  the  law  of  self-preservation),  lauds  it  as  a  deed  worthy  of  the  hij^hest  praise 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


24S 


Reply  of  Colonel  Willett  to  St.  Leger'a  Measengera. 


SL  Leger'a  written  Demand  of  Surronder. 


Gaiifevoort's  Reply 


This  speech,  made  up  of  falsehood,  persuasion,  and  threats,  excited  the  indij^nation  of  the 
patriot  officers,  and  Colonel  Willett,  with  the  approbation  of  Colonel  Gansevoort,  proniplly 
and  properly  replied.  I  give  his  words,  as  contained  in  his  narrative.  Tiiey  were  delivered 
with  emphasis,  while  he  looked  the  officer,  he  says,  full  in  the  face  :  "  Do  1  understand  you, 
sir  ?  I  think  you  say  that  you  came  from  a  British  colonel,  who  is  commander  of  the  army 
that  invests  this  fort ;  and,  by  your  uniform,  you  appear  to  be  an  officer  in  the  British  serv- 
ice. You  have  made  a  long  speech  on  the  occasion  of  your  visit,  which,  stripped  of  all  its' 
superfluities,  amounts  to  this — that  you  come  from  a  British  colonel  to  the  coininandaut  of 
this  garrison,  to  tell  him  that,  if  he  does  not  deliver  ftp  the  garrison  into  the  liamls  of  your 
colonel,  he  will  send  his  Indians  to  murder  our  women  and  children.  You  will  please  to  re- 
flect, sir,  that  their  blood  will  be  upon  your  heads,  not  upon  ours.  We  are  doing  our  duty  ; 
this  garrison  is  committed  to  our  charge,  and  we  will  take  care  of  it.  After  you  get  out  of 
it,  you  may  turn  round  and  look  at  its  outside,  but  never  expect  to  come  in  again,  unless  you 
come  a  prisoner.  I  consider  the  message  you  have  brought  a  degrading  one  for  a  British 
officer  to  send,  and  by  no  means  reputable  for  a  British  officer  to  carry.  For  my  own  part, 
I  declare,  before  I  would  consents  to  deliver  this  garrison  to  such  a  murdering  set  as  your 
army,  by  your  own  account,  consists  of,  I  would  sufler  my  body  to  be  filled  with  splinters 
and  set  on  fire,  as  you  know  has  at  times  been  practiced  by  sucli  hordes  of  women  and  chil- 
dren killers  as  belong  to  your  army." 

These  words  expressed  the  sentiments  of  the  garrison,  and  the  officers  very  justly  con- 
cluded that  Burgoyne  could  not  be  at  Albany,  and  the  Tryon  county  militia  all  slain  or  dis- 
persed, else  such  a  solicitude  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  for  an  immediate  surrender,  on  such 
favorable  conditions,  would  not  be  exhibited.  The  manner  of  the  messengers  and  the  tenor 
of  their  discourse  made  the  besieged  feel  stronger,  and  more  resolved  to  defend  their  post. 

On  the  9th,  St.  Leger  sent  a  written  demand  for  a  surrender,  which  contained  the 

Eubstance  of  Ma- 


—  K 

Pi 


^^''-^V-^  '^''v 


FOET  SCHUYLEE  AND   VlCINITY.' 


All^lSt, 
1777. 


jor     Ancram's     speech 
Gansevoort    immediate- 
ly   replied,    in    writing, 
"  Sir,  your  letter  of  this 
date  I  have  received,  in 
answer  to  which  I  say, 
that  it  is  my  determined 
resolution,  with  tlie  force 
under  my  command,  to 
defend  this  fort  to  the  last 
extremity,  in  behalf  of  the 
United  States,  who  have 
placed  me  here  to  defend 
it  againsl  all  their  ene- 
mies."     This  prompt  and  bold  stand  was 
unexpected  to  the  British  commander.      His 
"  cannon  had  not  the  least  eflcct  upon  the 
sod-work  of  the  fort,"  and  his  "  royals  had 
only  the  power  of  teazing."'      lie   there- 
fore commenced   approaching  the  fort  by 


'  Letter  of  St.  Leger  to  Burgoyne,  dated  Oswego,  August  27th,  1777. 

*  Description  of  the  Engraving. — A,  Fort  Schuyler;  6,  southwest  bastion,  three  gun*;  r,  northwest 
bastion,  four  guns  ;  d,  northeast  bastion,  three  guns  ;  e,  southeast  bastion,  four  guns  ;  g,  hiboratory  ;  h  h  h, 
barracks  ;  I,  horn-works  begun  ;  K,  covered  way  ;  L  L,  glacis  ;  M,  sally-port ;  N,  olTicers'  quarter*  ;  O  O, 
Willett's  attack.  The  figures  refer  to  the  redoubts,  batteries,  &c.,  of  the  encrny.  1,  a  battery  of  three 
guns ;  2,  bomb  battery,  four  mortars ;  3,  bomb  battery  of  three  guns  ;  4  4  4,  redoubts  to  cover  the  batter- 
ies;   5,  line  of  approaches  ,    ti  6,  British  encampment ;   7,  Loyalists  ;   8,  Indians  ;   9,  ruins  of  Fort  Newport. 


250  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

A  Tory  Address.  Continuation  of  the  Siege.  Adventure  of  Willett  and  Stockwell.  Gansevoort's  Resolution. 

"  sapping  to  such  a  distance  that  the  rampart  might  be  brought  within  their  portices,  at  the 
same  time  all  materials  were  preparing  to  run  a  mine  under  the  most  formidable  bastion."' 
In  the  mean  while  an  address  to  the  people  of  Tryon  county,  signed  by  Johnson,  Clans, 
and  Butler,  was  issued,  strongly  protesting  their  desire  for  peace,  promising  pardon  and  pro- 
tection to  all  that  should  submit,  and  threatening  all  the  horrors  of  Indian  ci'uelty  if  they 
resisted.  They  called  upon  the  principal  men  of  the  valley  to  come  up  and  oblige  the  gar- 
rison at  Fort  Schuyler  to  do  at  once  what  they  would  be  forced  to  do  finally — surrender. 
This  document  was  sent  by  messengers  through  Tryon  county,  but  it  effected  ^ittle  else  than 
get  the  messengers  themselves  into  trouble.''  The  siege,  in  the  mean  while,  was  steadily, 
but  feebly,  continued.  The  garrison,  fearing  that  re-enforcements  for  the  enemy  might  ar- 
rive, or  that  the  siege  might  continue  until  their  own  provisions  and  ammunition  should  fail, 
resolved  to  communicate  with  General  Schuyler,  then  at  Stillwater,  and  implore  succor. 
Colonel  Willett  volunteered  to  be  the  messenger,  and  on  a  very  stormy  night,  when  shower 
Au'nistio  ^^^^^  shower  came  down  furiously,  he  and  Lieutenant  Stockwell  left  the  fort  by 
^'^'''^-  the  sally-port  at  ten  o'clock,  each  armed  with  a  spear,  and  crept  upon  their  hands 
and  knees  along  a  morass  to  the  river.  They  crossed  it  upon  a  log,  and  were  soon  beyond  the 
Une  of  drowsy  sentinels.  It  was  very  dark,  their  path-way  was  in  a  thick  and  tangled  wood, 
and  they  soon  lost  their  way.  The  barking  of  a  dog  apprised  them  of  their  proximity  to  an 
Indian  camp,  and  for  hours  they  stood  still,  fearing  to  advance  or  retreat.  The  clouds  broke 
away  toward  dawn,  and  the  morning  star  in  the  east,  like  the  light  of  hope,  revealed  to  them 
iheir  desired  course.  They  then  pushed  on  in  a  zigzag  way,  and,  like  the  Indians,  sometimes 
traversed  the  bed  of  a  stream,  to  foil  pursuers  that  might  be  upon  their  trail.  They  reached 
the  German  Flats  in  safety,  and,  mounting  fleet  horses,  hurried  down  the  valley  to  the  head- 
quarters of  General  Schuyler,  who  had  already  heard  of  the  defeat  of  Herkimer, 
and  was  devising  means  for  the  succor  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Schuyler. 
St.  Leger  continued  the  siege.  He  advanced,  by  parallels,  within  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  of  the  fort,  and  the  garrison,  ignorant  of  the  fate  of  Willett  and  Stockwell,  or  the  re- 
lief that  was  preparing  for  them  below,  began  to  feel  uneasy.  Their  ammunition  and  pro- 
visions being  much  reduced  in  quantity,  some  hinted  an  opinion  to  their  commander  that  a 
surrender  would  be  humane  policy.  Gansevoort's  stout  and  hopeful  heart  would  not  yield 
Efidmission  to  such  an  idea,  and  he  informed  the  garrison  that  he  had  resolved,  in  case  suc- 
cor should  not  appear  before  their  supplies  were  exhausted,  to  sally  out  at  night  and  cut  his 
way  through  the  enemy's  camp.  Suddenly,  and  mysteriously  to  the  garrison,  the  besiegers 
broke  up  their  camp,  and  fled  so  precipitately  from  before  the  fort  that  they  left 
their  tents,  artillery,  and  camp  equipage  behind  them. 
The  mystery  was  soon  solved.  We  have  already  noticed  the  appeal  of  General  Schuyler 
to  his  troops  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk,  and  the  readiness  with  which  Arnold  and  sev- 
eral hundred  men  volunteered  to  march  to  the  relief  of  Gansevoort.  These  troops  consisted 
chiefly  of  the  Massachusetts  brigade  of  General  Learned.  They  marched  immediately,  un- 
der the  generaf  command  of  Arnold,  and  were  joined  by  the  first  New  York  regiment,  under 
Colonel  Livingston.  On  the  20th,  Arnold  and  a  portion  of  the  troops  arrived  at  Fort  Day- 
ton, where  he  intended  to  wait  for  the  remainder,  under  Learned,  to  arrive  ;  but,  hearing 
of  the  near  approaches  of  St.  Leger  to  Fort  Schuyler,  he  resolved  to  push  forward,  and  haz- 
ard a  battle  before  it  should  be  too  late.  He  knew  that  his  small  force  was  too  inconsider- 
able to  warrant  a  regular  engagement,  and  he  conceived  several  stratagems  to  supply  his 
deficiency  of  strength.  One,  which  proved  successful,  was  adopted.  Among  the  Tory  pris- 
oners who  were  taken  with  Walter  Butler  was  a  coarse,  unlettered,  half  idiot  named  Hon- 

'  Letter  of  St.  Leger  to  Burgoyne,  dated  Oswego,  August  27th,  1777. 

'  Walter  N.  Butler,  a  son  of  Colonel  John  Butler,  and  afterward  one  of  the  most  brutal  of  the  Tory  lead- 
ers, with  fourteen  white  soldiers  and  the  same  number  of  Indians,  appeared  at  the  German  Flats,  at  the 
house  of  a  Tory  named  Shoemaker.  Colonel  Wesson  was  then  in  command  of  a  small  fortification  there, 
called  Fort  Dayton,  and  he  sent  a  party  to  arrest  Butler  and  his  associates.  They  succeeded,  and  Butler 
was  tried  and  condemned  as  a  spy,  but  was  afterward  sent  a  prisoner  to  Albany,  under  a  reprieve. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


251 


IIon-Yost  Schuyler.  His  successful  Mission  to  SL  Legerg  Camp.  Arnold'*  Proclamation.  Alarm  of  tlie  India 


Yo.st  Schuyler,  a  nephew  of  General  Herkimer,  who,  with  his  mother  and  brotlier,  livctl  neai 
Little  Falls.  He  was  tried  and  condemned  to  death.  His  mother  hastened  to  Fort  Day- 
ton and  pleaded  for  his  life.  For  a  time  Arnold  was  inexorable,  but  linally  consented  to 
spare  him,  on  condition  that  he  should  go  to  Fort  Schuyler  and  endeavor  bo  to  alarm  St. 
Leger,  by  representations  of  the  great  number  of  Americans  that  were  approaching,  as  to  in- 
duce him  to  raise  the  siege.  Hon- Yost  readily  agreed  to  perform  the  duty,  for,  in  reality, 
his  political  creed  was  so  chameleon-like,  that  it  would  assume  any  recpiired  hue,  according 
to  circumstarttes.  His  mother  ollered  herself  as  a  hostage  for  his  faillifulncss,  but  Arnold 
chose  his  brother  Nicholas  as  security.  The  latter  was  placed  in  confinement,  and  Hon- 
Yost,  with  a  friendly  Oneida,  who  promised  to  aid  him,  departed  for  Fort  Schuyler. 

Arnold,  having  issued  a  proclamation'  from  Fort  Dayton  to  counteract  the  address  of  John- 
son, Glaus,  and  Butler,  marched  ten  miles  onward  toward  Fort  Stanwix.  There  .„  ,.03 
he  received  a  communication  from  Colonel  Gansevoort,  announcing  that  the  siege  '^'"■'• 
had  suddenly  been  raised,  and  that  the  enemy  had  fled,  in  great  haste,  toward  Wood  Creek  ; 
why,  he  could  liot  imagine.  Arnold  perceived  that  Hon- Yost  had  been  faithful.  He  and 
the  Indian  had  managed  the  affair  adroitly,  and  the  charge  of  idiotcy  against  Hon-Yost  was 
wiped  out  forever.  Before  leaving  Fort  Dayton,  he  had  several  bullets  shot  through  hia 
coat,  and,  with  these  evidences  of  a  "  terrible  engagement  with  the  enemy,"  he  appeared 
among  the  Indians  of  St.  Leger's  camp,  many  of  whom  knew  him  personally.  He  ran  into 
their  midst  almost  out  of  breath,  and  apparently  much  frightened.  He  told  them  that  the 
Americans  were  approaching  in  great  numbers,  and  that  he  had  barely  escaped  with  his  life. 
His  bullet-riddled  coat  confirmed  the  story.  When  they  inquired  the  number  of  the  Amer- 
icans, he  pointed  to  the  leaves  on  the  trees,  and  shook  his  head  mysteriously.  The  Indians 
were  greatly  agitated.  They  had  been  decoyed  into  their  present  situation,  and  had  been 
moody  and  uneasy  since  the  battle  of  Oriskany.  At  the  moment  of  Hon- Yost's  arrival  they 
were  engaged  in  a  religious  observance — a  consultation,  through  their  prophet,  of  INIanitou, 
or  the  Great  Spirit,  to  supplicate  his  guidance  and  protection.  The  council  of  chiefs  at  the 
poiu-ifoio  at  once  resolved  upon  flight,  and  told  St.  Leger  so.  He  sent  for  and  questioned 
Hon-Yost,  who  told  him  that  Arnold,  with  two  thousand  men,  would  be  upon  him  in  twenty- 
four  hours.  At  that  moment,  according  to  arrangement,  the  friendly  Oneida,  who  had  taken 
a  circuitous  route,  approached  the  camp  from  another  direction,  with  a  belt.  On  his  way 
he  met  two  or  three  straggling  Indians  of  his  tribe,  who  joined  him,  and  they  all  confirmed 
the  story  of  Hon-Yost.  They  pretended  that  a  bird  had  brought  them  the  news  that  the 
valley  below  was  swarming  with  warriors.  One  said  that  the  army  of  Burgoyne  was  cut 
to  pieces,  and  another  told  St.  Leger  that  Arnold  had  three  thousand  men  near.  They 
shook  their  heads  mysteriously  when  questioned  about  numbers  by  the  Indians,  and  pointed, 
like  Hon-Yost,  upward  to  the  leaves.  The  savages,  now  thoroughly  alarmed,  prepared  to 
flee.  St.  Leger  tried  every  means,  by  offers  of  bribes  and  promises,  to  induce  them  to  re- 
main, but  the  panic,  and  suspicion  of  foul  play,  had  determined  them  to  go.  He  tried  to 
make  them  drunk,  but  they  refused  to  drink.  He  then  besought  them  to  take  the  rear  of 
his  army  in  retreating ;  this  they  refused,  and  indignantly  said,  •'  You  mean  to  sacrifice  us. 
When  you  marched  down,  you  said  there  would  be  no  fighting  for  us  Indians  ;  we  might  go 
down  and  smoke  our  pipes  ;  whereas  numbers  of  our  warriors  have  been  killed,  and  you  mean 

'  The  address  of  Arnold  was  well  calculated  to  awe  the  timid  and  give  courage  to  the  wovering  Whigs. 
The  prestige  of  his  name  gave  great  weight  to  it.  He  prefaced  it  with  a  flourish  of  his  title  and  position, 
IS  follows  :  "  By  the  Honorable  Benedict  Arnold,  Esq.,  general  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  of  tho 
United  States  of  America  on  the  !Mohawk  River."  He  denominated  a  certain  Barry  St.  Leger  '•  a  lender 
of  a  banditti  of  robbers,  murderers,  and  traitors,  composed  of  savages  of  America  and  more  savage  Brit- 
ons," and  denounced  him  as  a  seducer  of  the  ignorant  and  unthinking  from  tho  cause  of  freedom,  and  as 
threatening  ruin  and  destruction  to  the  people.  He  then  oflercd  a  free  pardon  to  all  wlm  had  joined  him 
or  uplield  him,  '"  whether  savages,  Germans,  Americans,  or  Britons,"  proviilcd  they  laid  down  their  arms 
and  made  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States  within  three  days.  But  if  they  persisted  in  their  '■  wicked 
courses,"  and  "were  determined  to  draw  on  themselves  the  just  vengeance  of  Heaven  and  their  c.\asi>cra- 
ted  country,  they  must  expect  no  mercy  from  either." 


252  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Flight  of  St.  Leger's  Forces  to  Oswego.         The  SpoUs.        Amusement  of  the  Indians.         End  of  the  Siege.        Captain  Gregg 

August  23,  ^^  sacrifice  us  also.'"  The  council  broke  up,  and  the  Indians  fled.  The  panic  was 
i'^''"''-  communicated  to  the  rest  of  the  camp,  and  in  a  few  hours  the  beleaguering  army 
were  flying  in  terror  toward  their  boats  on  Oneida  Lake.  Hon- Yost  accompanied  them  in 
their  flight  as  far  as  Wood  Creek,  where  he  managed  to  desert.  He  found  his  way  back  to 
the  fort  that  night,  and  was  the  first  to  communicate  to  Colonel  Gansevoort  the  intelligence 
of  Arnold's  approach.*  The  Indians,  it  is  said,  made  themselves  merry  at  the  precipitate 
flight  of  the  whites,^  who  threw  away  their  arms  and  knapsacks,  so  that  nothing  should  im- 
pede their  progress.  The  savages  also  gratified  their  passion  for  murder  and  plunder  by  kill- 
ing many  of  their  retreating  allies  on  the  borders  of  the  lake,  and  stripping  them  of  every 
article  of  value.  They  also  plundered  them  of  their  boats,  and,  according  to  St.  Leger, 
"  became  more  formidable  than  the  enemy  they  had  to  expect."*  Half  starved  and  naked, 
the  whites  of  the  scattered  army  made  their  way  to  Oswego,  and,  with  St.  Leger,  went 
down  Ontario  to  Canada. 

Colonel  Gansevoort,  on  the  retreat  of  St.  Leger,  sent  a  dispatch  to  Arnold,  acquainting 
him  with  the  fact.  That  general  sent  forward  nine  hundred  men?  with  directions 
to  attempt  to  overtake  the  fugitives,  and  the  next  day  reached  the  fort  himself 
Gansevoort  had  already  sent  out  a  detachment  to  harass  the  flying  enemy,  and  several  pris- 
oners were  brought  in,  with  a  large  quantity  of  spoil,  among  which  was  the  escritoire,  or 
writing-desk,  of  St.  Leger,  containing  his  private  papers.  Colonel  Willett  was  left  in  com- 
mand of  the  garrison  at  the  fort,  and  Arnold  and  his  men  marched  back  to  the  main  army 
(then  at  Stillwater,  under  Gates,  who  had  superseded  Schuyler),  to  perform  valiant  service 
in  the  battle  that  soon  afterward  occurred  on  Bemis's  Heights.  Thus  ended  the  siege  of 
Fort  Schuyler,^  in  the  progress  of  which  the  courage,  endurance,  and  skill  of  the  Americans, 
every  where  so  remarkable  in  the  Revolution,  were  fully  displayed. ° 

'  Mary  Jemison,  whose  narrative  we  have  referred  to,  says  that  the  Indians  (at  least  the  Senecas)  were 
greatly  deceived.  They  were  sent  for  to  "see  the  British  whip  the  rebels."  They  were  told  that  they 
were  not  wanted  to  fight,  but  might  sit  down  and  smoke  their  pipes,  and  look  quietly  on.  With  this  im- 
pression, the  Seneca  warriors  accompanied  the  expedition,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  suHered  great  loss. 

'■^  Hon- Yost  made  his  way  back  to  Fort  Dayton,  to  the  great  joy  of  his  friends.  He  afterward  fled  from 
the  valley  with  his  family  and  fourteen  Tory  associates,  and  joined  Sir  John  Johnson.  After  the  war  he 
returned  to  the  valley,  where  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1818. 

^  Gordon  (ii.,  240),  on  the  verbal  authority  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkland,  who  was  at  Fort  Schuyler,  relates 
that  St.  Leger,  while  standing  on  the  border  of  a  morass  alone  with  Sir  John  Johnson,  reproached  the  lat- 
ter with  being  the  cause  of  the  disaffection  of  the  Indians.  High  words  and  mutual  criminations  followed. 
Two  chiefs,  standing  near,  overheard  the  quarrel,  and  put  an  end  to  it  by  shouting,  "  They  are  coming  ! 
they  are  coming  !"  Both  officers,  terribly  alarmed,  plunged  into  the  morass.  This  was  the  signal  for  the 
general  retreat  of  the  whole  army.  Such  was  their  haste,  that  they  left  their  tents,  baggage,  and  artillery 
behind,  and  the  bombardier  was  left  asleep  in  the  bomb  battery  !  When  he  awoke  he  found  himself  alone, 
the  sole  representative  in  camp  of  the  besieging  army.  The  Indians  continued  their  cry,  at  intervals, 
"They  are  coming!  they  are  coming!"  behind  the  fleeing  Tories,  and  thus  amused  themselves  all  the 
way  to  Oneida  Lake. 

*  Letter  of  St.  Leger  to  Burgoyne,  Augu.st  27th,  1777. 

*  Fort  Schuj'ler  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  flood  in  1781,  and  was  never  rebuilt. 

®  Before  the  fort  was  invested  by  St.  Leger,  the  Indians,  in  small  parties,  annoyed  the  garrison,  and  fre 
quently  attacked  individuals  when  away  from  their  dwellings.  On  one  occasion  they  fired  upon  three  little 
girls  who  were  out  gathering  blackberries.  Two  were  killed  and  scalped,  but  the  third  escaped.  The 
remarkable  adventure  of  Captain  Gregg  is  worthy  of  notice.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  garrison  of  Fori 
Schuyler,  and  went  out  one  day  to  shoot  pigeons,  with  two  of  his  soldiers,  and  a  boy  named  Wilson  (who 
became  an  ensign  in  the  army  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  conducted  the  surrender  of  the  British  standards 
at  Yorktown).  Fearing  the  Indians,  the  boy  was  sent  back.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  before  some  sav- 
ages in  ambush  shot  all  three  down,  scalped  them,  and  made  olf.  The  captain,  though  badly  wounded, 
was  not  killed.  His  two  soldiers,  however,  were  lifeless,  and,  laying  his  bleeding  head  upon  the  body  of 
one  of  them,  he  expected  soon  to  die.  His  dog  had  accompanied  him,  and,  in  great  agitation,  whined, 
licked  his  wounds,  and  otherwise  manifested  his  grief  and  attachment.  He  told  the  dog  to  go  for  help,  and 
the  animal,  as  if  endowed  with  reason,  at  once  obeyed.  He  ran  about  a  mile,  and  found  two  men  fishing. 
By  piteous  moans  he  induced  them  to  follow  him  to  his  wounded  master.  The  captain  was  carried  to  the 
fort,  and,  after  suffering  much,  was  restored  to  health.  "  He  was  a  most  frightful  spectacle,"  says  Dr. 
Thacher,  from  whose  journal  (page  144)  this  account  is  taken.  "  The  whole  of  his  scalp  was  removed  ; 
in  two  places  on  the  forepart  of  his  head  the  tomahawk  had  penetrated  the  skull;  there  was  a  wound  on 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


253 


Return  to  Oriskany.  Whitesborough.  Utica.  Little  Falls.  Visit  to  the  German  Flats.  Orifein  of  the  Name 

On  my  return  to  Oriskany  village,  after  visiting  the  battle-ground,  I  learned  that  Mr. 
Nellis,  who  was  engaged  in  that  conflict,  was  still  living  at  Whitesborough,  three  miles  east- 
ward. I  had  dismissed  the  vehicle  that  conveyed  me  from  Rome  to  Oriskany,  intending  to 
proceed  to  Utica  from  the  latter  place  upon  a  canal  packet.  I  felt  a  desire  to  visit  the  old 
veteran,  and  yet  was  anxious  to  reach  Utica  that  evening.  While  deliberating  concernin«» 
the  matter,  a  constable  from  Whitesborough  rode  up  to  the  hotel  in  a  li"ht  wa"-()n,  executed 
his  business  in  haste,  and  kindly  offered  me  a  scat  on  his  return.  I  gladly  placed  myself  in 
Lis  custody.  He  said  his  errand  to  Oriskany  was  in  search  of  a  thief,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
the  people  of  W^hitesborough  gave  him  credit  for  success,  for  my  "  fatigue  dress"  and  soiled 
"  Panama"  made  me  appear  more  like  a  prowler  than  a  tourist.  Mr.  Nellis  was  not  at 
home,  so  my  visit  was  fruitless,  except  in  the  pleasure  derived  from  a  view  of  the  bea'iliful 
village,  as  we  rode  in  from  the  westward.  It  lies  upon  a  plain,  encircled  by  the  arms  of 
the  Erie  Canal  and  the  Mohawk  River. 

At  sunset,  after  partially  satisfying  a  long-sulTering  appetite  from  a  table  at  a  restorer,  on  the 
verge  of  the  canal,  where  dainty  guests  should  eat  with  closed  eyes  and  unwavering  faith  in  the 
purity  of  thij  viands  and  the  proper  proportions  of  flies  and  butter,  I  embarked  for  Utica,  six 
miles  eastward.  It  was  the  close  of  a  calm,  sultry  day,  and  peculiarly  grateful  ^„  ^^^^ 
was  the  evening  breeze  that  fanned  us  as  we  glided  along  upon  that  tiny  river,  ^''■•«*- 
through  cultivated  fields  and  pleasant  woodlands. 

"  Sweet  to  the  pensive  is  departing  day, 
When  only  one  small  cloud,  so  still  and  thin, 
So  thoroughly  imbued  with  amber  light, 
And  so  transparent  that  it  seems  a  spot 
Of  brighter  sky,  beyond  the  furthest  mount, 
Hangs  o"er  the  hidden  orb ;   or  where  a  few 
Long,  narrow  stripes  of  denser,  darker  grain, 
At  each  end  sharpened  to  a  needle's  point, 
With  golden  borders,  sometimes  straight  and  smooth, 
And  sometimes  crinkling  like  the  lightning's  stream, 
A  half  hour's  space  above  the  mountain  lie." 

Carlos  Wilcox. 

This  quiet  scene  was  soon  exchanged  for  the  bustle  and  noise  of  the  busy  town,  and,  before 
the  twilight  had  fairly  faded.  I  was  jolted  over  the  paved  streets  of  Utica.  There  I  spent 
some  thirty  hours  with  some  friends.  The  city  has  no  noteworthy  reminiscences  of  the  llev- 
olution,  except  the  single  fact  that  the  army,  under  Herkimer,  crossed  the  Mohawk  at  old 
Fort  Schuyler  (then  a  fortress  in  ruins),  while  on  his  way  to  Oriskany,  and  the  general  in- 
terest which  belongs  to  it  as  that  portion  of  Tryon  county  which  was  consecrated  by  the 
presence  and  the  prowess  of  the  patriots.  It  is  a  pleasant  and  thriving  city,  upon  the  south- 
ern slope  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  Like  all  other  towns  in  Western  New  York,  it  is  young 
and  vigorous,  and  every  feature  glows  with  the  beauty  of  youth  and  health. 

I  left  Utica  at  noon  by  rail-road,  arrived  at  Little  Falls,  twenty  miles  eastward,  at  one 
o'clock,  and  at  two  started  in  a  light  wagon  for  Fort  Herkimer,  or  Mohawk,  on  the  German 
Flats.  The  driver  and  guide  was  a  courteous  young  man,  but  totally  deaf  I  never  prac- 
ticed pantomime  with  better  success,  for  my  companion,  intelligent,  and  apparently  well  versed 
in  all  the  local  history  of  the  region,  easily  comprehended  my  awkward  manipulations,  and 
answered  my  mute  inquiries  promptly  and  clearly. 

The  upper  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  which  narrows  to  a  deep,  rocky  ravine  at  Little  Falls, 
has,  v/ithin  a  few  miles  of  its  lower  extremity,  a  rich  and  fertile  alluvial  plain  on  each  side 
of  the  river,  known  as  the  German  Flats,  so  called  in  consequence  of  being  first  settled  and 
cultivated  by  German  families.  The  settlement  was  originally  called  Burnet's  Field,  from 
the  circumstance  that  the  patent  had  been  granted  by  Governor  Burnet.  The  patent 
comprehended  the  plain  and  slopes  westward  of  the  junction  of  West  Canada  Creek 

his  back  with  the  same  instrument,  besides  a  wound  in  his  side,  and  another  through  his  arm  with  a  mus- 
ket-ball." 


254 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Stone  Church,  German  Plata. 


Its  Pulpit. 


The  two  Pastors. 


Fort  Herkimer,  or  Dayton. 


^ifl 


Old  Stone  Chubch,  German  Flats 


and  the  Mohawk  River,  and  included  about  ten  miles  of  the  valley  east  and  w^est.      Toward 
the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Flats,  and  about  four  miles  west  of  Little  Falls,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  is  one  of  the  churches  which  were  erected  under  the  auspices  and  by  the  lib- 
eral contributions  of  Sir  William  Johnson.*     The 
church  is  of  stone,  but  is  somewhat  altered  in  its 
,*'  external  appearance.      The  walls  are  very  thick, 

and  it  has  square  buttresses  at  the  corners.  It 
was  altered  and  repaired  in  1811,  at  an  expense 
of  nearly  four  thousand  dollars.  The  roof  (for- 
merly steep)  was  raised,  an  upper  row  of  windows 
was  formed,  and  a  gallery  was  constructed  within. 
The  height  of  the  old  windows  is  indicated  by  the 
arches  seen  over  the  present  square  ones,  and  the 
eaves  were  just  above  the  key-stones.  The  orig- 
inal tower,  with  its  steeple,  was  similar  to  the  one 
at  Caughnawaga.  The  tower,  or  belfry,  was  open, 
and  in  it  was  placed  a  swivel  for  the  protection  of 
the  inhabitants  against  the  Indians,  or  to  sound  an 
alarm  to  the  people  on  the  neighboring  hills.  The 
pulpit,  although  newly  constructed  when  the  church 
was  repaired,  is  precisely  the  same,  in  style,  as  the 
original.  The  sounding- 
board  and  panels  in  front  are  handsomely  painted  in  imitation  of  in- 
laid work,  and  the  whole  has  an  elegant  appearance.  This  church 
has  never  been  without  a  pastor  since  its  construction  in  1767, 
yet  only  two  ministers  have  presided  over  the  flock  during  eighty 
years  of  its  existence.  The  first  was  the  Rev.  Abraham  Rosen- 
krans.  Before  the  church  was  built,  he  preached  to  the  people  in 
that  region  in  their  dwellings,  school-houses,  and  barns.  He  was 
installed  pastor  of  the  church  in  1767,  and  remained  there  until  his 
death  in  1796,  when  his  remains  were  deposited  beneath  the  pulpit. 
He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  John  P.  Spinner,  from  Germany,  who 
preached  in  the  German  language  exclusively  until  within  twenty 
years,  and  afterward  in  English  and  German  alternately.  He  died 
m  May,  1^48. 

A  few  rods  west  of  the  church  was  the  large  stone  mansion  of  the 
Herkimer  family,  which  was  stockaded  and  called  Fort  Herkimer. 
Around  this,  and  the  church,  the  humbler  dwellings  of  the  farmers  were  clustered,  for  so  fre 
quently  did  the  Indian  marauder  (and  as  frequently  the  unprincipled  Tory,  in  the  Revolu- 
tion) disturb  them,  that  they  dared  not  live  in  isolation.  Fort  Herkimer  became  a  prey  to 
public  vandalism  when  the  Erie  Canal  was  built.  The  waters  flow  in  part  over  the  site  of 
the  fort,  and  its  stones,  so  easily  quarried,  were  used  in  the  construction  of  a  lock  near  by. 
Two  miles  further  westward,  on  a  gravelly  plain  upon  the  north  side  of  the  river,  is  the 
pretty  little  village  of  Herkimer.  It  occupies  the  site  of  old  Fort  Herkimer,  erected  in  the 
early  part  of  the  Seven  Years'  War,  and  known  as  Fort  Dayton  during  the  Revolution,  oc- 
currences at  which  we  have  already  mentioned.      This  beautiful  region,  like  the  "  sweet  Vale 


The  Pulpit. 


^  It  was  built  upon  the  north  side  of  the  old  German  burying-ground.  Near  the  southern  wall  of  this 
church  is  a  large  brown  sand.stone  slab,  placed  there  by  the  provincial  government,  on  which  is  the  follow- 
ing  inscription  :   "  Here  reposes  the  body  of  John  Ring,  Esq.,  of  the  Kingdom  of  Ireland,  a  cap-' 

TAIN   of    his   majesty's   INDEPENDENT    COMPANY    OF    THE     PROVINCE,    WHO    DEPARTED    THIS    LIFE    THE    20tH 

DAY  OF  September,  1755,  in  the  30th  year  of  his  age."  Near  this  church,  it  is  said,  was  raised  the 
first  liberty-pole  in  1775.  White,  the  sheriff  of  Trj'on  county  at  that  time,  came  up  with  a  large  body  of 
militia  from  Johnstown  and  cut  it  down. 


I 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


2  55 


Aan  of  Fort  Herkimer.      Destruction  of  Andriutown.      Expedition  against  the  German  FlaU.      Destruction  of  the  Settlement 


FOBT  Heekimer.1 


of  AVyoming,"  was  disturbed  and  menaced  in  the  earlier  periods  of  the  war,  and  in  1778  it 

was  made  a  desolation. 


Ovviiifi^  to  the  distant  situation  of 
Fort  Schuyler,  its  parrison  allorded 
very  slight  protection  to  tliis  portion 
of  the  valley,  and  Fort  Dayton  had 
become  little  better  than  a  dilapida- 
ted block-house.  The  Tories  and 
Indians  were,  consequently,  bold  in 
their  marauding  expeditions,  and 
the  murderer  and  the  incendiary 
kept  the  patriots  in  continual  alarm. 
All  the  spring  and  summer  succeed- 
ing the  flight  of  St.  Leger  from  Fort 
Schuyler,  the  various  settlements  in 
Tryon  county  were  menaced.  In 
July,  a  secluded  hamlet  calted  An- 
drustown,  situated  about  six  miles 
southeast  of  the  German  Flats,  and 
composed  of  seven  families,  was  destroyed  by  a  party  of  savages,  under  Brant.  They  owned 
a  thousand  fertile  acres  among  the  hills  and  pleasant  valleys  toward  the  Otsego  Lake,  and 
plunder  seemed  to  be  the  sachem's  chief  object.  This  secured,  some  of  the  people  murdered, 
and  others  made  captive,  the  torch  was  applied,  and  the  whole  settlement  utterly  laid  waste. 

Success  made  the  Indians  more  greedy,  and  toward  the  close  of  August  they  hung 
like  a  gathering  storm  upon  the  hills  around  the  German  Flats.  Aroused  and  alarm- 
ed by  the  tragedy  at  Andrustown,  the  people  had  kept  scouts  on  the  alert,  and  the  approach 
of  Brant  from  Unadilla  toward  the  settlement  was  heralded  by  them  in  time  for  the  resi- 
dents to  prepare  for  the  coming  invasion.  These  scouts  came  in  hot  haste,  and  informed 
the  inhabitants  that  the  savages  would  be  upon  them  in  a  few  hours.  There  was  no  time 
to  look  after  and  secure  their  sheep  and  cattle,  but,  gathering  up  the  most  valuable  things 
which  they  could  carry  from  their  houses,  the  whole  settlement  took  refuge  in  Forts  Dayton 
and  Herkimer,  and  in  the  old  church. 

Brant,  with  three  hundred  Tories  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians,  reached  the  borders 
of  the  settlement  early  in  the  evening.*  It  was  a  dark  and  rainy  night,  and  he  lay  concealed 
in  a  ravine  near  Shoemakers  (where  Walter  Butler  Avas  captured  the  year  before)  until  near 
daylight,  when  his  warriors  were  called  to  duty,  and  soon  swept,  like  a  fierce  wind,  over  the 
plain.  The  houses  were  assailed,  but  neither  scalps  nor  prisoners  were  to  be  found  in  them. 
At  dawn  the  fires  were  kindled.  Barns,  filled  with  the  product  of  an  abundant  harvest  just 
gathered,  the  dwellings  of  the  people,  and  every  thing  combustible,  were  set  on  fire,  within 
view  of  the  sorrowing  fugitives  in  the  fort.  Having  nothing  but  small  arms,  the  savages 
did  not  attack  the  fort,  but,  having  laid  the  whole  plain  in  ashes,  collected  the  horses,  sheep, 

'  I  copied  this  cketch  from  a  manuscript  drawing  in  possession  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society.  It 
was  drawn  by  a  ]iri%ate  of  Captain  Ogelvie's  company,  and  presented  by  him  to  "  Charles  Clinton,  Esq.,* 
lieutenant  colonel  commanding,"  in  July,  1758.     Herkimer  is  there  spelled  Herekheimer. 

Explanation  aF  the  Sketch. — A,  the  parade  ;  B,  dwelling-house  ;  C,  barracks  ;  D,  guard-room ;  E, 
officers'  kitchen  ;  F,  the  well ;  G,  draw-bridge  ;  H  H,  &c.,  ten  swivel  guns  ;  K  K,  stockades ;  L,  the  oven  ; 
MM,  &c.,  sentry  boxes;  N,  smith's  shop;  0,  the  .Mohawk  River;  1,  terrace;  2,  trench;  3,  palisades; 
4,  parapet ;   5,  banqueting. 

*  At  the  time  in  question  there  were  thirty-four  hou-ses  and  as  many  barns  in  the  settlement  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  and  about  an  equal  number  on  the  north  side,  at  Fort  Dayton,  now  Herkimer  village. 

*  Charles  Clinton  emigrated  to  America  from  Ireland  (whither  his  family  fled  from  F.ngland  for  refuge  in  tho  time  of  Crom- 
well) in  1729,  and  in  1731  he  founded  a  settlement  in  Ulster  county.  New  York.  He  was  appointed  lieutenant  colonel  by  OoT- 
cmor  Delancy,  after  serving  with  distinction  under  Bradstreet  He  was  the  father  of  General  James  Clinton  (the  father  of  the 
late  Dewitt  Clinton)  and  of  Governor  George  Clinton,  of  the  Revolution.    He  died  Noremtjer  19,  1773,  aged  82  years. 


256 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Incursion  of  the  Oneidas  into  the  Unadilla  Settlement. 


Damage  to  the  Tories. 


Brant,  or  Thayendanegea. 


and  cattle,  and  drove  them  off  over  the  southern  hills. 
ily  collected,  and  pur- 
sued them  as  far  as 
Edmundston's  planta- 
tion, on  the  Unadilla 
River,  where  they 
found  three  scouts 
dead  ;  but  they  efl'ect- 
ed  nothing  in  the  way 
of  retaliation  or  the  re- 
covery of  property.  A 
party  of  friendly  Onei- 
das, however,  were 
more  successful.  They 
penetrated  the  Una- 
dilla settlement,  where 
Brant'*  had  his  head- 
quarters, burned  some 
of  the  Tory  houses, 
took  several  prisoners, 
and  brought  away 
some  of  the  cattle  tak- 
en from  the  people  at 
the  German  Flats.    A 


^^.^A 


Four  hundred  militia-men  were  hast- 
deputation  of  about  one 
hundred   Indian   war- 
riors   of   the    Oneidaa 
communicated  the  re- 
sult of  this  expedition 
to      Major     Cochran, 
then    in  command   of 
the   garrison    at   Fort 
Schuyler.     They  were 
a   part   of  those   who 
I     proffered  their  services 
I     to  General  Gates,  after 
/      the  first  battle  on  Be- 
'       mis's  Heights,  in  the 
autumn  previous. 

I  returned  to  Little 
Falls  toward  evening, 
and  the  lengthened 
shadows  of  the  hills 
and  trees  heightened 
the  picturesque  beau- 
ty of  the  scene.  The 
view,  on  approaching 


*  Joseph  Brant  (Thayendanegea)  was  a  Mohawk  of  pure  blood.  His  father  was  a  chief  of  the  Onondaga 
nation,  antl  had  three  sons  in  the  army  with  Sir  William  Johnson,  under  King  Hendriak.  in  the  battle  at 
Lake  George  in  1755.  Joseph,  his  youngest  son,  whose  Indian  name  was  Thayendaneirea,  which  signi- 
fies a  bundle  of  sticks,  or,  in  other  words,  strength,  was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  in  1742,  whither  his 
parents  immigrated  from  the  Mohawk  Valley.  His  mother  returned  to  Canajoharie  with  two  children, 
Mary,  or  Molly,  who  became  the  concubine  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  and  Thayendanegea.  His  father,  To 
howaghwengaraghkwin,  a  chief  of  the  Wolf  tribe*  of  the  Mohawks,  seems  to  have  died  in  the  Ohio  country. 

*  According  to  Golden,  each  of  the  original  Five  Nations  was  divided  into  three  tribes,  the  Tortoise  or  Turtle,  the  Bear,  and  tho 
Wolf.  Others  affirm  that  there  were  eight  divisions  in  each,  the  other  tribes 
being  the  Crane,  the  Snipe,  the  Hawk,  the  Beaver,  and  the  Deer.  The  first 
three  seem  to  have  been  pre-eminent;  and  among  the  Mohawks,  with  whom 
the  whites  had  more  direct  and  extensive  business  and  social  intercourse 
than  with  any  others,  these  only  were  known.  Title  deeds  to  lands,  and 
other  papers,  now  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Albany,  have  the 
signatures  or  marks  of  the  chiefs  of  these  three  ti'ibes  attached.  The  annex- 
ed cuts  are  fac-similes,  which  I  copied  from  the  originals.  No.  1  is  the  mark 
of  Teyaidagages,  or  Little  Hendrick,  of  the  Turtle  tribe  ;  No.  2,  that  oi  Kanadagea,  or  Hans,  chief  of 

the  Bear  tribe,  and  is  intended  to  represent  a  bear  lying  on 
his  back ;  No.  3  is  the  signature  and  hieroglyphic  of  Great 
Hendrick,  the  celebrated  chief  of  the  Wolf  tribe,  who  whs 
killed  near  Lake  George  in  1755.    Kanadagta  sometimes 


No.  1. 


made  a  simiile  cross,  thus : 


No.  3. 
Tinyahasara,  whom  we  have  noted  as  friendly  to  the  Americans,  made  a  mark  thus  : 


X 


^ 


Little  Abraunm,  or 


name  of  Daniel,  a  chief  of  the  Tortoise  tribe,  often  associated  with  that  of  Little  Abraliam  and 
chiefs  of  all  the  three  tribes  appear  to  have  been  essential  in  making  those  deeds  or  convey- 
ances legal.  Besides  the  eight  totums  here  named,  there  appears  to  have  been,  at  an  earlier 
date,  three  other  tribes,  the  Serpent,  tho  Porcupine,  and  the  Fox.  Giles  F.  Yates,  T'sq.,  of 
Schenectady,  one  of  our  most  indefatigable  antiquaries,  discovered  a  document  havin"  the 
marks  of  twenty-one  chiefs  and  that  of  a  woman  (Eusena)  attached.  Among  them  are  those 
oiTogwayenant,oi  \he  SerpenX.;  .Sa?iii<:r,  of  the  Porcupine  ;  and  5ymon,  of  the  Fox  tribe.  The 
date  of  tlie  document  is  1714.  It  is  not  my  province,  neither  have  I  the  space,  to  pursue  this 
interesting  subject  further,  in  this  connection. 


I  found  upon  several  papers  the 
of  Hans.    The  signatures  of  the 


ISLllK 


{ 


DaNIET.'s  SiGNATtJRE. 


1 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  257 


Return  to  LitUe  Falls.        Cole's  Pictures.        Scenery  at  LitUo  Falls.        Evidences  of  a  great  Cataract        Reinarkablo  Cavity. 

from  the  west,  changes  from  the  quiet  beauty  of  a  rolling  plain,  enriched  by  the  cultivator's 
art,  and  enlivened  by  a  gently  gliding  river,  to  the  rugged  grandeur  of  lofty  hills,  craggy 
steeps,  and  turbulent  cascades.  It  reminded  me  of  two  of  Cole's  beautiful  pictures  in  his 
"  Voyage  of  Life,"  wherein  is  depicted  the  course  of  an  ambitious  youth.  He  is  out  upon  a 
placid  stream,  so  full  of  self-confidence  that  his  guardian  angel  is  left  behind.  All  around 
is  beauty  and  repose.  The  stream  meanders  on  without  a  rifl',  but  in  the  distance  it  sweep.s 
with  a  majestic  curve  around  a  woodland  into  a  mysterious  region.  Onward  speeds  the  baric 
of  the  youthful  voyager  upon  the  gentle  current,  until  the  valley  becomes  narrower,  the  wa- 
ters run  swiftly,  the  tall  trees  and  beautiful  flowers  upon  its  banks  disapj)ear,  higli  and  bar- 
ren rocks  wall  in  his  view,  and  just  before  him  is  the  wild  leap  of  a  cataract  into  a  fearful 
gulf  below. 

The  village  of  Little  Falls  is  upon  the  rocky  bank  of  the  cascades,  and  only  westward 
can  the  eye  see  any  thing  from  it  but  rocks,  and  trees,  and  running  water  mingled  in  wild 
confusion.  Here  the  high  ridge  of  the  Alleghany  range,  which  divides  the  head  waters  of 
the  Mohawk  and  the  Ontario  streams  from  the  Susquehanna  and  other  Atlantic  rivers,  crosses 
the  Mohawk  Valley,  and  in  ages  long  past,  ere  the  great  Falls  of  Niagara  existed,  doubtles- 
formed  the  crown  of  a  cataract  almost  as  magnificent,  when  the  waters  of  Ontario  covered 
the  upper  valley,  and  a  portion  of  its  flood  here  found  its  way  into  the  great  lake  that  filled 
the  Hudson  basin,  whose  outlet,  in  turn,  was  among  the  rugged  hills 
of  the  Highlands  at  West  Point  and  vicinity.      Such  is  the  theory  -"^c 

of  the  geologist ;  and  never  had  opinion  stronger  presumptive  proofs 
of  its  correctness  than  are  found  at  Little  Falls."  An  obstruction 
here,  seventy  feet  in  height,  would  cause  the  waters  to  overflow  the 
Rome  summit,  and  mingle  with  those  of  Ontario  by  the  way  of  Wood 
Creek,  Oneida  Lake,  and  the  Oswego  River.  The  rugged  shores 
present  many  incontestible  evidences  of  abrasion  by  the  violent  action 
uf  water,  thirty  to  sixty  feet  above  the  present  bed  of  the  river. 
Many  of  them  are  circular  perpendicular  cavities  in  the  hard  rocks, 
which  are  composed  chiefly  of  gneiss,  granite,  and  hornblende.      In 

some  instances  masses  of  stratified  rocks  present  the  appearance  of  Cyclopean  architecture, 
as  seen  in  the  above  cut,*  and  hundreds  of  small  cavities,  far  above  the  present  bed  of  the 

His  mother,  after  her  return,  married  an  Indian  called  Carribogo  (news-carrier),  whom  the  whites  named 
Barnet ;  but,  by  wa}'  of  contraction,  he  was  called  Barnt,  and,  finally,  Brant.  Thayendanegea  was  called 
Joseph,  and  was  known  as  Brant's  Joseph,  or  Joseph  Brant.  Sir  William  Johnson  sent  young  Brant  to  the 
school  of  Dr.  Wheelock,  of  Lebanon  Crank  (now  Columbia),  Connecticut,  and,  after  he  was  well  educated, 
employed  him  as  secretary,  and  as  agent  in  public  aliliirs.  He  was  employed  as  missionary  interpreter 
from  1762  to  1765,  and  exerted  himself  for  the  religious  instruction  of  his  tribe.  When  the  Revolution 
broke  out,  he  attached  himself  to  the  British  cause,  and  in  1775  left  the  Mohawk  Valley,  went  to  Canada, 
and  finally  to  England,  where  his  education,  and  his  business  and  social  connection  with  Sir  William  John- 
son, gave  him  free  access  to  the  nobility.  The  Earl  of  Warwick  caused  Romney,  the  eminent  painter,  to 
make  a  portrait  of  him  for  his  collection,  and  from  a  print  after  that  picture  the  engraving  on  the  preceding 
page  was  made.  Throughout  the  Revolution  he  was  engaged  in  warfare  chiefly  upon  the  border  settlements 
of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  in  connection  with  the  Johnsons  and  Butlers.  He  held  a  colonels  commission 
from  the  king,  but  he  is  generally  called  Captain  Brant.  After  the  peace  in  1783,  Brant  ajjain  visited  En- 
gland, and,  on  returning  to  America,  devoted  himself  to  the  social  and  religious  improvement  of  the  Mohawks, 
who  were  settled  upon  the  Guise  or  Grand  River,  in  L'ppcr  Canada,  upon  lands  procured  for  them  by  Brani 
from  Sir  Frederic  Haldimand,  governor  of  the  province.  The  territory  embraced  six  miles  on  both  sides 
of  the  river,  from  its  mouth  to  its  source.  He  translated  the  Gospel  of  St.  Mark  into  the  Mohawk  lan- 
guage ;  and  in  many  ways  his  exertions  for  the  spiritual  and  temporal  welfare  of  his  people  were  eminently 
successful,  and  endeared  him  to  his  nation.  He  died  at  his  residence  at  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario,  Novem- 
ber 24th,  1807,  aged  65  years.  One  of  his  sons  (John)  was  an  ofTicer  in  the  British  service,  on  the  Niagara 
frontier,  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  daughter  married  William  J.  Kerr,  Esq.,  of  Niagara,  in  1824,  and,  I  bo. 
lieve,  is  still  living. 

'  This  name  was  given  in  contradistinction  to  the  Great  Falls,  now  called  Cohoes,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Mohawk. 

*  This  is  a  view  of  a  large  circular  cavity  on  the  western  shore  of  the  river  a  few  yards  from  the  rail- 
road, and  about  thirty  feet  above  its  bed.     On  the  side  of  the  cavity  toward  the  river  is  an  opening  about 

K 


258  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Gulf  below  Little  Falls.  The  Erie  Canal.  Greatness  of  the  Work.  An  Indian  Legend 

stream,  indicate  the  action  of  pebbles  in  eddies  of  water.  The  hills  on  either  side  rise  to  an 
altitude  of  nearly  four  hundred  feet,  and  from  that  height  the  ancient  cataract  may  have 
poured  its  flood.  Immediately  below  the  present  cascades  at  the  foot  of  Moss  Island,  or 
Moss  Rock,  the  river  expands  into  a  broader  basin,  more  than  one  hundred  feet  deep,  from 
whose  depths  rocky  spikes,  like  church  spires,  shoot  upward,  some  of  them  to  the  surface  of 
the  water.  Into  this  gulf  the  great  cataract  doubtless  poured  its  flood,  while  the  rocky 
cones,  too  hard  to  be  abraded,  resisted  the  unceasing  attrition  of  the  water  for  ages. 

I  strolled  along  the  rail-road  at  twilight,  by  the  margin  of  the  rapids  and  of  the  gulf  be- 
low ;  and  before  sunrise  I  went  down  upon  the  tow-path  to  view  the  scene  in  the  shadows 
of  early  morning.  Art  and  nature  here  vie  with  each  other  in  claims  upon  our  admiration. 
Here  the  former  exhibits  its  wonderful  triumphs,  and  the  latter  displays  its  beauty  and 
grandeur.  On  the  south  side  of  the  river  is  the  Erie  Canal,  the  passage  for  which  was  ex- 
cavated through  solid  rock  a  distance  of  two  miles.  'This  narrow  defile  presented  the  most 
formidable  obstruction  on  the  whole  line  of  that  great  work,  and  it  was  supposed  that  at 
least  two  years  would  be  required  to  complete  the  excavation.  Skill  and  persevering  indus- 
try accomphshed  the  most  difficult  portion  in  ninety  days.      The  waters  of  the  canal  here 

ten  feet  square,  and  over  the  entrance  is  a  massive  lintel,  which  appears  as  if  hewn  and  placed  there  by 
the  hands  of  man.  Within  the  large  cavity,  which  is  open  at  the  top,  are  smaller  ones  upon  its  concave 
sides.  Two  of  these  concavities  are  seen  in  the  engraving.  The  rocks  are  covered  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  shrubbery,  springing  from  the  rich  alluvial  deposits  in  the  fissures.  An  exploration  of  them  is 
dangerous,  for  some  of  the  fissures  are  broad  and  deep.  Indian  legends  invest  these  caverns  with  romantic 
interest.  One  of  them  I  will  repeat,  in  brief,  as  it  was  told  to  me,  for  it  is  identified  with  the  spot  repre- 
sented in  the  picture. 

Long  ago,  when  the  river  was  broader  and  the  falls  were  more  lofty,  a  feud  arose  between  two  young 
chiefs  of  the  respective  tribes  of  the  Mohawk  nation,  the  Wolf  and  the  Tortoise.  A  maiden  of  the  Bear 
tribe  was  the  cause  of  the  feud,  as  maidens  often  are.  She  was  loved  by  both  the  young  chiefs,  and  for  a 
time  she  so  coquetted  that  each  thought  himself  beloved  by  her  in  return.  Her  father  was  a  stern  old  war 
rior,  and  loved  his  child  tenderly.  Both  chiefs  had  fought  the  Mingoes  and  Mohegans  by  his  side,  and 
the  bravery  of  each  entitled  him  to  the  hand  of  the  maiden.  Her  affections  were  at  length  stirred  by  the 
more  earnest  importunities  of  the  Wolf,  and  she  promised  to  become  his  bride.  This  decision  reached  the 
ears  of  the  Tortoise,  and  the  embers  of  jealousy,  which  disturbed  both  while  unaccepted  suitors,  burst  into 
a  flame  of  ungenerous  revenge  in  the  bosom  of  the  disappointed  lover.  He  determined  to  possess  the  cov- 
eted treasure  before  the  Wolf  should  take  her  to  his  wigwam.  With  well-dissembled  acquiescence  in  her 
choice,  and  expressions  of  warm  friendship  for  herself  and  her  affianced,  he  allayed  all  suspicions,  and  the 
maiden  rambled  with  him  in  the  moonlight  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  when  her  affianced  was  away,  un- 
conscious of  danger.  The  day  approached  for  the  maiden  to  go  to  the  wigwam  of  her  lord.  The  Tortoise 
was  with  her  alone  in  a  secluded  nook  upon  the  brink  of  the  river.  His  light  canoe  was  near,  and  he  pro- 
posed a  voyage  to  a  beautiful  little  island  in  the  stream,  where  the  fire-flies  sparkled  and  the  whippoorwil! 
whispered  its  evening  serenade.  They  lanched,  but,  instead  of  paddling  for  the  island,  the  Tortoise  turned 
his  prow  toward  the  cataract.  Like  an  arrow  they  sped  down  the  swift  current,  while  the  young  chief,  with 
vigorous  arm,  paddled  for  the  western  shore.  Skillful  as  with  the  bow  and  hatchet,  he  steered  his  canoe 
to  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  here  pictured,  then  upon  the  water's  brink,  seized  the  aflVighted  maiden,  and 
leaped  ashore,  at  the  same  moment  securing  his  canoe  by  a  strong  green  withe.  The  cave  was  dry,  a 
soft  bed  of  the  skins  of  beasts  was  spread,  and  abundance  of  provision  was  there  stored.  At  the  top  of  the 
cave,  far  above  the  maiden's  reach,  an  opening  revealed  a  passage  through  the  fissures  to  the  rocks  above. 
It  was  known  only  to  the  Tortoise  ;  and  there  he  kept  the  maiden  many  months,  until  her  affianced  gave 
her  up  as  lost  to  him  forever.  At  length,  while  hunting  on  the  southern  hills  in  flowery  JVIay,  the  Wolf 
saw  the  canoe  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave.  It  solved  the  question  in  his  mind.  The  evening  was  clear,  and 
the  full  moon  shone  brightly.  He  waited  until  midnight,  when,  with  an  arm  as  strong  and  skill  as  accu- 
rate as  his  rival's,  he  steered  his  canoe  to  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  which  was  lighted  up  by  the  moon. 
By  its  light  he  saw  the  perfidious  Tortoise  sleeping  in  the  arms  of  an  unwilling  bride.  The  Wolf  smote 
the  Tortoise,  but  the  wound  was  slight.  The  awakened  warrior,  unable  to  grasp  his  hatchet,  bounded 
through  the  opening  at  the  top  of  the  cavern,  and  closed  it  with  a  heavy  stone.  The  lovers  embraced  in 
momentary  joy.  It  was  brief,  for  a  fearful  doom  seemed  to  await  them.  The  Tortoise  would  return  with 
power,  and  they  had  to  make  choice  of  death,  by  the  hatchet  of  the  rival  chief,  or  the  waters  of  the  cata- 
ract. The  latter  was  their  choice,  and,  in  affectionate  embrace,  they  sat  in  their  canoe  and  made  the  fear- 
ful leap.  The  frail  vessel  struck  propitiously  upon  the  boiling  waters,  and,  unharmed,  passed  over  the 
gulf  below.  Down  the  broad  stream  they  glided,  and  far  away,  upon  the  margin  of  the  lower  lake,  they 
lived  and  loved  for  two  generations,  and  saw  their  children's  children  go  out  to  the  battle  and  the  chase. 
In  the  long  line  of  their  descent,  tradition  av.rs,  came  Brant,  the  Mohawk  sachem,  the  strong  Wolf  of 
his  nation. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


259 


View  at  Little  Falls.- 


View  of  Little  Falls.     First  Settlement     Night  Attack  upon  the  SetUcment     Escape  of  Cox  and  Skinner.      Ride  to  Danube. 

descend  forty  feet  within  a  mile,  by  five  locks  ;   and  the  traveler  has  ample  time  to  view  the 

wild  scenery  while 

.  _^  passing  them.      On 

—  the  north  side  of  the 

J       ^'^  river  the  hard  rocks 

have  also  been  ex- 
cavated, for  the  rail- 
road which  travers- 
es the  high  bank  in 
its  winding  course. 
Altogetlicr,  art  and 
nature  have  here 
presented  a  scene 
worth  a  long  jour- 
ney to  behold. 

There  was  a 
small  settlement  at 
Little  Falls  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  A  Scotchman  named  Ellis  had  obtained,  through 
Sir  William  Johnson,  a  patent  for  the  mountain  gorge,  and  erected  flouring  mills  there. 
These  were  important  for  supplying  the  people  at  the  German  Flats  and  the  small  garrisons 
that  were  kept  at  Forts  Dayton  and  Herkimer.  A  party  of  Tories  and  Indians  in  1780 
joined  in  an  expedition  to  destroy  the  mills,  and  thus  cut  ofl'  the  supply  of  flour  for  the  Whig 
garrisons.  They  made  a  stealthy  descent,  under  cover  of  night.  The  mill  was  garrisoned 
by  about  a  dozen  men,  but  so  sudden  and  unexpected  was  the  attack,  that  only  a  few  shots 
were  exchanged,  and  one  man  killed,  before  its  defenders  fled  for  safety.  Some  leaped  from 
the  windows  when  the  Indians  entered,  and  others  concealed  themselves  below.  Two  men. 
Cox  and  Skinner,  hid  in  the  race-way,  under  the  water-wheel,  while  two  others,  Edick  and 
Getman,  leaped  into  the  race-way  above  the  mill,  and  attempted  to  conceal  themselves  by 
keeping  under  the  water  as  much  as  possible.  In  this  they  would  have  succeeded,  had  not 
the  assailants  set  the  mill  on  fire,  the  light  of  which  revealed  the  hiding-place  of  the  latter 
two,  and  they  were  made  prisoners.  Cox  and  Skinner  were  more  fortunate.  The  water- 
wheel  protected  them  from  the  burning  timbers  that  fell  around  them,  and  they  remained 
safe  in  their  hiding-place  until  the  enemy  had  departed.  The  object  of  the  assailants  was 
accomplished,  and  they  returned  to  their  rendezvous  among  the  hills,  carrying  with  them 
five  or  six  prisoners. 

After  breakfast  I  rode  down  to  Danube,  to  visit  the  residence  of  General  Herkimer  while 
living,  and  the  old  Castle  Church  near  the  dwelling-place  of  Brant  in  the  Revolution.  It 
was  a  pleasant  ride  along  the  tow-path,  between  the  canal  and  the  river.  Herkimer's  res- 
idence is  about  two  and  a  half  miles  below  Little  Falls,  near  the  canal,  and  in  full  view 


^  This  view  was  taken  from  the  rail-road  near  the  village,  looking  down  the  river.     On  the  right  is  seen 
the  Erie  Canal,  and  on  the  left,  and  more  in  the  foreground,  the 

Mohawk,  at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  with  the  rail-road  and  the  mag-  ,-«-r».,~_ 

netic  highway.  The  rugged  bluff  in  the  center  is  Moss  Rock, 
at  the  lower  extremity  of  which  is  the  gulf,  seen  in  the  annexed 
engraving.  This  view  is  from  the  tow-path,  below  Moss  Rook 
On  the  left  is  the  canal,  and  on  the  right  are  the  gulf  and  a  por- 
tion of  the  village  in  the  distance.  Mess  Rock  is  an  island,  form- 
ed by  the  canal  and  the  river.  The  summit  of  this  amorphous 
pile  has  been  suggested  as  an  appropriate  site  for  the  proposed  ■v^iCr*^' ' 
monument  to  the  memory  of  Dewitt  Clinton.  It  seems  to  me 
(hat  the  spot  is  singularly  appropriate  for  that  purpose.     The  Erie  Canal,  with  its  liiis\  ■  .  is  hin 

perpetual  memorial ;  and  here  is  the  point  where  the  most  wonderful  triumphs  were  achieved  m  the  con- 
struction of  that  stupendous  work.  Here,  too,  pass  all  travelers  to  and  from  Niagara  and  ilio  great  West 
from  the  eastward,  and  the  monument  would  bo  seen,  if  erected  there,  by  more  persons  than  at  any  other 
locality  that  may  be  named,  out  of  the  city  of  New  York. 


260 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Herkimer's  Residence. 


Hie  Family  Burial-ground. 


Public  Neglect  of  liis  Grave. 


Itu  Location 


Genebal  Hekkimees  Residence 


of  the  traveler  upon  the  rail-road,  half  a  mile  distant.      It  is  a  substantial  brick  edifice  , 

was  erected  in  1764,  and  was  a  splendid  man- 
sion for  the  time  and  place.  It  is  now  owned 
by  Daniel  Conner,  a  farmer,  who  was  modern- 
izing it  when  I  was  there,  by  building  a  long, 
fashionable  piazza  in  front,  in  place  of  the  small 
old  porch,  or  stoop,  seen  in  the  picture.  He 
was  also  imjjroving  some  of  the  rooms  within. 
The  one  in  which  General  Herkimer  died  (on 
the  right  of  the  front  entrance),  and  also  the 
one  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  passage,  are  left 
precisely  as  they  were  when  the  general  occu- 
pied the  house  ;  and  Mr.  Conner  has  the  good 
taste  and  patriotism  to  preserve  them  so. 
These  rooms  are  handsomely  wainscoted  with 
white  pine,  wrought  into  neat  moldings  and 
panels,  and  the  casements  of  the  deep  windows 
are  of  the  same  material  and  in  the  same  style. 
Mr.  Conner  has  carefully  preserved  the  great 
lock  of  the  front  door  of  the  castle — for  castle  it  really  was,  in  strength  and  appointments 
against  Indian  assaults.  It  is  sixteen  inches  long  and  ten  wide.  Close  by  the  house  is  a 
subterranean  room,  built  of  heavy  masonry  and  arched,  which  the  general  used  as  a  maga- 
zine for  stores  belonging  to  the  Tryon  county  militia.  It  is  still  used  as  a  store-room,  but 
with  more  pacific  intentions. 

The  family  burial-ground  is  upon  a  knoll  a  few  rods  southeast  of  the  mansion,  and  there 
rest  the  remains  of  the  gallant  soldier,  as  secluded  and  forgotten  as  if 
they  were  of  "  common  mold."  Seventy  years  ago  the  Continental 
Congress,  grateful  for  his  services,  resolved  to  erect  a  monument  to  his 
memory,  of  the  value  of  five  hundred  dollars ;  but  the  stone  that  may 
yet  be  reared  is  still  in  the  quarry,  and  the  patriot  inscription  to  declare 
its  intent  and  the  soldier's  worth  is  not  yet  conceived.  Until  1847, 
no  stone  identified  his  grave.  Then  a  plain  marble  slab  was  set  up, 
with  the  name  of  the  hero  upon  it ;  and  when  I  visited  it  (1848),  it 
was  overgrown  with  weeds  and  brambles.  It  was  erected  by  his  grand- 
nephew,  W,  Herkimer.  The  consecrated  spot  is  in  the  possession 
of  strangers,  and,  but  for  this  timely  effort  to  preserve  the  identity  of  the  grave,  the  visitor 
might  soon  have  queried,  with  the  poet  in  search  of  General  Wooster's  resting-place  • 

"  0  say,  can  none  tell  where  the  chieftain  was  laiJ  ? 
Where  our  hero  in  glory  is  sleeping  ? 
Alas  !  shall  we  never  more  seek  out  his  grave, 
While  fame  o'er  his  memory  is  weeping?" 

Although  General  Herkimer  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  his  death 
was  the  result  of  unskillful  treatment,  and,  if  tradition  speaks  truth,  of  criminal  indulgence 
of  appetite  on  the  part  of  his  surgeon.  He  was  conveyed  from  the  field  on  a  litter  to  his 
residence.  The  weather  was  sultry,  and  the  wound,  which  was  a  few  inches  below  the 
August  16,     knee,  became  gangrenous.      Nine  days  after  the  battle,  a  young  French  surgeon, 

1777.  ^^\^Q  accompanied  Arnold  in  his  march  up  the  valley,  recommended  amputation. 
Dr.  Petrie,  the  general's  medical  adviser,  was  opposed  to  amputation,  but  it  was  done.  The 
performance  of  the  surgeon  was  so  unskillful  that  the  flow  of  blood  was  with  great  difficulty 
stanched.  Indeed,  the  bleeding  was  not  entirely  checked,  and  it  was  thought  advisable  for 
the  surgeon  and  his  assistant  to  remain  with  the  general,  as  his  situation  was  very  critical. 
Colonel  Willett  called  to  see  him  soon  after  the  operation,  and  found  him  sitting  up  in  his 


Herkimer's  Grave 


OF   THE   REVOLUTIOxN. 


2g: 


IncidenU  of  Herkimer's  Death.        Castle  Church.        Residence  and  Farm  of  Brant       Fort  Plain.        Plan  of  the  Fortificatiorv 

bed,  as  cheerful  as  usual,  and  smoking  his  pipe.  The  blood  continued  to  flow,  and  what 
little  skill  the  surgeon  possessed  was  rendered  useless  by  indulgence  in  wine.  No  otliur  pliy- 
sician  was  at  hand,  and  toward  evening,  the  blood  still  llowing,  the  general  became  convinced 
that  his  end  was  near.  He  called  for  the  Bible,  and  read  composedly,  in  the  presence  ol" 
his  family  and  others,  the  thirty-eighth  psalm,  applying  the  deep,  penitential  confessions  of 
the  poem  to  his  own  case.  He  closed  the  book,  sank  back  upon  his  pillow,  and  expired. 
Stone  justly  observes,  "  If  Socrates  died  like  a  philosopher,  and  Rousseau  like  an  unbeliev- 
ing sentimentalist.  General  Herkimer  died  like  a  Ciirlstian  hero."' 

The  Castle  Church,  as  it  is  called — the  middle  one  of  the  three  constructed  under  the 

were  often  entertained  before  he- 
took  up  the  war-hatchet,  stood 
about  seventy-five  rods  north 
ward  of  the  church.  Bricks 
and  stones  of  the  foundation 
were  still  to  be  seen  in  an  apple 
orchard  north  of  the  road,  and 
the  locality  was  well  defined, 
when  I  visited  it,  by  rank  weeds, 
nowhere  else  in  the  field  so  lux- 
uriant. I  returned  to  Little 
Falls  in  time  to  dine  and  to  take 
the  western  train  at  one  o'clock 
for  Fort  Plain,  seventeen  miles 
down  the  Mohawk. 

Fort  Plain  (near  the  junction 
of  Osquaga  Creek  and  the  Mo- 


auspices  of  Sir  William  John- 
son— is  still  standing  (1848), 
two  and  a  half  miles  below  the 
Herkimer  mansion.  It  is  a 
wooden  building,  and  was  orig- 
inally so  painted  as  to  resemble 
stone.  Its  present  steeple  is  not 
ancient,  but  its  form  is  not  un- 
like that  of  the  original.  Hero 
the  pious  Kirkland  often  preach- 
ed the  Gospel  to  the  heathen, 
and  here  Brant  and  his  compan- 
ions received  lessons  of  heaven- 
ly wisdom.  The  church  stood 
upon  land  that  belonged  to  the 
sachem,  and  the  house  of  Brant, 
where    Christian    missionaries 


Castle  Church. 


hawk),  one  of  the  numerous  comely  children  brought  forth  and  fostered  by  the  prolific  com- 
merce of  the  Erie  Canal,  is  near  the  site  of  the  fortification  of  that  name,  erected  in  the  Rev- 
olution. This  fort  was  eligibly  situated  upon  a  high  plain  in  the  rear  of  the  village,  and 
commanded  an  extensive  sweep  of  the  valley  on  the  right  and  left.  A  sort  of  defense  was 
thrown  up  there  by  the  people  in  the  early  part  of  the  war,  but  the 
fort  proper  was  erected  by  the  government  after  the  alarming  demon 
strations  of  the  Indians  in  the  Mohawk  and  Schoharie  Valleys  in 
1778.  For  a  while  it  was  an  important  fortress,  afibrding  protec- 
tion to  the  people  in  the  neighborhood,  and  forming  a  key  to  the  com- 
munication with  the  Schoharie,  Cherry  Valley,  and  Unadilla  settle- 
ments. Its  form  was  an  irregular  quadrangle,  with  earth  and  log 
bastions,  embrasures  at  each  corner,  and  barracks  and  a  strong  block- 
house within.      The  plain  on  which  it  stood  is  of  peninsular  form, 

'  I  was  unsuccessful  in  my  search  for  information  respecting  the  career  of  General  Herkimer  in  youth 

and  early  manhood.  He  left  no  children.  Those  of  the  family  name  are  descendants  of  his  only  brother, 
George  Herkimer.  His  family  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  German  Flats,  and,  though  opulent  ac- 
cording to  the  standard  of  his  times,  he  seems  to  have  been  quite  uneducated.  An  old  man  whom  I  saw 
near  the  Flats  remembered  him  as  "  a  large,  square-built  Dutchman,"  and  supposed  him  to  have  been  about 
65  years  old  when  he  died.  Should  this  meet  the  eye  of  any  of  his  descendants,  they  will  confer  a  favor  upon 
the  author  by  communicating  to  him  any  information  they  may  possess  concerning  the  general  and  hia  im- 
mediate family. 

*  An  aged  resident  of  Fort  Plain,  Mr.  David  Lipe,  whose  house  is  near  the  canal,  below  the  old  fortifica- 
tion, went  over  the  ground  with  me,  and  I  made  a  survey  of  the  outlines  of  the  fort  according  to  his  direc 
tions.  He  aided  in  pulling  down  the  block-house  when  it  was  demolished  after  the  war,  and  his  memory 
seemed  to  be  very  accurate.  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  much  of  the  information  here  recorded  concerning 
Fort  Plain. 

Explanation  of  the  Plan. — The  black  line  represents  the  parapet;  a,  the  large  blook-house ;  bbbb, 
small  block-houses  at  each  bastion;  cr,  barracks.  There  were  two  large  apple-trees  within  the  fort,  and 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  hiU  is  the  living  spring  that  supplied  the  garrison  with  water. 


a  6a 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Fort  Plain  Blockhouse. 


Trial  ofita  Strength. 


Invasion  of  the  Settlement. 


True  Location  of  Fort  Plain 


FoET  Plain  Block-house.i 


and  across  the  neck,  or  isthmus,  a  breast-work  was  thrown  up.      The  fort  extended  along 
,  the  brow  of  the  hill  northwest  of  the  village,  and  the  block- 

house was  a  few  rods  from  the  northern  declivity.  This  block- 
house was  erected  in  1780,  after  the  fort  and  barracks  were 
found  to  be  but  a  feeble  defense,  under  the  supervision  of  a 
French  engineer  employed  by  Colonel  Gansevoort.  The  lat- 
ter, by  order  of  General  Clinton,  then  in  command  of  the 
Northern  Department,  had  repaired  thither  with  his  regiment, 
to  take  charge  of  a  large  quantity  of  stores  destined  for  Fort 
Schuyler.  Ramparts  of  logs  and  earth  were  thrown  up,  and 
a  strong  block-house  was  erected,  a  view  of  which  is  here 
given.  It  was  octagonal  in  form,  three  stories  in  height,  and 
composed  of  hewn  timbers  about  fifteen  inches  square.  There 
were  numerous  port-holes  for  musketry,  and  in  the  lower  story 
three  or  four  cannons  were  placed.  The  first  story  was  thirty 
feet  in  diameter,  the  second  forty,  and  the  third  fifty.  Each 
of  the  upper  stories  projected  about  five  feet,  and  in  the  floor  of  each  projection  there  were 
also  port-holes,  through  which  to  fire  perpendicularly  upon  an  enemy  below.  The  powder 
magazine  of  the  fort  was  placed  directly  under  the  block-house  for  protection. 

Some  time  after  the  completion  of  the  work,  doubts  were  expressed  of  its  being  cannon- 
ball  proof  A  trial  was  made  with  a  six  pounder  placed  at  a  proper  distance.  Its  ball 
passed  entirely  through  the  block-house,  crossed  a  broad  ravine,  and  lodged  in  the  hill  on 
which  the  old  parsonage  stands,  an  eighth  of  a  mile  distant.  This  proved  the  inefficiency 
of  the  building,  and  its  strength  was  increased  by  lining  it  with  heavy  planks.  In  order  to 
form  a  protection  for  the  magazine  against  hot  shot,  the  little  garrison  that  was  stationed 
there  in  1782  commenced  throwing  up  a  bank  of  earth  around  the  block-house.  Rumors 
of  peace,  and  the  quiet  that  then  prevailed  in  that  valley,  caused  the  work  to  cease,  and, 
August,  li-ippily'  its  resumption  was  never  demanded.  The  mounds  which  were  raised  on 
^^'^^-  the  south  side  of  the  block-house  were  yet  quite  prominent  when  I  visited  the  locality. 
This  place  was  included  in  the  Canajoharie  settlement,  and  in  1780  felt  severely  the 
vengeance  of  the  Tories  and  Indians,  inflicted  in  return  for  terrible  desolations  wrought  by 
an  army  under  Sullivan,  the  }>revious  year,  in  the  Indian  country  west  of  the  white  settle- 
ments. The  whole  region  on  tho  south  of  the  Mohawk,  for  several  miles  in  this  vicinity, 
was  laid  waste.  The  approach  of  the  dreaded  Thayendanegea  along  the  Canajoharie  Creek, 
with  about  five  hundred  Indians  and  Tories,  to  attack  the  settlement  at  Fort  Plain,  was  an- 
August  2  nounced  to  the  people,  then  engaged  in  their  harvest  fields,  by  a  woman  who  fired 
^~'^^-  a  cannon  at  the  fort.  The  larger  portion  of  militia  had  gone  with  Gansevoort  t< 
guard  provisions  on  their  way  to  Fort  Schuyler,  and  those  who  remained,  with  the  boys  and 
old  men,  unable  to  defend  their  lives  or  property,  fled  into  the  fort  for  protection.  In  their 
approach  the  enemy  burned  every  dwelling  and  barn,  destroyed  the  crops,  and  carried  ofi" 
every  thing  of  value.  Regardless  of  the  strength  of  the  fort,  they  marched  boldly  up  within 
cannon-shot  of  the  intrenchments,  burned  the  church,  the  parsonage,  and  many  other  build- 


'  There  is  considerable  confusion  in  the  accounts  concerning  Fort  Plain,  for  which  there  is  no  necessity. 
There  was  a  stockade  about  two  miles  southwest  of  Fort  Plain,  called  Fort  Clyde,  in  honor  of  Colonel  Clyde, 
an  olficer  in  the  Tryon  county  militia ;  and  another  about  the  same  distance  northwest,  called  Fort  Plank, 
or  Blank,  from  the  circumstance  that  it  stood  upon  land  owned  by  Frederic  Blank.  The  latter  and  Fort 
Plain  have  been  confounded.  Mr.  Stone  erroneously  considered  them  as  one,  and  says,  in  his  Life  of  Brant 
(ii.,  95),  "  The  principal  work  of  defense,  then  called  Fort  Plank,  and  subsequently  Fort  Plain,  was  situated 
upon  an  elevated  plain  overlooking  the  valley,  near  the  site  of  the  village  still  retaining  the  name  of  the 
fortress."  Other  writers  have  regarded  the  block-house  as  the  fort,  when,  in  fact,  it  was  only  a  part  of  the 
fortifications.  The  drawing  here  given  is  from  one  published  in  Stone's  Life  of  Brant,  with  a  description 
from  the  Fort  Plain  Journal  of  December  26th,  1837.  Mr.  Lipe  considered  it  a  correct  view,  except  tho 
lower  story,  which,  it  was  his  impression,  was  square  instead  of  octagonal,  and  had  four  port-holes  foK 
heavy  ordnance. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


263 


A  Female's  Presence  of  Mind. 


BuiTiing  of  the  Church. 


Indians  deceived. 


TarJinena  of  Colonel  Wcmplo. 


ings,  and  carried  off  several  women  and  children  prisoners.      The  house  of  Johannes  Lipe, 


the  father  of  David,  my  informant, 
which  is  still  standing,  was  saved  from 
plunder  and  fire  by  the  courage  and 
presence  of  mind  of  his  wife.  She  had 
been  busy  all  the  evening  carrying  her 
most  valuable  articles  from  her  house 


Lll'K  3   lluL'Si;. 


to  a  place  of  conceahueut  in  a  hollow 
at  the  rear,  and  had  made  several  de- 
posites  there.  The  last  time  she  re- 
turned she  met  two  p)owling  Indians 
at  the  gale.  She  was  familiar  with 
their  language,  and,  without  any  ap- 


Old  Parsonage  akd  Chukch.' 


parent  alarm,  inquired  of  them  if  they  knew  any  thing  of  her  two  brolliers,  who  were  among 
the  Tories  that  fled  to  Canada.      Fortunately,  the  savages  had  seen  them  at  Oswogatchie, 
and,  supposing  her  to  be  a  Tory  likewise,  they  walked  off,  and  the  house  -was  spared. 
The  church  spire  had  a  bright  brass  ball  upon  it,  which  the  Indians  believed  was  gold. 

While    the    edifice   was  burning,   they 
waited  anxiously  lor  the  steeple  to  fall, 
_  that  they  might  secure  the  prize.    When 

^■."-.'.  ^-'  -j^^**-^©***-- .  -  it  feii^  the  savages  rushed  ibrward,  scat- 

tered the  burning  timbers,  and  several 
of  them  in  succession  seized  the  glitter- 
ing ball.  It  was  speedily  dropped,  as 
each  paid  the  penalty  of  blistered  fin- 
gers, and  discovered  that  "  all  is  not 
gold  that  glistens." 

With  the  destruction  of  Fort  Plain 
the  devastation  was,  for  the  time,  stayed. 
In  a  day  the  fairest  portion  of  the  valley 
had  been  made  desolate.  Fifty-three  dwellings  and  as  many  barns  were  burned,  sixteen  of 
the  inhabitants  were  slain,  and  between  fifty  and  sixty  persons,  chiefly  women  and  children, 
were  made  captives.  More  than  three  hundred  cattle  and  horses  were  driven  away,  the  im- 
plements of  husbandry  were  destroyed,  and  the  ripe  grain-fields,  just  ready  for  the  sickle,  were 
laid  in  ashes."  The  smoke  was  seen  as  far  as  Johnstown,  and  the  people  immediately  left 
the  fields  and  joined  the  Albany  and  Schenectady  militia,  then  marching  up  the  valley, 
under  Colonel  Wemple.  The  colonel  seemed  to  be  one  of  those  men  who  deem  prudence 
the  better  part  of  valor,  and  was  opposed  to  forced  marches,  particularly  when  in  pursuit 
of  such  fierce  enemies  as  were  just  then  attracting  his  attention.  He  managed  to  reach 
Fort  Plain  in  time  to  see  the  smouldering  embers  of  the  conflagration,  and  to  rest  securely 
within  its  ramparts  that  night.  The  work  of  destruction  was  over,  and  the  Indians  and 
Tories  were  away  upon  another  war-path. 

At  Fort  Plain  I  was  joined  by  my  traveling  companions,  whom  I  had  left  at  Syracuse, 
and  made  it  my  headquarters  for  three  days,  while  visiting  places  of  interest  in  the  vicinity. 
It  being  a  central  point  in  the  hostile  movements  in  Tryon  county,  from  the  time  of  the 
flight  of  St.  Leger  from  before  Fort  Stanwix  until  the  close  of  the  war,  we  will  plant  our 
telescope  of  observation  here  for  a  time,  and  view  the  most  important  occurrences  within  this 
particular  sweep  of  its  speculum.  The  battle  of  Minisink,  and  the  more  terrible  tragedy  in 
the  Valley  of  W^yoming,  radii  in  the  hostile  operations  of  the  Indians  and  Tories  from  our 
point  of  view,  will  be  noticed  in  other  chapters.  It  is  difficult  to  untie  the  complicated  knot 
of  events  here,  and  make  all  parts  perspicuous,  without  departing  somewhat  from  the  plan 
of  the  work,  and  taking  up  the  events  in  chronological  order.  Every  thing  being  subordin- 
ate to  the  history,  I  shall,  therefore,  make  such  departure  for  the  present,  and  reserve  my 

notes  of  travel  until  the  story  of  the  past  is  told. 

I  This  view  is  from  the  high  plain  on  the  righTof  the  block-house,  looking  north.  The  building  upon  the 
hill  across  the  ravine  is  the  old  parsonage,  which  was  immediately  built  upon  the  ruins  of  the  one  that  was 
burned.  On  the  left  I  have  placed  a  church  in  its  proper  relative  position  to  the  parsonage,  as  indicated 
by  Mr.  Lipe.  It  was  about  half  a  mile  northwest  of  the  fort.  On  the  right  are  seen  the  Mohawk  River 
and  Plain,  a  train  of  cars  in  the  distance,  and  the  hills  that  bound  the  view  on  the  nortn  side  of  the  Mohawk 
Valley,  in  the  direction  of  Stone  Arabia  and  Klock's  Field,  where  two  battl.-s  were  foujrht  in  1780.  These 
will  be  hereafter  noticed.  ''  Letter  of  Colonel  Clyde  to  Oovernor  Clinton. 


2  64 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Aspect  of  Affairs  in  Tryon  County.  The  Western  Indians.  Girty  and  his  Associates.  Fidelity  of  White  Eyea. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ARK  and  threatening  was  the  aspect  of  afiairs  for  the  people  of  the 
Mohawk  Valley,  in  the  spring  of  1778,  the  year  succeeding  the  disper- 
sion of  St.  Leger's  motley  force  at  Fort  Schuyler.  Brant,  with  his 
warriors,  retired  to  Fort  Niagara  after  that  event,  and  during  the 
autumn  and  winter  he  and  the  British  and  Tory  leaders  made  exten- 
sive preparations  for  war  the  ensuing  spring.  Colonel  Hamilton  wa.s 
in  command  at  Detroit,  engaged  actively  in  endeavors  to  induce  the 
tribes  along  the  southern  shores  of  the  western  lakes  and  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  to  join  the  four  divisions  of  the  Six  Nations 
of  New  York'  who  were  in  alliance  with  the  crown  against  the  pa- 
triots. He  was  aided  by  three  malignant  Tories,  M'Kee,  Elliot,  and  Simon  Girty.*  They 
had  been  confined  at  Pittsburgh,  but,  escaping,  they  traversed  the  country  thence  to  Detroit, 
and  by  proclaiming  that  the  Americans  had  resolved  on  the  destruction  of  the  Indians,  and 
that  their  only  safety  consisted  in  the  immediate  alliance  of  the  Delawares  and  Shawnees 
with  the  soldiers  of  the  king,  aroused  these  tribes  to  a  desire  for  war.  Already  they  had 
been  excited  against  the  whites  in  general  by  the  irruption  into  their  county  of  Daniel  Boon 
and  others  (of  which  I  shall  hereafter  write),  and  they  listened  favorably  to  the  appeal  of 
the  refugees.  The  expedition  of  M'Intosh  into  the  Ohio  Valley  gave  apparent  confirmation 
to  the  assertions  of  the  Tories,  and  Captain  Pij^e  (the  rival  chief  of  White  Eyes  of  the  Del- 
awares, a  fast  friend  of  the  Americans)  at  once  assembled  his  warriors,  and  urged  them  to 
follow  him  immediately  upon  the  war-path.  He  proclaimed  every  one  an  enemy  who  should 
speak  against  his  proposition.  But  White  Eyes,  the  beloved  of  all,  persuaded  his  people  to 
desist,  and  sent  a  message^  to  the  Shawnees,  which  had  the  effect  to  keep  them  in  check  for 
a  time.  We  shall  consider  the  Indian  wars  in  the  Ohio  country  in  detail  in  a  future  chapter. 
The  Johnsons  and  Colonel  John  Butler  were  also  active  at  this  juncture  upon  the  St. 
Lawrence,  recruiting  Tory  refugees,  and  inducing  the  Caughnawagas  and  other  tribes  to  take 
up  the  hatchet ;  and  at  the  dawn  of  the  year  a  powerful  combination  was  in  progress,  which 
threatened  the  destruction  of  all  the  settlements  in  the  Mohawk  and  Schoharie  Valleys. 

Two  of  the  Six  Nations,  the  Oneidas  and  the  Tuscaroras,  were  still  faithful  to  their  pledge 
of  neutrality,  nor  were  the  tribes  of  the  other  four  yet  generally  in  arms.  Congress,  there- 
Ibre,  resolved  to  make  another  effort  to  secure  their  neutrality,  if  not  a  defensive  alliance.* 

'  The  Mohawks,  Senecas,  Onondagas,  and  Cayugas. 

"  Girty  was  an  unmitigated  scoundrel,  and  was  I'ar  more  savage  in  his  feelings  than  the  Indians.  He 
was  present  when  Colonel  Crawford  was  tortured  by  the  Indians  in  1782,  and  looked  upon  his  agonies  with 
demoniac  pleasure.  The  same  year  he  caused  the  expulsion  of  the  peaceful  Moravians,  who  were  laboring 
usefully  among  the  Wyandots ;  and  he  personally  ill  treated  them  when  driven  away.  He  instigated  an 
Indian  warrior,  at  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair  in  1791,  to  tomahawk  the  American  General  Butler,  who  lay 
wounded  on  the  field,  and  to  scalp  him,  and  take  out  his  heart  for  distribution  among  the  tribes.  There 
were  some  Tories,  even  active  ones,  whom  we  can  respect ;  but  miscreants  like  Girty  and  Walter  Butler, 
of  the  Mohawk  Valley,  present  no  redeeming  quality  to  plead  for  excuse. 

*  The  message  was  as  follows  :  "  Grandchildren,  ye  Shawnees  :  Some  days  ago  a  flock  of  birds 
(M'Kee,  Elliot,  and  Girty],  that  had  come  on  from  the  east,  lit  at  Gaschochking,  imposing  a  song  of  theirs 
upon  us,  which  song  had  nigh  proved  our  ruin.  Should  these  birds,  which,  on  leaving  us,  took  their  flight 
toward  Soioto,  endeavor  to  impose  a  song  on  you  likewise,  do  not  listen  to  them,  for  they  lie." 

■•  A  resolution  to  this  effect  was  adopted  by  Congress  on  the  2d  of  February,  1778.  They  instructed  the 
commissioners  to  "  Speak  to  the  Indians  in  language  becoming  the  representatives  of  free,  sovereign,  and 
independent  states,  and  in  such  a  tone  as  to  convince  them  that  they  felt  themselves  so." — Journals  of 
Congress,  iv.,  63. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  265 


Council  at  Johnstown.         Disposition  of  the  Different  Nations.         Colonel  Campbell  and  La  Fayotte.         Forta  itrongthencd. 

A  council  was  called,  and  the  chiefs  of  all  the  Six  Nations  were  invited  to  attend.  Gen- 
eral Schuyler  and  Volkert  P.  Douw  Avere  appointed  commissioners  to  attend  the  meeting  and 
act  in  behalf  of  Congress.  They  requested  Governor  Clinton  to  send  a  special  commissioner 
to  be  present  at  the  council,  and  James  Duane  was  accordingly  appointed.  The  council 
met  at  Johnstown  on  the  9th  of  March.  More  than  seven  hundred  Indians  wero 
present,  consisting  of  Tuscaroras,  Oneidas,  and  Onondagas,  a  small  number  of  jNIuhawks,  ^^^^ 
three  Cayugas,  but  not  one  of  the  Seuecas,  the  most  powerful  and  warlike  tribe  of  tho  cou- 
federacy.  The  latter  not  only  refused  to  attend,  but  sent  a  message  aliccting  grrat  surprise 
that  they  were  invited  to  such  a  council.'  It  is  not  certainly  known  that  General  Scluiyler 
was  present  at  the  meeting.  La  Fayette  accompanied  Duane,  and  tho  latter  seems  to  have 
conducted  the  proceedings  on  the  part  of  Congress.  They  were  opened  by  an  address  from 
that  body,  charging  the  Indians  with  perfidy,  cruelty,  and  treachery,  while  the  conduct  of 
the  United  States  had  been  true  and  magnanimous  toward  them.  An  old  Onondaga  hypo- 
critically acknowledged  and  bewailed  the  sins  of  his  tribe,  but  charged  them  upon  ihe  young 
and  headstrong  warriors  who  had  been  seduced  by  the  Tory  leaders.  The  Mohawks  and 
Cayugas  were  sullen  and  silent,  while  an  Oneida  chief,  conscious  of  the  faithfulness  of  his 
own  tribe  and  of  the  Tuscaroras,  spoke  eloquently  in  behalf  of  both,  concluding  with  a  solemn 
assurance  that  the  United  States  might  rely  upon  their  abiding  friendship.  Those  two  tribes 
were  applauded  by  the  commissioners,  while  the  others  were  dismissed  with  an  admonition 
to  look  well  to  their  ways,  as  the  arm  of  the  United  States  was  powerful,  and  vengeance 
might  penetrate  the  remotest  settlements  of  the  Senecas.  The  council,  on  the  whole,  was 
unsatisfactory,  for  it  was  evident  that  the  most  warlike  and  important  tribes,  with  Brant  at 
their  head,  still  brooded  over  their  loss  at  Oriskany,  and  were  determined  on  revenge. 

While  La  Fayette  was  at  Johnstown,  Colonel  Samuel  Campbell,  of  Cherry  Valley,  waited 
upon  him  and  directed  his  attention  to  the  exposed  condition  of  that  settlement  and  of  those 
upon  the  Schoharie  Creek.  The  people  had  built  three  slight  fortifications  the  preceding 
year,  but  they  were  quite  insufficient  for  sure  protection.  They  were  merely  embankments 
of  earth  thrown  up  around  strong  stone  houses,  and  stockaded,  into  which  the  women  and 
children  might  flee  for  safety  in  the  event  of  an  invasion.  They  were  respectively  known  as 
the  Upper,  Middle,  and  Lower  Forts. ^  By  direction  of  La  Fayette,  these  were  each  manned 
by  a  company  of  soldiers,  with  a  small  brass  field  piece.  lie  also  directed  a  fort  to  be  erected 
in  the  Oneida  country,  and  Forts  Schuyler  and  Dayton  to  be  strengthened  ;  and,  as  we  have 
already  noticed.  Fort  Plain  was  afterward  enlarged  and  more  strongly  fortified.  These  and 
I'ar  more  efficient  preparations  for  defense  were  necessary ;  for  the  recovery  of  the  Mohawk 
Valley,  where  their  property  was  situated,  was  an  object  too  important  to  the  Johnsons,  But- 
lers, and  the  large  number  of  refugees  who  accompanied  them  to  Canada,  not  to  induce  ex- 
traordinary efforts  for  its  attainment.  Their  spies  and  scouts  were  out  in  every  direction, 
and,  at  the  very  time  of  the  council  at  Johnstown,  Colonel  Guy  Carleton,  a  nephew  of  the 
Governor  of  Canada  of  the  same  name,  was  lurking  in  the  neighborhood,  to  watch  the  actions 
and  to  report  upon  the  dispositions  of  the  chiefs  in  conclave.  His  employers  at  the  same 
lime  were  upon  the  frontiers,  preparing  ibr  invasion. 

'  "  It  is  stranc;e,"  said  the  messenger,  "  that  while  your  tomahawks  are  sticking  in  our  heads  [referrinR 
to  the  battle  of  Oriskany],  our  wounds  bleeding,  and  our  eyes  streaming  with  tears  for  tho  loss  of  our  friends 
at  German  Flats  [Oriskany],  the  commissioners  should  think  of  inviting  us  to  a  treaty." — From  a  MS.  Let- 
ter  of  James  Duane,  cited  by  Stone. 

'^  These  were  situated  in  the  Schoharie  Valley.  The  Upper  Fort  was  near  the  margin  of  Schoharie  Crock. 
about  five  miles  southeast  of  Middleburgh  village,  and  within  the  limits  of  tho  present  town  of  Fulton. 
The  remains  of  the  Middle  Fort  are  still  visible,  near  Middleburgh,  on  the  plain  o:ust  of  the  road  leading  to 
Schoharie.  The  Lower  Fort  was  five  miles  north  of  iMiddieburgh,  at  the  village  of  Schoharie.  An  old  stone 
church  (yet  standing,  but  much  altered  from  tho  original),  one  mile  northward  of  tho  court-house,  was 
within  the  intrenchments,  and  formed  the  citadel  of  the  fort.  The  ramparts  inclosed  tho  two  story  stone 
house  of  John  Becker,  the  kitchen  part  of  which  was,  until  recently,  well  preserved.  Temporary  dwell- 
ings were  erected  within  the  inclosure,  and  in  these  the  inhabitants  kept  their  most  valuable  things. — See 
Simras's  Schoharie,  &c.,  p.  269. 


dG6 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Settlers  of  Tryon  County. 


Destruction  of  Springfield. 


M'Kean  and  Braut 


Early  in  the  spring,  Brant  and  his  warriors,  with  a  large  number  of  Tories,  appear- 
ed at  Oghkwaga,  his  headquarters  the  previous  year.      There  he  organized  scalping 
parties  and  sent  them  out  upon  the  borderers.      The  settlers  were  cut  off'  in  detail.      Ma- 
rauding parties  fell  upon  isolated  families  like  bolts  from  the  clouds,  and  the  blaze  of  dwell- 
'ngs  upon  the  hills  and  in  the  valleys  nightly  warned  the  yet  secure  inhabitant  to  be  on  the 


Abmed  Settlers. 


alert.  Their  dwellings  were  transformed  into  block-houses.  The  women  were  taught  the 
use  of  weapons,  and  stood  sentinels  when  the  men  were  at  work.  Half-grown  children  were 
educated  for  scouts,  and  taught  to  discern  the  Indian  trail,  and  every  man  worked  armed  in 
his  field.  Such  was  the  condition  of  the  dwellers  of  Tryon  county  during  almost  the  whole 
time  of  the  war. 

Brant's  first  hostile  movement  of  consequence,  after  his  return  to  Oghkwaga,  was  the  de- 
struction of  a  small  settlement  at  Springfield,  at  the  head  of  Otsego  lake,  ten  miles  west  of 
Cherry  Valley.  It  was  in  the  month  of  May.  Every  house  was  burned  but  one,  into  which 
the  women  and  children  were  collected  and  kept  unharmed.  The  absence  of  Tories  in  that 
expedition,  and  the  freedom  to  act  as  he  pleased  on  the  part  of  Brant,  may  account  for  this 
humanity.  Several  men  "were  made  captive,  and,  with  considerable  property,  were  carried 
off  to  Oghkwaga. 

In  June,  Captain  M'Kean,  at  the  head  of  some  volunteers,  was  sent  to  reconnoiter  Brant's 
encampment  at  Oghkwaga.  M'Kean's  headquarters  were  at  Cherry  Valley.  On  his  way 
down  the  valley  of  the  Charlotte  River,  he  learned  that  large  war-parties  were  out,  and, 
fearing  a  surprise,  thought  it  prudent  to  return.  He  halted  an  hour  to  refresh,  and  wrote  a 
letter  to  Brant,  censuring  him  for  his  predatory  warfare  ;  he  intimating  that  he  was  too  cow- 
ardly to  show  himself  in  open  and  honorable  conflict,  M'Kean  challenged  him  to  meet  him 
in  single  combat,  or  with  an  equal  number  of  men,  to  try  their  skill,  courage,  and  strength  ; 
and  concluded  by  telling  him  that  if  he  would  come  to  Cherry  Valley,  they  would  change 
him  from  a  Brazil  to  a  goosed     This  was  an  injudicious  movement,  and,  doubtless,  incited 

'  This  letter  was  fastened  to  a  stick  and  placed  in  an  Indian  path.     It  soon  reached  Brant,  and  irritated 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.,  267 


anttle  in  the  Schoharie  Country.  Arrival  of  Regulara.  Escape  of  Walter  Butlor.  Treachery  of  Ortat  Tret. 

the  sachem,  in  some  degree,  to  join  Butler,  a  few  months  later,  in  desolating  that  settle- 
ment. 

There  was  an  engagement  on  the  2d  of  July,  on  the  upper  branch  of  the  Cobelskill,  be- 
tween a  party  of  regular  troops  and  Schoharie  militia,  fifty-two  in  number,  and  an  Indian 
force  four  hundred  and  fifty  strong.  The  Americans,  commanded  by  Captain  Christian 
Brown,  M'ere  overpowered.  Fourteen  were  killed,  eight  wounded,  two  were  missing,  and 
the  remainder  escaped.  The  dwellings  were  burned,  and  the  horses  and  cattle,  wliich  the 
victors  could  not  take  with  them,  were  slaughtered  in  the  fields.  At  the  same  time,  Colonel 
John  Butler,  who  had  penetrated  the  country  from  Niagara  with  a  body  of  Indians  and 
Tories,  eleven  hundred  strong,  broke  into  the  Valley  of  Wyoming  and  laid  it  waste.  j„,y  r^_^ 
Of  this  I  shall  write  in  detail  hereafter.  We  have  already  considered  the  destruc-  ^™- 
tion  of  the  settlement  at  German  Flats,  toward  the  close  of  this  summer.  Scalping  parties 
continued  to  infest  the  Schoharie  and  neighboring  settlements  until  quite  late  in  September, 
when  troops  from  the  main  army  checked  their  depredations  iljr  a  while.  A  i'cw  days  after 
the  battle  of  Monmouth, ^^  Colonel  William  Butler,  with  a  Pennsylvania  regiment  .junnse 
and  a  detachment  of  Morgan's  rifle  corps,'  was  ordered  to  Tryon  county,  and  took  i'^^- 
post  at  Schoharie,  whence  parties  were  sent  out  to  chastise  the  white  aJid  red  savages,  and 
to  protect  threatened  settlements.  They  accomplished  but  little,  however,  except  in  inter- 
cepting bauds  of  Tories  that  were  making  their  way  from  the  Hudson  River  settlements  to 
join  Johnson  at  Niagara.  One  of  these  parties,  collected  in  the  vicinity  of  Catskill,  under 
a  Captain  Smith,  was  dispersed,  the  commander  killed,  and  several  of  the  men  made  prison- 
ers. This,  and  a  few  other  exploits  of  a  similar  character,  inspired  the  people  with  confi- 
dence, and  they  anticipated  a  season  of  repose.  But  it  was  of  shoit  duration,  for  already  a 
cloud  was  gathering  in  the  west,  full  charged  with  desolation. 

We  have  noticed  the  fact  that  Walter  Butler,  a  son  of  Colonel  John  Butler,  was  arrcsteJ 
near  Fort  Dayton  in  August,  1777,  tried,  and  condemned  to  death  as  a  spy,  but  reprieved 
and  sent  a  prisoner  to  Albany.  He  was  closely  confined  in  the  jail  there  until  the  spring 
of  1778,  when,  through  the  interposition  of  his  father's  friends,  some  of  them  of  the  highest 
respectability,  he  was  liberated  from  prison,  and  allowed  to  reside  with  a  private  family, 
having  a  single  sentinel  to  guard  him.  This  family  proved  to  be  Tories  in  disguise.  The 
sentinel  was  made  drunk,  and  young  Butler,  mounting  a  fleet  horse,  escaped,  and  joined  his 
father  at  Niagara,  just  after  the  massacre  of  Wyoming.  On  his  way  through  the  Seneca 
country  he  excited  the  Indians,  by  tales  of  the  extensive  preparations  which  the  Americans 
were  making  to  penetrate  and  lay  waste  their  country,  and  they  were  soon  ripe  for  invading 
the  white  settlements. 

About  this  time  a  Seneca  chief,  called  Great  Tree,  who  was  with  Washington  during 
the  summer,  left  for  his  own  country  and  nation,  with  the  strongest  professions  of  friendship 
for  the  Americans.  He  promised  to  use  his  influence  in  keeping  the  Sonecas  neutral,  and, 
if  unsuccessful,  he  was  to  return  with  his  personal  adherents  and  join  the  friendly  Oneidas. 
According  to  his  own  account,  he  found  his  people  in  arms,  and  uttering  loud  defiance  against 
the  whites.  The  chiefs  and  principal  warriors  were  collected  at  Kanadaseago  and  Genesee  ; 
and  Great  Tree,  believing  the  stories  of  Butler,  and  finding  his  people  very  united,  resolved  to 
join  his  nation  in  chastising  any  whites  that  might  penetrate  their  county.  lie  was  a  pop- 
ular orator  and  warrior,  and  his  adherence  gave  the  Senecas  much  joy.  The  Indians  west 
of  the  Oneidas  were  thus  prepared  to  follow  a  leader  upon  the  war-path. 

Walter  Butler  obtained  from  his  father  the  command  of  a  detachment  of  his  Rangers,  and 
permission  to  employ  them,  with  the  forces  of  Captain  Brant,  in  an  expedition  against  the 

him  exceedingly.     In  a  letter  written  soon  afterward  to  a  Tory  named  Cass,  he  .«aid,  "The  people  of 
Cherry  Valley,  though  bold  in  words,  will  find  themselves  mistaken  in  calling  mo  a  g(K>se." 

'  Timothy  Murphy,  the  man  who  .shot  General  Fra.scr  at  Bemis's  Heights,  was  in  this  detachment,  an.l 
became  the  terror  of  the  Indians  and  Tories  in  the  Schoharie  country.  He  used  a  dnuble-harrelcd  rilie,  and 
the  Indians,  seeing  him  fire  twice  without  stopping  to  load,  supposed  that  he  could  lire  a-s  often  as  he  pleased 
m  the  same  manner. 


268  PICTORIAL  FIjSLD-BOOK 

Butler  and  Brant  march  toward  Cherry  Valley.  Colonel  Alden  warned.  Capture  of  American  Scouts 

settlements  in  Tryon  county.  It  was  late  in  the  season,  but  he  thirsted  for  revenge  because  of 
Lis  imprisonment,  and  departed  eastward  early  in  October.  While  on  his  way,  and  near 
Genesee,  he  met  Brant,  with  his  warriors,  going  from  his  camp  upon  the  Susquehanna  to 
his  winter-quarters  at  Niagara.  Brant  felt  a  deep  personal  hatred  toward  young  Butler,  and 
this  feeling  was  greatly  increased  on  finding  himself  made  subordinate  to  the  latter.  But  the 
difficulty,  which  threatened,  at  first,  to  be  serious,  was  soon  adjusted.  Thayendanegea  had 
thought  much  of  the  insulting  letter  of  Captain  M'Kean,  and  more  willingly  turned  his  face 
back  toward  the  settlements.      The  united  forces  amounted  to  about  seven  hundred  men. 

This  movement  was  known  to  Mr.  Dean,  an  Indian  interpreter  in  the  Oneida  country, 
early  in  October,  and  he  communicated  the  information  to  Major  Cochran,  then  in  command 
at  Fort  Schuyler.  That  officer  sent  a  messenger  with  the  intelligence  to  Colonel  Alden,  at 
Cherry  Valley,  and  also  to  the  garrisons  of  the  Schoharie  forts  ;  but  the  presence  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania troops  and  riflemen  had  lulled  the  people  into  fancied  security,  and  the  report  of  the 
oncoming  invasion  was  treated  as  an  idle  Indian  tale. 

Cherry  Valley,  the  wealthiest  and  most  important  settlement  near  the  head  waters  of  the 
eastern  branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  was  the  enemy's  chosen  point  of  attack.  Colonel  Icha- 
bod  Alden,  of  Massachusetts,  was  in  command  of  the  fort  there,  with  about  two  hundred  and 
Qfty  Continental  troops.'  On  the  8th  of  November  the  commandant  received  a  dispatch 
from  Fort  Schuyler,,  informing  him  that  his  post  was  about  to  be  attacked  by  a  large  force 
of  Indians  and  Tories,  then  assembled  upon  the  Tioga  River.  Colonel  Alden  treated  the 
information  with  unconcern,  but  the  inhabitants  were  greatly  alarmed.  They  asked  per- 
noission  to  move  into  the  fort  or  to  deposite  their  most  valuable  articles  there,  but  the  colonel, 
regarding  the  alarm  as  really  groundless,  refused  his  consent.  He  assured  them,  at  the  same 
time,  that  he  would  be  vigilant  in  keeping  scouts  upon  the  look-out  and  the  garrison  in  prep- 
aration, and,  accordingly,  on  the  9th  parties  were  sent  out  in  various  directions.  One  of 
these,  which  went  down  toward  the  Susquehanna,  built  a  fire  at  their  encampment,  fell 
asleep,  and  awoke  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  Butler  and  Brant.  All  necessary  information 
concerning  the  settlement  was  extorted  from  them,  and  the  next  day  the  enemy  moved  for- 
ward and  encamped  upon  a  lofty  hill  covered  with  evergreens,  about  a  mile  southwest  of  the 
village,  and  overlooking  the  whole  settlement.  From  that  observatory  they  could  see  almost 
every  house  in  the  village  ;  and  from  the  prisoners  they  learned  that  the  officers  were  quar- 
tered out  of  the  fort,  and  that  Colonel  Alden  and  Lieutenant-colonel  Stacia  were  at  the  house 
of  Robert  Wells,  recently  judge  of  the  county,  and  formerly  an  intimate  friend  of  Sir  Will- 
iam Johnson  and  Colonel  John  Butler. 
November  10  Early  in  the  morning  the  enemy  marched  slowly  toward  the  village.      Snow 

1778.  iiad  fallen  during  the  night,  and  the  morning  was  dark  and  misty.      When  near 

the  village,  the  Tories  halted  to  examine  their  muskets,  for  the  dampness  had  injured  their 
powder.  The  Indians,  and  particularly  the  ferocious  Senecas,  eager  for  blood  and  plunder, 
pushed  forward  in  the  van  during  the  halt.  A  settler,  on  horseback,  going  toward  the  vil- 
lage, was  shot,  but,  being  slightly  wounded,  escaped  and  gave  the  alarm.  Colonel  Alden 
could  not  yet  believe  that  the  enemy  was  near  in  force,  but  he  was  soon  convinced  by  the 
sound  of  the  war-whoop  that  broke  upon  the  settlement,  and  the  girdle  of  fierce  savages, 
with  gleaming  hatchets,  that  surrounded  the  house  of  Mr.  Wells.  They  rushed  in  and  mur- 
dered the  whole  family.''  Colonel  Alden  escaped  from  a  window,  but  was  pursued,  toma- 
hawked, and  scalped. 

'  While  Brant  was  collecting  his  troops  at  Oghkwaga  the  previous  year,  the  strong  stone  mansion  of 
Colonel  Samuel  Campbell,  at  Cherry  Valley,  was  fortified,  to  be  used  as  a  place  of  retreat  for  the  women 
and  children  in  the  event  of  an  attack.  An  embankment  of  earth  and  logs  was  thrown  up  around  it,  and 
included  two  barns.  Small  block-houses  were  erected  within  the  inclosure.  This  w^as  the  only  fort  at 
Cherry  Valley  at  the  time  in  question. 

^  The  family  of  Mr.  Wells  consisted  of  himself  and  wife,  mother,  brother  and  sister  (John  and  Jane),  and 
a  daughter.  His  son  John  (the  late  eminent  counselor  of  New  York)  was  then  at  school  in  Schenectady, 
and  was  the  only  survivor  of  the  family.  They  had  all  been  living  at  Schenectady  for  some  months,  for 
security,  but  the  alarm  in  the  region  of  Cherry  Valley  having  subsided,  they  had  just  returned.     The  de- 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


269 


Mr.  Dunlap.     Mr.  Mitchell.     Destruction  of  the  Settlement.    Treatment  of  Prisonera.    BuUer's  Savageism  nnd  Brant'8  Humanity. 

The  house  of  the  venerable  minister,  Mr.  Dunlap  (whose  wife  Avas  the  mother  of  Mrs 
Wells),  and  that  of  a  Mr.  Mitchell,  were  next  attacked,  and  most  of  the  inmates  murdered.' 
Mr.  Dunlap  and  his  daughter  at  home  were  protected  by  Little  Aaron,  a  Mohawk  chief,  whc 
led  him  to  his  door  and  there  stood  by  his  side,  and  preserved  his  life  and  property.  But 
the  good  old  man  sank  under  the  terrible  calamity  of  that  day,  and  joined  his  lost  ones  in 
the  spirit  land  within  a  year  thereafter.  Many  other  families  of  less  note  were  cut  ofl". 
Thirty-two  of  the  inhabitants,  mostly  women  and  children,  and  sixteen  soldiers  of  the  garri- 
son, were  killed.  The  whole  settlement  was  plundered  after  the  massacre  had  ceased,  and 
every  building  in  the  village  was  fired  when  the  enemy  left  with  their  prisoners  and  booty. 
Among  the  prisoners  were  the  wife  and  children  of  Colonel  Campbell,  who  was  absent  at 
the  time.      He  returned  to  find  his  property  laid  waste  and  his  family  carried  into  caplivilv. 

The  prisoners,  numbering  nearly  forty,  were  marched  down  the  valley  that  iiiirht  in  a 
storm  of  sleet,  and  were  huddled  together  promiscuously,  some  of  them  half  naked,  with  no 
shelter  but  the  leafless  trees,  or  resting-place  but  the  wet  ground.  The  marauders,  finding 
the  women  and  children  cumbersome,  sent  them  all  back  the  next  day,  except  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, her  aged  mother,^  and  her  children,  and  a  Mrs.  Moore,  who  were  kept  as  hostages  for 
the  kind  treatment  and  ultimate  exchange  of  the  family  of  Colonel  John  Butler.  The  re- 
turning prisoners  carried  back  with  them  a  letter  from  Walter  Butler  to  General  Schuyler, 
in  which  he  pretended  that  feelings  of  mercy  for  the  almost  naked  and  helpless  captives  were 
the  incentive  that  caused  him  to  release  them  ;  disclaimed  all  desire  to  injure  the  weak  and 
defenseless  ;  and  closed  by  assuring  him  that,  if  Colonel  John  Butler's  family  were  longer 
detained,  he  would  not  restrain  the  Indians  from  indulgence  in  murder  and  rapine.  The 
■'  tender  mercy"  of  Butler  was  that  of  "  the  wicked."  He  was  the  head  and  front  of  all  the 
cruelty  at  Cherry  Valley  on  that  day.  He  commanded  the  expedition,  and  while  he  saw, 
unmoved,  the  murder  of  his  father's  friend  and  family,  and  of  others  whose  age  and  sex  should 
have  secured  his  regard,  his  savage  ally,  the  "monster  Brant,"  hastened  to  save  that  very 
family,  but  was  too  late.'      Butler  would  not  allow  his  Rangers  even  to  warn  their  friends 

struction  of  the  Wells  family  was  marked  by  circumstances  of  peculiar  ferocity,  and  I  mention  them  to  ex- 
hibit the  infernal  character  which  the  passions  of  men  assume  when  influenced  by  the  horrid  teachings  in 
the  school  of  war.  One  of  the  Tories  boasted  that  he  cleft  open  the  head  of  Mr.  Wells  while  on  his  knee.-, 
in  prayer.  His  sister  Jane  was  distinguished  for  her  beauty,  virtues,  and  accomplishments.  When  the 
enemy  burst  into  the  house,  she  fled  to  a  pile  of  wood  and  endeavored  to  conceal  herself.  An  Indian  pui 
sued  and  caught  her.  He  then  wiped  his  knife,  dripping  with  the  blood  of  her  relatives,  sheathed  it,  and 
deliberately  took  his  tomahawk  from  his  girdle.  At  that  moment  a  Tory,  who  had  been  a  domestic  in  tlm 
family  of  Mr.  Wells,  relented,  and,  springing  forward,  claimed  her  as  his  sister.  The  savage  thrust  him 
aside  and  buried  his  hatchet  in  her  temple.  It  is  said  that  Colonel  John  Butler,  professedly  grieved  at  tho 
conduct  of  his  son  at  Cherry  Valley,  remarked,  on  one  occasion,  "  I  would  have  gone  miles  on  my  knees 
to  save  that  family,  and  why  my  son  did  not  do  it,  God  only  knows." 

^  Mr.  ]\Iitchen  was  in  the  field  when  the  invasion  took  place,  and  found  safety  in  tho  woods.  After  the 
enemy  had  retired,  he  hastened  to  the  village,  when  he  found  his  house  on  fire  and  the  dead  bodies  of  his 
wife  and  three  children  lying  within.  He  extinguished  the  flames,  and  discovered  his  little  daughter  ter- 
ribly mangled,  but  yet  alive.  He  took  her  to  the  door,  hoping  fresh  air  might  revive  her,  when  he  discov 
ered  a  straggling  party  of  the  enemy  near.  He  had  just  time  to  conceal  himself,  when  a  Tory  sergeant 
named  Newberry,  whose  acts  in  Schoharie  entitle  him  to  a  seat  in  the  councils  of  Pandemonium,  approach- 
ed, and,  seeing  the  poor  child  lying  upon  the  door-stone,  dispatched  her  with  a  blow  of  a  hatchet.  This 
miscreant  was  afterward  caught  and  hung  by  order  of  General  Clinton. 

^  Mrs.  Cannon,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Campbell,  was  quite  old.  She  was  an  encumbrance,  and  a  savagt 
slew  her  with  his  tomahawk,  by  the  side  of  her  daughter,  who,  with  a  babe  eighteen  months  old  in  her 
arms,  was  driven  with  inhuman  haste  before  her  captors,  while,  with  uplifted  hatchets,  they  menaced  her 
life.  Arriving  among  the  Senccas,  she  was  kindly  treated,  and  installed  a  member  of  one  of  the  families. 
They  allowed  her  to  do  as  she  pleased,  and  her  deportment  was  such  that  she  seemed  to  engage  the  real 
affections  of  the  people.  Perceiving  that  she  wore  caps,  one  was  presented  to  her,  considcrnhly  spotted 
with  blood.  On  examination,  she  recognized  it  as  one  that  had  belonged  to  her  friend,  Jane  Wells.  She 
and  her  children  (from  whom  she  was  separated  in  the  Indian  country)  were  afterward  excliangcd  for  the 
wife  and  family  of  Colonel  John  Butler,  then  in  the  custody  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Albany. 

=•  There  are  many  well-authenticated  instances  on  record  of  the  humanity  of  Brant,  exercised  particular- 
ly  toward  women  and  children.  He  was  a  magnanimous  victor,  and  never  took  the  life  of  a  former  friend 
or  acquaintance.     He  loved  a  hero  because  of  his  heroism,  although  he  might  be  his  enemy ,  and  he  was 


270  PICTORIAL  FI.ELD-BOOK 


Character  of  VValtpr  Butler.      The  Settlementa  menaced.       Expedition  against  the  Onondagas.       Destruction  of  their  To%»tis 

in  the  settlement  of  the  approaching  danger,  but  friend  and  foe  were  left  exposed  to  the  ter- 
rible storm  ;   he  had  sworn  vengeance,  and  his  bad  heart  would  not  be  content  until  its  crav- 

^  ^t-^p-7  ^y«-  ^"o^  were  satisfied.      Tender  charity  may  seek  to  cloak 

/Y'C'C,.^yr<:yi^  / .J  c<XyCe<iy     j^jg  crimes  with  the  plea  that  partisan  warfare  justified 

Signature  of  Walter  Butlek.  j^jg  j^gjg  .    ^^^  j^^pgg  ^f  ^^^^^  -f}\{xc)a  melloWS  SUch  crim- 

son  tints  in  the  picture  of  a  man's  character,  may  temper  the  asperity  with  which  shocked 
humanity  views  his  conduct ;  yet  a  just  judgment,  founded  upon  observation  of  his  brief  ca- 
reer, must  pronounce  it  a  stain  upon  the  generation  in  which  he  lived.  After  the  destruc- 
tion of  Cherry  Valley  his  course  was  short,  but  bold,  cruel,  and  bloody.  British  officers  of 
respectability  viewed  him  with  horror  and  disgust ;  and  when,  in  1781,  he  was  slain  by  the 
Oneidas  on  the  banks  of  the  West  Canada  Creek,  his  body  was  left  to  decay,  while  his  fallen 
companions  were  buried  with  respect. 

With  the  destruction  of  Cherry  Valley  all  hostile  movements  ceased  in  Tryon  county,  and 
were  not  resumed  until  the  following  spring,  when  an  expedition  was  sent  against  the  Onon- 
dagas by  General  Clinton.  Frequent  messages  had  been  sent  by  the  Oneidas  during  the 
winter,  all  reporting  that  Brant  and  his  Tory  colleagues  were  preparing  for  some  decisive 
blow.  The  Onondagas,  in  the  mean  while,  were  making  peaceful  professions,  expressing  a 
desire  to  remain  neutral,  while  they  were  in  league  and  in  secret  correspondence  with  the 
leaders  in  the  hostile  camp  at  Niagara.  Policy,  and  even  the  necessity  born  of  the  law  of 
self-preservation,  seemed  to  demand  the  infliction  of  summary  and  severe  chastisement  upon 
the  savages  who  menaced  and  desolated  the  Tryon  county  settlements.  Early  in  the  win- 
ter General  Schuyler  had  assured  Congress  that,  unless  something  of  the  kind  was  speedily 
done,  Schenectady  must  soon  become  the  boundary  of  settlement  in  that  direction. 

The  arrangement  of  an  expedition  against  the  Indians  was  intrusted  to  General  Clinton. 
April  18,  ■'•"•  -A-pril  he  dispatched  a  portion  of  the  regiments  of  Colonels  Gansevoort  and  Van 
i'^'^^-  Schaick,  under  the  latter  officer,  against  the  Onondagas.  The  party  consisted  of 
five  hundred  and  fifty-eight  strong  men.  Van  Schaick  was  instructed  to  burn  their  castle 
and  villages  in  the  Onondaga  Valley,  destroy  all  their  cattle  and  other  efTects,  and  make  as 
many  prisoners  as  possible.  He  was  further  instructed  to  treat  the  women  that  might  fall 
into  his  hands  with  all  the  respect  due  to  chastity.  The  expedition  went  down  Wood  Creek 
and  Oneida  Lake,  and  thence  up  the  Oswego  River  to  the  point  on  Onondaga  Lake  where 
Salina  now  is.  A  thick  fog  concealed  their  movements,  and  they  had  approached  to  within 
four  or  five  miles  of  the  valley  before  they  were  discovered.  As  soon  as  the  first  village  was 
attacked,  the  alarm  spread  to  the  others.  The  people  fled  to  the  forests,  leaving  every  thing, 
even  their  arms,  behind  them.  Three  villages,  consisting  of  about  fifty  houses,  were  destroy- 
ed ;  twelve  Indians  were  killed,  and  thirty-three  were  made  prisoners.      A  lai'ge  quantity  of 

never  known  to  take  advantage  of  a  conquered  soldier.  I  have  mentioned  the  challenge  which  Captain 
M'Kean  sent  to  Brant.  After  the  affair  at  Cherry  Valley,  he  inquired  of  one  of  the  prisoners  for  Captain 
M'Kean,  who,  with  his  family,  had  left  the  settlement.  "  He  sent  me  a  challenge,"  said  Brant.  "  I  came 
to  accept  it.  He  is  a  fine  soldier  thus  to  retreat."  It  was  replied,  "  Captain  M'Kean  would  not  turn  his 
back  upon  an  enemy  when  there  was  any  probability  of  success."  "  I  know  it,"  replied  Brant.  "  He  is 
a  brave  man,  and  I  would  have  given  more  to  take  him  than  any  other  man  in  Cherry  Valley ;  but  I  would 
not  have  hurt  a  hair  of  his  head." 

Dr.  Timothy  Dwight  relates  that  Walter  Butler  ordered  a  woman  and  child  to  be  slain,  in  bed,  at  Cherry 
Valle)',  when  Brant  interposed,  saying,  "  What !  kill  a  woman  and  child  !  That  child  is  not  an  enemy  to 
the  king  nor  a  friend  to  Con<Tress.  Long  before  he  will  be  big  enough  to  do  any  mischief,  the  dispute  will 
be  settled."  When,  in  1780,  Sir  John  Johnson  and  Brant  led  a  desolating  army  through  the  Schoharie 
and  Mohawk  Valleys,  Brant's  humanity  was  again  displayed.  On  their  way  to  Fort  Hunter  an  infant  was 
carried  off.  The  frantic  mother  followed  them  as  far  as  the  fort,  but  could  get  no  tidings  of  her  child.  On 
the  morning  after  the  departure  of  the  invaders,  and  while  General  Van  Rensselaer's  officers  were  at  break- 
fast, a  young  Indian  came  bounding  into  the  room,  bearing  the  infant  in  his  arms  and  a  letter  from  Captain 
Brant,  addressed  to  "  the  commander  of  the  rebel  army."  The  letter  was  as  follows :  "  Sir — I  send  you, 
by  one  of  my  runners,  the  child  which  he  will  deliver,  that  you  may  know  that,  whatever  others  may  do. 
/  do  not  make  war  upon  womea  and  children.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  have  those  engaged  with  me  who 
are  more  savage  than  the  savages  themselves."  He  named  the  Butlers  and  others  of  the  Tory  leaders 
This  incident  was  related  to  Mr.  Stone  by  the  late  General  Morgan  Lewis. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION  27l 


Alarm  of  the  Oneidas.  Kxpcdition  against  Oswegatchle,  Attack  on  CobcUkill.  Scalping  Parties. 

provisions,  consisting  chiefly  of  beans  and  corn,  was  consumed.  Tho  council-house,  or  cas 
tie,  was  not  burned,  but  tho  swivel  in  it  was  spiUed.  All  tho  horses  and  cattle  in  the  vicinity 
were  slaughtered  ;  and,  when  the  work  of  destruction  was  ended,  the  expedition  returned  to 
Fort  Schuyler,  after  an  absence  of  only  six  days,  and  without  the  loss  of  a  man. 

This  expedition,  cruel  and  of  doubtful  policy,  alarmed  the  neutral  Oneidas.'  They  were 
faithful  to  the  Americans,  yet,  having  intermarried  freely  with  the  Oaondagas,  their  relations 
iiad  been  slain  or  impoverished,  and  this  distressed  them.  They  sent  a  dejjutation  to  Fort 
Schuyler  to  inquire  into  the  matter.  Colonel  Van  Schaick  pacided,  if  he  did  not  satisfy,  them, 
and  they  returned- to  their  people.  But  the  ire  of  tho  Oaondagas  was  fiercoiy  kiiuilod,  not 
only  on  account  of  the  destruction  of  their  property,  but  becau.sc  of  the  extingui.shment  of 
their  council  fire.  Three  hundred  braves  were  immediately  sent  upon  the  war-path,  charged 
with  the  vengeance  of  the  nation.  Guided  by  a  Tory,  they  came  down  fiercely  upon  the 
settlement  at  Cobelskill,'^  murdering,  plundering,  and  burning.  The  militia  turned  out  to 
repulse  them,  but,  being  led  into  an  ambuscade,  a  number  of  them  were  killed.  They  fought 
desperately,  and  while  the  militia  was  thus  contending,  and  beating  back  the  savages,  the 
people  fled  in  safety  to  Schoharie.  Seven  of  the  militia  took  post  in  a  strong  house,  which 
the  savages  set  fire  to,  and-  these  brave  young  men  all  perished  in  the  flames.  The  whole 
settlement  was  then  plundered  and  burned.  The  patriots  lost  twenty-two  killed,  and  forty- 
two  who  were  made  prisoners. 

While  this  expedition  was  in  progress,  scalping  parties  appeared  at  the  diflcrcnt  points  in 
the  lower  section  of  the  Mohawk,  and  the  settlements  were  menaced  with  the  fate  of  Cherry 
Valley.  On  the  south  side  of  the  Mohawk  a  party  fell  upon  the  Canajoliarie  settlement, 
took  three  prisoners,  captured  some  horses,  and  drove  the  people  to  Fort  Plain.  On  the 
same  day  another  party  attacked  a  small  settlement  at  Stone  Arabia,'  burned  some  ^p^ii  le, 
houses,  and  killed  sevei'al  people.  A  party  of  Senecas  appeared  at  Schoharie  on  the  ^*^^- 
same  day,  drove  the  people  to  the  fort,  plundered  the  houses,  and  carried  away  two  men  pris- 
oners. These  simultaneous  attacks  were  part  of  a  plan  for  cutting  ofl'  the  settlement  in  de- 
tail. The  Indians  on  the  south  of  the  Mohawk  were  from  the  Seneca  country,  and  those  on 
the  north  from  Canada,  both,  doubtless,  the  advanced  parties  of  larger  forces.  The  settle- 
ments were  thoroughly  alarmed.  The  Palatine''  Committee  Avrote  immediately  to  General 
Clinton,  at  Albany,  for  succor.  That  efficient  officer  afforded  immediate  aid,  and,  by  tht 
timely  check  thus  given  to  the  invaders,  the  settlers  of  the  valley  were  prevented  from  being 
driven  into  Schenectady.^  Other  settlements  near  the  Delaware  and  on  the  frontiers  ol 
Ulster  county  were  visited  by  the  Indians^  in  May  and  the  early  part  of  Juno ;  and  in 
July  the  battle  of  Minisink  occurred,  the  particulars  of  which  will  be  hereafter  re-  juiyoo. 
lated.  ^';'•'• 

In  the  spring  of  thi?  year  it  was  determined  to  send  a  formidable  force  into  the  Indian 
country  of  Western  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  chastising  the  savages  and  their  Tory 
allies  so  thoroughly  that  the  settlements  upon  the  Mohawk  and  the  upper  branches  of  the  Sus- 
rjuchanna  might  enjoy  a  season  of  repose.  The  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations  were  tlien  popu- 
lous.     They  had  many  villages,  vast  corn-fields,  and  fruitful  orchards  and  gardens  m  the 


'  At  the  time  of  this  expedition  there  were  about  forty  Oneida  warriors  at  Fort  Schuyler.  These  wen* 
sent,  with  a  party  of  regulars,  under  Lieutenants  M-Lclian  and  Haidonburgh,  northward  to  attack  tho  fort 
at  Oswegatchie.  This  expedition  was  unsuccessful  in  its  ostensible  object,  tho  fjarrison  having  been  ap- 
prised of  their  approach.  It  is  supposed  that  the  employment  of  tho  0ncid;i3  so  fur  away  that  they  couhl 
•.TDt  notify  their  kinsmen,  the  Onondagas,  of  the  invasion,  was  the  principal  object  of  this  northern  move- 
mcnt,  and  in  that  it  was  successful.  The  Oneidas  were  really  friendly  to  tho  patriot.s,  but  to  tli.-ir  credn 
it  was  said  by  General  Clinton  (who  knew  them  well),  in  a  letter  to  General  Sullivan,  "  Their  ntta.hmcnl  to 
one  another  is  too  strong  to  admit  of  their  being  of  any  service  when  cmjiloycd  ngainsl  ihcir  fellows." 

•^  CobelskiU  was  taken  from  Schoharie.     Tho  little  villaj,'e  is  about  ten  miles  wc^l  of  the  former. 

=•  Stone  Arabia  is  about  three  miles  north  of  the  .Mohawk,  in  tho  rear  of  rulatme,  and  thirteen  west  of 
Johnstown. 

*  Palatine  is  on  the  north  side  of  tho  Mohawk,  opposite  Canajoharie,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  bridge 

*  Campbell's  Annals  ;  Stone's  Brant. 


272 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Preparations  to  invade  the  Indian  Country. 


General  Sullivan,  Commander-in-chief. 


General  James  Clinton 


fertile  country  westward  of  Otsego  Lake. 


It  was  supposed  that  the  most  effectual  method 
to  subdue  or  weaken  them  would  be  to  destroy 
their  homes  and  lay  waste  their  fields,  and  thus 
drive  them  further  back  into  the  wilderness  to- 
ward Lake  Erie.  Already  the  Mohawks  had 
been  thrust  out  of  the  valley  of  their  name,  and 
their  families  were  upon  the  domains  of  the  Ca- 
yugas  and  Senecas.  It  was,  therefore,  determ- 
ined to  make  a  combined  movement  upon  them 
of  "two  strong  divisions  of  military,  one  from 
Pennsylvania  and  the  other  from  the  north,  at 
a  season  when  their  fields  and  orchards  were 
fully  laden  with  grain  and  fruits.  It  was  a 
part  of  the  plan  of  the  expedition  to  penetrate 

.  the  country  to  Niagara,  and  break  up  the  nest 
of  vipers  there. 

General  Sullivan'  was  placed  in  the  chief 
command,  and  led  in  person  the  division  that 
ascended  the  Susquehanna  from  Wyoming, 
while  General  Clinton^  commanded  the  forces 
that  penetrated  the  country  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Canajoharie.  It  was  arranged  to  unite 
the  two  divisions  at  Tioga. 

Clinton's  troops,  fifteen  hundred  strong, 
were  mustered  at  Canajoharie  on  the  15th  of 
June,  and  on  the  1 7th  he  commenced  the  trans- 
portation of  his  bateaux  and  provisions  across 
the  hilly  country  to  Springfield,  at  the  head  of 
Otsego  Lake,  a  distance  of  more  than  twenty 


'  John  Sullivan  was  born  in  Berwick,  Maine,  on  the  17th  of  February,  1740.  His  family  emigrated  to 
America  from  Ireland  in  1723.  He  was  a  farmer  in  his  youth,  and,  after  arriving  at  maturity,  he  studied 
lav7,  and  estabhshed  himself  in  practice  in  Durham,  New  Hampshire.  He  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the 
tirst  Continental  Congress.  After  retiring  from  that  body,  he  and  John  Langdon,  the  speaker  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  of  New  Hampshire,  commanded  a  small  force  which  seized  Fort  William  and  Mary,  at 
Portsmouth,  and  carried  off  all  the  cannon.  He  was  appointed  one  of  the  eight  brigadiers  when  the  Con- 
tinental army  was  organized  in  1775,  and  early  in  the  following  year  he  was  made  a  major  general.  He 
superseded  Arnold  in  the  command  of  the  American  army  in  Canada  in  1776.  When  General  Greenebe- 
came  ill  on  Long  Island,  he  took  command  of  his  division,  and  was  made  prisoner  at  the  battle  fought  there 
in  August,  1776.  He  was  exchanged,  and  took  command  of  General  Charles  Lee's  division  in  New  Jersey 
after  the  capture  of  that  officer.  In  the  autumn  of  1777  he  was  engaged  in  the  battles  at  the  Brandy  wine 
and  Germantown,  and  in  the  winter  following  he  took  command  of  the  troops  on  Rhode  Island.  He  be- 
sieged Newport  in  August,  1778,  was  unsuccessful,  and  retreated  from  the  island  after  a  severe  battle  near 
the  north  end.  He  commanded  the  expedition  against  the  Indians  in  1779,  and  this  was  the  last  of  his  mil- 
itary career.  Having  oflended  some  of  the  members  of  the  Board  of  War,  and  believing  himself  ill  treated, 
he  resigned  his  commission  in  1779.  He  was  afterward  a  member  of  Congress,  and,  for  three  years  from 
1786,  was  President  of  New  Hampshire.  In  1789  he  was  appointed  district  judge,  which  office  he  held 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  January  23d,  1795. 

*  James  Clinton  was  born  in  Ulster  county,  New  York,  August  9th,  1736.  At  the  age  of  twenty  (1756) 
he  was  captain,  under  Bradstreet,  in  the  attack  on  Fort  Frontenac.  In  1763  he  was  intrusted  with  the 
command  of  four  companies  in  Ulster  and  Orange,  raised  for  defense  against  the  inroads  of  the  savages. 
He,  with  his  brother  George  (the  Governor  of  New  York  during  the  Revolution),  early  espoused  the  patriot 
cause.  He  was  appointed  a  colonel  in  1775,  and  accompanied  Montgomery  to  Canada.  In  August,  1776, 
he  was  made  a  brigadier ;  and  he  was  in  command,  under  Governor  Clinton,  at  Forts  Montgomery  and 
Clinton  when  they  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  in  1777.  He  escaped,  and  made  his  way  to  his  resi- 
dence in  safety.  Conjointly  with  Sullivan,  he  led  the  expedition  against  the  Indians  in  1779.  During  the 
remainder  of  the  war  he  was  connected  with  the  Northern  Department,  having  his  quarters  at  Albany. 
He  retired  to  his  estate,  near  Newburgh,  Orange  county,  New  York,  after  the  Revolution,  where  he  died 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  '  273 


Capture  of  Hare  and  Newberry.     Information  from  General  Schuyler.     Mr.  Deane.     Damming  of   Otoego  Lake.     lu  Effects. 

miles.  It  was  an  arduous  duty,  for  his  boats  numbered  two  hundred  and  twenty,  and  ho 
had  provisions  sufficient  for  three  months.  He  reached  Springiield,  M'ilh  all  his  luggao-e,  on 
the  30th.  On  his  way  he  captured  Hare  and  Newberry,  two  notorious  spies,  tho  former  a 
lieutenant  in  the  British  service,  and  the  latter  the  miscreant  whom  we  have  already  noticed 
as  the  murderer  of  Mr.  Mitchell's  wounded  child  at  Cherry  Valley.  They  were  tried,  and 
hanged  "  pursuant  to  the  sentence  of  the  court,  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  county."' 

Clinton,  with  his  division,  proceeded  to  the  foot  of  Otsego  Lake,  and  there  awaited  ,„,  i 
orders  from  Sullivan.  A  day  or  two  after  his  arrival.  General  Schuyler  communica-  i''^'-*' 
ted  to  him  the  important  information  that  the  purpose  of  the  expedition  was  known  to, tho 
enemy,  and  that  four  hundred  and  fifty  regular  troops,  one  hundred  Tories,  and  tliirty  In- 
dians had  been  sent  from  Montreal  to  re-enforce  the  tribes  against  whom  it  was  destined. 
This  information  General  Schuyler  received  from  a  spy  whom  he  had  sent  into  Canada. 
The  spy  had  also  informed  him  that  they  were  to  be  joined  by  one  half  of  Sir  Jolm  John- 
son's regiment  and  a  portion  of  the  garrison  at  Niagara.  On  the  5th,  Mr.  Deane,'  the  In- 
dian interpreter,  arrived  with  thirty-five  Oneida  warriors,  who  came  to  explain  the  absence 
of  their  tribe,  whom  Clinton,  by  direction  of  Sullivan,  had  solicited  to  join  him.'  They  con- 
firmed the  intelligence  sent  by  Schuyler,  and  added  that  a  party  of  Cayugas  and  Tories, 
three  hundred  in  number,  were  then  upon  the  war-path,  and  intended  to  hang  upon  the 
outskirts  of  Clinton's  army  on  its  march  to  Tioga. 

Clinton  remained  at  the  south  end  of  Otsego  Lake,  awaiting  the  tardy  movements  of  Sul- 
livan, until  the  first  week  in  August.  His  troops  became  impatient,  yet  he  was  not  idle. 
He  performed  a  feat  which  exhibited  much  ingenuity  and  forecast.  He  discovered  that,  in 
consequence  of  a  long  drought,  the  outlet  of  the  lake  was  too  inconsiderable  to  allow  his  boats 
to  pass  down  upon  its  waters.  He  therefore  raised  a  dam  across  it  at  the  foot  of  the  lake, 
by  which  the  waters  would  be  so  accumulated  that,  when  it  should  be  removed,  the  bed  of 
the  outlet  would  be  filled  to  the  brim,  and  bear  his  boats  upon  the  flood.  The  work  was 
soon  accomplished,  and,  in  addition  to  the  advantages  which  it  promised  to  the  expedition, 
the  damming  of  the  lake  caused  great  destruction  of  grain  upon  its  borders,  for  its  banks 
were  overflowed,  and  vast  corn-fields  belonging  to  the  Indians  were  deluged  and  destroyed. 
The  event  also  greatly  alarmed  the  savages.  It  was  a  very  dry  season,  and  they  regarded 
the  sudden  rising  of  the  lake,  without  any  apparent  cause,  as  an  evidence  that  the  Great 
Spirit  was  displeased  with  them.  And  when  Clinton  moved  down  the  stream  with  his 
large  flotilla  upon  its  swollen  flood,  the  Indians  along  its  banks  were  amazed,  and  retreated 
into  the  depths  of  the  forest. 

Sullivan  and  Clinton  formed  a  junction  at  Tioga  on  the  2  2d  of  August,  the  entire 
force  amounting  to  five  thousand  men,  consisting  of  the  brigades  of  Generals  Clinton, 

December  22d,  1812,  aged  75  years.  He  was  the- father  of  De  Witt  CHnton,  the  eminent  Governor  of  N^w 
York  in  1826-7. 

'  So  said  General  Clinton  in  a  letter  to  General  Schuyler.  The  latter  remarked,  in  reply,  "  In  executing 
Hare  you  have  rid  the  state  of  the  greatest  villain  in  it.  I  hope  his  abettors  in  the  country  will  meet  with 
a  similar  exaltation." 

*  James  Deane  was  the  first  settler  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  county.  He  was  tho  son  of 
pious  New  England  parents,  and  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  was  sent  among  the  Indians  u])on  the  Susque- 
hanna to  learn  their  language,  for  the  purpose  of  becoming  a  missionary  among  them.  He  was  afterward 
a  student  in  Dartmouth  College.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  was  appointed  Indian  agent,  with  the 
rank  of  major  in  the  army,  and  during  the  contest  he  was  most  of  the  time  among  the  Oncidas.  At  the 
close  of  hostilities  the  Oncidas  granted  him  a  tract  of  land  two  miles  square,  near  Rome,  in  Oneida  county, 
which  he  afterward  exchanged  for  a  tract  in  Westmoreland,  where  ho  removed  in  178(5,  and  resided  until 
his  death  in  1832. 

^  General  Clinton  was  averse  to  the  employment  of  the  Oneidas  or  any  other  Indians ;  but  such  being 
the  orders  of  his  superior,  he  engaged  Mr.  Deane  to  negotiate  with  them.  The  Oncidas,  to  a  man,  volun- 
leered  to  accompany  the  expedition,  and  the  few  Onondagas  who  still  adhered  to  the  Americans  were  also 
ready  to  join  Clinton.  But  on  the  23d  the  Oneidas  received  an  address  at  Fort  Schuyler,  from  General 
Haldimand,  written  in  the  Iroquois  language ;  and  so  alarming  were  the  menaces  it  contained,  tlial  they 
suddenly  changed  their  minds,  and  determined  to  stay  at  home  and  defend  their  own  castles  and  dwellings. 

S 


274 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Uarch  of  SuUiTan's  Expedition. 


Fortifications  of  the  Enemy. 


General  Edward  Hand. 


The  Battle 


Order  of  March.* 


Hand,  Maxwell,  and  Poor,  together  with  Proctor's  artillery  and  a  corps  of  riflemen.  The 
movement  of  the  expedition  had  been  so  slow  that  the  enemy  was  prepared  to  receive  them. 
Near  Conewawah'  (Newtown  in  the  histories  of  the  battle),  a  considerable  Indian  village 
at  the  junction  of  the  Newtown  Creek  with  the  Chemung  River,  they  had  thrown  up  breast- 
woriis  half  a  mile  in  length,  where  they  had  determined  to  make  a  bold  stand  against  the 
invaders. 

The  Americans  moved  cautiously  up  the  Tioga  and  Chemung,  having  large  flanking  par 
ties  on  either  side,  and  ?.  strong  advanced  and  rear  guard, 
for  they  were  told  that  detachments  of  the  enemy  were  hov- 
eriijg  around,  ready  to  strike  Avhen  an  opportunity  should  of- 
fer. On  their  march  they  destroyed  a  small  Indian  settle- 
Ausust29,  ment,  and  the  next  day  Major  Parr,  of  the  advanced 
1779.  guard,  discovered  the  enemy's  works.  These  were 
about  a  mile  in  advance  of  Conewawah,  and  were  so  covered 
by  a  bend  in  the  river,  that  only  the  front  and  one  flank  were 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  assailants.  That  flank  rested  upon 
a  steep  hill  or  ridge  running  nearly  parallel  with  the  river. 
Further  to  the  left  was  another  ridge,  running  in  the  same 
direction,  and  passing  in  the  rear  of  the  American  army.  De- 
tachments of  the  enemy  were  stationed  on  both  hills,  having  a 
line  of  communication  ;  and  they  were  so  disposed  that  they 
might  fall  upon  the  assailants,  flank  and  rear,  as  soon  as  the  action  should  commence.  The 
Tories  and  Indians  were  further  protected  by  the  pine-trees  and  shrub  oaks  that  covered  the 
ground.  Hoping  that  the  Americans  might  not  discover  their  concealed  fortification,  they 
had  arranged  it  in  such  a  relative  position  to  the  road  along  which  the  invaders  must  pass, 
that  the  whole  flank  of  the  army  would  be  exposed  to  an  enfilading  fire.  Happily  for  the 
Americans,  their  preparations  were  discovered  in  time. 

General  Hand^  formed  the  light  infantry  about  four  hundred  yards  from  the  breast-works, 
and,  while  thus  waiting  for  the  main  body  to  come  up,  was  several  times  attacked  by  small 
parties  of  Indians,  who  sallied  out,  raised  the  war-whoop,  and  then  retreated  within  the 
works.  The  hill  upon  the  right  swarmed  with  savages,  and  Sullivan  ordered  Poor  to  sweep 
it  with  his  brigade.  He  immediately  commenced  the  ascent,  and  the  action  became  warm 
His  progress  was  bravely  disputed  for  two  hours,  when  the  enemy  slowly  gave  way.  They 
darted  from  tree  to  tree  as  they  yielded  inch  by  inch  ;  and  from  behind  rocks,  and  bushes, 
and  trees  they  galled  the  Americans  terribly  with  a  scattering  fire.  Brant  was  at  the  head 
of  the  savages,  and  Sir  John  Johnson,  aided  by  the  Butlers  and  Captain  M'Donald,  one  ol' 

'  Conewawah  was  upon  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Elmira.  The  name  is  an  Iroquois  word,  sig- 
nifying a  head  on  a  pole.  It  was  beautifully  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  valley,  and,  at  the  time  of  the 
invasion,  was  surrounded  by  fruitful  orchards  and  broad  fields  of  flowering  corn.  The  place  became  a 
white  settlement,  and  was  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Newtown  in  1815,  which  was  changed  to  Elmira 
in  1825.  There  are  no  vestiges  to  be  seen  here  of  the  battle  of  Chemung.^  as  the  engagement  that  took 
place  there  is  sometimes  called.  The  spot  where  Sullivan  landed  is  a  few  rods  below  the  "  Sullivan  Mill," 
which  stands  upon  the  Conewawah  or  Newtown  Creek,  near  its  junction  with  the  Chemung.  The  works 
thrown  up  by  Sullivan,  and  destroyed  when  he  returned  from  the  Genesee  country,  were  a  little  south  of 
the  mill. 

^  Explanation  of  the  Plan. — The  advanced  guard,  composed  of  light  infantry,  one  mile  in  advance. 
a  a,  flanking  corps,  b  b,  the  main  body.  Clinton's  and  Hand's  brigades  were  on  the  right,  and  Poor's  and 
Maxwell's  were  on  the  left,  c,  Proctor's  artillery  and  the  pack  horses.  The  rifle  corps  composed  a  por- 
tion of  the  strong  rear-guard. 

^  General  Edward  Hand  was  a  native  of  Leinster  proTince,  Ireland,  and  was  bom  at  the  close  of  1744. 
His  amiable  disposition  and  urbanity  of  manner  endeared  him  to  his  men,  and  he  maintained,  throughout 
the  war,  the  unlimited  confidence  and  respect  of  his  superior  officers.  After  the  war  he  was  much  engaged 
in  civil  offices  of  trust,  and  his  name  is  attached  to  the  Pennsylvania  Constitution  of  1790.  So  highly  did 
Washington  esteem  him,  that  when,  during  Adams's  administration,  he  consented  to  take  the  chief  com- 
mand of  the  American  army  to  be  raised  to  resist  the  threatened  and  actual  aggressions  of  France,  he  desired 
the  appointment  of  General  Hand  as  adjutant  general.     He  died  in  1803. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  275 


The  Effect  of  the  Artillery.  Retreat  of  the  Enemy.  Destruction  of  Catharincitown  and  other  Village*  and  PlanUtioui. 

the  Scotch  refugees  from  Johnstown,  commanded  the  Tories.  It  is  beheved  that  Ouy 
Johnson  was  also  in  the  battle,  but  this  is  not  certainly  known.  They  foufrlit  skillfully  and 
courageously,  and,  but  for  the  artillery  that  was  brought  into  play  as  speedily  as  possible, 
the  victory  would  doubtless  have  been  on  their  side.  The  cannonade  produced  a  great  panic 
among  the  Indians,  yet  their  leader,  who  was  seen  at  all  points,  and  in  the  hottest  of  the 
fight,  kept  them  long  from  retreating.  Poor  at  length  gained  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  out- 
flanked the  enemy,  and  decided  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  Brant,  perceiving  that  all  was  lost, 
raised  the  loud,  retreating  cry,  Oofiah.'  Oonah!  and  savages  and  Tories,  in  great  confusion, 
abandoned  their  works  and  fled  across  the  river,  pursued  by  the  victors.  Thus  ended  the 
battle  of  Chemung.  The  force  of  the  enemy  was  estimated  by  Sullivan  at  fifteen  hundred, 
including  five  companies  of  British  troops  and  Rangers.  The  Americans  numbered  between 
four  and  five  thousand,  a  considerable  portion  of  whom  were  not  brought  into  action  at  all. 
Considering  the  length  of  time  occupied  in  the  battle,  and  the  numbers  engaged,  the  loss  was 
very  inconsiderable.  Only  five  or  six  of  the  Americans  were  killed,  and  about  fifty  wounded. 
The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  much  greater.  In  their  flight  eight  Indians  were  slain  and  scalped 
by  their  pursuers.  Ay,  scalped!  for  the  Americans  had  been  apt  scholars  in  learning  the  In- 
dian art  of  war  that  had  been  so  terribly  taught  them  in  Tryon  county  for  three  years. 

Sullivan's  army  rested  upon  the  battle-ground  that  night,  and  the  next  morning  pushed 
onward  toward  Catharinestown,  an  Indian  settlement  northwest  from  Conewawah,  and 
about  three  miles  from  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake.  The  march  was  diflicult  and  dangerous. 
The  route  lay  through  narrow  defiles  and  a  deep  valley  traversed  by  a  stream  so  sinuous 
that  they  had  to  ford  it  several  times,  the  water  often  waist  high.  At  night  they 
bivouacked  in  a  dark  and  tangled  cedar  swamp,  without  blankets  or  food,  and  in 
continual  fear  of  an  enemy  in  ambush.'  The  whole  army  reached  Catharinestown  in  safe- 
ty, and  encamped  before  it  on  the  2d  of  September.  The  people  fled,  and  the  next  day  the 
village  and  surrounding  corn-fields  and  orchards  were  destroyed. 

The  flying  campaign,  charged  with  destruction,  had  now  fairly  begun.  "  The  Indians 
shall  see,"  said  Sullivan,  "  that  there  is  malice  enough  in  our  hearts  to  destroy  every  thing 
that  contributes  to  their  support,"  and  cruelly  was  that  menace  executed.  The  Indians 
fled  before  him  like  frightened  deer  to  cover,  and  the  wail  of  desolation  was  heard  through 
out  their  pleasant  land,  from  the  Susquehanna  to  the  Genesee.  Village  after  village  was 
laid  waste,  and  fields  and  orchards  were  desolated.  Kendaia  was  swept  from  .  September  6, 
existence  ;^  other  and  smaller  villages  were  annihilated  ;   and  on  the  7th  of  Sep-  '^"^■ 

tember  the  conquerors  sat  down  before  Kanadaseagea,  the  capital  of  the  Senecas,  near  the 
head  of  the  beautiful  lake  of  that  name.  Sixty  indifi^erent  cabins,  surrounded  by  fine  or- 
chards of  apple,  peach,  and  pear  trees,  became  a  prey  to  the  army.  Not  a  roof  was  left  to 
shelter  the  sorrowing  inhabitants  on  their  return — not  a  fruit-tree  to  shade  them  or  to  give 
them  sustenance — not  an  ear  of  corn  of  all  the  abundance  that  lay  before  the  invaders  when 
they  approached,  was  saved  from  the  devouring  flames. 

While  the  chief  portion  of  the  army  was  engaged  in  this  work,  detachments  went  out  and 
wrought  equal  devastation  elsewhere.  Four  hundred  men  went  down  the  west  side  of  the 
lake  and  destroyed  Gotheseunquean,  or  Gaghsiungua,  and  the  plantations  around  it,  and  an- 
other party,  under  Colonel  Harper,  marched  to  Schoyere,  near  Cayuga  Lake,  and  utterly  de- 
stroyed it  and  its  fields  of  grain. 

Taking  breath  at  Kanadaseagea,  the  invaders  marched  on  to  Kanandaigua,  at  the  head 
of  the  little  lake  of  that  name,  and  in  a  few  hours  after  their  arrival  the  "  twenty-     g^       j^  j^ 
three  very  elegant  houses,  mostly  framed,  and,  in  general,  large,"'  with  the  ex- 
tensive fields  of  corn  and  beans,  and  orchards  of  heavily-laden  fruit-trees,  were  destroyed. 


'  The  enemy  might  have  rallied  upon  the  hills  along  this  perilous  route,  and  greatly  thinned,  if  not  quite 
destroyed  or  captured,  the  invading  army.  But,  as  Brant  afterward  said,  they  did  not  believe  that  Sullivan 
would  commence  a  march  so  soon  over  so  bad  a  route;  and  the  Indians  were  so  terrified  by  the  cannont, 
and  disheartened  by  the  result  of  the  battle,  that  they  could  not  be  readily  induced  to  attempt  anolhcr. 

'  See  General  Sullivan's  ofTicial  account  of  this  expedition. 


276  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Approach  to  Genesee.  Council  of  the  Indian  Villages.  A  Battle.  Capture  and  Torture  of  Lieutenant  Boyd. 

Honeoye,  or  Anyeaya,  a  village  lying  in  the  path  of  the  invading  army  in  its  march  toward 
the  Valley  of  the  Genesee,  vv-as  next  swept  away,  and  Sullivan  prepared  to  desolate  the  broad 
valley  in  whose  bosom  nestled  the  great  capital  of  the  Western  tribes,  and  the  most  import- 
ant of  all  the  Indian  settlements. 

Thus  far  the  enemy  had  fled  in  terror  before  the  invading  army,  and  the  villages  of  the 
Indians  were  destroyed  without  an  effort  being  made  to  defend  them.  The  beautiful  Valley 
of  the  Genesee,  the  earthly  paradise  of  the  Six  Nations,  was  now  menaced.  A  council  of 
the  villages  of  the  plain  was  held,  and  they  resolved  to  turn  and  strike  another  blow  in  de- 
fense of  their  homes.  Their  women  and  childreir  were  removed  to  the  deep  shelter  of  the 
forest,  and  the  warriors  prepared  for  battle  upon  a  plain  between  Honeyoe  and  the  head  of 
Connissius  Lake,  now  known  as  Henderson's  Flats.  There  they  waited  in  ambush  the  ap- 
proach of  Sullivan's  army,  and  rose  upon  the  advanced  guard  with  the  desperation  of  wound- 
ed panthers.  The  battle  was  short,  the  savages  were  routed,  and  all  that  they  had  gained 
was  the  capture  of  two  Oneida  chiefs.* 

On  the  12th,  Kanaghsaw^s  and  its  plantations  were  laid  in  ashes.  Here  the  progress  of 
the  army  was  temporarily  checked  by  a  deep  stream,  which  it  was  necessary  to  bridge  in 
order  to  pass  over  with  the  baggage  and  stores.  Before  them  lay  the  village  of  Little 
Beard's  Town,  and,  while  the  army  was  delayed  in  constructing  a  bridge.  Lieutenant  Boyd, 
of  the  rifle  corps,  with  a  detachment  of  twenty-six  men,  went  to  reconnoiter  the  town.  He 
found  it  deserted,  except  by  two  Indians,  whom  he  killed  and  scalped.  Returning,  his  route 
lay  near  the  party  who  had  captured  the  two  Oneidas.  One  of  them,  as  we  have  seen,  was 
killed,  the  other  was  spared  for  torture.  He  broke  loose  from  his  captors,  and  fled  in  the 
direction  of  Sullivan's  camp.  Many  Indians  started  in  pursuit,  and  these  were  joined  by 
Brant  and  a  large  body  of  warriors,  who  had  lain  in  ambush  to  cut  off'  Boyd  on  his  return. 
September  13,     "^^^  pursuing  Indians  came  upon  Boyd  and  his  party.      Surrounded  by  over- 

1779.  whelming  numbers,  he  saw  no  way  to  escape  but  by  cutting  his  way  through 

the  fierce  circle.  Three  times  he  made  the  attempt ;  almost  all  his  men  were  killed,  and 
himself  and  a  soldier  named  Parker  were  made  prisoners  and  carried  in  triumph  to  Little 
Beard's  Town.^  Brant  treated  them  humanely,  but,  having  business  elsewhere,  the  chief 
left  them  in  the  custody  of  Colonel  John  Butler,  who,  with  his  Rangers,  was  there.  The 
unfeeling  Tory  handed  them  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Indians.  By  them  Boyd  was 
tortured  in  the  most  cruel  manner,  and  then  beheaded.  Parker  was  beheaded  without  being 
tortured.  Among  the  few  who  escaped  was  Timothy  Murphy,  the  slayer  of  Fraser  at  Be- 
mis's  Heights.  The  Americans  found  the  bodies  of  the  two  victims  at  Little  Beard's  Town, 
and  buried  them  upon  the  bank  of  Little  Beard's  Creek,  under  a  clump  of  wild  plum-trees 
on  the  road  now  running  from  Moscow  to  Genesee. 

The  Tories  and  Indians  now  held  another  council,  and  it  was  concluded  that  further  at- 
tempts to  oppose  such  an  army  as  Sullivan's  was  futile.  They  therefore  resolved  to  leave 
their  beautiful  country  ;   and  their  women  and  children  were  hurried  off^toward  Niagara, 

^  One  of  these  was  Genera)  Sullivan's  guide,  and  had  rendered  the  Americans  very  important  services. 
He  had  an  elder  brother  engaged  with  the  enemy,  and  here  they  met  for  the  first  time  since  their  separa- 
tion at  the  Oneida  Castle.  Fierce  was  the  anger  of  the  elder  chief  when  he  recognized  his  brother  in  the 
prisoner.  Approaching  him  with  violent  gestures,  he  said,  "  Brother !  you  have  merited  death !  The 
hatchet  or  the  war-club  shall  finish  your  career!"  He  then  reproached  him  for  aiding  the  rebellion,  for 
driving  the  Indians  from  their  fields,  and  for  butchering  their  children.  "No  crime  can  be  greater,"  he 
said.  "  But  though  you  have  merited  death,  and  shall  die  on  this  spot,  my  hands  shall  not  be  stained  with 
the  blood  of  a  brother !  Who  will  strike?"  Instantly  a  hatchet  gleamed  in  the  hand  of  Little  Beard,  the 
sachem  of  a  village  near  by,*  and  the  next  moment  the  young  Oneida  was  dead  at  the  feet  of  his  brother. 
— See  Campbell's  Annals. 

*  Han  Yerry,  an  Oneida  sachem,  was  with  Lieutenant  Boyd,  serving  him  as  guide.  He  fought  with  sig- 
nal courage.  The  Indians  knew  him,  and,  several  springing  upon  him,  he  was  literally  hacked  in  pieces  by 
their  hatchets.  Han  Yerry  lived  at  Oriskany  at  the  time  of  the  battle  there,  and  joined  the  Americans. 
He  was  a  powerful  man,  and  did  great  execution.  For  this  the  Indians  defeated  in  that  battle  entertained 
toward  him  feelings  of  the  most  implacable  hatred. 

*  Little  Beard's  Town,  now  Leicester,  in  Livingston  county. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


277 


Destruction  of  Genesee  and  the  surrounding  Country.    Picture  of  the  Desolation.    Nome  given  to  \Va»hington.     Corn  Planter. 


while  the  warriors  hovered  around  the  conquering  army,  to  watch  its  movements  and  strike 
a  blow  if  opportunity  should  occur. 

Sullivan  proceeded  to  the  Genesee  Valley.  Gathtsegwarohare  and  Little  Beard's  Town 
were  destroyed,  and  on  the  14th  he  crossed  the  river,  and  the  army  encamped  g^  timber 
around  Genesee,  the  Indian  capital.  Here  every  thing  indicated  the  presence  of  i'^'- 
civilization.  There  was  not  a  wilderness  feature  in  the  scene.  The  rich  intervales  present- 
ed the  appearance  of  cultivation  for  many  generations,'  and  the  farms,  and  orchards,  and 
gardens  bespoke  a  degree  of  comfort  and  refinement  that  would  be  creditable  to  any  civilized 
community.  But  a  terrible  doom  hung  over  the  smiling  country.  The  Genesee  Castle  was 
destroyed,  and  the  capital  was  laid  in  ashes.  "  The  town"  [Genesee],  said  Sullivan,  in  his 
dispatch  to  Washington,  "  contained  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  houses,  mostly  large  and 
very  elegant.  It  was  beautifully  situated,  almost  encircled  with  a  clear  flat,  extending  a 
number  of  miles,  over  which  extensive  fields  of  corn  were  waving,  together  with  every  kind 
of  vegetable  that  could  be  conceived."  Yet  the  contemplation  of  this  scene  could  not  stay 
the  destroyer's  hand  ;  and  over  the  whole  valley  and  the  surrounding  country  the  troops 
swept  with  the  besom  of  desolation.  Forty  Indian  towns  were  burned ;  one  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  bushels  of  corn  in  the  fields  and  in  granaries  were  destroyed  ;  a  vast  number 
of  the  finest  fruit-trees,''  the  product  of  years  of  tardy  growth,  were  cut  down  ;  hundreds  of 
gardens  covered  with  edible  vegetables  were  desolated  ;  the  inhabitants  were  driven  into  the 
forests  to  starve,  and  were  hunted  like  wild  beasts  ;  their  altars  were  overturned,  and  their 
graves  trampled  upon  by  strangers  ;  and  a  beautiful,  well- watered  country,  teeming  with  a 
prosperous  people,  and  just  rising  from'a  wilderness  state,  by  the  aid  of  cultivation,  to  a  level 
with  the  productive  regions  of  civilization,  Avas  desolated  and  cast  back  a  century  within  the 
space  of  a  fortnight.'  To  us,  looking  upon  the  scene  from  a  point  .so  remote,  it  is  difficult  to 
perceive  the  necessity  that  called  for  a  chastisement  so  cruel  and  terrible.  But  that  such 
necessity  seemed  to  exist  we  should  not  doubt,  for  it  was  the  judicious  and  benevolent  mind 
of  Washington  that  conceived  and  planned  the  campaign,  and  ordered  its  rigid  execution  in 
the  manner  m  which  it  was  accomplished.  It  awed  the  Indians  for  the  moment,  but  did 
not  crush  them.  In  the  reaction  they  had  greater  strength.  It  kindled  the  fires  of  deep 
hatred,  which  spread  far  among  the  tribes  upon  the  lakes  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio. 
Washington,  like  Demetrius,  the  son  of  Antigonus,  received  from  the  savages  the  name  of 
An-na-ta-kau-les,  which  signifies  a  taker  of  toivns,  or  Town  Destroyer.'' 

'  The  race  of  Indians  that  then  inhabited  the  Valley  of  the  Genesee  had  no  knowledge  of  the  earlier  cul- 
tivators of  the  soil.  They  asserted,  according  to  Mary  Jemison,  that  another  race,  of  which  they  had  no 
knowledge,  had  cultivated  the  land  long  before  their  ancestors  camo  into  the  valley ;  and  she  saw  tho  dis- 
entombment  of  skeletons  much  larger  than  those  of  the  race  she  was  among. 

^  Many  of  the  orchards  were  uncommonly  large.  One  that  was  destroyed  by  tho  axe  contained  fifteen 
hundred  trees. 

=>  Stone  says  (Life  of  Brant,  ii.,  25),  "  It  is  apprehended  that  few  of  the  present  generation  are  thoroughly 
aware  of  the  advances  which  the  Indians,  in  the  wide  and  beautiful  country  of  the  Cayugas  nml  Scneeas, 
had  made  in  the  march  of  civilization.  They  had  several  towns  and  many  largo  villages,  laid  out  with  a 
considerable  degree  of  regularity.  They  had  framed  houses,  some  of  them  well  finished,  having  chimneys, 
and  painted.  They  had  broad  and  productive  fields  ;  and,  in  addition  to  an  abundance  of  apples,  were  tho 
enjoyment  of  the  pear  and  the  more  luscious  peach." 

*  At  a  council  held  in  Philadelphia  in  1792,  Corn  Planter,  tho  distinguished  Seneca  chief,  thus  addressed 
the  President:  "Father — The  voice  of  the  Seneca  nation  speaks  to  you,  tho  great  counselor,  in  whoso 
heart  the  wise  men  of  all  the  thirteen  fires  have  placed  their  wisdom.  It  may  bo  very  small  in  your  ears, 
and,  therefore,  we  entreat  you  to  hearken  with  attention,  for  we  are  about  to  speak  to  you  of  ihiiiL's  which 
to  us  are  very  great.  When  your  army  entered  tho  country  of  the  Six  Nations,  wo  called  you  Tht  Toxcn 
Destroyer;  and  to  this  day,  when  that  name  is  heard,  our  women  look  behind  them  and  turn  pale,  and  our 
children  cling  close  to  the  necks  of  their  mothers.  Our  counselors  and  warriors  arc  men,  and  can  not  be 
afraid ;  but  their  hearts  are  grieved  with  the  fears  of  our  women  and  children,  and  desire  that  it  may  b« 
buried  so  deep  that  it  may  be  heard  no  more." 

Corn  Planter  was  one  of  the  earliest  lecturers  upon  temperance  in  this  country.  While  speaking  upon 
this  subject  in  1822,  he  said,  "The  Great  Spirit  first  made  tho  world,  next  the  (lying  animals,  and  formed 
all  things  good  and  prosperous.  He  is  immortal  and  everlasting.  Alter  finishing  the  flying  animals,  he 
came  down  to  earth  and  there  stood.     Then  he  made  diflercnt  kinds  of  trees,  and  woods  of  all  sorts,  and 


278  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Return  of  the  invading  Army.       A  Celebration.       Arrival  of  the  Expedition  at  Wyoming.       The  Oneidas  driven  from  Ilome. 

From  causes  not  clearly  understood,  Sullivan  did  not  extend  his  victorious  march  to  Ni- 
agara, the  head-quarters  of  the  Tories  and  Indians,  the  breaking  up  of  w^hich  would  have 
been  far  more  efficient  in  bringing  repose  to  the  white  settlements  than  the  achievements 
just  accomplished  ;  but,  having  desolated  the  Genesee  Valley,  he  crossed  the  river  and  re- 
Septemberso,  traced  his  steps.  When  the  army  recrossed  the  outlet  of  Seneca  Lake,  Colonel 
1779.  Zebulon  Butler,  of  Wyoming,  was  sent  with  a  detachment  of  five  hundred  men, 

to  pass  round  the  foot  of  Cayuga  Lake  and  destroy  the  Indian  towns  on  its  eastern  shore. 
Lieutenant  Dearborn  was  dispatched  upon  similar  service  along  its  western  shore  ;  and  both 
corps,  having  accomphshed  their  mission,  joined  the  main  body  on  the  Chemung.' 
Butler  had  burned  three  towns  and  the  capital  of  the  Cayugas,  and  Dearborn 
had  destroyed  six  towns  and  a  great  quantity  of  grain  and  fruit-trees.  The  army  reached 
Tioga,  its  starting-place,  on  the  3d  of  October,  where  it  was  joined  by  the  garrison  left  in 
charge  of  Fort  Sullivan.  Destroying  that  stockade,  they  took  up  their  line  of  march  on  the 
4th  for  Wyoming,  where  they  arrived  on  the  7th,  and  pitched  their  tents  on  the  former  camp- 
ground near  Wilkesbarre.  The  next  day  a  large  portion  of  the  troops  left  for  Easton,  on 
the  Delaware,  at  which  place  they  were  dismissed.  Thus  ended  a  campaign  before  which 
we  would  gladly  draw  the  vail  of  forgetfulness. 

Although  beaten  back  into  the  wilderness,  and  their  beautiful  country  laid  waste,  the  In- 
dians were  not  conquered,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year  Brant  and  some  of 
his  followers  were  again  iipon  the  war-path.  During  the  winter  the  threat  of  Sir 
Frederic  Haldimand  against  the  Oneidas  was  executed.  Their  castle,  church,  and  villages 
were  destroyed,  and  the  inhabitants  were  driven  down  upon  the  white  settlements  for  pro- 
tection. They  collected  together  near  Schenectady,  where  they  remained  until  after  the 
war.*  These,  too,  were  particular  objects  for  the  vengeance  of  the  hostile  savages.  They 
regarded  the  Oneidas  as  double  traitors,  and  determined  to  punish  them  accordingly,  should 
an  opportunity  offer  to  do  so. 

In  April,  in  connection  with  a  band  of  Tories,  the  savages  destroyed  Harpersfield,  and 
then  marched  to  the  attack  of  the  Upper  Schoharie  Fort.  On  their  way  they  captured 
Captain  Alexander  Harper  and  a  small  company  who  were  with  him,  engaged  in  making 
maple  sugar.  Three  of  the  yeomanry  were  killed,  and  ten  made  prisoners  and  taken  to  Ni- 
agara. With  difficulty  Brant  kept  his  Indians  from  murdering  them  by  the  way.  At 
Niagara  Harper  met  with  his  niece,  the  daughter  of  Blr.  Moore,  of  Cherry  Valley,  whose 
family,  with  that  of  Colonel  Campbell,  was  carried  into  captivity  in  1778.  She  had  mar- 
ried a  British  officer  named  PoM^ell,  and  through  his  exertions  Captain  Harper  and  his  as- 
sociates were  kindly  treated  at  Niagara.  But  they  were  doomed  to  a  long  absence  from 
home,  for  they  were  not  released  until  the  peace  in  1783  opened  all  the  prison  doors.' 

The  borders  of  Wyoming,  and  the  Dutch  settlements  along  the  western  frontiers  of  the 


le  of  every  kind.     He  made  the  spring  and  other  seasons,  and  the  weather  suitable  for  planting. 

These  he  did  make.      But  stills  to  make  whisky  to  give  to  the  Indians  he  did  not  make The 

Great  Spirit  has  ordered  me  to  stop  drinking,  and  he  wishes  me  to  inform  the  people  that  they  should  quit 
drinking  intoxicating  drinks." 

'  Lieutenant-colonel  Hubley,  an  officer  of  the  Pennsylvania  line,  has  left  an  interesting  account  of  this 
expedition  in  his  Journal.  He  sa}'s  that,  on  the  25th  of  September,  the  army  held  a  celebration  in  testi- 
mony of  their  pleasure  "  in  consequence  of  the  accession  of  the  King  of  Spain  to  the  American  alliance, 
and  the  generous  proceedings  of  Congress  in  augmenting  the  subsistence  of  the  officers  and  men."  Gen- 
eral Sullivan  ordered  five  of  his  fattest  bullocks  to  be  slaughtered,  one  for  the  officers  of  each  brigade.  In 
the  evening,  after  the  discharge  of  thirteen  cannons,  the  whole  army  performed  a  feu  de  joie.  Thirteen 
appropriate  toasts  were  drunk.  The  last  was  as  follows  :  "  May  the  enemies  of  America  be  metamor- 
phosed into  pack  horses,  and  sent  on  a  western  expedition  against  the  Indians." 

*  A  remnant  of  this  tribe  now  occupies  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Rome,  Oneida  county,  New  York. 

'  Among  the  Tory  captors  of  Harper  and  his  associates  was  a  brute  named  Becraft,  who  boasted  of  hav- 
ing assisted  in  the  murder  of  the  Vrooman  family  in  Schoharie.  He  had  the  audacity  to  return  to  Scho- 
harie after  the  war.  The  returned  prisoners,  who  had  heard  \iis  boast,  and  others,  informed  of  his  pres- 
ence, caught  him,  stripped  him  naked,  and,  tying  him  to  a  treo,  gave  him  a  severe  castigation  with  hick- 
ory whips.  They  enumerated  his  several  crimes,  and  then  gave  him  a  goodly  number  of  stripes  for  each. 
On  releasing  him,  they  charged  hira  never  to  come  to  the  cour.ty  again.     Of  course  he  did  not. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  279 


Johnson's  Incursions  into  the  Schoharie  Country.  Attack  on  the  Schoharie  ForU.  Boldneia  of  Murphy. 

present  Ulster  and  Orange  counties,  suflered  from  scalping  parties  during  the  Bj)ring  and 
summer  of  1780.  We  have  already  noticed  the  destruction  of  the  settlement  and  nulls  at 
Little  Falls,  on  the  Mohawk  ;  also  the  devastation  of  the  Canajoharie  settlements  and  the 
hamlet  at  Fort  Plain,  which  occurred  in  August  of  that  year.  Tiie  irruption  of  Sir  John 
Johnson  into  the  valley  in  the  neighborhood  of  Johnstown  will  bo  considered  when  writing 
of  my  visit  to  Johnson  Hall. 

During  the  autumn  an  extensive  expedition  was  planned  against  the  Mohawk  and 
Schoharie  settlements.  The  Indians  were  thirsting  for  revenge  for  the  wrongs  and 
misery  inflicted  by  Sullivan.  The  leaders  were  Sir  John  Johnson,  Brant,  and  the  famous 
half-breed  Seneca  warrior,  Corn  Planter.'  The  Indians  rendezvoused  at  Tioga  Point,  and, 
ascending  the  Susquehanna,  formed  a  junction  at  Unadilla  with  Sir  John  Johnson  and  his 
forces,  which  consisted  of  three  companies  of  his  Greens,  one  company  of  German  Yagers, 
two  hundred  of  Butler's  Rangers,  one  company  of  British  regulars,  under  Captain  Duncan, 
and  a  number  of  Mohawks.  They  came  from  Montreal  by  way  of  Oswego,  bringing  with 
them  two  small  mortars,  a  brass  three  pounder,  and  a  piece  called  a  f;rasshopprr. 

The  plan  agreed  upon  by  the  invaders  was,  to  proceed  along  the  Charlotte  River,  the 
cast  branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  to  its  source,  thence  across  to  the  head  of  the  Schoharie, 
sweep  all  the  settlements  along  its  course  to  its  junction  with  the  Mohawk,  and  then  dev- 
astate that  beautiful  valley  down  to  Schenectady.  They  began  their  march  at 
nightfall,  and  before  morning  they  had  passed  the  Upper  Fort  unobserved,  and 
were  applying  the  torch  to  dwellings  near  the  Middle  Fort  (Middleburgh).  At  daylight  sig- 
nal guns  at  the  Upper  Fort  announced  the  discovery  of  the  enemy  there,  but  it  was  too  late 
to  save  the  property,  already  in  flames.  The  proceeds  of  a  bountiful  harvest  were  in  the 
barns,  and  stacks  of  hay  and  grain  were  abundant. 

Major  Woolsej%  who  seems  to  have  been  a  poltroon,"  was  the  commander  of  the  garrison 
at  the  Middle  Fort,  and  sent  out  a  detachment  against  the  foe,  under  Lieutenant  Spencer, 
who  was  repulsed,  but  returned  to  the  fort  without  losing  a  man.  That  post  was  now  form- 
ally invested  by  the  enemy,  and  Sir  John  Johnson  sent  a  flag,  with  a  summons  to  surrender. 
The  bearer  was  fired  upon  by  Murphy,  the  rifleman  already  mentioned,  but  was  unhurt ; 
and,  on  his  return  to  the  camp,  Johnson  commenced  a  siege.  The  feeble  garrison  had  but 
little  ammunition,  while  the  enemy,  though  well  supplied,  did  very  little  execution  with  his 
own.  The  siege  was  a  singular,  and  even  ridiculous,  military  display.  While  a  party  of 
the  besiegers  were  awkwardly  trying  to  cast  bomb-shells  into  the  apology  for  a  fort,  the  rest 
were  valiantly  attacking  deserted  houses  and  stacks  of  grain.  Failing  to  make  any  impres- 
sion, Sir  John  sent  another  flag  toward  noon.  Murphy  again  fired  upon  the  bearer,  and 
again  missed  his  mark.  Woolsey  had  ordered  him  to  desist,  but  Murphy  plainly  told  his 
commanding  officer  that  he  was  a  coward,  and  meant  to  surrender  the  fort ;  and  excused 
his  breach  of  the  rules  of  war  in  firing  upon  a  flag  by  the  pica  that  the  enemy,  in  all  his 
conduct,  paid  no  regard  whatever  to  military  courtesy. 

The  siege  continued,  and  again  a  flag  was  sent,  and  was  fired  upon  a  third  time  by  Mur- 
phy. The  oflicers  and  regulars  in  the  fort  had  menaced  him  with  death  if  he  should  again 
thus  violate  the  rules  of  war.  But  the  militia,  among  whom  he  was  a  great  favorite,  ral- 
lied around  him,  and  Woolsey  and  his  men  were  set  at  defiance.  At  length  Johnson,  sus- 
pecting the  garrison  to  be  much  stronger  than  it  really  was,  or  fearing  re-enforcements  might 
arrive  from  Albany,  abandoned  the  siege,  and  marched  rapidly  down  the  valley,  destroying 

*  Corn  Planter  now  first  became  conspicuous.  According  to  Stone,  this  chief,  and  the  afterward  more 
famoas  Red  Jacket,  were  among  the  Indians  at  the  battle  of  Chemung.  They  became  rivals,  and  Red 
Jacket  finally  supplanted  Corn  Planter.  Brant  always  despised  Red  Jacket,  for  ho  declared  him  to  have 
acted  the  part  of  a  coward  during  Sullivan's  expedition,  in  trying  to  get  the  chiefs  to  sue  for  pence  upon 
the  most  ignominious  terms. 

'^  Campbell,  in  his  Annals,  says,  "  Woolsey's  presence  of  mind  forsook  him  in  the  hour  of  danger.  He 
concealed  himself  at  first  with  the  women  and  children  in  the  house,  and,  when  driven  out  by  the  ridicule 
of  his  new  associates,  he  crawled  around  the  intrenchments  on  his  hands  and  knees,  amid  the  jeers  and  bravos 
of  the  militia,  who  felt  their  courage  revive  as  their  laughter  was  excited  by  the  cowardice  of  the  major." 


280  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Johnson's  March  to  Fort  Hunter.    Destruction  of  Property.    Expedition  of  General  Van  Rensselaer.    Death  of  Colonel  Brown. 

with  fire  every  thing  combustible  in  his  way.  He  attacked  the  Lower  Fort,  but,  being  re- 
pulsed by  a  shower  of  grape-shot  and  musket-balls  from  the  garrison  in  the  church,  he  con- 
tinued his  march  down  the  river  to  Fort  Hunter,'  at  its  junction  with  the  Mohawk.  Not 
a  house,  barn,  or  grain-stack,  known  to  belong  to  a  Whig,  was  left  standing,  and  it  was  es 
timated  that  one  hundred  thousand  bushels  of  grain  were  destroyed  by  the  invaders  in  that 
one  day's  march.  The  houses  and  other  property  of  the  Tories  were  spared,  but  the  exas- 
perated "Whigs  set  them  on  fire  as  soon  as  the  enemy  had  gone,  and  all  shared  a  common 
fate.  Only  two  persons  in  the  besieged  fort  were  killed,  but  about  one  hundred  of  the  in- 
habitants were  murdered  during  the  day.  The  Vroomans,  a  numerous  family  in  Schoharie, 
suffered  much,  many  of  them  being  among  the  slain. 

October  ^^^  John  remained  at  Fort  Hunter  on  the  17th,  and  destroyed  every  thing  be- 

1780.  longing  to  the  Whigs  in  the  neighborhood.  On  the  18th  he  began  a  devastating 
march  up  the  Mohawk  Valley.  Caughnawaga  was  laid  in  ashes,  and  every  dwelling  on 
both  sides  of  the  river,  as  far  up  as  Fort  Plain,  was  destroyed.^  On  the  night  of  the  1 8th  Sir 
John  encamped  with  his  forces  near  "  The  Nose,"  and  the  following  morning  he  crossed  the 
Mohawk  at  Keder's  Rifts,'  sending  a  detachment  of  fifty  men  to  attack  a  small  stockade  called 
Fort  Paris,  in  Stone  Arabia,  about  three  miles  north  of  the  river.  The  main  body  kept  in  mo- 
tion at  the  same  time,  and  continued  the  work  of  destruction  along  the  wide  line  of  its  march. 
As  soon  as  the  irruption  of  Johnson  into  the  Schoharie  settlement  was  made  known  at 
Albany,  Governor  George  Clinton,  accompanied  by  General  Robert  Van  Rensselaer,  of 
Claverack,  at  the  head  of  a  strong  body  of  militia,  marched  to  the  succor  of  the  people  in 
Tryon  county.  They  arrived  at  Caughnawaga  on  the  1 8th,  while  it  was  yet  in  flames  ; 
and,  ascertaining  that  Fort  Paris  was  to  be  attacked  the  next  day,  Van  Rensselaer  dispatch- 
ed orders  to  Colonel  Brown,  then  stationed  there,  to  march  out  and  meet  the  enemy.  Brown 
promptly  obeyed,  and  near  a  ruined  military  work,  called  Fort  Keyser,  confronted  the  in- 
vaders. A  sharp  action  ensued,  and  the  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  enemy  bore  down 
the  gallant  little  band  of  Brown,  who,  with  forty  of  his  soldiers,  was  slain.*  The  remain- 
der of  his  troops  found  safety  in  flight. 

*  Fort  Hunter  was  built  at  the  mouth  of  the  Schoharie  Creek  during  the  French- and  Indian  war.  It 
inclosed  an  edifice  called  Queen  Anne's  Chapel,  to  which  a  parsonage,  built  of  stone,  was  attached.  The 
old  fort  was  torn  down  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  but  it  was  afterward  partially  restored  and 
often  garrisoned.  The  chapel  was  demolished  in  1820,  to  make  room  for  the  Erie  Canal.  The  parsonage 
is  still  standing  in  the  town  of  Florida,  half  a  mile  below  the  Schoharie,  and  a  few  rods  south  of  the  canal. 

*  Among  the  many  sufferers  at  this  time  was  Major  Jelles  Fonda,  from  whom  the  present  village  of 
Fonda,  near  old  Caughnawaga,  derives  its  name.  He  was  absent  from  home  at  the  time,  attending  a  meet- 
ing of  the  state  Legislature,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  then  in  session  at  Poughkeepsie,  Dutchess  count}'. 
His  mansion  was  at  a  place  called  "  The  Nose,"  in  the  town  of  Palatine.  His  wife  escaped  under  cover 
of  a  thick  fog,  and  on  foot  made  her  way  to  Schenectady.  The  house  was  burned,  together  with  property 
valued  at  $60,000. — Antiquarian  Researches,  by  Giles  F.  Yates,  Esq. 

'  Rifts  are  short,  shallow  rapids,  the  frequent  occurrence  of  which  in  the  Mohawk  River  makes  naviga- 
tion of  that  stream,  even  with  bateaux,  quite  difficult. 

*  Colonel  Brown  was  a  distinguished  soldier  in  former  campaigns  of  the  Revolution  in  the  Northern  De- 
partment, as  the  reader  has  already  noticed.  He  was  born  in  Sandersfield,  Berkshire  county,  Massachu- 
setts, October  19th,  1744.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1771,  and  studied  law  with  Oliver  Arnold  (a 
cousin  of  the  traitor),  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  He  commenced  practice  at  Caughnawaga,  New  York, 
and  was  appointed  king's  attorney.  He  soon  went  to  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  where  ho  became  active  in 
the  patriot  cause.  He  was  chosen  by  the  State  Committee  of  Correspondence,  in  1774,  to  go  to  Canada 
to  excite  rebellion,  in  which  perilous  duty  he  had  many  adventures.  He  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1775, 
but  before  the  meeting  of  that  body  he  had  joined  the  expedition  under  Allen  and  Arnold  against  Ticon- 
deroga.  He  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Chambly  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  and  planned  the  attack 
on  Montreal,  which  resulted  so  disastrously  to  Colonel  Ethan  Allen.  He  was  at  the  storming  of  Quebec 
at  the  close  of  the  year.  The  following  year  Congress  gave  him  the  commission  of  lieutenant  colonel.  In 
1777  he  conducted  the  expedition  that  attacked  Ticonderoga  and  other  posts  in  its  vicinity,  released  one 
hundred  American  prisoners  at  Lake  George,  and  captured  quite  a  large  quantity  of  provisions  and  stores 
belonging  to  the  enemy.  Soon  after  this  he  retired  from  the  service  on  account  of  his  detestation  of  Arnold. 
Three  years  before  the  latter  became  a  traitor,  Brown  published  a  hand-bill,  in  which  he  denounced  him  as 
an  avaricious  and  unprincipled  man,  charged  him  with  "selling  many  a  life  for  gain,"  and  predicted  that 
he  would  prove  r  tiaitor,  in  the  remarkable  words  with  which  the  hand-bill  closed :  "Money  is  this  man^s 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  281 


Pursuit  of  Jolmson  by  Van  Rensselaor.  Inaction  of  the  latter.  Battle  of  Klock'a  Field.  Cnptura  of  aome  Tories. 

Sir  John  now  dispersed  his  forces  in  small  bands  to  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles  in 
each  direction,  to  pillage  the  county.  lie  desolated  Stone  Arabia,  and,  proceediiij^  to  a  jilace 
called  Klock's  Field,  halted  to  rest.  General  Van  Rensselaer,  with  a  considerable  force,  was 
in  close  pursuit.  He  had  been  joined  by  Captain  M'Kean,  with  a  corps  of  volunteers,  and 
a  strong  body  of  Oneida  warriors,  led  by  their  principal  chief,  Louis  Atyataronghta,  whom 
Congress  had  commissioned  a  colonel.'  His  whole  Ibrce  was  now  fifteen  hundred  strong. 
Van  Rensselaer's  pursuit  was  on  the  south  side  of  the  Mohawk,  while  Johnson  was  ravaging 
the  country  on  the  north  side.  Johnson  took  care  to  guard  the  ford  while  his  halting  army 
was  resting,  and  the  pursuers  were  there  kept  at  bay.  The  tardy  movements  of  Van  Rens- 
selaer, who,  instead  of  pushing  across  to  attack  the  wearied  troops  of  the  invader,  rode  off 
to  Fort  Plain  to  di?ie  ivith  Governor  Clmton,  were  justly  censured  ;  and  the  Oneida  chief 
even  denounced  him  as  a  Tory.  This  accusation,  and  the  remonstrances  of  some  of  his  oflj- 
cers,  quickened  his  movements,  and  toward  evening  his  forces  crossed  the  river  and  were  ar- 
rayed for  battle.  The  whites  of  the  enemy  were  upon  a  small  plain  partially  guarded  by 
a  bend  in  the  river,  while  Brant,  with  his  Indians,  occupied,  in  secret,  a  thicket  of  shrub 
oaks  in  the  vicinity.  The  van  of  the  attack  was  led  by  the  late  General  Morgan  Lewis, 
then  a  colonel.  Colonel  Dubois  commanded  the  extreme  right,  and  the  left  was  led  by 
Colonel  Cuyler,  of  Albany.  Captain  M'Kean  and  the  Oneidas  were  near  the  right.  John- 
son's right  was  composed  of  regular  troops  ;  the  center,  of  his  Greens  ;  and  his  left  was  the 
Indian  ambuscade.  When  the  patriots  approached,  Brant  raised  the  war-whoop,  and  in  a 
few  moments  a  general  battle  ensued.  The  charge  of  the  Americans  was  so  impetuous  that 
the  enemy  soon  gave  way  and  fled.  Brant  was  wounded  in  the  heel,  but  escaped.  Van 
Rensselaer's  troops  wished  to  pursue  the  enemy,  but  it  was  then  twilight,  and  he  would  not 
allow  it.  They  were  ordered  to  fall  back  and  encamp  for  the  night,  a  movement  which 
caused  much  dissatisfaction.' 

God,  and  to  get  enough  of  it  he  would  sacrifice  his  country  .''^  This  was  published  at  Albany  in  the  winter 
of  1776—7,  while  Arnold  was  quartered  there.  Arnold  was  greatly  excited  when  told  ol'  it,  called  Brown 
a  scoundrel,  and  declared  that  he  would  kick  him  whensoever  and  wheresoever  they  niijjht  meet.  This 
declaration  was  communicated  to  Brown.  The  next  day,  Brown,  by  invitation,  went  to  a  dinner  where  ho 
would  meet  Arnold.  The  latter  was  standing  with  his  back  to  the  fire  when  the  former  entered  the  door, 
and  he  and  Brown  thus  met  each  other  face  to  face.  Brown  walked  boldly  up  to  Arnold,  and,  looking  him 
sternly  in  the  face,  said,  "  I  understand,  sir,  that  you  have  said  you  would  kick  me.  I  now  present  myself 
to  give  you  an  opportunity  to  put  your  threat  into  execution."  Arnold  made  no  reply.  Brown  then  said, 
"Sir,  3'ou  are  a  dirty  scoundrel."  Arnold  was  still  silent,  and  Brown  left  the  room,  after  apologizing  to 
the  gentlemen  present  for  his  intrusion.* 

Colonel  Brown,  after  he  left  the  army,  was  occasionally  employed  in  the  IMassaehusetts  service.  In  the 
fall  of  1780,  with  many  of  the  Berkshire  militia,  he  marched  up  the  Mohawk  Valley,  to  act  as  circumstances 
might  require.  He  was  slain  at  Stone  Arabia  on  his  birth-day  (Octoljcr  19th,  1780),  aged  35  years.  On 
his  way  to  the  INIohavvk  country,  he  called  upon  Ann  Lee,  the  founder  of  the  sect  of  Shaking  Quakers  in 
this  country,  then  established  near  Albany.  He  assured  her,  by  way  of  pleasantry,  that  on  his  return  ho 
should  join  her  society.  A  fortnight  after  his  death  two  members  of  the  society  waited  upon  his  widow, 
told  her  that  her  husband,  in  spirit,  had  joined  "  INIother  Ann,"  and  that  he  had  given  express  orders  for 
her  to  become  a  member.  She  was  not  to  be  duped,  and  bade  them  begone.  On  the  anniversary  of  Col- 
onel Brown's  death  (as  well  as  of  his  birth),  in  1836,  a  monument  was  reared  to  his  memory  by  his  son,  the 
late  Henry  Brown,  Esq.,  of  Berkshire,  Massachusetts,  near  the  place  where  ho  fell,  in  the  town  of  Pnla- 
tine.     Upon  the  monument  is  the  following  inscription : 

In  memory  of  Colonel  John-  Buown, 

who  was  killed  in  battle  on  tho  19th  day  of  October,  1780, 

at  Palatine,  in  tho  county  of  Montgomery. 

JE.  36. 

'  He  was  a  representative  of  three  nations,  for  in  his  veins  ran  the  blood  of  tho  French,  Indian,  and  negro 

'  While  some  of  M'Kean's  volunteers  were  strolling  about,  wailing  for  tho  main  army  to  cress,  they 

came  upon  a  small  block-house,  where  nine  of  the  enemy  were  in  custody,  having  surrendered  during  the 

night.     On  one  of  them  being  asked  how  ho  came  there,  his  answer  was  a  sharp  commentary  upon  the 

criromal  inaction  of  General  Van  Rensselaer.     "  Last  night,  after  tho  battle,"  he  said,  "  wo  cro«scd  the 

river ;  it  was  dark  ;  we  heard  the  word  '  lay  down  your  arms  ;'  some  of  us  did  so.     We  were  taken,  nine 

*  Stone'*  Life  of  Brant,  ii.,  117. 


282  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Pursuit  of  Johnson  and  Brant.        Conduct  of  Van  Rensselaer.       Capture  of  Vrooman  and  his  Party.        Threatened  Invnsion. 

Louis  and  M'Kean  did  not  strictly  obey  orders,  and  early  in  the  morning  they  started 
off  with  their  forces  in  pursuit.  Johnson,  with  the  Indians  and  Yagers,  fled  toward  Onon- 
daga Lake,  where  they  had  left  their  boats  concealed.  His  Greens  and  the  Pvangers  fol- 
lowed. Van  Pi-ensselaer  and  his  whole  force  pursued  them  as  far  as  Fort  Herkimer,  at  the 
German  Flats,  and  there  M'Kean  and  Louis  were  ordered  to  press  on  in  advance  after  the 
fugitives.  They  struck  the  trail  of  Johnson  the  next  morning,  and  soon  afterward  came 
upon  his  deserted  camp  while  the  fires  were  yet  burning.  Van  Rensselaer  had  promised  to 
push  forward  to  their  support ;  but,  having  little  confidence  in  the  celerity  of  his  movements, 
and  fearing  an  ambuscade,  Louis  refused  to  advance  any  further  until  assured  that  the  main 
body  of  the  Americans  was  near.  The  advanced  party  halted,  and  were  soon  informed  by 
a  messenger  that  Van  Rensselaer  had  actually  abandoned  the  pursuit,  and  was  then  on  his 
return  march  I  It  was  a  shameful  neglect  of  advantage,  for,  with  proper  skill  and  action, 
Johnson  might  have  been  captured  at  the  Nose,'  before  Stone  Arabia  was  desolated,  or  else 
overtaken  and  secured  in  his  flight. 

When  Van  Rensselaer  heard  of  the  concealment  of  Johnson's  boats  on  the  Onondaga,  he 
dispatched  a  messenger  to  Captain  Vrooman,  then  in  command  at  Fort  Schuyler,  ordering 
him  to  go  with  a  strong  detachment  and  destroy  them.  Vrooman  instantly  obeyed.  One 
of  his  men  feigned  sickness  at  Oneida,  and  was  left  behind.  He  was  there  when  Johnson 
arrived,  and  informed  him  of  Vrooman' s  expedition.  Brant  and  a  body  of  Indians  hastened 
forward,  came  upon  Vrooman  and  his  party  while  at  dinner,  and  captured  the  whole  of  them 
without  firing  a  gun.  Johnson  had  no  further  impediments  in  his  way,  and  easily  escaped 
to  Canada  by  way  of  Oswego,  taking  with  him  Captain  Vrooman  and  his  party  prisoners, 
but  leaving  behind  him  a  great  number  of  his  own  men.'^  Try  on  county  enjoyed  compara- 
tive repose  through  the  remainder  of  the  autumn  and  part  of  the  winter. 

In  January,  1781,  Brant  was  again  upon  the  war-path  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort 
Schuyler.  The  slender  barrier  of  the  Oneida  nation  had  been  broken  the  previous  year  by 
driving  that  people  upon  the  white  settlements,  and  the  warriors  from  Niagara  had  an  un- 
impeded way  to  the  Mohawk  Valley.  They  were  separated  into  small  parties,  and  cut  ofi" 
load  after  load  of  supplies  on  their  way  to  Forts  Plain,  Dayton,  and  Schuyler.  During  the 
month  of  March  two  detachments  of  soldiers  near  Fort  Schuyler  were  made  prisoners,  and 
the  provisions  they  were  guarding  were  captured.  All  the  information  that  could  be  got 
respecting  the  movements  of  the  enemy  strengthened  the  belief  that  it  was  his  determina- 
tion to  make  another  invasion  of  the  valley,  and  penetrate,  if  possible,  as  far  as  the  settle- 
ment at  Schenectady,  to  destroy  the  Oneidas  who  had  found  shelter  there. 

Already  the  scarcity  of  provisions  at  Forts  Schuyler  and  Dayton  warned  the  people  that, 
if  supplies  were  not  speedily  obtained,  those  posts  must  be  abandoned,  and  the  whole  county 
would  thus  be  left  open  to  the  savages.  The  distress  at  Fort  Schuyler  was  greatly  increased 
by  a  flood  early  in  May,  which  overflowed  the  works  and  destroyed  considerable  provisions. 
The  damage  was  so  great,  that  it  was  decided,  at  a  council  of  officers,  that  the  strength  of 
jj  22  ^^^  garrison  was  totally  inadequate  to  make  proper  repairs.  A  few  days  afterward 
I'^'Si-  the  destruction  of  the  fort  was  completed  by  fire,  the  work,  it  was  supposed,  of  an 
incendiary.  The  post  was  then  necessarily  abandoned,  and  the  garrison  was  marched  down 
to  Forts  Dayton  and  Plain. 

of  us,  and  marched  into  this  little  fort  by  seven  militia  men.  We  formed  the  rear  of  three  hundred  of  John- 
son's Greens,  who  were  running  promiscuously  throujrh  and  over  one  another.  I  thought  General  Van 
Rensselaer's  whole  army  was  upon  us.  Why  did  you  not  take  us  prisoners  yesterday,  after  Sir  John  ran 
off  with  the  Indians  and  left  us?  We  wanted  to  surrender."  The  man  was  a  Tory  of  the  valley. —  Sec 
Life  of  Brant,  ii.,  123. 

'  The  Nose,  or  Anthony's  Nose,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is  a  bluff  at  a  narrow  part  of  the  Mohawk,  in 
the  town  of  Palatine,  and  derives  its  name  from  the  circumstance  that  its  form  is  something  like  that  of  the 
human  nose.  Here  a  ridge  evidently  once  crossed  the  valley  and  kept  the  waters  in  check  above,  for  the 
effects  of  the  action  of  running  streams  and  eddies  are  very  prominent  in  the  rocks.  At  the  upper  end  of 
the  plain  below  are  bowlders  and  large  gravel  stones,  which  diminish  to  sand  at  the  lower  end. 

*  Campbell's  Annals. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


283 


Gloomy  Prospect  in  the  Mohawk  Country.  Patriotism  of  Colonel  VVillett  His  Command  of  the  Tryon  County  Militia. 

At  this  period  every  thing  combined  to  cast  gloom  over  the  INIohawk  country.  Vermont, 
as  we  have  noticed  in  a  former  chapter,  had  assumed  an  equivocal  position,  amounting  ai- 
inost,  in  appearance,  to  a  treasonable  rebellion  against  Congress,  (reneral  llaUliinand,  with 
a  large  regular  force,  was  menacing  the  northern  country  from  his  post  upon  Lake  Cham- 
plain  ;  the  Johnsons,  Butlers,  and  Brant  were  laying  plans  for  an  extensive  invasion  of  Tryon 
county  and  the  settlements  near  the  Delaware  ;  the  forts  that  served  for  a  defense  for  the 
people  were  weak  from  lack  of  provisions,  ammunition,  and  men  ;  the  principal  one,  the  kev 
to  the  Mohawk  Valley  from  the  west,  was  destroyed  ;  and,  worse  than  all,  a  spirit  of  dis- 
content and  despondency  was  rife  in  that  quarter,  induced  by  the  inefhciency  of  Congress  in 
furnishing  supplies,  and  the  seeming  hopelessness  of  the  patriot  cause.  General  .Schuyler 
and  others  expressed  their  conviction  that,  if  another  invading  army  should  come  upon  the 
settlements  during  the  existing  state  of  things,  large  numbers  of  the  people  would  join  the 
royal  standard.  The  undisciplined  militia,  necessarily  engaged  in  farm  labor,  and  often  in- 
subordinate, were  a  weak  reliance,  and  nothing  but  an  efficient  military  force,  either  of  paid 
levies  or  soldiers  of  the  regular  army,  could  give  confidence  and  real  protection. 

The  expectation  of  such  aid  was  but  a  feeble  ray  of  hope  at  the  beginning  of  the  summer, 
for  Washington  and  the  French  commander  (De  Rochambeau)  were  concocting  plans  far 
more  important  than  the  defense  of  a  single  frontier  section  of  the  vast  extent  of  the  colonies. 
Governor  Clinton  was  greatly  pained  and  embarrassed  by  the  gloomy  prospect  in  his  depart- 
ment. In  this  dilemma,  his  thoughts  turned  to  Colonel  Willett,  who  had  just  been  appoint- 
ed to  the  command  of  one  of  the  two  regiments  formed  by  the  consolidation  of  five  New  York 
regiments.  His  name  was  a  "  tower  of  strength"  among  the  people  of  the  Mohawk  Valley, 
and  Chnton  implored  him  to  take  command  of  all  the  militia  levies  and  state  troops  that 
might  be  raised  for  the  summer  campaigns.  He  consented,  left  the  main  army,  and  estab- 
lished his  head-quarters  at  Fort  Rensselaer'  (Canajoharie),  toward  the  clo.se  of  June. 
The  spirits  of  the  people  were  revived,  although  the  forces  of  Willett  consisted  of  mere 
fragments  of  companies  hastily  collected  from  the  ruins  of  the  last  campaign.  "  I  confess 
myself,"  he  said,  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Clinton,  "  not  a  little  disappointed  in  having  such  a 
trifling  force  for  such  extensive  business  as  I  have  now  on  my  hands ;  and,  also,  that  noth- 
ing is  done  to  enable  me  to  avail  myself  of  the  militia.  The  prospect  of  a  sufiering  country 
hurts  me.  Upon  my  own  account  I  am  not  uneasy.  Every  thing  I  can  do  shall  be  done  ; 
and  more  can  not  be  looked  for.  If  it  is,  the  reflection  that  I  have  done  my  duty  must  fix 
my  tranquiUity."^ 

While  the  enemy  is  threatening  invasion  and  Willett  is  preparing  to  repel  him,  let  us 
turn  from  the  exciting  chronicle,  and  resume  our  quiet  journey,  in  the  course  of  which  some 
of  the  stirring  incidents  of  the  subsequent  strife  between  the  patriots  and  the  enemy,  in  TryoK. 
county,  will  come  up  in  review. 

'  This  was  upon  the  Canajoharie  Creek,  near  the  junction  of  its  two  branches,  in  the  town  of  Root. 
'  Willett's  Narrative. 


284 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Changes  in  the  Mohawk  ( 'ouiitry. 


Present  Aspect  of  the  Mohawk  Valley. 


Fultonville. 


Fonda 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


The  earth  all  light  and  loveliness,  in  summer's  golden  hours, 
Smiles,  in  her  bridal  vesture  clad,  and  crown'd  with  festal  flowers ; 
So  radiantly  beautiful,  so  like  to  heaven  above, 
We  scarce  can  deem  more  fair  that  world  of  perfect  bliss  and  love. 

Anonymous. 

Look  now  abroad — another  race  has  fill'd 

These  populous  borders — wide  the  wood  recedes, 
And  towns  shoot  up,  and  fertile  plains  are  till'd ; 

The  land  is  full  of  harvests  and  green  meads ; 
Streams  numberless,  that  many  a  fountain  feeds. 

Shine,  disembower'd,  and  give  to  sun  and  breeze 
Their  virgin  waters ;  the  full  region  leads 

New  colonies  forth,  that  toward  the  western  seas 

Spread,  like  a  rapid  flame  among  the  autumnal  leaves. 

Bryant. 


HO  that  has  passed  along  the  Valley  of  the  Mohawk,  near  the  close  ol  a 
day  in  summer,  has  not  been  deeply  impressed  with  the  singular  beauty 
'of  the  scene?  or  who,  that  has  traversed  the  uplands  that  skirt  this  fruit- 
ful garden,  and  stretch  away  to  other  valleys,  and  mingle  with  the  loftier 
hills  or  fertile  intervales  within  the  borders  of  ancient  Tryon  county,  is  not 
tilled  with  wonder  while  contemplating  the  changes  that  have  been  wrotight 
there  within  a  life-span  ?  When  the  terrible  drama  which  we  have  been 
considering  was  performed,  almost  the  whole  country  was  covered  with  the 
primeval  forest.  Clearings  were  frequent  along  the  Mohawk  River,  and 
cultivation  was  assiduous  in  producing  the  blessings  of  abundance  and  gen- 
eral prosperity ;  but  the  southern  portions  of  Herkimer  and  Montgomery,  and  all  of  Scho- 
harie and  Otsego,  down  to  the  remote  settlement  of  Unadilla,  were  a  wilderness,  except  where 
a  few  thriving  settlements  were  growing  upon  the  water  courses.  The  traveler,  as  he  views 
the  "  field  joined  to  field"  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  all  covered  with  waving  grain,  green  pas- 
tures, or  bending  fruit-trees,  inclosing,  in  their  arms  of  plenty,  elegant  mansions  ;  or  watches 
the  vast  stream  of  inland  commerce  that  rolls  by  upon  the  Erie  Canal ;  or  the  villages  of 
people  that  almost  hourly  sweep  along  its  margin  after  the  vapor  steed ;  or  rides  over  the 
adjacent  hill-country  north  and  south,  enlivened  by  villages  and  rich  in  cultivation,  can  hardly 
realize  the  fact  that  here,  seventy  years  ago,  the  wild  Indian  was  joint  possessor  of  the  soil 
with  the  hardy  settlers,  and  that  the  light  of  civilization  was  as  scattered  and  feeble,  and  for 
a  while  as  evanescent  and  fleeting  in  these  broad  solitudes,  as  is  the  sparkle  of  the  fire-fly  on 
a  summer  evening.  Yet  such  is  the  wpnderful  truth ;  and  as  I  passed  down  the  canal  at 
the  close  of  the  day,  from  Fort  Plain  to  Fultonville,  surrounded  with  the  activity,  opulence, 
and  beauty  of  the  Mohawk  Valley,  I  could  not,  while  contrasting  this  peacefulness  and  prog- 
ress with  the  discord  and  social  inertia  of  other  lands,  repress  the  feelings  of  the  Pharisee. 
Fultonville  is  sixteen  miles  below  Fort  Plain,  and  it  was  long  after  dark  when  I  arrived 
there.  Early  on  the  following  morning  I  procured  a  conveyance  to  visit  old  Caugh- 
nawaga  and  Johnstown,  north  of  the  Mohawk.  A  gentleman  of  leisure  and  in- 
telligence, residing  at  Fultonville,  kindly  offered  to  accompany  me,  and  his  familiarity  with 
the  history  and  localities  of  the  neighborhood,  and  freedom  of  communication,  made  my  morn- 
ing's ride  pleasant  and  profitable.  Fultonville  is  upon  the  canal,  and  may  be  called  the  port 
of  the  village  of  Fonda,  which  lies  vtpon  the  rail-road,  on  the  northern  verge  of  the  valley. 


AugiiBt  24, 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


285 


Caughnawaga. 


John  Butler's  UesiJence. 


Johnstown. 


An  Octogenarian. 


Biography  of  Butler 


The  Mohawk  cleaves  the  center  of  the  plain  between  the  two  villages,  and  is  spanned  by  a 
fine  covered  bridge.  Fonda  and  Caughnawaga  (now  Mohawk)  lie  in  close  embrace.  The 
former  has  all  the  freshness  of  infancy,  while  the  latter,  with  its  gray  old  church,'  has  a  mat- 
ronly gravity  in  its  appearance.  It  is  only  about  half  a  mile  eastward  from  its  blooming 
daughter,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  over  which  winds  the  eastern  fork  of  the  road  from  Johns- 
town.     On  a  commanding  eminence,  about  a  mile  north  of  Fonda,  we  came  to  the  house 

where  Colonel  John  Butler  resided,"  which  is  believed  to 
-^-        .-■  be  the  oldest  dwelling  in  that  section,  and  coeval  with 

Caughnawaga  Church.  It  overlooks  the  Mohawk  Val- 
ley on  the  south,  and  commands  an  extensive  prospect 
of  a  fine  agricultural  country  in  every  direction.  It  is 
now  owned  by  a  Mr.  Wilson,  and  is  often  visited  by  the 
curious,  who  are  as  frequently  attracted  by  the  eminent- 
ly infamous  as  by  the  eminently  good.  It  is  a  fair  speci- 
men of  the  middling  class  of  houses  of  that  period.  The 
posts  stand  directly  upon  the  stone  foundation,  without 
sleepers,  and  there  are  no  plaster  walls  or  ceilings  in  the 
house,  the  sides  of  the  rooms  being  lined  with  pine  boards. 
The  bricks  of  the  chimney  are  the  small,  imported  kind 
which  distinguished  many  of  the  edifices  in  the  old 
states,  that  M'ere  constructed  about  a  century  ago. 

The  village  of  Johnstown,  which  was  included  in  the  tovm  of  Caughnawaga,  organized 
in  1798,  lies  pleasantly  in  the  bosom  and  along  the  slope  of  an  intervale,  about  four  miles 
north  of  Fonda.'  I  met  there  a  venerable  citizen,  John  Yost,  eighty  years  of  age,  who  had 
been  a  resident  of  the  vicinity  from  his  birth.  He  was  often  dandled  on  the  knee  of  Sir 
William  Johnson,  and  has  a  clear  recollection  of  the  appearance  of  the  baronet  and  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  death.  His  father  was  an  adherent  of  the  Whig  cause,  and  instructed 
him  early  in  the  principles  of  the  Hevolution.  He  was  several  times  employed  by  Colonel 
Willett  as  an  express  to  carry  dispatches  from  Fort  Plain  to  Tripe's  Hill  and  other  points 


The  Butler  House. 


August, 
1818. 


in  the  valley,  his  extreme  youth  guarding  him  from  suspicion.      He  was  still  an  active 
man  when  I  saw  him,  and  his  bodily  health  promised  him  the  honors  of  a  centenarian. 

Johnson  Hall,  the  residence  of  Sir  William  and  Sir  John  Johnson,^  is  situated  upon  a 

'  See  page  263. 

*  John  Butler  was  one  of  the  leading  Tories  of  Tryon  county  during  the  whole  war  of  the  Revolution. 
Before  the  war  he  was  in  close  official  connection  with  Sir  William  Johnson,  and,  after  his  death,  with  his 
son  and  nephew,  Sir  John  and  Guy  Johnson.  When  he  fled  with  the  Johnsons  to  Canada,  his  family  were 
left  behind,  and  were  subsequently  held  as  hostages  by  the  Americans,  and  finally  exchanged  for  the  wife 
and  children  of  Colonel  Samuel  Campbell,  of  Cherry  Valley.  He  was  active  in  the  predatory  warfare  that 
so  long  distressed  Tryon  county,  and  commanded  the  eleven  hundred  men  who  desolated  Wyoming  in  1778. 
He  was  among  those  who  opposed  the  progress  of  Sullivan  in  the  Indian  country  in  1779,  and  accompanied 
Sir  John  Johnson  in  his  destructive  march  through  the  Schoharie  and  Mohawk  settlements  in  1780.  After 
the  war  he  went  to  Canada,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  about  the  year  1800.  His 
property  upon  the  Mohawk,  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  New  York,  was  confiscated ;  but  he  was  am- 
ply  rewarded  by  the  British  government  for  his  infamous  services  in  its  behalf.  He  succeeded  Guy  John- 
son as  Indian  agent,  with  a  salary  of  S2000  per  annum,  and  was  granted  a  pension,  as  a  military  officer, 
of  Si 000  more.  Like  his  son  Walter,  he  was  detested  for  his 
cruelties  by  the  more  honorable  British  officers ;  and,  after  the 
massacre  at  Wyoming,  Sir  Frederic  Haldimand,  then  Governor 
of  Canada,  sent  word  to  him  that  he  did  not  wish  to  see  him.  It 
is  but  justice  to  Colonel  Butler  to  say,  that  he  was  far  more  hu- 
mane than  his  son  Walter,  and  that  his  personal  deeds  at  Wyo- 
ming were  not  so  heinous  as  the  common  accounts  have  made 
them.     These  will  be  considered  when  the  attack  upon  that  settlement  shall  receive  a  more  particular  notice. 

^  The  old  jail  in  the  village  was  standing  when  I  was  there,  in  August,  1848.     It  was  built  in  1762, 
and  was  consumed  by  fire  on  the  8th  of  September,  1849. 

*  John  Johnson  was  the  son  of  Sir  William  Johnson  by  his  first  wife.     He  was  born  in  1742,  and  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  his  title  and  estates  in  1774.     He  was  not  as  popular  as  his  father,  being  less  social 


SiGNATUBK   OF  COLON*!.  JOHN  BUTLKB. 


286 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Johnson  Uall. 


Ita  Stair-case  and  Brant's  Hatchet  Marks. 


Progress  of  Western  New  York. 


gentle  eminence,  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  northward  of  the  court-house  in  the  village, 
and  near  the  state  road  to  Black  River.  This  was  probably  the  finest  mansion  in  the  prov- 
ince, out  of  the  city  of  New  York,  at  the  time  of  its  erection,  about  the  year  1760.  The 
nail,  or  main  building,  is  of  wood,  and  double  clap-boarded  in  a  manner  to  represent  blocks 


North  Fbont  of  Johnson  Hall. 

of  stone.  Its  exterior  dimensions  are  forty  feet  wide,  sixty  feet  long,  and  two  stories  high. 
The  detached  wings,  built  for  flanking  block-houses,  are  of  stone.  The  walls  of  these  are 
very  thick,  and  near  the  eaves  they  are  pierced  for  musketry.  The  entrance  passage,  vv'hich 
extends  entirely  through  the  house,  is  fifteen  feet  wide,  from  which  rises  a  broad  stair-case, 
with  heavy  mahogany  balustrades,  to  the  second  story.  The  rail  of  this  balustrade  is  scar- 
red by  hatchet  blows  at  regular  intervals  of  about  a  foot,  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  and 
tradition  avers  that  it  was  done  by  the  hands  of  Brant  when  he  fled  from  the  hall  with  Sir 
John  Johnson,  in  1776,  to  protect  the  house  from  the  torch  oT  marauding  savages,  for  he 
asserted  that  such  a  token  would  be  understood  and  respected  by  them. 

The  rooms  in  both  stories  are  large  and  lofty,  and  the  sides  are  handsomely  wainscoted 
with  pine  panels  and  carved  work,  all  of  which  is  carefully  preserved  in  its  original  form  by 
Mr.  Eleazer  Wells,  the  present  proprietor.  He  has  been  acquainted  with  the  house  for  fifty 
years,  and  within  that  time  one  of  the  rooms  has  been  neither  painted  nor  papered.'      The 

and  less  acquainted  with  human  nature.  His  official  relations  to  the  parent  government,  and  his  known 
opposition  to  the  rebellious  movements 
of  the  colonies,  caused  him  to  be  strictly 
watched,  and,  as  we  have  noted  in  the 
text,  not  without  just  cause.  Expelled 
from  his  estate,  his  property  confiscated, 
his  family  in  exile,  he  became  an  uncom- 
promising enemy  of  the  republicans,  and 
until  the  close  of  the  war  his  influence 
was  exerted  against  the  patriots. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  Sir 
John  went  to  England,  and,  on  returning 

in  1785,  settled  in  Canada.  He  was  appointed  superintendent  and  inspector  general  of  Indian  affairs  in 
North  America,  and  for  several  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  legislative  council  of  Canada.  To  compen- 
sate him  for  his  losses,  the  British  government  made  him  several  grants  of  lands.  He  died  at  the  house 
of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Bowes,  at  Montreal,  in  1830,  aged  88  years.  His  son,  Sir  Adam  Gordon  Johnson, 
succeeded  him  in  his  title. 

^  In  that  room  Mr.  Wells  was  married  in  1807,  the  house  then  belonging  to  his  mother-in-law.  Mr. 
Wells  related  to  me  a  fact  which  illustrates  the  wonderful  progress  of  Western  New  York  in  population 


iTT^^T^if^?;^ 


SiGNATOBE  OF  SiR  JoHN  JoHNSON. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  287 


Only  Baronial  Uall  in  the  United  States.  Sir  William  Johnson  and  his  Wives.  The  Dutch  Girl.  Molly  Brant. 

paper  hangings  upon  it  have  been  there  that  length  of  time,  and  are  doubtless  the  sanae  that 
were  first  put  upon  the  wall  by  the  baronet.  Every  thing  of  the  kind  is  well  preserved, 
and  the  visitor  is  gratified  by  a  view,  in  its  original  aspect,  of  the  07ily  baronial  hall  in  the 
Ufiited  States. 

Here  Sir  William  lived  in  all  the  elegance  and  comparative  power  of  an  English  baron 
of  the  Middle  Ages.  He  had  many  servants  and  retainers,  "  wives  and  concubines,  sons  and 
daughters  of  difierent  colors."'  His  hall  was  his  castle,  and  around  it,  beyond  the  wings,  a 
heavy  stone  breast-work,  about  twelve  feet  high,  was  thrown  up.  Invested  with  the  power 
and  influence  of  an  Indian  agent  of  his  government  in  its  transactions  with  the  confederated 
Six  Nations,  possessed  of  a  fine  person  and  dignity  of  manners,  and  of  a  certain  style  of  ora- 
tory that  pleased  the  Indians,  he  acquired  an  ascendency  over  the  tribes  never  before  held 
by  a  white  man.  When,  in  1760,  General  Amherst  embarked  at  Oswego  on  his  expedi- 
tion to  Canada,  Sir  William  brought  to  him,  at  that  place,  one  thousand  Indian  warriors 
of  the  Six  Nations,  which  was  the  largest  number  that  had  ever  been  seen  in  arms  at  one 
time  in  the  cause  of  England.      He  made  confidants  of  many  of  the  chiefs,  and  to  them  he 

and  wealth  within  half  a  century.  About  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  went  west,  with  the  intention  of  pur- 
chasing a  farm  in  the  Genesee  country,  always  so  celebrated  for  its  fertility.  Among  other  places,  he  vis- 
ited the  site  of  the  present  large  city  of  Rochester.  Then  a  solitary  cabin  was  there.  The  land  wtis  ofler- 
od  to  him  for  two  dollars  an  acre,  but  it  seemed  too  wet  for  his  purpose,  and  he  refused  to  buy.  "  Had  1 
purchased  then,"  said  JNIr.  Wells,  "  it  might  have  made  me  a  millionaire,  although  such  a  result  is  by  no 
means  certain,  for  the  original  owner  of  all  the  land  where  Utica  now  stands  was  a  tenant,  and  his  descend- 
ants still  are  tenants,  of  other  proprietors  of  the  soil  there."  The  prize  within  the  reach  of  the  person  to 
whom  he  alluded  was  allowed,  through  lack  of  prudence  and  forecast,  to  slip  through  his  fingers,  and  not 
a  rood  of  all  the  acres  of  Utica  is  now  his  own. 

'  Sir  William  is  said  to  have  been  the  father  of  a  hundred  children,  chiefly  by  native  mothers,  who  were 
young  squaws,  or  the  wives  of  Indians  who  thought  it  an  honor  to  have  them  intimate  with  the  distinguish- 
ed king's  agent.  He  availed  himself  of  a  custom  which  Golden  says  was  then  prevalent  among  the  Six 
Nations.  "  They  carried  their  hospitality  so  far  as  to  allow  distinguished  strangers,"  he  says,  "  the  choice 
of  a  young  squaw  from  among  the  prettiest  in  the  neighborhood,  washed  clean  and  dressed  in  her  best  ap- 
parel, as  a  companion  during  his  sojourn  with  them."  Sir  William  had  two  icives,  although  they  were  not 
made  so  until  they  had  lived  long  with  the  baronet.  Simms  says,  on  the  authority  of  well-authenticated 
tradition,  that  his  first  wife  was  a  young  German  girl,  who,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  times,  had  been 
sold  to  a  man  named  Phillips,  living  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  to  pay  her  passage  money  to  the  captain  of  the 
emigrant  ship  ih  which  she  came  to  this  country.  She  was  a  handsome  girl,  and  attracted  considerable 
attention.  A  neighbor  of  Sir  William,  who  had  heard  him  express  a  determination  never  to  marry,  asked 
him  why  he  did  not  get  the  pretty  German  girl  for  a  housekeeper.  He  replied,  "  I  will."  Not  long  after- 
ward the  neighbor  called  at  Phillips's,  and  inquired  where  the  High  Dutch  girl  was.  Phillips  replied,  "  John- 
son, that  tamned  Irishman,  came  tother  day  and  offered  me  five  pounds  for  her,  threatening  to  horsewhip 
me  and  steal  her  if  I  would  not  sell  her.  I  thought  five  pounds  petter  than  a  flogging,  and  took  it,  and 
he's  got  the  gal."  She  was  the  mother  of  Sir  John  Johnson,  and  of  two  daughters,  who  became  the  wives 
respectively  of  Guy  Johnson  and  Daniel  Claus.*  When  she  was  upon  her  death-bed.  Sir  William  was 
married  to  her  in  order  to  legitimate  her  children.  After  her  death  her  place  was  supplied  by  Molly  Brant, 
sister  of  the  Mohawk  sachem,  by  whom  he  had  several  children.  Toward  the  close  of  his  life.  Sir  William 
married  her  in  order  to  legitimate  her  children  also,  and  her  descendants  are  now  some  of  the  most  re- 
spectable people  in  Upper  Canada.  Sir  William's  first  interview  and  acquaintance  with  her,  as  related  by 
Mr.  Stone  (Note,  Life  of  Brant,  i.,  .387),  have  considerable  romance.  She  was  a  very  sprightly  and  beau- 
tiful girl,  about  sixteen,  when  he  first  saw  her  at  a  militia  muster.  One  of  the  field  officers,  riding  upon 
a  fine  horse,  came  near  her,  and,  "  by  way  of  banter,  she  asked  permission  to  mount  behind.  Not  sup- 
posing she  could  perform  the  exploit,  he  said  she  might.  At  the  word,  she  leaped  upon  the  crupper  with 
the  agility  of  a  gazelle.  The  horse  sprang  ofTat  full  speed,  and,  clinging  to  the  officer,  her  blanket  flying 
and  her  dark  hair  streaming  in  the  wind,  she  flew  about  the  parade-ground  as  swift  as  an  arrow.  The 
baronet,  who  was  a  witness  of  the  spectacle,  admiring  the  spirit  of  the  young  squaw,  and  becoming  enam- 
ored of  her  person,  took  her  home  as  his  wife."  According  to  Indian  customs,  this  act  made  her  really  his 
wife,  and  in  all  her  relations  of  wife  and  mother  she  was  very  exemplary. 

*  These  two  daughters,  who  were  left  by  tlieir  dying  mother  to  the  care  of  a  friend,  were  educated  almost  in  solitude.  That 
friend  was  the  widow  of  an  officer  who  was  killed  in  battle,  and,  retiring  fi-om  the  world,  deroted  her  whole  time  to  the  care 
of  these  children.  They  were  carefully  instructed  in  religious  duties,  and  in  various  kinds  of  needle-work,  but  were  them- 
selves kept  entirely  from  society.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  they  had  never  seen  a  lady,  except  their  mother  and  her  friend,  or  a 
(rentleman,  except  Sir  William,  who  visited  their  room  daily.  Their  dress  was  not  conformed  to  the  fashions,  but  always  con 
alsted  of  wrappers  of  finest  chintz  over  green  silk  petticoats.  Their  hair,  which  was  long  and  beautiful,  wa«  tied  behind  with  a 
simple  band  of  ribbon.    After  their  marriage  they  soon  acquired  the  habits  of  society,  and  made  excellent  wirei. 


288 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Sir  William  Johnson's  Diploma.    His  Amusements  and  sudden  Death.    Flight  of  Sir  John.    His  Invasion  of  the  Valley  in  1780. 

was  in  the  habit  of  giving  a  diploma,  testifying  to  their  good  conduct.  One  of  these  is  in 
the  possession  of  the  'New  York  Historical  Society,  a  copy  of  which,  with  the  vignette,  is 
o-iven  in  the  note.^  His  house  was  the  resoi't  of  the  sachems  of  the  Six  Nations  for  counsel 
and  for  trade,  and  there  the  presents  sent  out  by  his  government  were  annually  distributed 
to  the  Indians.  On  these  occasions  he  amused  himself  and  gratified  his  guests  by  fetes  and 
frames,  many  of  which  were  highly  ludicrous.*  Young  Indians  and  squaws  were  often  seen 
running  foot-races  or  wrestling  for  trinkets,  and  feats  of  astonishing  agility  were  frequently 
performed  by  the  Indians  of  both  sexes. 

Sir  William's  death  was  sudden,  and  was  by  some  ascribed  to  poison,  voluntarily 
taken  by  him,  and  by  others  to  apoplexy,  induced  by  over-excitement.      His  posses- 
sions, which,  w^ith  his  offices  and  titles,  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  son,  did  not  long  remain 
undisturbed,  but  were  abandoned,  as  we  have  seen,  in  1776,  and  were  afterward  sold  to 
strangers  under  an  act  of  attainder  and  confiscation  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  New  York. 

Sir  John,  as  we  have  already  noted,  fled  to  Canada,  where  he  received  a  colonel's  com- 
mission. The  sequestration  of  his  immense  landed  property  inspired  him  with  feelings  of 
implacable  revenge,  wdiich  were  manifested  by  his  terrible  visitations  to  the  settlements  in 
Tryon  county.  One  of  these  was  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  recovering  the  plate  and  other 
valuables  belonging  to  the  baronet,  which  had  been  buried  near  Johnson  Hall.  The  events 
of  this  incursion  were  as  follows  : 

About  midnight  on  Sunday,  the  21st  of  May,  1780,  Sir  John,  with  a  force  of  five  hund- 
red Tories  and  Indians,  who  had  penetrated  the  country  from  Crown  Point  to  the  Sacondaga 
River,  appeared  at  Johnson  Hall  without  being  seen  by  any  but  his  friends.  His  forces 
were  divided  into  two  detachments,  and  between  midnight  and  dawn  he  began  to  devastate 
the  settlement  by  burning  every  building,  except  those  which  belonged  to  Tories.  One  di- 
vision was  sent  around  in  an  easterly  course,  so  as  to  strike  the  Mohawk  at  Tripes  Hill,'  be- 
low Caughnawaga,  whence  it  was  ordered  to  proceed  up  the  valley,  destroy  Caughnawaga, 
and  form  a  junction  with  the  other  division  at  the  mouth  of  Cayudutta  Creek.  This  march 
was  performed  ;  many  dwellings  were  burned  and  several  lives  were  sacrificed.  Sir  John, 
in  the  mean  while,  at  the  head  of  one  division,  proceeded  through  the  village  of  Johnstown 
unobserved  by  the  sentinels  at  the  small  picketed  fort  there,  and  before  daylight  was  at  the 
Hall,  once  his  OAvn,  where  he  secured  two  prisoners.  On  his  way  to  join  the  other  division 
upon  the  Cayudutta,  he  came  to  the  residence  of  Sampson  Sammons,  who  was,  with  his 

'  "  By  the  Honorable  Sir  William  Johnson,  Bart.,  His  Majesty's  sole  Agent 
and  Superintendant  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  Northern  Department  of  North 
America,  Colonel  of  the  Six  United  Nations,  their  Allies  and  Depend- 
ants. &c.,  &c. 

"To Whereas,  I  have  received  repeated  proofs  of  your  at-         j^  V 

tachment  to  his  Britannic  Majesty's  Interests  and  Zeal  for  his  service,  upon        ^  ' 

sundry  occasions,  more  particularly I  do  therefor  give  you  this 

public  Testimonial  thereof,  as  a  proof  of  his  Majesty's  Esteem  and  Approba-  ,,   '_ 

tion,  Declaring  j'ou,  the  said ,  to  be  a of  your ,  and 

recommending  it  to  all  his  Majesty's  Subjects  and  faithful  Indian  Allies  to  Treat  and  Consider  you  upon  all 

occasions  agreeable  to  j'our  character,  station,  and  services Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  at 

Arms,  at  Johnson  Hall,  the day  of ,  17  .  . 

"  By  command  of  Sir  W.  Johnson." 

*  Among  the  amusements  invented  by  Sir  William  were  foot-races,  in  which  the  competitors  had  meal- 
bags  drawn  up  over  their  legs  and  tied  under  their  arms ;  a  hog,  with  its  tail  greased,  would  be  offered  as 
a  prize  to  the  one  that  should  catch  it  by  that  extremity ;  a  half  pound  of  tea  -was  a  prize  offered  to  the 
one  who  could  make  the  wryest  face ;  a  bladder  of  Scotch  snuff  to  the  greatest  scold  of  two  old  women ; 
and  children  might  be  seen  exploring  pools  of  muddy  water,  into  which  the  baronet  had  cast  several  pen- 
nies.—  Shnnis,  121. 

^  At  this  place  lived  Garret  Putnam,  a  very  active  Whig,  and  his  house  was  the  first  one  assailed.  Un- 
known to  the  invaders,  Putnam  had  rented  his  house  to  two  Englishmen  named  Gort  and  Platto,  stanch 
Tories.  The  assailants  broke  into  the  house,  scalped  the  two  men,  who  had  not  time  to  reveal  their  char- 
acters, and  it  was  not  until  daylight  that  they  discovered  their  victims  to  be  their  own  friends  instead  of 
Putnam  and  his  son,  as  they  had  supposed. 


1 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  289 


Capture  of  the  Sammona  Family.    Cnieltiea  and  Crimea  of  the  Inyadefs.    Johnson's  Retreat.    Recovery  of  hia  Negro  and  Plato 


whole  family,  among  the  most  active  and  intrepid  patriots  in  Tryon  county.  Sir  John  had 
always  respected  Mr.  Sammons,  and  still  held  him  in  high  estimation,  but  he  was  determ- 
ined to  carry  him  and  his  family  away  prisoners,  if  possible,  and  thus  lessen  the  number  oi 
his  more  influential  enemies  in  the  Mohawk  Valley.  It  was  not  yet  hght  when  a  Tory, 
named  Sunderland,  with  a  resolute  band,  surrounded  the  house  of  Sammons,  and  the  first 
intimation  the  family  had  of  danger  was  the  arrest  of  Thomas,  the  younger  of  three  sons,  as 
he  stepped  out  of  the  door  to  observe  the  weather.'  The  father  and  three  sons  were  made 
prisoners,  but  the  females  of  the  family  were  left  undisturbed,  after  the  house  was  plundered 
of  every  thing  valuable.  The  marauders  then  marched  with  their  prisoners  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Cayudutta,  and  both  divisions  went  up  the  valley,  burning,  plundering,  and  murder- 
ing. A  venerable  old  man,  named  David  Fonda,  was  killed  and  scalped  by  an  Indian  party 
attached  to  the  expedition,  and  in  it3  march  of  a  few  niiles  nine  aged  men,  four  of  them  up- 
ward of  eighty  years  old,  were  murdered.  Returning  to  Caughnawaga,  the  torch  was  ap- 
phed,  and  every  building,  except  the  church,  was  laid  in  ashes.  From  Caughnawaga  they 
proceeded  to  Johnstown"  by  way  of  the  Sammonses,  on  whose  premises  every  buildinf^  was 
burned,  and  the  females,  bereft  of  their  protectors  and  helpers,  were  left  houseless  and  almost 
naked.  Seven  horses  that  were  in  the  stables  were  taken  away,  and  that  happy  family  of 
the  morning  were  utterly  destitute  at  evening. 

Toward  sunset  Johnson  perceived  that  the  militia  of  the  neighborhood  were  gatherin*', 
under  the  direction  of  Colonel  John  Harper,  and  resolved  to  decamp.  Several  Loyalists  had 
joined  him,  and  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  possession  of  twenty  negro  slaves  whom  he  had 
left  behind  at  the  time  of  his  flight,  in  the  spring  of  1776.  Among  these  was  the  faithful 
negro  who  buried  his  chests  of  plate.  With  his  prisoners,  slaves,  and  much  booty,  he  di- 
rected his  course  toward  the  Sacondaga.  The  inhabitants  seemed  so  completely  ^^^  ga 
taken  by  surprise,  and  were  so  panic-stricken  by  the  suddenness  and  fierceness  of  the  i~^0- 
invasion,  that  he  was  unmolested  in  his  retreating  march,  and  reached  St.  John's,  on  the 
Sorel,  in  safety.  The  captives  were  sent  to  Chambly,  twelve  miles  distant,  and  confined  in 
the  fortress  there.' 

'  Thomas  Sammons,  who  was  then  a  lad,  lived  until  within  a  few  years,  and  furnished  much  of  the  in- 
teresting matter  concerning  this  irruption  of  Sir  John,  to  the  author  of  the  Life  of  Brant,  from  whose  pafres 
[  have  gleaned  much  of  the  narrative  here  given.  Mr.  Sammons  was  a  representative  in  Congress  from 
1803  to  1807,  and  again  from  1809  to  1813.  ° 

'I  have  before  mentioned  that  the  silver  plate  and  other  valuable  articles  belonging  to  Johnson  were 
buried  by  a  faithful  slave.  When  the  Hall  and  other  property  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  Tryon  countv 
Committee,  under  the  act  of  sequestration,  the  elder  of  Mr.  Sammon's  sons  became  the  lessee,  and  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  slave  William,  who  had  buried  the  plate.  This  slave  Sir  John  found  at  the  Hall,'  and  while  he 
tarried  there  for  several  hours  on  the  day  in  question,  the  negro,  assisted  by  four  soldiers,  disinterred  the 
plate,  which  filled  two  barrels.  It  was  then  distributed  among  forty  soldiers,  who  placed  it  in  their  knap- 
sacks, the  quarter-master  making  a  memorandum  of  the  name  of  each  with  the  article  of  plate  intrusted  to 
him,  and  in  this  way  it  was  carried  safely  to  Montreal. 

Johnson  Hall,  with  seven  hundred  acres  of  land,  had  been  sold  by  the  commissioners  to  James  Caldwell, 
of  Albany,  for  $30,000,  the  payment  to  be  made  in  public  securities.  To  show  the  real  value  of  such  se' 
Gurities — in  other  words,  the  state  of  public  credit  of  the  colonies  about  1779,  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
Mr.  Caldwell  immediately  resold  the  property  for  §7000,  $23,000  less  on  paper  than  he  gave  for  it,  and 
then  made  money  by  the  operation.  He  had  bought  the  securities  for  a  trifle,  and  received  hard  cash  from 
the  man  who  purchased  from  him. 

While  halting  on  the  day  after  leaving  Johnstown,  the  elder  Mr.  Sammons  requested  a  personal  inter- 
vievr  with  Sir  John,  which  was  granted.  He  asked  to  be  released,  but  the  baronet  hesitated.  The  old 
man  then  recurred  to  former  times,  when  he  and  Sir  John  were  friends  and  neighbors.  "  See  what  you 
have  done,  Sir  John,"  he  said.  "  You  have  taken  myself  and  my  sons  prisoners,  burned  my  dwelling  to 
ashes,  and  left  the  helpless  members  of  my  family  with  no  covering  but  the  heavens  above,  and  no  prospect 
but  desolation  around  them.  Did  we  treat  you  in  this  manner  when  you  were  in  the  power  of  the  Tryon 
county  Committee  ?  Do  you  remember  when  we  were  consulted  by  General  Schuyler,  and  you  agreed  to 
surrender  your  arms  ?  Do  you  not  remember  that  you  then  agreed  to  remain  neutral,  and  that  upon  that 
condition  General  Schuyler  left  you  at  liberty  on  your  parole  ?  Those  conditions  you  violated.  You  went 
off  to  Canada ;  enrolled  yourself  in  the  service  of  the  king  ;  raised  a  regiment  of  the  disaffected,  who  aban- 
doned their  country  with  you ;  and  you  have  now  returned  to  wage  a  cruel  war  against  us,  by  burning  our 
dwellmgs  and  robbing  us  of  our  property.     I  was  your  friend  in  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and  exerted  my- 

T 


290  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Pursuit  of  Johnson.     Incursion  of  Ross  and  Butler.    Action  ofWillett.     Battle  at  Johnstown.    Adventures  of  the  Sammonses. 

Governor  Clinton  was  at  Kingston,  Ulster  county,  when  intelligence  of  this  invasion 
reached  him.  He  repaired  immediatelv  to  Albany,  and  sent  such  forces,  composed  of  mili- 
tia and  volunteers,  as  he  could  raise,  tu  overtake  and  intercept  the  invaders.  One  division, 
commanded  by  the  governor  in  person,  pushed  forward  to  Lakes  George  and  Champlain, 
;md  at  Ticonderoga  was  joined  by  a  body  of  militia  from  the  New  Hampshire  Grants.  At 
the  same  time  Colonel  Van  Schaick,  with  eight  hundred  militia,  pursued  the  enemy  by  way 
of  Johnstown.  But  Sir  John  was  far  beyond  the  reanh  of  pursuers,  and  too  cautious  to  take 
a  route  so  well  known  as  that  of  the  lakes.  He  kept  upon  the  Indian  paths  through  the 
wilderness  west  of  the  Adirondaci:  ]Mountains,  and  escaped.  This  was  the  last  visit  made 
by  Johnson  to  the  MohawK  Valley  during  the  war,  but  his  friends  invaded  the  settlement 
the  following  year,  and  near  Johnson  Hall  a  pretty  severe  battle  took  place. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  1781,  Major  Ross  and  Walter  Butler,  at  the  head  of  about  one 
thousand  troops,  consisting  of  regulars,  Indians,  and  Tories,  approached  the  settlement  so 
stealthily  that  they  reached  Warren  Bush  (not  far  from  the  place  where  Sir  Peter  Warren 
made  his  first  settlement,  and  the  place  of  residence  of  Sir  William  Johnson  on  his  arriva^ 
in  America)  without  their  approach  being  suspected.  The  settlement  was  broken  into  &i 
suddenly  that  the  people  had  no  chance  for  escape.  Many  were  killed,  and  their  houses 
plundered  and  destroyed.  As  soon  as  Colonel  Willett,  then  stationed  at  Fort  Rensselaer, 
was  informed  of  this  incursion,  he  marched  with  about  four  hundred  men  for  Fort  Hunter, 
on  the  Mohawk.  Colonel  Rowley,  of  Massachusetts,  with  a  part  of  his  force,  consisting  of 
Tryon  county  militia,  was  sent  round  to  fall  upon  the  enemy  in  the  rear,  while  Willett  should 
attack  them  in  front.  The  belligerents  met  a  short  distance  above  Johnson  Hall,  and  a  bat- 
tle immediately  ensued.  The  militia  under  Willett  soon  gave  way,  and  fled  in  great  con- 
lusion  to  the  stone  church  in  the  village  ;   and  the  enemy  would  have  had  an  easy  victory, 

self  to  save  your  person  from  injury.  And  how  am  I  requited  ?  Your  Indians  have  murdered  and  scalped 
old  Mr.  Fonda,  at  the  ajre  of  eighty  years,  a  man  who,  I  have  heard  your  father  say,  was  hke  a  father  to 
him  when  he  settled  in  Johnstown  and  Kingsborough.  You  can  not  succeed,  Sir  John,  in  such  a  warfare, 
and  you  will  never  enjoy  your  property  more !"  The  appeal  had  its  effect.  The  baronet  made  no  reply, 
but  the  old  gentleman  was  set  at  liberty,  and  a  span  of  his  horses  was  restored  to  him.  A  Tory,  named 
Doxstader  (whom  we  shall  soon  meet  again  at  Currytown),  was  seen  upon  one  of  the  old  man's  horses, 
and  refused  to  give  him  up.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  the  neighborhood,  when  Mr.  Sammons  had  him 
arrested,  and  he  was  obliged  to  pay  the  full  value  of  the  animal. 

The  two  elder  sons  of  Mr.  Sammons,  Frederic  and  Jacob,  were  taken  to  Canada.  At  Charably  they 
concerted  a  plan  for  escape  by  the  prisoners  rising  upon  the  garrison,  but  the  majority  of  them  were  too 
weak-hearted  to  attempt  it.  The  brothers,  however,  succeeded  in  making  their  escape  a  few  days  after- 
ward, and  the  narrative  of  their  separate  adventures,  before  they  reached  their  homes,  forms  a  wonderful 
page  in  the  volume  of  romance.  It  may  be  found  in  detail  in  the  second  volume  of  Stone's  Life  of  Brant. 
Jacob,  after  a  toilsome  journey  from  St.  John's  to  Pittstown,  in  Vermont,  through  the  trackless  wilderness, 
reached  Schenectady  in  safety,  a  few  weeks  after  his  capture,  where  he  found  his  wife  and  children.  But 
Frederic  was  recaptured,  and  it  was  nearly  two  years  before  he  returned.  His  adventures  in  making  his 
escape  from  an  island  among  the  St.  Lawrence  rapids,  above  Montreal,  and  his  subsequent  travel  through 
the  wilderness  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Mohawk,  with  a  fellow-prisoner,  partake  of  all  the  stirring 
character  of  the  most  exciting  legendary  fiction.  Almost  naked,  and  with  matted  hair,  they  entered  the 
streets  of  Schenectady,  a  wonder  and  a  terror  to  the  inhabitants  at  first,  but,  when  known,  they  were  the 
objects  of  profound  regard.  A  strange  but  well-attested  fact  is  related  in  connection  with  the  return  of 
Frederic.  After  the  destruction  of  his  property  upon  the  Mohawk,  the  elder  Sammons  and  his  family  re- 
turned to  Marbletown,  in  Ulster  county,  whence  they  had  emigrated.  On  the  morning  after  his  arrival  at 
Schenectady,  Frederic  dispatched  a  letter  to  his  father,  by  the  hand  of  an  officer  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia. 
He  left  it  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Levi  De  Witt,  five  miles  distant  from  Mr.  Sammons's.  On  the  night  when 
the  letter  was  left  there,  Jacob  dreamed  that  his  brother  Frederic  was  living,  and  that  a  letter,  announcing 
the  fact,  was  at  Mr.  De  Witt's.  The  dream  was  twice  repeated,  and  the  next  morning  he  related  it  to  the 
family.  They  had  long  given  Frederic  up  as  lost,  and  laughed  at  Jacob  for  his  belief  in  the  teachings  of 
dreams.  Jacob  firmly  believed  that  such  a  letter  was  at  De  Witt's,  and  thither  he  repaired  and  inquired 
for  it.  He  was  told  that  no  such  letter  was  there,  but  urged  a  more  thorough  search,  when  it  was  found 
behind  a  barrel,  where  it  had  accidentally  fallen.  Jacob  requested  Mr.  De  Witt  to  open  the  letter  and  ex- 
nmine  it,  while  he  should  recite  its  contents.  It  was  done,  and  the  dreamer  repeated  it  word  for  word  ! 
Frederic  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  enjoying  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  was  chosen 
an  elector  of  President  and  Vice-president  in  1837. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  291 


Retreat  of  Ross  and  Butler.  Fight  on  West  Canada  Creek.  Death  o'^'/Valter  Butler.  Last  Battle  near  the  Mohawk. 

had  not  Rowley  emerged  from  the  woods  at  that  moment,  and  fallen  upon  their  rear.  It 
was  then  nearly  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  fight  was  kept  up  "with  bravery  on 
both  sides  until  dark,  when  the  enemy  retreated,  or  rather  fled,  in  great  disorder,  to  the 
woods.  During  the  engagement,  and  while  Rowley  was  keeping  the  enemy  at  bay,  Willett 
succeeded  in  rallying  the  militia,  who  returned  to  the  fight.  The  Americans  lost  about  forty 
killed  and  wounded.  The  enemy  had  about  the  same  number  killed,  and  fifty  made  prisoners. 
The  enemy  continued  their  retreat  westward  nearly  all  the  night  after  the  battle,  and 
early  in  the  morning  Willett  started  in  pursuit.  He  halted  at  Stone  Arabia,  and  sent  for- 
ward a  detachment  of  troops  to  make  forced  marches  to  Oneida  Lake,  where,  he  was  inform- 
ed, the  enemy  had  left  their  boats,  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  them.  In  the  mean  while 
he  pressed  onward  with  the  main  force  to  the  German  Flats,  where  he  learned  that  the  ad- 
vanced party  had  returned  without  accomplishing  their  errand.  From  a  scouting  party  he 
also  learned  that  the  enemy  had  taken  a  northerly  course,  along  the  West  Canada  Creek. 
With  about  four  hundred  of  his  choicest  men,  he  started  in  pursuit,  in  the  face  of 
a  driving  snow-storm.  He  encamped  that  night  in  a  thick  wood  upon  the  Royal 
Grant,'  and  sent  out  a  scouting  party,  under  Jacob  Sammons,  to  search  for  the  enemy.  Sam- 
mons  discovered  their  forces  a  few  miles  in  advance  of  the  Americans,  and,  after  reconnoi- 
tering  their  camp,  communicated  the  fact  to  Willett  that  they  were  well  armed  with  bayo- 
nets. That  officer  deferred  his  meditated  night  attack  upon  them,  and  continued  his  pur- 
suit early  in  the  morning,  but  the  enemy  were  as  quick  on  foot  as  he.  In  the  afternoon  he 
came  up  with  a  lagging  party  of  Indians,  and  a  brisk  but  short  skirmish  ensued.  Some  of 
the  Indians  were  killed,  some  taken  prisoners,  and  others  escaped.  Willett  kept  upon  the 
enemy's  trail  along  the  creek,  and  toward  evening  came  up  with  the  main  body  at  a  place 
called  Jerseyfield,  on  the  northeastern  side  of  Canada  Creek.  A  running  fight  ensued  ;  the 
Indians  became  terrified,  and  retreated  across  the  stream  at  a  ford,  where  Walter  Butler, 
who  was  their  leader,  attempted  to  rally  them.  A  brisk  fire  was  kept  up  across  the  creek 
by  both  parties  for  some  time,  and  Butler,  who  was  watching  the  fight  from  behind  a  tree, 
was  shot  in  the  head  by  an  Oneida,  who  knew  him  and  took  deliberate  aim.  His  troops 
thereupon  fled  in  confusion.  The  Oneida  bounded  across  the  creek,  and  found  his  victim 
not  dead,  but  writhing  in  great  agony.  The  Tory  cried  out,  "  iSa-yg  me.'  Save  me!  Give 
me  quarters!'"  while  the  tomahawk  of  the  warrior  glittered  over  his  head,  "ille  give  you 
Sherry  Falley  quarters!"  shouted  the  Indian,  and  buried  his  hatchet  in  the  head  of  his  ene- 
my. He  took  his  scalp,  and,  with  the  rest  of  the  Oneidas,  continued  the  pursuit  of  the  fly- 
ing host.  The  body  of  Butler  was  left  to  the  beasts  and  birds,  without  burial,  for  charity 
toward  one  so  blood-stained  had  no  dwelling-place  in  the  bosoms  of  his  foes.  The  place 
where  he  fell  is  still  called  Butler  s  Ford.  The  pursuit  was  kept  up  until  evening,  when 
Willett,  completely  successful  by  entirely  routing  and  dispersing  the  enemy,  wheeled  his  vic- 
torious little  army,  and  returned  to  Fort  Dayton  in  triumph.''  This  was  the  closing  scene 
of  the  bloody  drama  performed  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mohawk  during  the  Revolution,  a  trag- 
edy terrible  in  every  aspect ;  and  we,  who  are  dwelling  in  the  midst  of  peace  and  abundance, 
and  so  far  removed,  in  point  of  time,  from  the  events,  that  hardly  an  actor  is  living  to  tell  us 
of  scenes  that  seem  almost  fabulous,  can  not  properly  estimate  the  degree  of  moral  and  phys- 
ical courage,  long  suflering,  patient  endurance,  and  hopeful  vigilance  which  the  people  of  that 
day  exhibited.  It  was  a  terrible  ordeal  for  the  patriots.  Like  the  three  holy  men  of  Baby- 
lon, they  passed  through  a  "  fiery  furnace  heated  one  seven  times  more  than  it  was  wont  to 

'  The  Royal  Grant,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  the  tract  of  land  which  Sir  William  Johnson  shrewdly 
procured  from  Hendrick,  the  Mohawk  sachem,  by  outwitting  him  in  a  game  of  dreaming. — See  page  106. 

*  The  sufferings  of  the  retreating  nrmy  must  have  been  many  and  acute.  The  weather  was  cold,  and 
in  their  hasty  flight  many  of  them  had  cast  away  their  blankets,  to  make  their  progress  more  speedy.  The 
loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  pursuit  was  only  one  man ;  that  of  the  enemy  is  not  known.  It  must  have 
been  very  great.  Colonel  Willett,  in  his  dispatch  to  Governor  Clinton,  observed,  "  The  fields  of  Johnstowa 
the  brooks  and  rivers,  the  hills  and  mountains,  the  deep  and  gloomy  marshes  through  which  they  had  to  peiss 
Uiey  only  could  tell ;  and  perhaps  the  officers  who  detached  them  on  the  expedition." 


292  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Return  to  FultonviUe.  The  Sammons  House.  Local  HistorianB.  The  departed  Heroes.  The  Kane  Honse. 

be,"  yet  they  came  out  unscathed — "  neither  were  their  coats  changed  nor  the  smell  of  fire 
had  passed  on  them."  We  are  yet  to  visit  Currytown,  Sharon  Springs,  and  Cherry  Valley, 
and  note  some  incidents  of  the  civil  war,  reserved  for  record  here,  and  then  we  shall  leave 
old  Tryon  county,  with  the  pleasant  anticipations  of  the  "homeward-bound." 

We  returned  to  FultonviUe,  from  our  excursion  to  Johnstown,  by  the  western  road,  and 
passed  the  premises  formerly  owned  by  Sampson  Sammons,  near  the  winding  Cayadutta. 
The  house,  which  was  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  one  destroyed  by  the  miscreants  under 
Johnson,  has  a  venerable  appearance  ;  but  the  trailing  vines  that  cover  its  porch,  and  the 
air  of  comfort  that  surrounds  it,  hide  all  indications  of  the  desolation  of  former  times.  We 
arrived  at  FultonviUe  in  time  to  dine,  and  there  I  spent  an  hour  pleasantly  and  profitably 
with  Jeptha  R.  Simms,  Esq.,  the  author  of  a  "  History  of  Schoharie  County  and  the  Border 
Wars  of  New  York,"  a  work  of  much  local  and  general  interest,  and  a  valuable  companion 
to  Campbell's  "  Annals  of  Tryon  County."  It  is  greatly  to  be  lamented  that  men  like  Camp-- 
bell  and  Simms,  and  Miner,  of  Wyoming,  who  gathered  a  large  proportion  of  the  facts  con- 
cerning the  Revolution  from  the  lips  of  those  who  participated  in  its  trials,  have  not  been 
found  in  every  section  of  our  old  thirteen  states  equally  industrious  and  patriotic.  It  is  now 
too  late,  for, the  men  of  the  Revolution  are  mostly  in  the  grave.  I  have  found  but  few,  very 
few,  still  alive  and  sufficiently  vigorous  to  tell  the  tales  of  their  experience  with  perspicuity ; 
and  a  hundred  times,  in  the  course  of  my  pilgrimage  to  the  grounds  where 

Discord  raised  its  trumpet  notes 
And  carnage  beat  its  horrid  drum, 

have  my  inquiries  for  living  patriots  of  that  war  been  answered  with  "  Five  years  ago  Cap- 
tain A.  was  living  ;"  or  "  three  years  ago  Major  B.  died  ;"  or  "  last  autumn  Mother  C.  was 
buried  ;"  all  of  whom  were  full  of  the  unwritten  history  of  the  Revolution.  But  they  are 
gone,  and  much  of  the  story  of  our  struggle  for  independence  is  buried  with  them.  They 
are  gone,  but  not  forgotten  : 

"  They  need 

No  statue  or  inscription  to  reveal 

Their  greatness.     It  is  round  them  ;  and  the  joy 

With  which  their  children  tread  the  hallow'd  ground 

That  holds  their  venerated  bones,  the  peace 

That  smiles  on  all  they  fought  for,  and  the  wealth 

That  clothes  the  land  they  rescued — these,  though  mute, 

As  feeling  ever  is  when  deepest — these 

Are  monuments  more  lasting  than  the  fanes 

Rear'd  to  the  kings  and  demi-gods  of  old." 

Percival. 

I  returned  to  Fort  Plain,  by  rail-road,  toward  evening,  and  the  next  morning,  accompa- 
nied by  the  frierid  with  whom  we  were  sojourning,  I  started  for  Currytown.*      We  went  by 
the  way  of  Canajoharie,  a  pleasant  little  village  on  the  canal,  opposite  Palatine,  and  thence 
over  the  rugged  hills  southward.       A  little  below  Canajoharie  we 
sketched  an  old  stone  house  which  was  erected  before  the  Revolution, 
and  was  used  soon  afterward  by  the  brothers  Kane,  then  the  most  ex- 
tensive traders  west  of  Albany.      An  anecdote  is  related  in  connection 
with  the  Kanes,  which  illustrates  the  proverbial  shrewdness  of  Yan- 
kees, and  the  confiding  nature  of  the  old  stock  of  Mohawk  Valley 
Dutchmen.      A  peddler  (who  was,  of  course,  a  Yankee)  was  arrested 
for  the  offense  of  traveling  on  the  Sabbath,  contrary  to  law,  and  taken 
before  a  Dutch  justice  near  Caughnawaga.      The  peddler  pleaded  the  the  Kane  HouseT 

urgency  of  his  business.     At  first  the  Dutchman  was  inexorable,  but 

at  length,  on  the  payment  to  him  of  a  small  sum,  agreed  to  furnish  the  Yankee  with  a  writ- 
ten permit  to  travel  on.      The  justice,  not  being  expert  with  the  pen,  requested  the  peddlei 
to  write  the  "  pass."      He  wrote  a  draft  upon  the  Kanes  for  fifty  dollars,  which  the  unsun- 
'  The  name  is  derived  from  William  Curry,  the  patentee  of  the  lands  in  that  settlement. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


29 


X/atch  Magistrate  and  Yankee  Peddler. 


Currytown. 


Jacob  Dievendorff. 


Indian  Method  of  Scalping. 


pecting  Dutchman  signed.  The  draft  was  presented  and  duly  honored,  and  the  Yankee 
went  on  his  way  rejoicing.  A  few  days  afterward  the  justice  was  called  iipon  to  pay  the 
amount  of  the  draft.  The  thing  was  a  mystery,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  could 
comprehend  it.  All  at  once  hght  broke  in  upon  the  matter,  and  the  victim  exclaimed,  ve- 
hemently, in  broken  English,  "  Eh,  yah  I  I  understhands  it  now.  Tish  mine  writin',  and 
dat  ish  de  tam  Yankee  pass  !"  He  paid  the  money  and  resigned  his  oiBce,  feeling  that  it 
was  safer  to  deal  in  corn  and  butter  with  honest  neighbors,  than  in  law  with  Yankee  interlopers. 
We  reached  Currytown,  a  small  village  nearly  four  miles  south  of  Canajoharie,  at  about 
noon.      The  principal  object  of  my  visit  there  was  to  see  the  venerable  Jacob  Dievendorfl', 


who,  with  his  fam-Uy,  was  among 
the  sufferers  when  that  settle- 
ment was  destroyed  by  Indians 
and  Tories  in  July,  1781.    Ac- 
companied by  his  son-in-law 
(Dr.  Snow,  of  Currytown), 
we  found  the  old  patriot 
busily  engaged  in  his  barn, 
threshing  grain  ;   and,  al 
though  nearly  eighty  years 
of  age,  he  seemed  almost 
as  vigorous  and  active  as  most  men  are 
at  sixty.      His  sight  and  hearing  are  some- 
what defective,  but  his  intellect,  as  exhibit- 
ed by  his  clear  remembrance  of  the  circum- 
stances of  his  early  life,  had  lost  but  little 
of  its  strength.      He  is  one 
of  the  largest  land-holders 
in  INIontgomery  county, 
owning    one    thousand 
fertile  acres,  lying  in 
a  single  tract  where        .:' 
the  scenes  of  his  suf- 
ferings in  early  life 
occurred.      In  an  or- 
chard,   a    short    dis- 
tance from  his  dwell- 
August,  iiig'  the  house 
^"*^-     was  still  stand- 


J^/^J'iMM/f^^ 


ing  which  was  stockaded  and  used  as  a  fort. 
It  is  fast  decaying,  but  the  venerable  owner 
allows  time  alone  to  work  its  destruction, 
and  will  not  suffer  a  board  to  be  taken  from 
it.      The  occurrences  here  have  already 
^  been  recorded,  by  Campbell  and  Simms,  as 
-    related  to  them  long  ago  by  Mr.  Dieven- 
dorff and  others,  and  from  these 
details  I  gather  the  following 
facts,  adding  such  matters  ol" 
interest  as  were  communicated 
to  me  by  Mr.  Dievendorff 
himself    and    his    near 
neighbor,  the  venera- 
ble John  Keller. 
On  the  9th  of  July, 
1781,  nearly  five  hund- 
red Indians,  and  a  few  Loyal- 
ists,  commanded  by  a  Tory 
named    Doxstader,    attacked 
and  destroyed  the  settlement 
of  Currytown,  murdered  sev- 
eral of  the   inhabitants,  and 
carried  others  away  prisoners. 
""-      The  house  of  Henry  Lewis 
(represented  in  the 
engraving)         was 
Mid>     7?      picketed   and   used 
^  for    a    fort.=      The 


'  I  here  present  a  portrait  of  Mr.  Dievendorff,  which  he  kindly  allowed  me  to  make  while  he  sat  upon  a 
half  bushel  in  his  barn.  Also,  a  sketch  of  the  back  of  his  head,  showing  its  appearance  where  the  scalp 
was  taken  off.  The  building  is  a  view  of  the  one  referred  to  in  the  text  as  the  Currytown  fort,  now  stand- 
ing in  Jlr.  Dievendorff's  orchard.  The  method  used  by  the  Indians  in  scalping  is  probably  not  generally 
known.  I  was  told  by  Mr.  Dievendorff  and  others  familiar  with  the  horrid  practice  that  the  scalping-knife 
was  a  weapon  not  unlike,  in  appearance,  the  bowie-knife  of  the  present  day.  The  victim  was  usually  stun- 
ned or  killed  by  a  blow  from  the  tomahawk.  Sometimes  only  a  portion  of  the  scalp  (as  was  the  case  with 
Mr.  Dievendorff)  was  taken  from  the  crown  and  back  part  of  the  head,  but  more  frequently  the  whole  scalp 
was  removed.  With  the  dexterity  of  a  surgeon,  the  Indian  placed  the  point  of  his  knife  at  the  roots  of  the 
hair  on  the  forehead,  and  made  a  circular  incision  around  the  head.  If  the  hair  was  short,  he  would  raise 
a  lappet  of  the  skin,  take  hold  with  his  teeth,  and  tear  it  instantly  from  the  skull.  If  long,  such  as  the  hair 
of  females,  he  would  twist  it  around  his  hand,  and,  by  a  sudden  jerk,  bare  the  skull.  The  scalps  were  then 
tanned  with  the  hair  on,  and  often  marked  in  such  a  manner  that  the  owners  could  tell  when  and  where  they 
were  severally  obtained,  and  whether  they  belonged  to  men  or  women.  When  Major  Rogers,  in  1759,  de- 
stroyed the  chief  village  of  the  St.  Francis  Indians,  he  found  there  a  vast  quantity  of  scalps,  many  of  them 
comically  painted  in  hieroglyphics.     They  were  all  stretched  on  small  hoops. 

*  Mr.  Dievendorff  told  me  that  on  one  occasion  the  fort  was  attacked  by  a  party  of  Indians.     There  were 


294  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Attack  on  Currytown.        The  Captives.        Expedition  under  Captain  Gross.         Battle  at  Nevr  Dorlach,  now  Sharon  Springs. 

settlers,  unsuspicious  of  danger,  were  generally  at  work  in  their  fields  when  the  enemy  fell 
upon  them.  It  was  toward  noon  when  they  emerged  stealthily  from  the  forest,  and  with 
torch  and  tomahawk  commenced  the  work  of  destruction.  Among  the  sufferers  were  the 
Dievendorffs,  Kellers,  Myerses,  Bellingers,  Tanners,  and  Lewises.  On  the  first  alarm,  those 
nearest  the  fort  fled  thitherward,  and  those  more  remote  sought  shelter  in  the  woods.  Jacob 
Dievendorff,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  escaped.  His  son  Frederic  was  over- 
taken, tomahawked,  and  scalped,  on  his  way  to  the  fort,'  and  Frederic's  brother  Jacob,  then 
a  lad  eleven  years  old,  was  made  prisoner.  A  negro  named  Jacob,  two  lads  named  Bel- 
linger, Mary  Miller,  a  little  girl  ten  or  twelve  years  old,  Jacob  Myers  and  his  son,  and  tw^o 
others,  were  captured.  The  Indians  then  plundered  and  burned  all  the  dwellings  but  the 
fort  and  one  belonging  to  a  Tory,  in  all  about  twelve,  and  either  killed  or  drove  away  most 
of  the  cattle  and  horses  in  the  neighborhood.  When  the  work  of  destruction  was  finished, 
the  enemy  started  off  in  the  direction  of  New  Dorlach,  or  Turlock  (now  Sharon)  with  their 
prisoners  and  booty. 

Colonel  Willett  was  at  Fort  Plain  when  Currytown  was  attacked.  On  the  previous  day 
he  had  sent  out  a  scout  of  thirty  or  forty  men,  under  Captain  Gross,  to  patrol  the  country 
for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  procuring  forage  and  watching  the  movements  of  the  enemy. 
They  went  in  the  direction  of  New  Dorlach,  and,  when  near  the  present  Sharon  Springs, 
discovered  a  portion  of  the  camp  of  the  enemy  in  a  cedar  swamp.*  Intelligence  of  this  fact 
reached  Willett  at  the  moment  when  a  dense  smoke,  indicating  the  firing  of  a  village,  was 
seen  from  Fort  Plain,  in  the  direction  of  Currytown.  Captain  Pvobert  M'Kean,  with  six- 
teen levies,  was  ordered  to  that  place,  with  instructions  to  assemble  as  many  of  the  militia 
on  the  way  as  possible.  With  his  usual  celerity,  that  officer  arrived  at  the  settlement  in 
time  to  assist  in  extinguishing  the  flames  of  some  of  the  buildings  yet  unconsumed.  Col- 
onel Willett,  in  the  mean  time,  was  active  in  collecting  the  militia.  Presuming  that  the 
enemy  would  occupy  the  same  encampment  that  night,  and  being  joined  during  the  day  by 
the  forces  under  M'Kean  and  Gross,  he  determined  to  make  an  attack  upon  them  at  mid- 
night, while  they  were  asleep.  His  whole  strength  did  not  exceed  one  hundred  and  fifty 
efi'ective  men,  while  the  enemy's  force,  as  he  afterward  learned,  consisted  of  more  than 
double  that  number.  The  night  was  dark  and  lowering,  and  the  dense  forest  that  surround- 
ed the  swamp  encampment  of  the  enemy  was  penetrated  only  by  a  bridle  path.  His  guide 
became  bewildered,  and  it  was  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  he  came  in  sight  of  the  ene- 
my, who,  warned  of  his  approach,  had  taken  a  more  advantageous  position.  From  this  posi- 
tion it  was  desirable  to  draw  them,  and  for  that  purpose  Willett  sent  forward  a  detachment 
from  the  main  body,  which  he  had  stationed  in  crescent  form  on  a  ridge  now  seen  on  the 
south  side  of  the  turnpike,  opposite  the  swamp,  who  fired  upon  the  Indians  and  then  retreated. 
The  stratagem  succeeded,  for  the  Indians  pursued  them,  and  were  met  by  Willett,  advanc- 
ing with  one  hundred  men.  M'Kean  was  left  with  a  reserve  in  the  rear,  and  fell  furiously 
upon  the  flank  of  the  enemy.  A  desperate  fight  for  a  short  time  ensued,  when  the  Indians 
broke  and  fled,  but  kept  up  a  fire  from  behind  trees  and  rocks.  Willett  and  his  men,  un- 
derstanding their  desultory  warfare,  pursued  them  with  bullet  and  bayonet,  until  they  relin- 
quished the  fight,  and  fled  precipitately  down  their  war-path  toward  the  Susquehanna,  leav- 
ing their  camp  and  all  their  plunder  behind.  They  left  forty  dead  upon  the  field.  The 
American  loss  was  five  killed,  and  nine  wounded  and  missing.      The  brave  M'Kean  was 

several  women,  but  only  one  man,  in  the  fort.  The  savages  approached  stealthily  along  a  ravine,  a  little 
north  of  the  fort,  and  were  about  to  make  an  assault  upon  the  frail  fortification,  when  they  were  saluted 
with  a  warm  fire  from  it.  There  were  several  muskets  in  it,  which  the  women  loaded  as  fast  as  the  man 
could  fire  ;  and  so  rapid  were  the  discharges,  that  the  Indians,  supposing  quite  a  large  garrison  to  be  pres- 
ent, fled  to  the  woods.     The  remains  of  the  building  are  still  scarred  by  many  bullet  marks. 

^  He  was  not  killed,  but  lay  several  hours  insensible,  when  he  was  picked  up  by  his  uncle,  Mr.  Keller, 
who  carried  him  into  the  fort.  He  recovered,  and  lived  several  years,  when  he  was  killed  by  the  falling 
of  a  tree. 

*  A  part  of  this  swamp  may  still  be  seen  on  the  north  side  of  the  western  turnpike,  about  two  miles  east 
of  the  springs. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  29  5 


Death  of  Captain  M'Kean.  The  Currytown  Priaonera.  Dievendorff.  Sharon  Springs.  Analysis  of  the  Waters 

mortally  wounded,  and  died  at  Fort  Plain  a  few  days  after  the  return  of  the  expedition  to 
that  post.  I  was  informed  by  Mr.  Lipe,  at  Fort  Plain,  that  the  body  of  the  captain  was 
buried  near  the  block-house,  and  that  the  fort  was  afterward  called  Fort  M'Kean,  in  honor 
of  the  deceased  soldier. 

At  the  time  of  the  attack,  the  Indians  had  placed  most  of  their  prisoners  on  the  horses 
which  they  had  stolen  from  Currytown,  and  each  was  well  guarded.  When  they  were, 
about  to  retreat  before  AVillett,  fearing  the  recapture  of  the  prisoners,  and  the  consequent 
loss  of  scalps,  the  savages  began  to  murder  and  scalp  them.  Young  Dievendorfl'  (my  in- 
formant) leaped  from  his  horse,  and,  running  toward  the  swamp,  was  pursued,  knocked  down 
by  a  blow  of  a  tomahawk  upon  his  shoulder,  scalped,  and  left  for  dead.  Willett  did  not 
bury  his  slain,  but  a  detachment  of  militia,  under  Colonel  Veeder,  who  repaired  to  the  field 
after  the  battle,  entombed  them,  and  fortunately  discovered  and  proceeded  to  bury  the  bodies 
of  the  prisoners  who  were  murdered  and  scalped  near  the  camp.  Young  Dievendorff,  who 
was  stunned  and  insensible,  was  seen  struggling  among  the  leaves  ;  and  his  bloody  face  being 
mistaken  for  that  of  an  Indian,  one  of  the  soldiers  leveled  his  musket  to  shoot  him.  A  fel- 
low-soldier, perceiving  his  mistake,  knocked  up  his  piece  and  saved  the  lad's  life.  He  was 
taken  to  Fort  Plain,  and,  being  placed  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Faught,  a  German  physician, 
of  Stone  Arabia,  was  restored  to  health.  It  was  five  years,  however,  before  his  head  was 
perfectly  healed;  and  when  I  saw  him  (August,  18-i8),  it  had  the  tender  appearance  and 
feeling  of  a  wound  recently  healed.  He  is  still  living  (1849),  in  the  midst  of  the  settlement 
of  Currytown,  which  soon  arose  from  its  ashes,  and  is  a  living  monument  of  savage  cruelty 
and  the  sufierings  of  the  martyrs  for  American  liberty.' 

Toward  evening  we  left  Currytown  for  Cherry  Valley,  by  the  way  of  Sharon  Springs. 
The  road  lay  through  a  beautiful,  though  very  hilly,  country.  From  the  summits  of  some 
of  the  eminences  over  which  we  passed  the  views  were  truly  magnificent.  Looking  down 
into  the  Canajoharie  Valley  from  the  top  of  its  eastern  slope,  it  appeared  like  a  vast  enam- 
eled basin,  having  its  concavity  garnished  with  pictures  of  rolling  intervales,  broad  cultivated 
fields,  green  groves,  bright  streams,  villages,  and  neat  farm-houses  in  abundance  ;  and  its 
distant  rim  on  its  northern  verge  seemed  beautifully  embossed  with  wooded  hills,  rising  one 
above  another  in  pi-ofuse  outlines  far  away  beyond  the  Mohawk.  We  reached  the  Springs 
toward  sunset,  passing  the  Pavilion  on  the  way.'  They  are  in  a  broad  ravine,  and  along 
the  margin  of  a  hill ;  and  near  them  the  little  village  of  Sharon  has  grown  up.'  Our  stay 
was  brief — just  long  enough  to  have  a  lost  shoe  replaced  by  another  upon  our  horse,  and  to 
visit  the  famous  fountains — for,  having  none  of  the  "  ills  which  flesh  is  heir  to"  of  sufficient 
malignity  to  require  the  infliction  of  sulphureted  or  chalybeate  draughts,  we  were  glad  to 
escape  to  the  hills  and  vales  less  suggestive  of  Tophet  and  the  Valley  of  Hinnora.  How 
any  but  invalids,  who  find  the  waters  less  nauseous  than  the  allopathic  doses  of  the  shops, 

'  The  little  girl  (Mary  Miller)  was  found  scalped,  but  alive,  and  was  taken,  with  the  lad  Dievendorff, 
toward  Fort  Plain.  She  was  very  weak  when  found,  and  on  taking  a  draught  of  cold  water,  just  before 
reaching  the  fort,  instantly  expired. 

^  The  Pavilion  is  a  very  large  hotel,  situated  upon  one  of  the  loftiest  summits  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
commanding  a  magnificent  view  of  the  country.  It  was  erected  in  1836  by  a  New  York  company,  and 
is  filled  with  invalids  and  other  visitors  during  the  summer. 

'  The  Sharon  Sulphur  Springs  have  been  celebrated  for  their  medical  properties  many  years,  and  are 
said  to  be  equal  in  efficacy  to  those  in  Virginia.  An  analysis  of  the  waters,  made  by  Dr.  Chdton,  of  New 
York,  gives  the  following  result : 

Sulphate  of  magnesia  .    ,         42.40  grains. 
Sulphate  of  lime .    .    .         .111.62      " 
Chlorid  of  sodium   ....      2.24      " 
Chlorid  of  magnesium      .    .      2.40      " 


Hydro-sulphate  of  sodium    )    o  .-«      « 

Hydro-sulphate  of  calcium  i    *" 

Sulphureted  hydrogen  gas  .         16  cubic  inches. 


There  is  a  chalybeate  spring  in  the  neighborhood.     The  whole  region  abounds  in  fossils,  and  is  an  in 
tercsting  place  for  the  geologist. 


296 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


AiTival  at  Cherry  Valley. 


Judge  Campbell  and  hie  Residence. 


Hia  Captivity. 


Movements  of  Brant 


and,  consequently,  are  happier  than  at  home,  can  spend  a  "  season"  there,  within  smelling 
distance  of  the  gaseous  fountains,  and  call  the  sojourn  pleasure,  is  a  question  that  can  only 
be  solved  by  Fashion,  the  shrewd  alchemist  in  whose  alembic  common  miseries  are  trans- 
muted into  conventional  happiness.  The  sulphureted  hydrogen  does  not  infect  the  Pavilion, 
I  believe,  and  a  summer  residence  there  secures  the  enjoyment  of  pure  air  and  delightful 
drives  and  walks  in  the  midst  of  a  lovely  hill  country. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  we  reached  Cherry  Valley,  eight  miles  west  of  Sharon  Springs.' 
This  village  lies  imbosomed  within  lofty  hills,  open  only  on  the  southwest,  in  the  direction 
of  the  Susquehanna,  and  as  we  approached  it  along  the  margin  of  the  mountain  on  its  east- 
em  border,  the  lights  sparkling  below  us,  like  stars  reflected  from  a  lake,  gave  us  the  first 
indication  of  its  presence.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  we  called  upon  the  Honorable  James 
S.  Campbell,  who,  at  the  time  of  the  destruction  of  the  settlement  in  1778,  was  a  child  six 
years  of  age.  He  is  the  son  of  Colonel  Samuel  Campbell,  already  mentioned,  and  father  of 
the  Honorable  William  W.  Campbell,  of  New  York  city,  the  author  of  the  Annals  of  Tnjon 
County,  so  frequently  cited.  With  his  mother  and  family,  he  was  carried  into  captivity. 
He  has  a  clear  recollection  of  events  in  the  Indian  country  while  he  was  a  captive,  his  ar- 
rival and  stay  at  Niagara,  his  subsequent  sojourn  in  Canada,  and  the  final  reunion  of  the 
family  after  an  absence  and  separation  of  two  years.'     His  residence,  a  handsome  modern 

structure,  is  upon  the  site  of  the  old  family 
mansion,  which  was  stockaded  and  used  as  a 
fort  at  the  time  of  the  invasion.  The  doors 
and  window-shutters  were  made  bullet-proof, 
and  the  two  barns  that  were  included  within 
the  ramparts  were  strengthened. 

In  a  former  chapter  we  have  noticed  that 
Brant's  first  hostile  movement,  after  his  re- 
turn from  Canada  and  establishment  of  hi« 
head-quarters  at  Oghkwaga,  was  an  attempt 
to  cut  ofi' the  setthment  of  Cherry  Valley,  or, 
at  least,  to  make  captive  the  members  of  the 
active  Committee  of  Correspondence.  It  was 
a  sunny  morning,  toward  the  close  of 

.  1777. 

May,  when  Brant  and  his  warriors  cautiously  moved  up  to  the  brow  of  the  lofty  hill 
on  the  east  side  of  the  town,  to  reconnoiter  the  settlement  at  their  feet.  He  was  astonished 
and  chagrined  on  seeing  a  fortification  where  he  supposed  all  was  weak  and  defenseless,  and 
greater  was  his  disappointment  M'lien  quite  a  large  and  well-armed  garrison  appeared  upon 
the  esplanade  in  front  of  Colonel  Campbell's  house.  These  soldiers  were  not  as  formidable 
as  the  sachem  supposed,  for  they  were  only  half-grown  boys,  who,  full  of  the  martial  spirit 
of  the  times,  had  formed  themselves  into  companies,  and,  armed  with  wooden  guns  and 
swords,  had  regular  drills  each  day.  It  was  such  a  display,  on  the  morning  in  question, 
that  attracted  Brant's  attention.      His  vision  being  somewhat  obstructed  by  the  trees  and 

^  Cherry  Valley  derived  its  name,  according  to  Campbell,  from  the  following  circumstance  :  "  Mr.  Dun- 
lop  [the  venerable  pastor  whose  family  suffered  at  the  time  of  the  massacre  in  1778],  engaged  in  writing 
some  letters,  inquired  of  Mr.  Lindesay  [the  original  proprietor  of*the  soil]  where  he  should  date  them,  who 
proposed  the  name  of  a  town  in  Scotland.  Mr.  Dunlop,  pointing  to  the  fine  wild  cherry-trees  and  to  the 
valley,  replied,  '  Let  us  give  our  place  an  appropriate  name,  and  call  it  Cherry  Valley,'  which  was  readily 
agreed  to." — Annals  of  Tryon  County. 

^  The  children  of  Mrs.  Campbell  were  all  restored  to  her  at  Niagara,  except  this  one.  In  June,  1780, 
she  was  sent  to  Montreal,  and  there  she  was  joined  by  her  missing  boy.  He  had  been  with  a  tribe  of  the 
Mohawks,  and  had  forgotten  his  own  language;  but  he  remembered  his  mother,  and  expressed  his  joy  at 
seeing  her,  in  the  Indian  language.  Honorable  William  Campbell,  late  surve}'or  general  of  New  York,  was 
her  son  She  lived  until  1836,  being  then  93  years  of  age.  She  was  the  last  survivor  of  the  Revolution- 
ary women  in  the  region  of  the  head  watei-s  of  the  Susquehanna. 

*  This  pleasant  dwelling  is  upon  the  northern  verge  of  the  town,  on  the  road  leading  from  Cherry  Val- 
ley to  the  Mohawk.     The  sketch  was  taken  from  the  road. 


MA^SIo^  of  Judge  Campbell  ' 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


297 


Brant  deceived  by  Boya. 


Death  of  Lieutenant  Wormwood. 


Shrewdnesa  of  Sitz. 


'  Brant'a  Rock." 


shrubs  in  which  he  was  concealed,  he  mistook  the  boys  for  full-grown  soldiers,  and,  consid- 
ering an  attack  dangerous,  moved  his  party  to  a  hiding-place  at  the  foot  of  the  Tekaharawa 
Falls,  in  a  deep  ravine  north  of  the  village,  near  the  road  leading  to  the  Mohawk.'  In  that 
deep,  rocky  glen,  "  where  the  whole  scene  was  shadowy  and  almost  dark  even  at  mid-day," 
his  warriors  were  concealed,  while  Brant  and  two  or  three  followers  hid  themselves  in  am- 
bush behind  a  large  rock  by  the  road  side,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  such  information  as 
might  fall  in  his  way. 

On  the  morning  of  that  day,  Lieutenant  Wormwood,  a  promising  young  officer  of  Pala- 
tine, had  been  sent  from  Fort  Plain  to  Cherry  Valley  with  the  information,  for  the  commit- 
tee at  the  latter  place,  that  a  military  force  might  be  expected  there  the  next  day.  His 
noble  bearing  and  rich  velvet  dress  attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention  at  the  village  ;  and 
when,  toward  evening,  he  started  to  return,  accompanied  by  Peter  Sitz,  the  bearer  of  some 
dispatches,  the  people,  in  admiration,  looked  after  him  until  he  disappeared  beyond  the  hill. 
On  leaving,  he  had  cast  down  his  portmanteau,  saying,  "  I  shall  be  back  for  it  in  the  morn- 
ing." But  he  never  returned.  As  the  two  patriots  galloped  along  the  margin  of  the  Te- 
kaharawa Glen,  they  were  hailed,  but,  instead  of  answering,  they  put  spurs  to  their  horses. 
The  warriors  in  ambush  arose  and  fired  a  volley  upon  them.  The  lieutenant  fell,  and  Brant, 
rushing  out  from  his  concealment,  scalped  him  with  his  own  hands.  Sitz  was  captured,  and 
his  dispatches  fell  into  the  hands  of  Brant.  Fortunately  they  were  double,  and  Sitz  had  the 
presence  of  mind  to  destroy  the  genuine  and  deliver  the  fictitious  to  the  sachem.  Deceived 
by  these  dispatches  concerning  the  strength  of  Cherry  Valley,  Brant  withdrew  to  Cobelskill, 
and  thence  to  Oghkawaga,  and  the  settlement  was  saved  from  destruction  at  that  time.'  Its 
subsequent  fate  is  recorded  in  a  previous  chapter. 


Distant  View  of  Chebey  Vallet. 

Judge  Campbell  kindly  ofiered  to  accompany  us  in  the  morning  to  "  Brant's  Rock."* 
Having  engaged  to  be  back  at  Fort  Plain  in  time  the  next  day  to  take  the  cars  for  Albany  at 
two  o'clock,  and  the  distance  from  the  "rock"  being  twelve  miles,  over  a  rough  and  hilly  road, 
an  early  start  was  necessary,  for  I  wished  to  make  a  sketch  of  the  village  and  valley,  as  also 

'  The  Tekaharawa  is  the  western  branch  of  the  Canajoharie  or  Bowman's  Creek,  which  falls  into  tho 
Mohawk  at  Canajoharie,  opposite  Palatine. 

'  Campbell's  Annals. 

'  This  rock,  which  is  about  four  feet  high,  lies  in  a  field  on  the 
left  of  the  road  leading  from  Cherry  Valley  to  the  JMohawk,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  residence  of  Judge  Campbell.  It  is  a 
fossiliferous  mass,  composed  chiefly  of  shells.  Behind  this  rock  the 
body  of  Lieutenant  Wormwood,  lifeless  and  the  head  scalped,  was 
found  by  the  villagers,  who  had  heard  the  firing  on  the  previous 
evening.  Judge  Campbell,  who  accompanied  us  to  the  spot,  point- 
ed out  the  stump  of  a  large  tree  by  the  road  side,  as  the  place  where 
Lieutenant  Wormwood  fell.  The  tree  was  pierced  by  many  bul- 
lets, and  Judge  Campbell  had  extracted  several  of  them  when  a  boy 


Brant's  Rock. 


298  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Morning  Scene  near  Cherry  Valley.  Light  Departure  for  Albany.  Woodworth's  Battle 

of  the  rock.  At  early  dawn,  the  light  not  being  sufficient  to  perceive  the  outline  of  distant 
objects,  I  stood  upon  the  high  ridge  north  of  the  village  which  divides  the  head  waters  of  the 
eastern  branch  of  the  Susquehanna  from  the  tributaries  of  the  Mohawk.  As  the  pale  light 
in  the  east  grew  ruddy,  a  magnificent  panorama  was  revealed  on  every  side  ;  and  as  the 
stars  faded  away,  and  trees,  and  fields,  and  hills,  and  the  quiet  village  arose  from  the  gloom  , 
and  the  sun's  first  rays  burst  over  the  eastern  hills  into  the  valley,  lighting  it  up  with  sud- 
den splendor,  Avhile  the  swelling  chorus  of  birds  and  the  hum  of  insects  broke  the  stillness  ; 
and  the  perfumes  of  flowers  arose  from  the  dewy  grass  like  sweet  incense,  the  delighted 
spirit  seemed  to  hear  a  voice  in  the  quivering  light,  saying, 

"  From  the  quicken'd  womb  of  the  primal  gloom 

The  sun  roU'd  black  and  bare, 
Till  I  wove  him  a  vest,  for  his  Ethiop  breast, 

Of  the  threads  of  my  golden  hair  ; 
And  when  the  broad  tent  of  the  firmament 

Arose  on  its  airy  spars, 
I  pencird  the  hue  of  its  matchless  blue, 

And  spangled  it  round  with  the  stars. 

I  waken  the  flowers  in  their  dew-spangled  bowers, 

The  birds  in  their  chambers  of  green, 
And  mountains  and  plain  glow  with  beauty  again 

As  they  bask  in  my  matinal  sheen. 
Oh.  if  such  the  glad  worth  of  my  presence  to  earth, 
■   Though  fitful  and  fleeting  the  while, 
What  glories  must  rest  on  the  home  of  the  blest, 
Ever  bright  with  the  Deity's  smile." 

William  Pitt  Palmer. 

On  the  north  the  Valley  of  the  Canajoharie  stretches  away  to  the  Mohawk,  twelve  miles 
distant,  whose  course  was  marked  by  a  white  line  of  mist  that  skirted  the  more  remote  hills  ; 
and  on  the  south  Cherry  Valley  extends  down  among  the  mountains  toward  the  Susquehanna 
proper,  and  formed  the  easy  war-path  to  the  settlement  at  its  head,  from  Oghkwaga  and  Una- 
dilla.  From  the  bosom  of  the  ridge  whereon  I  stood  spring  the  head  waters  of  the  eastern 
branch  of  the  Susquehanna  and  those  of  Canajoharie.  I  had  finished  the  sketch  here  given 
before  the  sun  was  fairly  above  the  tree-tops,  and,  while  the  mist  yet  hovered  over  the  Teha- 
kawara,  we  were  at  Brant's  Rock,  within  the  sound  of  the  tiny  cascades.  There  we  parted 
from  Judge  Campbell,  and  hastened  on  toward  Fort  Plain,  where  we  arrived  in  time  to  break- 
fast, and  to  take  the  morning  train  for  Albany.  Before  leaving,  let  us  take  a  parting  glance 
at  the  Revolutionary  history  of  the  Mohawk  Valley,  for  we  may  not  have  another  opportunity. 

Soon  after  the  irruption  of  Dockstader,  or  Doxstader,  into  the  Currytovra  and  New  Dor- 
lach  settlements,  a  party  of  Tories  and  Indians  made  a  descent  upon  Palatine,  under  the 
conduct  of  a  son  of  Colonel  Jacob  Klock.  They  were  betrayed  by  one  of  their  number,  and 
fled  to  the  woods  for  safety,  without  accomplishing  any  mischief.  At  the  German  Flats  and 
in  that  vicinity  several  spirited  rencounters  took  place  between  the  enemy  and  the  patriot 
militia.  One  of  them  was  marked  by  great  bravery  on  the  part  of  Captain  Solomon  Wood- 
worth,  and  a  small  company  of  rangers  which  he  had  organized.  He  marched  from  Fort 
Dayton  to  the  P^oyal  Grant  for  the  purpose  of  observation.  On  the  way  he  fell  in  with  an 
Indian  ambush.  Without  warning,  his  little  band  was  surrounded  by  savages,  who  made 
the  forest  ring  with  the  war-whoop.  One  of  the  most  desperate  and  bloody  engagements  of 
the  war  ensued.  Woodworth  and  a  large  number  of  his  rangers  were  slain,  and  the  victo- 
rious Indians  took  several  of  them  prisoners.      Only  fifteen  escaped. 

Another  affair  occurred  at  a  settlement  called  Shell's  Bush,  about  five  miles  north  of 
Herkimer  village,  which  deserves  a  passing  notice.  A  wealthy  German  named  John  Chris- 
tian Shell,  or  Schell,  had  built  a  block-house  of  his  own,  two  stories  high,  the  upper  one  pro- 
jecting so  as  to  allow  the  inmates  to  fire  perpendicularly  upon  the  assailants.'      One  sultry 

'  At  that  time  there  were  no  less  than  twenty  forts,  so  called,  between  Schenectady  and  Fort  Schuyler 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  29S 

Descent  of  Tories  upon  "  Shell'a  Bush."        Shell's  Blockhouse.       Furious  Battle.       Capture  of  M'Donald.       Luther's  Hymn. 

afternoon  in  August,  while  the  people  were  generally  in  their  fields,  Donald  M'Donald,  one 
of  the  Scotch  refugees  from  Johnstown,  with  a  party  of  sixty  Indians  and  Tories,  made  a 
descent  upon  Shell's  Bush.  The  inhabitants  mostly  fled  to  Fort  Dayton,  but  Shell  and  his 
family  took  refuge  in  his  block-house.  He  and  two  of  his  sons  (he  had  eight  in  all)  were  at 
work  in  the  field.  The  two  sons  were  captured,  but  the  father  and  his  other  boys,  who 
were  near,  reached  the  block-house  in  safety.  It  was  finally  besieged,  but  the  assailants 
were  kept  at  a  respectful  distance  by  the  garrison.  Shell's  wife  loaded  the  muskets,  while  ' 
her  husband  and  sons  discharged  them  with  sure  aim.  M'Donald  tried  to  burn  the  block- 
house, but  was  unsuccessful.  He  at  length  procured  a  crow-bar,  ran  up  to  the  door,  and 
attempted  to  force  it.  Shell  fired  upon  him,  and  so  wounded  him  in  the  leg  that  he  fell. 
Instantly  the  beleaguered  patriot  opened  the  door  and  pulled  the  Scotchman  within,  a  pris- 
oner. He  was  well  supplied  with  cartridges,  and  these  he  was  obliged  to  surrender  to  his 
captors.  The  battle  ceased  for  a  time.  Shell  knew  the  enemy  would  not  attempt  to  burn 
his  castle  while  their  leader  was  a  prisoner  within  it,  and,  taking  advantage  of  the  lull  in 
the  battle,  he  went  into  the  second  story,  and  composedly  sang  the  favorite  hymn  of  Luther 
amid  the  perils  that  surrounded  him  in  his  controversies  with  the  pope.'  But  the  respite 
was  short.  The  enemy,  maddened  at  the  loss  of  several  of  their  number  killed,  and  their 
commander  a  prisoner,  rushed  up  to  the  block-house,  and  five  of  them  thrust  the  muzzles  of 
their  pieces  through  the  loop-holes.  Mrs.  Shell  seized  an  ax,  and,  with  well-directed  blows, 
ruined  every  musket  by  bending  the  barrels.  At  the  same  time  Shell  and  his  sons  kept  up 
a  brisk  fire,  which  drove  the  enemy  off.  At  twilight  he  went  to  the  upper  story  and  called 
out  to  his  wife,  in  a  loud  voice,  informing  her  that  Captain  Small  was  approaching  from 
Fort  Dayton  with  succor.  In  a  few  minutes,  with  louder  voice,  he  exclaimed,  "  Captain 
Small,  march  your  company  round  upon  this  side  of  the  house.  Captain  Getman,  you  had 
better  wheel  your  men  off  to  the  left,  and  come  upon  that  side."  This  was  a  successful 
stratagem.  There  were  no  troops  approaching,  but  the  enemy,  deceived  by  the  trick,  fled 
to  the  woods.  M'Donald  was  taken  to  Fort  Dayton  the  next  day,  where  his  leg  was  am- 
putated, but  the  blood  flowed  so  freely  that  he  died  in  a  few  hours. ^      The  two  sons  of  Shell 

They  were  generally  strong  dwellings  stockaded,  and  so  arranged  that  fifteen  or  twenty  families  might  find 
protection  in  each. 

'  The  following  is  a  literal  translation  of  the  h3'mn,  made  for  the  author  of  the  Life  of  Brant  by  Profes- 
sor Bokmn,  of  Harvard  University.     It  is  from  a  German  hymn  book  published  in  1741. 

1. 
A  FiBM  fortress  is  our  God,  a  good  defense  and  weapon ; 
He  helps  us  free  from  all  our  troubles  which  have  now  befallen  us. 
The  old  evil  enemy,  he  is  now  seriously  going  to  work  ; 
Great  power  and  much  cunning  are  his  cruel  equipments. 
There  is  none  hke  him  on  the  earth. 

2. 

With  our  own  strength  nothing  can  be  done,  we  are  very  soon  lost : 
For  us  the  right  man  is  fighting,  whom  God  himself  has  chosen. 
Do  you  ask,  Who  is  he  ?    His  name  is  Jesus  Christ, 
The  Lord  Jehovah,  and  there  is  no  other  God  ; 
He  must  hold  the  field. 

3. 

And  if  the  world  were  full  of  devils,  ready  to  devour  us, 

We  are  by  no  means  much  afraid,  for  finally  we  must  overcome 

The  prince  of  this  world,  however  badly  he  may  behave. 

He  can  not  injure  us,  and  the  reason  is,  because  he  is  the  judge , 

A  httle  word  can  lay  him  low. 

4. 

That  word  they  shall  suffer  to  remain,  and  not  to  be  thanked  for  either ; 

He  is  with  us  in  the  field,  with  his  spirit  and  his  gifts. 

If  they  take  from  us  body,  property,  honor,  child,  and  wife, 

Let  them  all  be  taken  away,  they  have  yet  no  gain  from  it, 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  must  remain  to  us. 

*  M'Donald  wore  a  silver-mounted  tomahawk,  which  Shell  took  from  him.     Its  handle  exhibited  thirty- 
■,wo  scalp  notches,  the  tally  of  horrid  deeds  in  imitation  of  his  Indian  associates. 


300  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Death  of  Shell  and  Lis  Son.  Cessation  of  Hostilitiea.  Departure  from  Fort  Plain.  Albany.  Hendrick  Hudson. 

were  carried  into  Canada,  and  they  asserted  that  nine  of  the  wounded  enemy  died  on  the 
way.  Their  loss  on  the  ground  was  eleven  killed  and  six  wounded,  while  not  one  of  the 
defenders  of  the  block-house  was  injured.  Soon  after  this  event  Shell  was  fired  upon  by 
some  Indians,  while  at  work  in  his  field  with  his  boys.  He  was  severely  wounded,  and  one 
of  his  boys  was  killed.  The  old  man  was  taken  to  the  fort,  where  he  died  of  his  wound.' 
During  this  summer  the  Tories  and  Indians  went  down  upon  Warwasing  and  other 
portions  of  the  frontier  settlements  of  Ulster  and  Orange  counties.  These  expeditions 
will  be  elsewhere  considered.  The  irruption  of  Ross  and  Butler  into  the  Johnstown  settle- 
ment in  October,  and  their  repulse  by  Colonel  Willett,  have  been  related.  With  that  trans- 
action closed  the  hostilities  in  Tryon  county  for  the  year,  and  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis 
October  19     ^^^^  ^^^  whole  army  at  Yorktown,  in  Virginia,  so  dispirited  the  Loyalists  that 

1781.  they  made  no  further  demonstrations,  by  armed  parties,  against  the  settlements. 
Attempts,  some  of  them  successful,  were  made  to  carry  off  prominent  citizens. °  The  In- 
dians still  hung  around  the  borders  of  the  settlements  in  small  parties  during  1782,  but  they 
accomplished  little  beyond  producing  alarms  and  causing  general  uneasiness.  Peace  ensued, 
the  hostile  savages  retired  to  the  wilderness,  a  few  of  the  refugee  Tories,  tame  and  submis- 
sive, returned,  and  the  Mohawk  Valley  soon  smiled  with  the  abundance  produced  by  peace- 
ful industry. 

We  left  Fort  Plain  toward  noon,  and  reached  Albany  in  time  to  depart  for  New  York 
the  same  evening.  Columns  of  smoke  were  yet  rising  from  the  smouldering  ruins  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  business  part  of  the  city  lying  near  the  river,  south  of  State  Street ;  and  the 
piers  along  the  basin,  black  and  bare,  exhibited  a  mournful  contrast  to  the  air  of  busy  activ- 
ity that  enlivened  them  when  we  passed  through  the  place  a  few  weeks  before.  I  have 
been  in  Albany  many  times  ;  let  us  take  a  seat  upon  the  promenade  deck  of  the  Isaac  New- 
ton, for  the  evening  is  pleasant,  and,  as  we  glide  down  the  Hudson,  chat  a  while  about  the 
Dutch  city  and  its  associations,  and  its  sister  settlement  Schenectady,  and  thus  close  our 

FIRST  TOUR  AMONG  THE  SCENES  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

The  site  of  Albany  was  an  Indian  settlement,  chiefly  of  the  Mohawk  tribes,  long  before 
Hendrick  Hudson  sailed  up  the  North  River.  It  was  called  Scagh-negh-ta-da,  a  word  sig- 
nifying the  end  of  the  pine  ivoods,  or  heyond  the  pine  ivoods.  Such,  and  equally  appropri- 
ate, was  also  the  name  of  a  settlement  on  the  Mohawk,  at  the  lower  end  of  the  valley,  which 
still  retains  the  appellation,  though  a  little  Anglicised  in  orthography,  being  spelled  Schenec- 
tady. From  the  account  given  in  Juet's  Journal,  published  in  the  third  volume  of  Purchas's 
Pilgrimages,  of  Hudson's  voyage  up  the  river,  it  is  supposed  that  he  proceeded  in  his  vessel 
{ih.Q  Half  Moo7i)  as  far  as  the  present  site  of  Albany,  and  perhaps  as  high  as  Troy.'  But 
he  left  no  colony  there,  and  the  principal  fruit  of  his  voyage,  which  he  carried  back  to  the 
Old  World,  was  intelligence  of  the  discovery  of  a  noble  river,  navigable  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles,  and  passing  through  the  most  fertile  and  romantic  region  imaginable.      This 

'  Stone's  Life  of  Brant. 

^  The  most  prominent  Tories  engaged  in  this  business  were  Bettys  and  Waltermeyer.  We  have  noticed 
in  another  chapter  the  attempt  of  the  latter  to  abduct  General  Schuyler.  Among  the  prisoners  thus  made 
by  these  two  miscreants,  from  Ballston,  were  Samuel  Nash,  Joseph  Chaird,  Uri  Tracy,  Samuel  Patchin, 
Epenetus  White,  John  Fulmer,  and  two  brothers  named  Bontas.  They  were  all  taken  to  Canada,  and, 
after  being  roughly  treated,  were  either  exchanged,  or  became  free  at  the  conclusion  of  the  war. 

^  Henry  or  Hendrick  Hudson  was  a  native  of  England.  While  seeking  a  northwest  passage  to  Japan 
and  China,  he  explored  the  coasts  of  Greenland  and  Labrador  in  1607-8.  After  returning  to  England 
from  a  second  voyage,  he  went  to  Holland  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  who 
fitted  out  the  Half  Moon  for  him  to  pursue  his  discoveries.  It  was  during  this  voyage  that  he  sailed  up  the 
river  which  bears  his  name.  The  next  year  (1610)  he  weis  sent  out  by  an  association  of  gentlemen,  and 
in  that  voyage  discovered  the  great  bay  at  the  north  called  Hudson's  Bay,  where  he  wintered.  In  the  spring 
of  1611  he  endeavored  to  complete  his  discoveries,  but,  his  provisions  failing,  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish 
the  attempt  and  make  his  way  homeward.  Going  out  of  the  straits  from  the  bay,  he  threatened  to  set  one 
or  two  of  his  mutinous  crew  on  shore.  These,  joined  by  others,  entered  his  cabin  at  night,  pinioned  his 
arms  behind  him,  and  with  his  sons,  and  seven  of  the  sick  and  most  infirm  on  board,  he  was  put  into  a 
shallop  and  set  adrift.     He  was  never  heard  of  afterward. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


301 


■'arly  History  of  Albany. 


Fort  Orange. 


First  Stone  House. 


The  Church. 


The  Portrait  of  Hudson. 


discovery  was  made  early  in  the  autumn  of  1609.      As  soon  as  the  intelligence  reached  the 
Dutch  East  India  Company,  they  sent  out  men  to  establish  trading  posts  in  the  country. 


These  traders 
ascended  the  river 
and  built  a  block- 
house on  the  north 
point  of  Boyd's  Isl- 
and, a  little  below 
Albany  ;  and  it  may 
be  said  that  in  1612 
Albany  was  founded, 
for  in  that  year  the 
first  permanent  trad- 
ing post  was  estab- 
lished there.  Next 
to  Jamestown,  in 
Virginia,  it  was  the 
earliest  European 
settlement  within 
the  thirteen  original 
colonies.  A  tempo- 
rary fort  was  erect- 


Hendbicx  Hudson. 2 


ed  in  1614,  and  the 
place  was  named,  by 
the  Dutch,  Beaver- 
wyck,  or  Beaver 
town,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance that  great 
numbers  of  beavers 
were  found  there. 
A  fortification,  call- 
ed Fort  Orange,  was 
builtinl623.'  The 
town  retained  its 
original  name  until 
1664,  when  the 
New  Netherlands 
(as  the  country  upon 
the  Hudson  was  call- 
ed) passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  En- 
glish.     It   then  re- 


1657. 


ceived  the  name  of  Albany,  one  of  the  titles  of  James,  duke  of  York,  the  brother  of  Charles 
II.,  afterward  King  James  II.  of  England. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  that  was  made  at  Albany  (the  traders  resorting  thither 
only  in  the  autumn  and  winter)  was  in  1626,  and  from  that  time  until  1736  many  respect- 
able Dutch  families  came  over  and  established  themselves  there  and  in  the  vicinity.  Among 
them  occur  the  names  of  Quackenboss,  Lansing,  Bleecker,  Van  Ness,  Pruyn,  Van  Wart, 
Wendell,  Van  Eps,  and  Van  Rensselaer,  names  familiar  to  the  readers  of  our  history,  and 
their  descendants  are  numerous  among  us.  The  first  stone  building,  except  the  fort,  was 
erected  at  Albany  in  1647,  on  which  occasion  "eight  ankers"  (one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  gallons)  of  brandy  were  consumed.'  About  this  time  the  little  village  of  Beaverwyck 
was  stockaded  with  strong  wooden  pickets  or  palisades,  the  remains  of  which  were  visible 
until  1812.  The  government  was  a  military  despotism,  and  so  rigorous  were  the  laws  that 
quite  a  number  of  settlers  left  it  and  established  themselves  upon  the  present  site  of  Schenec- 
tady, about  one  hundred  years  since.  A  small  church  was  erected  in  1655,  and  the  Dutch 
East  India  Company  sent  a  bell  and  a  pulpit  for  it,  about  the  time  when  its  first  pastor, 
Rev.  Gideon  Schaats,  sailed  for  Beaverwyck.  It  became  too  small  for  the  congrega- 
tion, and  in  1715  a  new  and  larger  edifice  was  erected  on  its  site.  This  stood  about  ninety- 
two  years,  in  the  open  area  formed  by  the  angle  of  State,  Market,  and  Court  Streets. 

Albany  had  become  a  considerable  town  when  Kalm  visited  it  in  1749.  He  says  the 
people  all  spoke  Dutch.  The  houses  stood  with  the  gable  ends  toward  the  streets,  and  the 
water  gutters  at  the  eaves,  projecting  far  over  the  streets,  were  a  great  annoyance  to  the 
people.      The  cattle,  having  free  range,  kept  the  streets  dirty.      The  people  were  very  social, 

'  Eight  curious  pieces  of  ordnance  wore  mounted  upon  the  ramparts  of  Fort  Orange,  called  by  the  Dutch, 
according  to  Vander  Kempt,  stien-gestucken,  or  stone  pieces,  because  they  were  loaded  with  stone  instead 
of  iron  balls.  These  cannon  were  formed  of  long  stout  iron  bars  laid  longitudinally,  and  bound  with  iron 
hoops  Their  caliber  was  immense.  The  fort  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  very  strong  work,  for  in  1639 
a  complaint  was  made  to  the  Dutch  governor  that  the  fort  was  in  a  state  of  miserable  decay,  and  that  the 
"  hogs  had  destroyed  a  part  of  it." 

*  This  picture  is  copied  from  a  painting  said  to  be  from  life,  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Corporation  of 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  hangmg  in  the  "Governor's  Room,"  in  the  City  Hall.  It  was  in  the  old  Stadt 
House,  and  was  in  existence  in  Governor  Stuyvesant's  time. 

'  Letter  of  the  commissary,  De  la  Montagnie,  to  the  Dutch  governor  of  New  Amsterdam  (New  York). 


302  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Kalm's  Description  of  Albany.       Its  Incorporation.        Destruction  of  Schenectady.        Colonial  Convention.       Walter  Wilie. 

and  the  spacious  stoops,  or  porches,  were  always  filled  at  evening,  in  summer,  with  neigh- 
bors mingling  in  chit-chat.  They  knew  nothing  of  stoves  ;  their  chimneys  were  almost  as 
broad  as  their  houses  ;  and  the  people  made  wampum,  a  kind  of  shell  on  strings,  used  as 
money,  to  sell  to  Indians  and  traders.'  They  were  very  cleanly  in  their  houses  ;  were  fru- 
gal in  their  diet,  and  integrity  was  a  prevailing  virtue.  Their  servants  were  chiefly  negroes. 
In  1777,  according  to  Dr.  Thatcher  (Military  Journal,  p.  91),  Albany  contained  "three  hund- 
red houses,  chiefly  in  the  Gothic  style,  the  gable  ends  to  the  streets."  He  mentions  the  "  an- 
cient stone  church,"  and  also  "  a  decent  edifice  called  City  Hall,  which  accommodates  gen 
erally  their  assembly  and  courts  of  justice."  It  also  had  "  a  spacious  hospital,"  erected  dur- 
ing the  French  war.  It  was  incorporated  a  city  in  1686,  and  was  made  the  capital  of  the 
state  soon  after  the  Revolution. 

Albany  was  an  important  place,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  from  the  close  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  until  the  hostilities,  then  begun  between  the  English  and  French  colonies, 
ceased  in  1763.  It  was  the  place  where  councils  with  the  Indians  were  held,  and  whence 
expeditions  took  their  departure  for  the  wilderness  beyond.  It  never  became  a  prey  to  French 
conquest,  though  often  threatened.  In  the  depth  of  the  winter  of  1 690  a  party  of  two  hund- 
red Frenchmen  and  Canadians,  and  fifty  Indians,  chiefly  Caughnawaga  Mohawks,  sent  out 
February  8,     ^V  Fi'ontcnac,  menaced  Albany.      They  fell  upon  Schenectady  at  midnight,  mas- 

i''^^-  sacred  and  made  captive  the  inhabitants,  and  laid  the  town  in  ashes.  Sixty- 
three  persons  were  murdered  and  twenty-seven  carried  into  captivity.  The  church  and 
sixty-three  houses  were  burned.  A  few  persons  escaped  to  Albany,  traveling  almost  twenty 
miles  in  the  snow,  with  no  other  covering  than  their  night-clothes.  Twenty -five  of  them 
lost  their  limbs  in  consequence  of  their  being  frozen  on  the  way.  Schenectady,  like  Albany, 
was  stockaded,  having  two  entrance  gates.  These  were  forced  open  by  the  enemy,  and  the 
first  intimation  the  inhabitants  had  of  danger  was  the  bursting  in  of  their  doors.''  Informed 
that  Albany  was  strongly  garrisoned,  the  marauders,  thinking  it  not  prudent  to  attack  it, 
turned  their  faces  toward  Canada  with  their  prisoners  and  booty.  The  settlement  suffered 
some  during  the  French  and  Indian  war,  but  it  was  rather  too  near  the  strong  post  of  Al- 
bany to  invite  frequent  visits  from  the  enemy.  It  is  said  that  Schenectady  was  the  princi- 
pal seat  of  the  Mohawks  before  the  confederacy  of  the  five  Iroquois  nations  was  formed. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  events  that  occurred  at  Albany,  which  has  a  remote  connec- 
tion with  our  Revolution,  was  the  convention  of  colonial  delegates  held  there  in  1754.  For 
a  long  time  the  necessity  for  a  closer  political  union  on  the  part  of  the  English  colonies  had 
been  felt.  They  had  a  common  enemy  in  the  French,  who  were  making  encroachments 
upon  every  interior  frontier,  but  the  sectional  feelings  of  the  several  colonies  often  prevented 
that  harmony  of  action  in  the  raising  of  money  and  troops  for  the  general  service  which 
proper  efficiency  required.  It  was  also  evident  that  the  Indians,  particularly  the  Six  Na- 
tions of  New  York,  were  becoming  alienated  from  the  English,  by  the  influence  of  French 
emissaries  among  them,  and  a  grand  council,  in  which  the  several  English  colonies  might 
be  represented,  was  thought  not  only  expedient,  but  highly  necessary.      Lord  Holderness, 

*  Wampum  is  made  of  the  thick  and  blue  part  of  sea  clam-shells.  The  thin  covering  of  this  part  being 
split  off,  a  hole  is  drilled  in  it,  and  the  form  is  produced  and  the  pieces  made  smooth  by  a  grindstone.  The 
form  is  that  of  the  cylindrical  glass  beads  called  bugles.  When  finished,  they  are  strung  upon  small  hempen 
cords  about  a  foot  long.  In  the  manufacture  of  wampum,  from  six  to  ten  strings  are  considered  a  day's 
work.     A  considerable  quantity  is  manufactured  at  the  present  day  in  Bergen  count}^,  New  Jersey. 

*  Walter  Wilie,  who  was  one  of  a  party  sent  from  Albany  to  Schenectady  as  soon  as  the  intelligence 
reached  that  place  of  the  destruction  of  the  town,  wrote  a  ballad,  in  the  style  of  Chevy  Chase,  in  which  the 
circumstances  are  related  in  detail.  He  says  of  his  ballad,  "  The  which  I  did  compose  last  night  in  tht 
space  of  one  hour,  and  am  now  writing,  the  morning  of  Friday,  June  12th.  1690."     He  closes  it  with, 

"  And  here  I  end  the  long  ballad,  * 

The  which  you  Just  have  reilde  j 
I  wish  that  it  may  stay  on  earth 
Long  after  I  am  dead." 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  303 


Proceedings  of  the  Colonial  Convenrion.  Names  of  the  Delegates.  Plan  of  Union  submitted  by  Franklin. 

the  English  Secretary  of  State,  accordingly  addressed  a  circular  letter  to  all  the  colonies, 
proposing  a  convention,  at  Albany,  of  committees  from  the  several  colonial  assemblies,  the 
chief  design  of  which  was  proclaimed  to  be  the  renewal  of  treaties  with  the  Six  Nations. 
Seven  of  the  colonies,  namely,  New  York,  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Connecticut, 
Rhode  Island,  Pennsylvania,  and  Maryland,  responded  to  the  call,  and  the  convention  as- 
sembled at  Albany,  in  the  old  City  liall,  on  the  19th  of  June,  1754.'  James  Delancy  was 
chosen  president  of  the  convention.  The  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  were  in  full  attendance, 
their  principal  speaker  being  Ilendrick,  the  sachem  afterward  killed  near  Lake  George  while 
in  the  service  of  the  English.  The  proceedings  were  opened  by  a  speech  to  the  Indians  from 
Delancy  ;  and  while  the  treaty  was  in  progress,  the  convention  was  invited,  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts delegates,  to  consider  whether  the  union  of  the  colonies,  for  mutual  defense,  was  not, 
under  existing  circumstances,  desirable.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  had  empow- 
ered its  representatives  to  enter  into  articles  of  union  and  confederation.  The  suggestion 
was  favorably  received,  and  a  committee,  consisting  of  one  member  from  each  colony,  was 
appointed.''  Several  plans  were  proposed.  Dr.  Franklin,  whose  fertile  mind  had  conceived 
the  necessity  of  union,  and  matured  a  plan  before  he  went  to  Albany,  now  offered  an  out- 
line in  writing,  which  was  adopted  in  committee,  and  reported  to  the  convention.  The  sub- 
ject was  debated  "  hand  in  hand,"  as  Franklin  observes,  "  with  the  Indian  business  daily," 
for  twelve  consecutive  days,  and  finally  the  report,  substantially  as  drawn  by  him,  was  adopt- 
ed, the  Connecticut  delegates  alone  dissenting.'  It  was  submitted  to  the  Board  of  Trade, 
but  that  body  did  not  approve  of  it  or  recommend  it  to  the  king,  while  the  colonial  assem- 
blies were  dissatisfied  with  it.  "  The  assemblies  did  not  adopt  it,"  says  Franklin,  "  as  they 
all  thought  there  was  too  much  'prerogative  in  it,  and  in  England  it  was  judged  to  have  too 
much  of  the  democratic.''  The  Board  of  Trade  had  already  proposed  a  plan  of  their  own 
— a  grand  assembly  of  colonial  governors  and  certain  select  members  of  their  several  coun- 
cils, with  power  to  draw  on  the  British  treasury,  the  sums  thus  drawn  to  be  reimbursed  by 
taxes  imposed  on  the  colonies  by  the  British  Parliament.  This  did  not  suit  the  colonists  at 
all,  and  Massachusetts  specially  instructed  her  agent  in  England  "  to  oppose  every  thing  that 
shall  have  the  remotest  tendency  to  raise  a  revenue  in  America  for  any  public  uses  or  serv- 

'  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  commissioners  from  the  several  states : 

New  York. — James  Delancy,  Joseph  Murray,  William  Johnson,  John  Chambers,  William  Smith. 

Massachusetts. — Samuel  Welles,  John  Chandler,  Thomas  Hutchinson,  Oliver  Partridfje,  John  Worthington 

New  Hampshire. — Theodore  Atkinson,  Richard  Wibird,  Mesheck  Weare,  Henry  Sherburne. 

Connecticut. — William  Pitkin,  Roger  Wolcott,  Elisha  Williams. 

Rhode  Island. — Stephen  Hopkins,  Martin  Howard. 

Pennsylvania. — John  Penn,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Richard  Peters,  Isaac  Norris. 

Maryland. — Benjamin  Tasker,*  Benjamin  Barnes.t 

*  The  committee  consisted  of  Hutchinson  of  Massachusetts,  Atkinson  of  New  Hampshire,  Pitkin  of  Con- 
necticut, Hopkins  of  Rhode  Island,  Smith  of  New  York,  Franklin  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Tasker  o{  Maryland. 

'  The  plan  proposed  a  grand  council  of  forty-eight  members — seven  from  Virginia,  seven  from  INIassa- 
chusetts,  six  from  Pennsylvania,  five  from  Connecticut,  four  each  from  New  York,  Maryland,  and  the  two 
Carolinas,  three  from  New  Jersey,  and  two  each  from  New  Hampshire  and  Rhode  Island.  The  number  of 
forty -eight  was  to  remain  fixed,  no  colony  to  have  more  than  seven  nor  less  than  two  members  ;  but  the  ap- 
portionment to  vary  within  those  limits,  with  the  rates  of  contribution.  This  council  was  to  have  the  general 
management  of  civil  and  military  affairs.  It  was  to  have  control  of  the  armies,  the  apportionment  of  men 
and  money,  and  to  enact  general  laws,  in  conformity  with  the  British  Constitution,  and  not  in  contravention 
of  statutes  passed  by  the  imperial  Parliament.  It  was  to  have  for  its  head  a  president  general,  appointed 
by  the  crown,  to  possess  a  negative  or  veto  power  on  all  acts  of  the  council,  and  to  have,  with  the  advice 
of  the  council,  the  appointment  of  all  military  officers  and  the  entire  management  of  Indian  affairs.  Civil 
officers  were  to  be  appointed  by  the  council,  with  the  consent  of  the  president. — Pitkin,  i.,  143.  It  is  re- 
markable how  near  this  plan,  submitted  by  Franklin,  is  the  basis  of  our  Federal  Constitution.  Coxe,  of  New 
Jersey,  who  was  Speaker  of  the  Assembly  of  that  province,  proposed  a  similar  plan  in  his  "  Carolana"  in 
1722,  and  William  Penn,  seeing  the  advantage  of  union,  made  a  similar  proposition  as  early  as  1700. — 
Hildreth,  ii.,  444. 

*  Tliis  name  is  differently  spelled  by  different  writers.  Pitkin,  in  his  text  (vol.  L,  p.  142),  writes  it  Trasker,  and  in  the  list  ol 
delpgfltes  in  his  appendix  (429)  it  is  Trasher. 

\  Williams,  in  his  Statesman's  Manual,  has  it  Abraham  instead  of  Benjamin.     I  have  followed  Pitkin. 


304 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Early  Patriotism  of  Massachusetts.  Albany  in  the  Revolution.  General  Schuyler's  Mansion.  Return  to  New  York. 

ices  of  government."  This  was  the  first  proposition  to  tax  the  colonies  without  their  con- 
sent, and  thus  early  we  find  Massachusetts  raising  her  voice  as  fearlessly  against  it  as  she 
did  twenty  years  afterward,  when  her  boldness  drew  down  upon  her  the  vengeance  of  the 
British  government. 

During  the  Revolution,  and  particularly  after  the  British  took  possession  of  New  York 
city,  Albany  was  the  focus  of  revolutionary  power  in  the  state.      There  the  Committee  of 
Safety  had  its  sittings  ;   and,  after  the  destruction  of  the  forts  in  the  Highlands,  and  the  burn- 
ing of  Esopus  (Kingston),  it  was  generally  the  head-quarters  of  the  military  and  civil 
officers  in  the  Northern  Department.      There  the  captive  officers  of  Burgoyne's  invading 
army  were  hospitably  entertained  by  General  Schuyler  and  his  family  at  their  spacious  man- 
sion, then  "  half  a  mile  below  the  town."      The  house  is  still 
standing,  at  the  head  of  Schuyler  Street,  a  little  west  of  South 
Pearl  Street,  upon  an  eminence  some  thirty  feet  high  in  front, 
and  completely  imbosomed  in  trees  and  shrubbery.      Within 
it  the  Baroness  E-eidesel  was  entertained,  and  there  occurred 
those  events  mentioned  by  her  and  Chastellux,  which  I  have 
noticed  in  a  preceding  chapter  (pages  91  and  92).      It  was 
the  scene,  also,  of  the  attempted  abduction  of  the  general  by 
the  Tory,  Waltemeyer,  when  he  robbed  the  patriot  of  his  plate 
in  1781,  mentioned  on  page  223.      There  La  Fayette,  Steu- 
ben, Rochambeau,  and  other  foreign  officers  of  eminence  were 
entertained,  and  there  the  noblest  of  the  land,  as  well  as  dis- 
tinguished travelers  from  abroad,  were  frequent  guests  during 
the  life  of  the  owner  ;   and  its  doors  were  opened  as  freely  when 
the  voice  of  poverty  pleaded  for  assistance  as  when  the  great 
claimed  hospitahty  and  courtesy. 

We  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of 

September.      The  air  was  cool  and  bracing,  the  day  was  fine, 

and  the  lately-deserted  streets  and  shops  were  thronged  with 

mingled  citizens  and  strangers  plunged  as  deeply  in  the  maze  of  business  as  if  no  forgetful- 

ness  of  the  leger  and  till  had  occurred  while  babbling  brooks  and  shady  groves  wooed  them  to 

Nature's  worship.      There  I  rested  a  few  days,  preparatory  to  a  visit  to  the  beautiful  valley 

"  On  Susquehanna's  side,  fair  Wyoming  !" 


Schttyxicr's  Mansion.' 


'  Tliis  view  is  from  Schuyler  Street.  The  edifice  is  of  brick,  having  a  closed  octagonal  porch  or  vesti- 
bule in  front.  It  was  built  by  Mrs.  Schuyler  while  her  husband  was  in  England  in  1760-1.  The  old  fam- 
ily mansion,  large  and  highly  ornamented,  in  the  Dutch  style,  stood  nearly  upon  the  site  of  the  present  City 
Hall,  between  State  and  Washington  Streets.     It  was  taken  down  in  1800. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  305 


Departure  for  Wyoming.  Newark  and  its  Associations.  The  old  Academy.  Trip  to  Morristown. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"  The  sultry  summer  past,  September  comes, 
Soft  twilight  of  the  slow,  declining  year  ; 
All  mildness,  soothing  loneliness,  and  peace ; 
The  fading  season  ere  the  falling  come. 
More  sober  than  the  buxom,  blooming  May, 
And  therefore  less  the  favorite  of  the  world, 
But  dearest  month  of  all  to  pensive  minds." 

Carlos  Wilcox. 

N  the  morning  of  the  12  th  of  September  I  left  New  York  on  my 
SECOND  TOUR.  My  chief  destination  was  Wyoming,  after  a  visit  to 
a  few  noteworthy  places  in  New  Jersey,  of  which  Morristown  was 
the  first.  I  was  in  Newark  just  in  time  to  be  too  late  for  the  morn- 
ing train  for  Morristown.  Newark  is  beautiful  and  eligible  in  loca- 
tion, and  a  thriving  city ;  but  it  has  only  a  few  scraps  of  Revolu- 
tionary history,  exclusively  its  own,  for  the  entertainment  of  an  in- 
quirer. The  village  contained  about  one  thousand  inhabitants  at 
that  time.  British,  repixblicans,  and  Hessians  were  alternately  billeted  upon  the  people  ; 
and,  being  on  the  line  of  travel  from  New  York  to  Brunswick  and  Trenton,  its  monotony  was 
often  broken  by  the  passage  of  troops.  Political  parties  were  nearly  balanced  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war,  and,  when  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  put  forth,  many  of  the  Loy- 
alists left  the  place  and  went  to  New  York,  among  whom  was  the  pastor  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  of  Newark.  It  suffered  much  during  the  war  from  the  visitations  of  reg- 
ular troops  of  both  armies,  and  of  marauders.  When  Washington  fled  toward  the  Dela- 
ware, in  November,  1776,  his  army  (three  thousand  in  number)  encamped  there  from  the 
22d  to  the  28th.  On  that  day  Cornwallis  entered  the  town  with  a  pursuing  force.  Both 
armies  were  quartered  upon  the  inhabitants.  Cornwallis  left  a  strong  guard  there,  wliich 
remained  until  after  the  battle  of  Princeton.  Foraging  parties  and  plunderers  kept  the  in- 
habitants in  a  state  of  continual  alarm.  On  the  night  of  the  25th  of  January,  1780,  a  party 
of  five  hundred  of  the  enemy  went  from  New  York  to  Newark  on  the  ice,  burned  the  acad- 
emy,' carried  off  an  active  Whig  named  Hedden,  and  would  doubtless  have  laid  the  town  in 
ashes  had  not  the  light  of  a  conflagration  at  Elizabethtown  (the  burning  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  by  another  party,  unknown  to  the  first)  alarmed  them,  and  caused  tliem  to  hasten 
back  to  New  York.  No  other  events  of  much  general  importance  occurred  there  during 
the  war.  It  seems  to  have  been  as  famous  in  early  times  as  now  for  its  cider.  Governor 
Carteret  wrote,  in  a  letter  to  the  proprietors  in  1682,  "At  Newark  are  made  great  quanti- 
ties of  cider,  exceeding  any  we  can  have  from  New  England,  Rhode  Island,  or  Long  Island." 
I  left  Newark  for  Morristown  at  two  o'clock,  by  rail-road,  through  a  beautifully-diversi- 
fied region.  The  road  passes  above  the  upper  verge  of  the  sandy  plains,  through  a  very 
hilly  country,  and  makes  some  broad  curves  in  its  way  from  Newark  to  Morristown,  a  dis- 
tance, by  the  track,  of  about  twenty-two  miles.      Springfield  on  the  left  and  the  Short  Hills 

'  In  that  building  the  collegiate  school,  now  the  College  of  New  Jersey,  seated  at  Princeton,  was  held, 
while  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Aaron  Burr,  the  father  of  the  Vice-president  of  the  United  States  of 
that  name.  This  school  was  instituted  at  Elizabethtown  by  Jonathan  Dickinson,  in  1746.  He  died  the 
following  year,  and  the  students  were  sent  to  Newark,  and  placed  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Burr,  who  thus 
became  the  second  president  of  the  institution.  It  continued  at  Newark  eight  years,  and  was  then  removed 
to  Princeton. 

TI 


306  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Arrival  at  Morrigtown.  Kimble's  Mountain.  Fort  Nonsense.  September  Sunset.  The  "  Head-quarters." 

on  the  right,  places  of  note  in  our  revolutionary  history,  were  pointed  out  as  we  sped  rapidly 
by,  and,  before  memory  could  fairly  summon  the  events  which  made  them  famous,  we  were 
at  the  station  at  Morristown,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  eastward  of  the  village  green.  The  town 
is  pleasantly  situated  upon  a  table  land,  with  steep  slopes  on  two  sides.  On  the  west  is  a 
high  ridge  called  Kimble's  Mountain,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  town,  its  sum- 
mit commanding  a  magnificent  prospect  of  the  adjacent  country,  and  considerably  resorted 
to  during  the  summer.  It  was  upon  the  southern  slope  of  this  mountain  that  the  American 
army,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Washington,  was  encamped  during  the  winter  of 
1779—80  ;  and  upon  the  same  ridge  (which  terminates  abruptly  at  the  village),  half  a  mile 
from  the  green,  are  the  remains  of  Fort  Nonsense.  It  was  nearly  sunset  when  I  ascended 
the  hill,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Vogt,  the  editor  of  one  of  the  village  papers.  The  embank- 
ments and  ditches,  and  the  remains  of  the  block-houses  of  Fort  Nonsense,  are  very  promi- 
nent, and  the  form  of  the  embryo  fortification  may  be  distinctly  traced  among  the  trees.  Its 
name  was  derived  from  the  fact  that  all  the  labor  bestowed  upon  it  was  intended  merely  to 
counteract  the  demoralizing  effects  of  idleness.  The  American  army  was  comfortably  hutted, 
and  too  remote  and  secure  from  the  enemy  to  make  camp  duty  at  all  active.  Washington 
foresaw  the  evil  tendency  of  idleness,  and  discreetly  ordered  the  construction  of  a  fort  upon  a 
hill  overlooking  the  town.  There  was  no  intention  to  complete  it,  and  when  the  winter 
encampment  broke  up  in  the  spring  the  work  was,  of  course,  abandoned. 

From  the  mountain  we  saw  one  of  those  gorgeous  September  sunsets  so  often  seen  in  the 
Northern  States,  and  so  beautifully  described  by  Wilcox  : 

"  The  sky,  without  the  shadow  of  a  cloud, 
Throughout  the  west  is  kindled  to  a  glow 
So  bright  and  broad,  it  glares  upon  the  eye, 
Not  dazzling,  but  dilating,  with  calm  force. 
Its  power  of  vision  to  admit  the  whole. 
Below,  'tis  all  of  richest  orange  dye  ; 
Midway,  the  blushing  of  the  mellow  peach 
Paints  not,  but  tinges  the  ethereal  deep ; 
And  here,  in  this  most  lovely  region,  shines. 
With  added  loveliness,  the  evening  star. 
Above,  the  fainter  purple  slowly  fades, 
Till  changed  into  the  azure  of  mid-heaven." 

As  the  warm  glow  in  the  west  faded,  the  eastern  sky  was  radiant  with  the  light  of  the  full 
moon  that  came  up  over  the  hills,  and  under  it  we  made  our  way  along  the  sinuous  mount- 
ain path  down  to  the  village.  I  spent  the  evening  with  the  Honorable  Gabriel  Ford,  who 
ovras  the  fine  mansion  which  was  occupied  by  Washington  as  his  head-quarters  during  the 
winter  encampment  there  in  1779—80.  It  belonged  to  Judge  Ford's  mother,  then  a  widow, 
himself  being  a  boy  about  fourteen  years  old.  His  well-stored  mind  is  still  active,  notwith- 
standing he  is  eighty-four  years  old,  and  he  clearly  remembers  even  the  most  trifling  inci- 
dents of  that  encampment  which  came  under  his  observation.  He  entertained  me  until  a 
late  hour  with  anecdotes  and  facts  of  interest,  and  then  kindly  invited  me  to  pass  the  night 
under  his  hospitable  roof,  remarking,  "  You  shall  sleep  in  the  room  which  General  Wash- 
ington and  his  lady  occupied."  That  certainly  was  the  proffer  of  a  rare  privilege,  and  I 
tarried  till  morning.  Before  making  further  notes  of  a  personal  character,  let  us  look  at 
the  history. 

Morristown  was  twice  the  place  of  a  winter  encampment  of  the  division  of  the  American 
army  under  the  personal  command  of  Washington.  The  first  time  was  in  1777,  after  his 
brilliant  achievements  at  Trenton,  and  the  battle  of  Princeton.  When  the  fortieth  arul 
fifty-fifth  British  regiments,  which  Washington  encountered  in  that  battle,  fled,  he  pursued 
them  as  far  as  Kingston,  where  he  had  the  bridge  taken  up,  and,  turning  short  to  the  left, 
crossed  the  Millstone  River  twice,  and  arrived  at  Pluckemin  the  same  evening.  It  had 
been  his  intention  to  march  to  New  Brunswick,  to  capture  British  stores  deposited  there  ; 
but  his  troops  were  so  exhausted,  not  having  slept  for  thirty-six  hours,  and  Cornwallis  was 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  307 

Spirit  and  Condition  of  the  Continental  Army.      Place  of  Encampnaent.     Free-nioaonry.      Inoculation  of  the  Army.      Jenner. 

SO  near,  that  he  abandoned  the  design  and  advanced  to  MorristowTi,  where  he  went  into  win- 
ter quarters.  He  had  achieved  much,  far  more  than  the  most  sanguine  patiiot  hoped  for. 
At  the  very  moment  when  his  army  appeared  upon  the  verge  of  dissolution,  and  retreating 
from  town  to  town,  he  struck  a  blow  so  full  of  strength  that  it  paralyzed  the  enemy, 
broke  up  the  British  line  of  cantonments  upon  the  Delaware,  and  made  Cornwallis  turn  his 
eyes  back  wistfully  to  more  secure  quarters  at  New  York,  under  the  wing  of  General  Howe, 
the  British  commander-in-chief  Nor  did  Washington  sit  down  quietly  at  Mornstown.  Ho- 
had  estabhshed  cantonments  at  various  points  from  Princeton  on  the  right,  under  the  con- 
trol of  General  Putnam,  to  the  Hudson  Highlands  on  the  left,  at  which  post  General  Heath 
was  still  in  command,  having  been  left  there  when  the  American  army  fled  from  Fort  Lee, 
on  the  Hudson,  to  the  Delaware,  the  previous  autumn.  He  was  in  the  midst  of  hills  and 
a  fertile  country  teeming  with  abundance,  but  he  did  not  trust  to  the  strong  barriers  of  na- 
ture for  his  protection.  Weak  and  poorly  clad  as  was  his  army,  he  sent  out  detachments 
to  harass  the  British,  and  with  such  spirit  were  those  expeditions  conducted,  that,  on  or  be- 
fore the  1st  of  March,  not  a  British  or  Hessian  soldier  remained  in  the  Jerseys,  except  at 
New  Brunswick  and  Amboy.  Under  the  circumstances,  it  was  a  splendid  triumph,  and 
greatly  inspirited  the  friends  of  the  republican  cause.  The  martial  spirit  of  the  people  seemed 
to  revive,  and  it  was  thought  that  the  thinned  battalions  of  the  army  would  be  speedily  re- 
plenished. New  courage  was  infused  into  the  Continental  Congress,  the  members  of  which, 
alarmed  at  the  rapid  approach  of  the  British  to  Philadelphia,  then  the  national  metropolis, 
had  fled  to  Baltimore,  and  held  their  sittings  there. 

The  American  army  was  encamped  in  log  huts  at  Morristown,  and  Washington's  head- 
quarters were  at  the  old  Freeman  Tavern,  which  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the  village 
green.  In  the  Morris  Hotel,  a  building  then  used  as  a  commissary's  store-house,  the  chief 
often  participated  in  the  rites  of  Free-masonry,  in  a  room  over  the  bar,  which  was  reserved  for 
a  ball-room  and  for  the  meetings  of  the  Masonic  Lodge.  There  he  conferred  the  degrees  of 
the  Order  upon  his  companions-in-arms,  and  his  warm  attachment  to  the  institution  lasted 
until  liis  death. 

Some  writers  assert  that,  toward  the  close  of  January,  the  small-pox  broke  out  vio- 
lently in  the  American  camp,  and  that  Washington  resorted  to  a  general  inoculation 
of  the  army  to  stay  its  fatal  progress.  As  Dr.  Thacher,  who  performed  this  service  in  the 
camp  in  the  Highlands,  opposite  West  Point,  at  a  later  period,  does  not  mention  the  circum- 
stance in  his  Journal,  and  as  cotemporary  writers  are  silent  on  the  subject,  it  was  reason- 
able to  conclude  that  such  an  event  did  not  occur  at  MorristoM'n.  But  Dr.  Eneas  Munson, 
one  of  Dr.  Thacher's  assistants,  and  still  living  in  New  Haven,  has  settled  the  question.  I 
wrote  to  him  upon  the  subject,  inquiring  also  whether  vaccination  was  ever  substituted  for 
inoculation  during  the  Revolution.  It  was  during  the  preceding  year  that  Jenner,  a  young 
English  surgeon,  had  made  his  famous  discovery  of  the  efficacy  of  vaccination}  It  had  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  Washington,  for  the  soldiers  of  the  Northern  army  had  sufl^ered  ter- 
ribly from  the  disease  in  Canada  during  the  spring  of  1776,  and  one  of  the  most  promising 
officers  of  the  Continental  army  (General  Thomas)  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  loathsome  mal- 
ady. Dr.  Munson  kindly  answered  my  letter,  as  follows,  under  date  of  November  1st,  1849  : 
"  In  reply  to  your  inquiries  of  the  30th  ult.,  I  can  say  that  vaccination  was  not  practiced 

'  Edward  Jenner,  who  was  born  in  1749,  had  his  attention  turned  to  the  subject  of  vaccination  at  about 
the  beginning  of  1776,  by  the  circumstance  of  finding  that  those  who  had  been  affected  by  the  cow-pox,  or 
kine-pox,  as  it  is  popularly  called,  had  become  incapable  of  receiving  the  variolous  infection.  Inoculation, 
or  the  insertion  of  the  virus  of  the  common  small-pox,  had  long  been  practiced.  It  was  introduced  into 
general  notice  by  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montague  in  1721,  whose  son  was  inoculated  at  Constantinople,  and 
whose  daughter  was  the  first  to  undergo  the  operation  in  England.  It  was  reserved  for  Jenner  to  discover 
the  efficacy  and  introduce  the  practice  of  vaccination,  or  the  introduction  of  the  virus  of  the  cow-pox,  more 
than  fifty  years  afterward.  It  was  first  introduced  into  the  British  capital  in  1796,  but  met  with  great  hos- 
tility on  the  part  of  the  medical  faculty.  The  triumph  of  Jenner  was  finally  complete,  and  his  fame  is  world 
wide.  Oxford  presented  him  with  a  diploma,  the  Royal  Society  admitted  him  as  a  member,  and  the  BrU 
ish  Parliament  voted  him  8100,000. 


308  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Proclamation  of  the  Brothers  Howe.  Disappointment  of  the  People.  Washington's  counter  Proclamation 

generally,  nor  at  all,  to  my  knowledge,  in  the  American  army  of  the  Revolution.  At  Mor- 
ristown  there  was  a  partial  inoculation,  but  it  was  not  general  there.  At  the  Highlands, 
opposite  West  Point,  it  (inoculation)  was  general,  and  I  assisted  in  it  professionally.^  Vac- 
cination was  practiced  by  my  father  one  year  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution."" 
This  is  unquestionable  authority. 

When  the  British  entered  New  Jersey,  the  proclamation  of  the  brothers  Howe,  offering 
a  free  pardon  to  all  rebels  who  should  lay  down  their  arms,  and  full  and  ample  protection 
of  person  and  property  to  those  who  should  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  British  crown, 
was  freely  circulated.^  This  proclamation  was  received  by  the  people  while  the  American 
army  was  flying  before  the  Britons,  and  general  despondency  was  crushing  every  hope  for 
the  success  of  the  patriot  cause.  Its  effect  was,  therefore,  powerful  and  instantaneous,  and 
hundreds,  whose  sympathies  were  with  the  Americans,  timid  and  hopeless,  accepted  the  pro- 
tection upon  the  prescribed  terms.  They  generally  remained  in  their  houses  while  the  bel- 
ligerent armies  were  in  motion.  But  they  soon  found  their  hopes  cruelly  disappointed,  and 
those  who  should  have  been  their  protectors  became  their  worst  oppressors.  The  Hessians, 
in  particular,  being  entirely  mercenary,  and  influenced  by  no  feelings  of  sympathy,  plundered, 
burned,  and  destroyed  every  thing  that  came  in  their  way,  without  discriminating  between 
friend  and  foe.  The  people  of  all  parties  were  insulted  and  abused  in  their  own  houses, 
their  dwellings  were  rifled,  their  women  were  oftentimes  ravished  by  the  brutal  soldiers,  and 
neither  smiling  infancy  nor  decrepit  age  possessed  immunity  from  their  outrages.  The  Brit- 
ish soldiery  sometimes  participated  in  these  crimes,  and  upon  the  British  government  prop- 
erly rested  the  guilt,  for  the  Hessians  were  its  hired  fighting  machines,  hired  contrary  to 
the  solemn  protests  and  earnest  negative  pleadings  of  the  best  friends  of  England  in  its  na- 
tional legislature.  But  these  enormities  proved  favorable  to  the  republican  cause.  Those 
who  had  received  paper  protections  regarded  Sir  William  Howe  as  a  perjured  tool  of  oppres- 
sion, and  the  loyalty  of  vast  numbers  of  the  disaffected  and  lukewarm,  that  burned  so  brightly 
when  recording  their  oaths  of  allegiance,  was  suddenly  extinguished,  and  their  sad  hearts, 
touched  by  the  persuasions  of  self-interest,  felt  a  glow  of  interested  patriotism.  Washington 
January  25  ^^ok.  advantage  of  this  state  of  feeling,  and  issued  a  counter  proclamation,  com- 
1777.  manding  all  persone  who  had  received  protections  from  the  British  commissioners 
to  repair  to  head-quarters,  or  to  some  general  officer  of  the  army,  to  deliver  up  such  protec- 
tions, and  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States.  It  nevertheless  granted  full  lib- 
erty to  all  such  as  preferred  "  the  interests  and  protection  of  Great  Britain  to  the  freedom 
iind  happiness  of  their  country,  forthwith  to  withdraw  themselves  and  their  families  within 
the  enemy's  lines."  The  reasonable  time  of  thirty  days  was  allowed  the  inhabitants  to  comply 
with  these  requisitions,  after  which  those  who  remained,  and  refused  to  give  up  their  protec- 
tions, were  to  be  regarded  and  treated  as  adherents  to  the  king  and  enemies  of  the  United  States. 

'  In  his  Military  Journal,  p.  250,  Dr.  Tnacher,  alluding  to  the  inoculation  in  the  Highlands,  says,  "  All 

the  soldiers,  with  the  women  and  children,  who  have  not  had  the  small-pox,  are  now  under  inoculation 

Of  five  hundred  who  have  been  inoculated  here,  four  only  have  died."  He  mentions  a  fact  of  interest  con- 
nected vdth  the  medical  treatment  of  the  patients.  It  was  then  customary  to  prepare  the  system  for  inoc- 
ulation, by  doses  of  calomel  and  jalap.  An  extract  of  butternut,  made  by  boiling  down  the  inner  bark  of 
the  tree,  was  substituted,  and  found  to  be  more  efficacious  and  less  dangerous  than  the  mineral  drug.  Dr. 
Thacher  considered  it  "  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  materia  medica."  • 

^  Dr.  Munson's  father  was  an  eminent  physician,  and  was  for  many  years  the  President  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  Connecticut.  He  was  a  native  of  New  Haven,  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1753,  and,  having 
been  a  tutor,  he  was  a  chaplain  in  the  army  on  Long  Island  in  1775.  He  died  at  New  Haven  in  1826, 
aged  nearly  ninety-two  years.  He  was  a  practicing  physician  seventy  years.  Being  a  man  of  piety,  he 
often  administered  medicine  to  the  mind,  by  kneeling  at  the  bed-side  of  his  patients  and  commending  fhem 
to  God  in  prayer. 

^  General  Sir  William  Howe,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  forces  in  America,  and  his  brother 
Richard,  Earl  Howe,  the  admiral  of  the  fleet  on  our  coast,  were  appointed  by  Parliament  commissioners  to 
negotiate  for  peace  with  the  American  Congress,  or  to  prosecute  the  war,  as  events  might  determine.  They 
issued  a  circular  letter  to  all  the  royal  governors,  and  a  proclamation  to  the  people,  offering  pardon  and  pro- 
tection.    This  commission  will  be  considered  hereafter. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


309 


Opposition  to  Wasliington's  Policy. 


His  Independence  and  Sagacity. 


Good  Eftect  of  liis  Proclamation 


December  27 
1776. 


Notwithstanding  Washington  had  been  vested  by  Congress  with  the  power 
of  a  military  dictator,  and  the  wisdom  and  equity  of  the  proclamation  were  not 
questioned,  the  Legislature  of  New  Jersey  regarded  it  as  an  infringement  upon  state  rights, 
that  political  stumbling-block  in  the  progress  of  the  Revolution  ;  and  even  members  of  the 
Continental  Congress  censured  the  commander-in-chief  The  former  claimed  that  each  state 
possessed  the  exclusive  power  of  requiring  such  an  oath,  and  the  latter  deemed  the  oath  ab- 
surd when  the  states  were  not  legally  confederated,  and  such  a  thing  as  "  United  States" 
did  not  exist.  But  Washington,  conscious  of  the  necessity  and  wisdom  of  his  course,  did 
not  heed  these  foolish  murmurs.  His  plan  worked  admirably,  and  hundreds  flocked  to  the 
proper  officers  to  give  up  their  British  protections.  The  state  was  purged  of  the  most  in- 
imical Tories,  and  the  ranks  of  the  army  were  so  rapidly  filled  by  volunteers  and  new  re- 
cruits, that,  when  the  campaign  opened  in  June,  his  force,  which  numbered  about  eight  thou- 
sand men  when  he  left  his  head-quarters  at  Morristown,  toward  the  close  of  May,  for  Mid- 
dlebrook  (a  strong  position,  twelve  miles  from  the  British  camp  at  New  Brunswick),  had 
swelled  to  fourteen  thousand.  He  had  previously  written  to  the  republican  governors  of 
the  several  states,  urging  them  to  adopt  prompt  and  efficient  co-operative  measures,  by  rais- 
ing recruits  and  filling  up  the  broken  regiments.  He  also  wrote  stirring  appeals  to  Con- 
gress, but  that  body,  acting  under  powers  undefined,  and  s-wayed  by  the  jealousies  of  the 
several  states  represented  therein,  was  tardy  and  inefficient  in  its  action.  He  was  obliged, 
in  his  public  declarations,  to  magnify  the  strength  of  his  army,  in  order  to  encourage  the  de- 
sponding people  and  awe  the  enemy  ;  and  this  justifiable  deception  made  his  appeals  less  ef- 
fective, for  the  necessity  did  not  seem  so  great  as  represented.  These  were  trying  circum- 
stances for  the  commander-in-chief,  but  his  stout  heart  did  not  despond,  and  his  hopeful  spirit 
saw  brighter  prospects  in  the  future. 


Washington's  Head-quaktebs  at  >Iobiiistow.\  ' 

Morristown  was  again  the  head-quarters  of  Washington  durmg  the  winter  of  1779—80 
The  campaigns  for  the  season  had  been  fruitless  of  very  favorable  results  to  either  party. 
The  war  had  been  carried  on  chiefly  at  the  extreme  south,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York 
city,  at  the  north.  Toward  the  close  of  the  year.  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  had  succeeded 
Sir  William  Howe  in  the  chief  command,  sailed  from  New  York  for  Charleston,  and  the. 
main  body  of  the  American  army  went  into  winter  quarters  near  Morristown.      They  re- 


*  This  view  is  from  the  forks  of  the  road,  directly  in  front  of  the  mansion.  The  house  is  of  brick,  cov- 
ered with  planks,  and  painted  white.  The  rooms  are  large  and  well  finished,  and  it  wa.s  a  fine  raansiun 
tor  the  times. 


310  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Winter  Encampment  at  Morristown.      The  Life-guard  and  their  Duties.       Pulaski  and  his  Cavalry.       Effect  of  Alarum  Guns. 

mained  in  tents  until  the  14th  of  February,  when  log  huts  were  completed  for  their  use. 
Strong  detachments  were  stationed  at  West  Point  and  other  posts  near  the  Hudson,  and 
the  American  cavalry  were  cantoned  in  the  western  part  of  Connecticut.  Washington,  as 
we  have  noted,  made  his  head-quarters  at  the  residence  of  the  widow  of  Colonel  Jacob  Ford, 
who  had  commanded  a  regiment  of  Morris  county  militia  during  Washington's  retreat  through 
New  Jersey.  It  is  situated  nearly  three  fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  the  village  green,  on  the 
Newark  and  Morristown  turnpike.  The  general  and  his  suite  occupied  the  whole  of  the 
large  building,  except  two  rooms  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  main  passage,  which  were  re- 
served for  Mrs.  Ford  and  her  family.  The  lower  firont  room,  on  the  left  of  the  door,  was  his 
dining-room,  and  the  apartment  immediately  over  it  was  his  sleeping-room  while  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington was  at  head-quarters.  He  had  two  log  additions  made  to  the  house,  one  for  a  kitchen, 
on  the  east  end,  and  the  other,  on  the  west  end,  was  used  as  the  offices  of  Washington,  Ham- 
ilton, and  Tilghman.  In  the  meadow,  a  few  rods  southeast  of  the  dwelling,  about  fifty  log 
huts  were  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the  life-guard,  which  consisted  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  under  General  William  Colfax.  In  that  meadow  Count  Pulaski  exercised 
liis  legion  of  cavalry,  and  his  dexterous  movements  were  the  wonder  and  emulation  of  the 
officers,  many  of  whom  were  considerably  injured  in  attempts  to  imitate  his  feats.' 

The  main  body  of  the  army,  as  we  have  noticed,  was  encamped  upon  the  southern  slope 
of  Kimble's  Mountain,  beginning  about  two  miles  from  head-quarters,  and  extending  several 
miles  westward.  They  were  sufficiently  near  to  be  called  into  service  instantly,  if  necessary 
During  the  winter  many  false  alarms  occurred,  which  set  the  whole  camp  in  motion.  Sen- 
tinels were  placed  at  intervals  between  the  camp  and  head-quarters,  and  pickets  were  planted 
at  distant  points  toward  the  Raritan  and  the  Hudson,  with  intervening  sentinels.  Some- 
times an  alarm  would  begin  by  the  firing  of  a  gun  at  a  remote  point.  This  would  be  an- 
swered by  discharges  along  the  whole  line  of  sentinels  to  the  head-quarters  and  to  the  camp. 
The  life-guard  would  immediately  rush  to  the  house  of  the  general,  barricade  the  doors,  and 
throw  up  the  windows.  Five  soldiers,  with  their  muskets  cocked  and  brought  to  a  charge, 
were  generally  placed  at  each  window,  and  there  they  would  remain  until  the  troops  from 
the  camp  marched  to  head-quarters,  and  the  cause  of  the  alarm  was  ascertained.  It  was 
frequently  the  case  that  the  attempts  of  some  young  suitor,  who  had  been  sj^rking  until  a 
late  hour,  and  attempted  to  pass  a  sentinel  without  giving  the  countersign,  caused  the  dis- 
charge of  a  musket,  and  the  commotion  in  the  camp.  These  occasions  were  very  annoying 
to  the  ladies  of  the  household,  for  both  Mrs.  Washington  and  Mrs.  Ford  were  obliged  to  lie 
in  bed,  sometimes  for  hours,  with  their  rooms  full  of  soldiers,  and  the  keen  winter  air  from 
the  open  windows  piercing  through  their  drawn  curtains. 

The  winter  of  1780  was  one  of  uncommon  severity,  and  the  troops  suffered  dreadfully 
from  a  lack  of  provisions,  clothing,  and  shelter.*     The  snow  fell  in  great  quantities,  and  the 

^  It  is  related  that,  among  other  feats,  that  daring  horseman  would  sometimes,  while  his  steed  was  under 
full  gallop,  discharge  his  pistol,  throw  it  in  the  air,  catch  it  by  the  barrel,  and  then  hurl  it  in  front  as  if  at 
an  enemy.  Without  checking  the  speed  of  his  horse,  he  would  take  one  foot  from  the  stinnip,  and,  bend- 
ing over  toward  the  ground,  recover  his  pistol,  and  wheel  into  lijie  with  as  much  precision  as  if  he  had 
been  engaged  in  nothing  but  the  management  of  the  animal. 

*  Dr.  Thacher,  in  his  ''■Military  Journal,''''  p.  181,  says,  "  The  sufferings  of  the  poor  soldiers  can  scarcely 
be  described ;  while  on  duty  they  are  unavoidably  exposed  to  all  the  inclemency  of  storms  and  severe  cold , 
at  night  they  now  have  a  bed  of  straw  upon  the  ground,  and  a  single  blanket  to  each  man ;  they  are  badly 
clad,  and  some  are  destitute  of  shoes.  We  have  contrived  a  kind  of  stone  chimney  outside,  and  an  opening 
at  one  end  of  our  tents  gives  us  the  benefit  of  the  fire  within.  The  snow  is  now  [January  6th,  1780]  from 
four  to  six  feet  deep,  which  so  obstructs  the  roads  as  to  prevent  our  receiving  a  supply  of  provisions.  For 
the  last  ten  days  we  have  received  but  two  pounds  of  meat  a  man,  and  we  are  frequently  for  six  or  eight 
days  entirely  destitute  of  meat,  and  then  as  long  without  bread.  The  consequence  is,  the  soldiers  are  so 
enfeebled  from  hunger  and  cold  as  to  be  almost  unable  to  perform  their  military  duty,  or  labor  in  construct- 
ing their  huts.  It  is  well  knowm  that  General  Washington  experiences  the  greatest  solicitude  for  the  suf- 
fering of  his  army,  and  is  sensible  that  they,  in  general,  conduct  with  heroic  patience  and  fortitude."  In 
a  private  letter  to  a  friend,  Washington  said,  "  We  have  had  the  virtue  and  patience  of  the  army  put  to  the 
severest  trial.     Sometimes  it  has  been  five  or  six  days  together  without  bread,  at  other  times  as  many  with- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  3lt 

Sufferings  and  Fortitude  of  the  Army.     Sterling's  Secret  Expedition.     Extreme  Cold.    Chevalier  Luzerne.    Death  of  MiraKes 

channels  of  transportation  for  provisions  being  closed,  Washington  found  it  necessary  to  levy 
contributions  upon  the  inhabitants  in  neighboring  towns.  He  applied  to  the  magistrates  for 
aid,  apprehending  some  difficulty  in  the  exercise  of  his  power,  but  the  people  cheerfully  com- 
phed  with  his  requisitions,  and  the  pressing  wants  of  the  army  were  supplied.  The  chief 
was  greatly  annoyed  by  complaints  of  frequent  thefts  committed  by  his  soldiers  ;  but  such  was 
the  force  of  the  first  law  of  nature — self-preservation — when  the  commissariat  was  empty, 
that  the  severest  punishments  did  not  deter  them  from  stealing  sheep,  hogs,  and  poultr}'. 
Repeated  warnings  were  given  to  the  army,  in  general  orders  and  otherwise,  against  the 
marauding  practice,  yet  many  suffered  the  inflictions  of  the  lash,  and  in  some  cases  of  rob- 
bery the  death  penalty  was  incurred.* 

In  January,  Maior-general  Lord  Sterling,  with  about  fifteen  hundred  men  in  sleighs, 
set  off  at  night  on  a  secret  expedition,  ostensibly  to  procure  provisions,  but  really  to  at- 
tack the  enemy  in  their  quarters  on  Staten  Island.      They  passed  over  on  the  ice  from  Eliza- 
bethto\vn  about  midnight.      It  was  a  starry  night,  and  the  weather  was  extremely  cold. 
The  enemy  had  notice  of  their  approach,  and  the  object  of  the  expedition  was  defeated. 
They  captured  some  blankets  and  stores,  and  then  returned  to  camp  about  daylight.      The 
snow  was  three  feet  deep  on  the  ground,  and  so  excessive  was  the  cold,  that  five  hundred  of 
the  party  were  more  or  less  frozen."     A  retaliating  movement  was  made  soon  aft-     January  27 
trward  by  the  enemy.      A  party  attacked  the  American  picket  guard,  and  carried         ^~='^- 
off  a  major  and  forty  men.      Two  or  three  enterprises  of  a  like  nature  were  all  that  varied 
the  monotonous  round  of  duties  until  the  arrival  at  head-quarters  of  the  Chevalier  de 

April  19 

Luzerne,  the  minister  from  the  French  government.  He  succeeded  M.  Gerard,  the 
first  minister  sent  to  the  insurgent  colonies  from  France,  and  had  arrived  in  Philadelphia  the 
September  previous.  He  was  an  accomplished  and  highly  honorable  gentleman,  and  was 
received  with  much  regard  by  the  commander-in-chief  Don  Juan  de  Miralles,  a  distin- 
guished Spaniard,  accompanied  him  ;  and  during  their  visits  the  military  education  which 
Baron  Steuben,  the  celebrated  tactician,  had  imparted  to  the  army  was  several  times  dis- 
played in  reviews  and  difficult  evolutions.  Luzerne  remained  some  time  at  head-quarters, 
and  a  ball,  which  was  attended  by  Washington  and  his  lady,  ail  his  officers.  Governor  Liv- 
ingston and  his  lady,  and  many  other  distinguished  persons,  was  given  in  his  honor,  at  the 
Morris  Hotel.  Miralles,  in  the  mean  while,  was  seized,  at  head-quarters,  with  a  pulmonic 
fever,  and  died  on  the  28th.  The  religious  ceremonies  of  the  funeral  were  conducted  bv  a 
Spanish  Catholic  priest,  and  the  body  was  interred  with  great  pomp  in  the  common  burying- 
ground  near  the  church  in  Morristown.*     A  guard  of  soldiers  was  placed  near  the  grave,  to 

out  meat,  and  once  or  tw-ice  two  or  three  days  at  a  time  without  either At  one  time  the  soldiers 

eat  every  kind  of  horse  food  but  hay.  Buckwheat,  common  wheat,  rye.  and  Indian  corn  composed  the  meal 
which  made  their  bread.  As  an  array,  they  bore  it  with  the  most  heroic  patience  ;  but  suflerings  like  these, 
accompanied  by  the  want  of  clothes,  blankets,  &c.,  will  produce  frequent  desertions  in  all  armies ;  and  so 
it  happened  with  us,  though  it  did  not  excite  a  single  mutiny." 

'  Dr.  Thacher  says  (Militarj-  Journal,  p.  182)  that  whipping  with  knotted  cords,  which  often  cut  throuih 
the  flesh  at  every  blow,  applied  to  the  bare  back,  was  the  most  common  punishment.  The  drummers  and 
fifers  were  made  the  executioners,  and  it  was  the  duty  of  the  drum  major  to  see  that  the  chastisement  was 
well  performed.  The  soldiers  adopted  a  method  which  they  said  somewhat  mitigated  the  anguish  of  the 
lash.  They  put  a  leaden  bullet  between  their  teeth,  and  bit  on  it  while  the  punishment  was  in  progress. 
They  would  thus  often  receive  fifty  lashes  without  uttering  a  groan  or  hardly  wincing. 

'  So  intense  was  the  cold  that  winter  that  New  York  Bay  was  thickly  frozen  over,  and  large  bodies 
of  troops,  with  heavy  cannons,  were  transported  on  the  ice,  from  New  York  city  to  Staten  Island,  a  distance 
of  nine  miles. 

'  Dr.  Thacher  has  left  a  record  of  the  burial.  "  The  deceased,"  he  says  (page  188),  "  had  been  about 
one  year  a  resident  with  our  Congress,  from  the  Spanish  court.  The  corpse  was  dressed  in  rich  state,  and 
exposed  to  public  view,  as  is  customary  in  Europe.  The  coffin  was  most  splendid  and  stately,  lined  through- 
out with  fine  cambric,  and  covered  on  the  outside  with  rich  black  velvet,  ornamented  in  a  superb  manner. 
The  top  of  the  coffin  was  removed,  to  display  the  pomp  and  grandeur  with  which  the  body  was  decorated. 
It  was  in  a  splendid  full  dress,  consisting  of  a  scarlet  suit  embroidered  with  rich  gold  lace,  a  three-cornered 
gold-laced  hat,  and  a  genteel  cued  wig,  white  silk  stockings,  large  diamond  shoe  and  knee  buckles ;  a  pro- 
fusion of  diamond  rings  decorated  the  fingers,  and  from  a  superb  gold  watch,  set  with  diamonds,  several 


312  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Mutiny  at  Morristown.  Excuses  for  the  Movement.  Injustice  toward  the  Soldiers.  Policy  and  Success  of  Wayne. 

prevent  its  desecration  in  search  of  hidden  treasure,  until  the  body  could  be  removed  to  Phil 
adelphia. 

Morristown  was  the  scene  of  the  only  serious  and  decided  mutiny  in  the  American  army 
during  the  Revolution.  It  occurred  on  the  1st  of  January,  1781.  The  whole  movement, 
when  all  the  circumstances  are  taken  into  account,  should  not  be  execrated  as  a  military  re- 
bellion, for,  if  ever  there  was  just  cause  for  men  to  lift  up  their  strength  against  authority, 
those  mutineers  possessed  it.  They  had  sufiered  every  privation  during  a  long,  and,  in  many 
respects,  disastrous  campaign,  and  not  a  ray  of  hope  appeared  in  the  gloomy  future.  Their 
small  stipend  of  money  was  paid  irregularly,  sometimes  not  at  all,  and  generally  in  Conti- 
nental bills,  which  were  every  day  becoming  more  valueless.  The  frequent  promises  of 
Congress  had  as  frequently  been  unfulfilled,  and  the  illiberal  interpretations  which  the  offi- 
cers gave  to  the  expressed  terms  of  the  enlistment  of  the  soldiers  produced  great  dissatisfac- 
tion. It  was  stipulated  in  those  terms  that  they  (the  soldiers  of  the  Pennsylvania  line,  who 
revolted)  should  serve  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war.  The  soldiers  interpreted  these 
words  to  mean  that  they  should  be  entitled  to  a  discharge  at  the  end  of  three  years,  or  sooner, 
if  the  war  should  terminate.  This  was  doubtless  the  spirit  of  the  agreement,  but  the  offi- 
cers read  it  otherwise,  and  claimed  their  service  until  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  however 
long  that  time  might  be.  This  was  the  principal  cause  of  dissatisfaction,  and  a  quarrel  with 
the  officers  led  to  open  rebellion. 

The  Pennsylvania  line  at  that  time  consisted  of  about  two  thousand  men,  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  the  old  camp-ground  near  Morristown.  The  three  years'  enlistment  had  expired 
with  most  of  them.  A  bounty  of  three  half  joes  (about  twenty-five  dollars)  had  been  ofTered 
to  new  recruits,  while  the  pay  of  these  veterans  of  three  years'  service  was  not  increased. 
There  was  still  due  them  their  pay  for  twelve  months,  and  nakedness  and  famine  were  theii 
daily  companions.  The  officers  had  murmured  somewhat,  and  the  soldiers,  hearing  the 
whisperings  of  complaint,  took  courage  and  spoke  out  boldly.  They  appointed  a  sergeant 
major  their  commander,  styling  him  major  general ;  and  in  the  evening  of  the  1st  of 
January,  on  a  preconcerted  signal,  the  whole  line,  except  a  part  of  three  regiments, 
paraded  under  arms  without  officers,  marched  to  the  magazines,  supplied  themselves  with 
provisions  and  ammunition,  and,  seizing  six  field  pieces,  took  horses  from  General  Wayne's 
stables  to  transport  them.  The  officers  of  the  line  collected  those  who  had  not  joined  the 
insurgents,  and  endeavored  to  restore  order,  but  some  of  the  revolters  fired,  killing  a  Captain 
Billings  and  wounding  several  others.  The  mutineers  then  ordered  the  minority  to  come  over 
to  their  side  immediately,  or  suffer  destruction  by  the  bayonet,  and  the  command  was  obeyed. 

General  Wayne  was  in  command  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops,  and  was  much  beloved  by 
them.  He  exerted  all  his  influence,  by  threats  and  persuasions,  to  bring  them  back  to  duty 
until  their  grievances  should  be  redressed.  They  would  not  listen  to  his  remonstrances,  and, 
on  his  cocking  his  pistol,  they  presented  their  bayonets  to  his  breast,  saying,  '«  We  respect 
and  love  you  ;  often  have  you  led  us  into  the  field  of  battle,  but  we  are  no  longer  under  your 
command  ;  we  warn  you  to  be  on  your  guard  ;  if  you  fire  your  pistol,  or  attempt  to  enforce 
your  commands,  we  shall  put  you  instantly  to  death."  Wayne  appealed  to  their  patriot- 
ism ;  they  pointed  to  the  impositions  of  Congress.  He  reminded  them  of  the  strength  their 
conduct  would  give  to  the  enemy ;  they  exhibited  their  tattered  garments  and  emaciated 
forms.      They  avowed  their  willingness  to  support  the  cause  of  freedom,  for  it  was  dear  to 

rich  seals  were  suspended.  His  excellency,  General  Washington,  with  several  other  general  officers  and  mem- 
bers of  Congress,  attended  the  funeral  solemnities,  and  walked  as  chief  mourners.  The  other  officers  of  the 
army,  and  numerous  respectable  citizens,  formed  a  splendid  procession,  extending  about  a  mile.  The  pall- 
bearers were  six  field  officers,  and  the  coffin  was  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  four  officers  of  artillery,  in  full 
uniform.  Minute  guns  were  fired  during  the  procession,  which  greatly  increased  the  solemnity  of  the  occa- 
sion." Dr.  Thacher  adds,  "  This  gentleman  is  said  to  have  been  in  possession  of  an  immense  fortune,  and 
has  left  to  his  three  daughters,  in  Spain,  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling  (half  a  million  of  dollars) 
each.  Here  we  behold  the  end  of  all  earthly  riches,  pomp,  and  dignity.  The  ashes  of  Don  Miralles  mingle 
with  the  remains  of  those  who  are  clothed  in  humble  shrouds,  and  whose  career  in  life  was  marked  by  sor- 
did poverty  and  wretchedness." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  313 


Final  Adjustment  of  Difficulties.       Emissaries  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton.       Patriotism  of  the  MutiuecTS.       Fate  of  the  Emissaries. 

their  hearts,  if  adequate  provision  could  be  made  for  their  comfort,  and  declared  their  inten- 
tion to  march  directly  to  Philadelphia,  and  demand  from  Congress  a  redress  of  their  griev- 
ances. Finding  threats  and  persuasion  useless,  Wayne  resolved  upon  a  line  of  policy  that 
proved  efi'ective.  He  supplied  them  with  provisions,  and,  with  Colonels  Stewart  and  But- 
ler, officers  whom  they  greatly  respected,  marched  with  them  to  prevent  their  depredating 
upon  the  inhabitants,  and  to  draw  from  their  leaders  a  statement  of  their  claims  and  wishes. 
They  reached  Princeton  on  the  3d,  and  there  a  committee  of  sergeants  submitted  to  Wayne,' 
in  writing,  the  following  demands  :  First,  a  discharge  for  all  those,  without  exception,  who 
had  served  three  years  under  their  original  engagements,  and  not  received  the  increased  bounty 
and  re-enlisted  for  the  war.  Second,  an  immediate  payment  of  all  arrears  of  pay  and  cloth- 
ing, both  to  those  who  should  be  discharged  and  those  who  should  be  retained.  Third,  the 
residue  of  their  bounty,  to  put  them  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  recently  enlisted,  and  fu- 
ture substantial  pay  to  those  who  should  remain  in  the  service.  General  Wayne  was  not 
authorized  to  promise  a  full  acquiescence  in  their  demands,  and  further  negotiations  were 
referred  to  the  civil  authority  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 

Intelligence  of  this  revolt  reached  Washington  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton  on  the  January  3 
same  day.  The  head-quarters  of  the  former  were  at  New  Windsor,  on  the  Hud-  ^"^'^• 
son,  just  above  the  Highlands  ;  of  the  latter,  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Washington  called 
a  council  of  war,  and,  as  the  extent  of  the  disaffection  was  unknown,  it  was  determined  to 
have  one  thousand  men,  drafts  from  the  several  regiments  in  the  Highlands,  held  in  readi- 
ness to  march  at  a  moment's  notice,  to  quell  the  rebellion,  if  called  upon.  The  council 
heartily  approved  of  the  course  pursued  by  General  Wayne  ;  and  Washington,  whose  pa- 
tience had  often  been  severely  tried  by  the  tardy  movements  of  Congress,  was  willing  to  have 
that  body  aroused  to  activity  by  circumstances  which  should  demand  immediate  and  undi- 
vided attention.  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  mistaking  the  spirit  of  the  mutineers,  thought  to  gain 
great  advantage  by  the  event.  He  dispatched  two  emissaries,  a  British  sergeant,  and  a 
New  Jersey  Tory  named  Ogden,  to  the  insurgents,  with  the  written  offer  that,  on  laying 
down  their  arms  and  marching  to  New  York,  they  should  receive  their  arrearages,  and  the 
amount  of  the  depreciation  of  the  Continental  currency,  in  hard  cash  ;  that  they  should  be 
well  clothed,  have  a  free  pardon  for  all  past  offenses,  and  be  taken  under  the  protection  of 
the  British  government ;  and  that  no  military  service  should  be  required  of  them,  unless 
voluntarily  offered.  Sir  Henry  requested  them  to  appoint  agents  to  treat  with  his  and  ad- 
just the  terms  of  a  treaty  ;  and,  not  doubting  the  success  of  his  plans,  he  went  to  Staten 
Island  himself,  with  a  large  body  of  troops,  to  act  as  circumstances  might  require.  Like 
his  masters  at  home,  he  entirely  misapprehended  the  spirit  and  the  incentives  to  action  of 
the  American  soldiers.  They  were  not  mercenary — not  soldiers  by  profession,  fighting  merely 
for  hire.  The  protection  of  their  homes,  their  wives  and  little  ones,  and  the  defense  of  holv 
principles,  which  their  general  intelligence  understood  and  appreciated,  formed  the  motive 
power  and  the  bond  of  union  of  the  American  army,  and  the  soldier's  money  stipend  was 
the  least  attractive  of  all  the  inducements  which  urged  him  to  take  up  arms.  Yet,  as  it 
was  necessary  to  his  comfort,  and  even  his  existence,  the  want  of  it  afforded  a  just  pretext 
for  the  assumption  of  powers  delegated  to  a  few.  The  mutiny  was  a  democratic  move- 
ment ;  and,  while  the  patriot  felt  justified  in  using  his  weapons  to  redress  grievances,  he  still 
looked  with  horror  upon  the  armed  oppressors  of  his  country,  and  regarded  the  act  and  stain 
of  treason,  under  any  circumstances,  as  worse  than  the  infliction  of  death.  Clinton's  pro- 
posals were,  therefore,  rejected  with  disdain.  *  "  See,  comrades,"  said  one  of  the  leaders, 
"  he  takes  us  for  traitors.  Let  us  show  him  that  the  American  army  can  furnish  but  one 
Arnold,  and  that  America  has  no  truer  friends  than  we."  They  immediately  8.,ized  the  em- 
issaries, who,  being  delivered,  with  Clinton's  papers,  into  the  hands  of  Waynt,/  were  tried 
and  executed  as  spies,  and  the  reward  which  had  been  offered  for  their  apprehension  was 

'  When  they  were  delivered  up,  the  insurgents  stipulated  that  they  should  not  be  exeouled  nntil  their  own 
affairs  were  compromised,  and,  in  case  of  failure,  that  the  prisoners  should  bo  delivered  when  demanded. 


314  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Mutiny  of  the  New  Jersey  Line.    Prompt  Action  of  Washington.    Success  of  Howe.     Illustrations  of  Washington's  Character. 

tendered  to  the  mutineers  who  seized  them.  They  sealed  the  pledge  of  their  patriotism  by 
nobly  refusing  it,  saying,  "  Necessity  wrung  from  us  the  act  of  demanding  justice  from  Con- 
gress, but  we  desire  no  reward  for  doing  our  duty  to  our  bleeding  country  I" 

Congress  appointed  a  commissioner  to  confer  with  the  insurgent  troops  at  Princeton.  The 
result  was,  a  compliance  with  their  just  demands,  and  the  disbanding  of  a  large  part  of  the 
Pennsylvania  line  for  the  winter,  which  was  filled  by  new  recruits  in  the  spring.  Thus 
"  terminated,"  as  Thacher  remarks,  "a  most  unfortunate  transaction,  which  might  have  been 
prevented  had  the  just  complaints  of  the  army  received  proper  attention  in  due  season." 

The  wisdom  of  Washington's  precaution  in  having  a  thousand  men  ready  for  sudden 
marching  orders  was  soon  demonstrated.  About  the  middle  of  January  a  portion  of  the 
New  Jersey  line,  cantoned  at  Pompton,'  followed  the  example  of  the  Pennsylvania  muti- 
neers, and  revolted.  The  chief  resolved  not  to  temporize  with  them,  and  ordered  a  detach- 
ment of  five  hundred  men,  under  Major-general  Robert  Howe,  to  reduce  them  to  subordina- 
tion. Howe  reached  their  encampment,  after  a  fatiguing  march  of  four  days  through 
deep  snow,  on  the  27th  of  January.  His  troops  were  well  armed,  and,  parading  them 
in  line,  he  ordered  the  insurgents  to  appear  in  front  of  their  huts,  unarmed,  within  five  min- 
utes. They  hesitated,  but  a  second  order,  as  promptly  given,  made  them  obedient.  Three 
of  the  ringleaders  were  tried  and  condemned  to  be  executed  on  the  spot.  Two  of  them  were 
shot,  and  their  executioners  were  twelve  of  the  most  prominent  of  their  guilty  associates. 
The  other  one,  less  guilty,  was  pardoned.  Their  punishment  was  quick  and  terrible,  and 
never  were  men  more  humble  and  submissive  than  were  the  remainder  of  the  insurgents. 
General  Howe  then  addressed  them  efiectively,  by  platoons,  and  ordered  their  officers,  whom 
the  mutineers  had  discarded,  to  resume  their  respective  commands.  The  hopes  of  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  had  been  again  excited,  but  the  emissary  whom  he  sent  to  the  revolted  troops,  hear- 
ing of  the  fate  of  the  others,  played  false  to  his  master,  by  going  directly  to  Howe  and  deliv- 
ering the  papers  into  his  hands.  Revolt,  that  followed  so  closely  upon  Arnold's  treason  a 
few  months  before,  was  thus  effectually  nipped  in  the  bud. 

I  have  said  that  I  spent  an  evening  at  Morristown  with  Judge  Ford,  the  proprietor  of 
the  head-quarters  of  Washington.  I  look  back  upon  the  conversation  of  that  evening  with 
much  pleasure,  for  the  venerable  octogenarian  entertained  me  until  a 'late  hour  with  many 
pleasing  anecdotes  illustrative  of  the  social  condition  of  the  army,  and  of  the  private  charac- 
ter of  the  commander-in-chief  As  an  example  of  Washington's  careful  attention  to  small 
matters,  and  his  sense  of  justice,  he  mentioned  the  fact  that,  when  he  took  up  his  residence 
with  his  (Ford's)  mother,  he  made  an  inventory  of  all  articles  which  were  appropriated  to 
his  use  during  the  winter.  When  he  witlidrew  in  the  spring,  he  inquired  of  Mrs.  Ford 
whether  every  thing  had  been  returned  to  her.  "  All  but  one  silver  table-spoon,"  she  an- 
swered. He  took  note  of  it,  and  not  long  afterward  she  received  from  him  a  spoon  bearing 
his  initials,  G.  W.  That  spoon  is  preserved  as  a  precious  relic  in  the  family.  His  tender 
care  for  the  comfort  of  Mrs.  Ford  was  often  evinced.  On  the  occasions  when  the  alarms, 
which  we  have  noticed,  were  given,  he  always  went  to  her  room,  drew  the  curtains  close, 
and  soothed  her  by  assurances  of  safety.  And  when  her  son,  a  lad  of  seventeen,  was  brought 
home  from  the  Springfield  battle,  seriously  wounded,  his  first  care  in  the  morning  was  to  in- 
quire after  the  sufierer.'"      Washington's  moral  and  religious  feelings  were  never  blunted  by 

*  Pompton  is  a  small  town  upon  a  fertile  plain  on  the  Pompton  River,  in  Pequannock  county. 

*  The  wounded  lad  recovered,  and  afterward  became  a  distinguished  lawyer  in  a  southern  pity.  A  re- 
markable instance  of  Washington's  remembrance  of  persons  was  related  to  me,  as  having  occurred  in  con- 
nection with  the  wounded  boy.  Many  years  afterward,  when  success  had  crowned  his  professional  indus- 
try with  wealth,  and  two  daughters  had  nearly  reached  womanhood,  he  was  returning  south  with  them  in 
his  carriage,  after  a  visit  to  his  friends  at  Morristown,  and  stopped  at  Mount  Vernon  to  see  the  retired  chief. 
Reasonably  concluding  that  Washington  had  forgotten  the  boy  of  1780,  he  had  procured  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction. When  he  drove  up  to  Mount  Vernon,  Washington  was  walking  upon  the  piazza.  He  went  to  the 
carriage,  and  as  the  servant  of  Mr.  Ford  threw  open  the  door,  and  he  stepped  out,  the  general  extended  his 
hand,  and  said,  with  all  the  confidence  of  a  recent  acquaintance,  "  How  do  you  do.  Mr.  Ford  ?"  Eighteen 
years  had  elapsed  since  Washington  had  seen  his  face,  and  the  bov  had  erown  to  mature  manhood. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  315 


Prohibition  of  Gambling.    Washington's  religious  Toleration.    Anecdote  of  Colonel  Hamilton.    Room  occupied  by  Washington. 

the  influences  of  the  camp.  While  at  Morristown,  he  observed  that  gambling  was  frequent 
among  the  officers  and  soldiers.  This  growing  vice  he  arrested  by  prohibition  and  threats 
of  punishment,  put  forth  in  general  orders.  It  is  related  that  he  called  upon  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Jones,  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Morristown,  on  learning  that  the  commun- 
ion service  was  to  be  observed  in  his  church  on  the  following  Sabbath,  and  inquired  whether 
communicants  of  another  denomination  were  permitted  to  join  with  them.  The  doctor  re- 
plied, "  Most  certainly  ;  ours  is  not  the  Presbyterian's  table,  general,  but  the  Lord's ;  and 
hence  we  give  the  Lord's  invitation  to  all  his  followers,  of  whatever  name."  "I  am  glad 
of  it,"  said  the  general ;  "  that  is  as  it  ought  to  be  ;  but,  as  I  was  not  quite  sure  of  the  fact, 
I  thought  I  would  ascertain  it  from  yourself,  as  I  propose  to  join  with  you  on  that  occasion 
Though  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  I  have  no  exclusive  partialities."  Washing 
ton  was  at  the  communion  table  on  the  following  Sabbath. 

General  Schuyler  was  with  Washington  during  the  winter  of  1780.      His  head-quarters 

were  at  a  house  (still  standing)  a  few  rods  eastward  of 

-i^^^g.^  the  rail-way  station.      A  portion  of  his  family  was  with 

~^^s^~     —  him,  among  whom  was  his  daughter  Elizabeth,  a  charm- 

--s^  ^^  -  ing  girl,  about  twenty-two  years  of  age.      Colonel  Alexan- 

i  ^^^^^p^^K  der  Hamilton,  who  was  Washington's  aid  and  military 

^^^^H^^^^^^^^^  secretary,  was  smitten  with  her  charms  and  accomplish- 

^f^^HH^^^  ~^k^"         ments,  and  his  evenings  were  usually  spent  with  her  at 

■■«>.— .-^-^M^-—^^ ^  -Z^ft        ^^^^  father's  quarters.      Mr.  Ford,  then  a  lad,  was  a  fa- 

'^tej^^^MH^E        vorite  with  Hamilton,  and,  by  permission  of  the  chief,  the 

%v^:  '-'ff '^  -    ^^mH^^P^^y       colonel  would  give  him  the  countersign,  so  as  to  allow  him 

^^y^^l^B^H^^^P^^  to  play  at  the  village  after  the  sentinels  M^ere  posted  for 

"^^^^^^^^^^^^^^"^^  the  night.      On  one  occasion  he  was  returning  home,  about 

,  ,,  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  had  passed  the  sentinel, 

fcCHUYLERS  HeaD-^UAKTEKS.  ■  t       t  •  r- 

when  he  recognized  the  voice  of  Hamilton  in  a  reply  to 
the  soldier's  demand  of  "  Who  comes  there  ?"  He  stepped  aside,  and  waited  for  the  colonel 
to  accompany  him  to  the  house.  Hamilton  came  up  to  the  point  of  the  presented  bayonet 
of  the  sentinel  to  give  the  countersign,  but  he  had  quite  forgotten  it.  "  He  had  spent  the 
evening,"  said  Judge  Ford,  who  related  the  anecdote  to  me,  "with  Miss  Schuyler,  and  thoughts 
of  her  undoubtedly  expelled  the  countersign  from  his  head."  The  soldier  lover  was  embar- 
rassed, and  the  sentinel,  who  knew  him  well,  was  stern  in  the  performance  of  his  duty.  Ham- 
ilton pressed  his  hand  upon  his  forehead,  and  tried  hard  to  summon  the  cabalistic  words  from 
their  hiding-place,  but,  like  the  faithful  sentinel,  they  were  immovable.  Just  then  he  rec- 
ognized young  Ford  in  the  gloom.  "  Ay,  Master  Ford,  is  that  you  ?"  he  said,  in  an  under- 
tone ;  and,  stepping  aside,  he  called  the  lad  to  him,  drew  his  ear  to  his  mouth,  and  whisper- 
ed, "  Give  me  the  countersign."  He  did  so,  and  Hamilton,  stepping  in  front  of  the  soldier, 
delivered  it.  The  sentinel,  seeing  the  movement,  and  believing  that  his  superior  was  test- 
mg  his  fidelity,  kept  his  bayonet  unmoved.  "  I  have  given  you  the  countersign  ;  why  do 
you  not  shoulder  your  musket  ?"  asked  Hamilton.  "  Will  that  do,  colonel  ?"  asked  the 
soldier,  in  reply.  "  It  will  for  this  time,"  said  Hamilton  ;  "  let  me  pass."  The  soldier  re- 
luctantly obeyed  the  illegal  command,  and  Hamilton  and  his  young  companion  reached  head- 
quarters without  further  difficulty.  Colonel  Hamilton  afterward  married  Miss  Schuyler. 
She  still  survives  him  (1849),  and  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years  is  the  attractive  center  of 
a  circle  of  devoted  friends  at  Washington  city,  her  present  place  of  residence. 

I  passed  the  night  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  Judge  Ford,  and  in  the  room  which  Wash- 
ington and  his  lady  had  occupied.  The  carpet  upon  the  floor,  dark  and  of  a  rich  pattern, 
is  the  same  that  was  pressed  by  the  feet  of  the  venerated  chief  nearly  seventy  years  ago  ; 
and  in  an  apartment  below  were  a  looking-glass,  secretary,  and  book-case  that  formed  a  por- 
tion of  the  furniture  of  the  house  at  that  time.'      The  room  fronts  south,  and,  the  sky  being 

'  Since  my  interesting  visit,  Judge  Ford  has  been  taken  from  among  the  living,  and  these  relics  will 


316  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

View  of  an  Eclipse  of  the  Moon.       Reflections.       Finances  of  the  Revolutionary  Government.        Emission  of  Bills  of  Credit 

September  12,     perfectly  clear,  I  had  a  fine  view,  from  the  window,  of  an  almost  total  eclipse 
1848.  of  the  moon,  which  occurred  at  about  midnight.      As  from  that  interesting  ob- 

servatory I  watched  the  progress  of  the  obscuration,  and  then  the  gradual  enlightenment 
of  the  satellite,  it  appeared  to  me  a  most  significant  emblem  of  the  political  condition  of 
America,  and  the  cause  of  the  patriots,  at  the  time  when,  from  the  same  window,  Washing- 
ton, with  anxious  eye,  had  doubtless  gazed  upon  the  same  moon  in  its  silent  path-way  among 
the  stars.  It  was  the  gloomiest  period  of  the  war.  For  many  months  the  bright  prospects 
of  the  patriots  were  passing  deeper  and  deeper  within  the  penumbra  of  British  power  and  op- 
pression, and,  at  the  beginning  of  1780,  only  a  faint  curve  of  light  was  seen  upon  the  disk 
of  hope  ;  the  eclipse  was  almost  total.  Financial  embarrassment  was  the  chief  bane  of  the 
patriots,  and  the  expected  antidote  of  rebellion  for  the  Loyalists  and  the  king.  Let  us  here 
take  a  brief  view  of  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Revolutionary  government. 

When  the  Continental  army  was  organized,  in  June,  1775,  and  other  methods  of  defense 
were  adopted  by  the  General  Congress,  the  necessity  for  providing  pecuniary  means  for  de- 
fraying the  expenses,  demanded  and  received  the  most  serious  attention  of  the  delegates.  The 
colonies,  deprived,  in  a  great  measure,  of  all  commercial  intercourse  with  other  parts  of  the 
world,  by  the  unwise  and  oppressive  policy  of  the  mother  country,  a  paper  medium  seemed 
to  be  their  only  resource.  It  was  a  blessing  at  the  beginning,  but  proved  a  curse  in  the  end. 
To  place  it  upon  a  footing  that  should  command  the  public  confidence,  and  to  secure  it  from 
depreciation,  was  important  and  difficult.  The  New  York  Convention,  foreseeing  the  neces- 
sity of  such  a  measure,  had  already  considered  the  subject,  and  a  committee  of  that  body  had 
reported  suggestions  a  few  weeks  previously.  They  proposed  three  distinct  modes  of  issuing 
paper  money.  First,  that  each  colony  should  issue,  for  itself,  the  sum  which  might  be  ap- 
propriated to  it  by  Congress.  Second,  that  the  united  colonies  should  issue  the  whole  sum 
necessary,  and  each  colony  become  bound  to  sink  its  proportionable  part ;  and,  third,  that 
Congress  should  issue  the  whole  sum,  every  colony  be  bound  to  discharge  its  proportion,  and 
the  united  colonies  be  obliged  to  pay  that  part  which  any  colony  should  fail  to  discharge. 
The  convention  preferred  the  last  mode,  as  affording  higher  security  to  those  who  should  re- 
ceive the  paper,  and,  of  consequence,  as  likely  to  obtain  more  ready,  general,  and  confidential 
circulation.  It  was  also  believed  that  it  would  be  an  additional  bond  of  union  to  the  asso- 
ciated colonies.' 

The  Continental  Congress  adopted,  substantially,  the  last  proposition,  and,  in  the  course 
of  the  session  of  1775,  three  millions  of  dollars  were  issued  in  bills  of  credit,  and  the  faith 
of  the  confederated  colonies  was  pledged  for  their  redemption."     This  sum  was  appropriated 

doubtless  lose  their  value,  by  being  separated  and  distributed  among  the  family.  I  have  preserved  draw- 
ings of  the  articles  here  named.  Judge  Ford  expressed  his  surprise  that  the  mirror  was  not  demolished,  for 
the  room  in  which  it  hung  was  occupied,  at  one  time,  by  some  of  the  subalterns  of  the  Pennsylvania  line, 
who  were  sons  of  some  of  the  leading  men  of  that  state — gentlemen  by  birth,  hut  rowdies  in  practice. 
They  injured  the  room  very  much  by  their  nightly  carousals,  but  the  mirror  escaped  their  rough  treat- 
ment. 

'  Pitkin,  i.,  347.     Records  of  the  New  York  Convention. 

*  The  resolution  providing  for  the  first  emission  of  bills  was  adopted  on  the  22d  of  June,  1775,  and  wa* 
as  follows  :  "  Resolved,  That  a  sum  not  exceeding  two  millions  of  Spanish  milled  dollars  be  emitted  by  the 
Congress  in  bills  of  credit,  for  the  defense  of  America."  On  the  next  day  the  committee  appointed  for  the 
occasion  reported  and  offered  resolutions  (which  were  adopted)  as  follows  :  "  Resolved,  That  the  number  and 
denomination  of  the  bills  to  be  emitted  be  as  follows : 

49,000  bills  of  8  dollars  each,  $392,000 

49,000  "  7  "  343,000 

49,000  "  6  "  294,000 

49,000  "  5  "  245,000 

49,000  "  4  "  196,000 

49,000  "  3  "  147,000 

49,000  "  2  "  98,000 

49,000  "  1  "  49,000 

11,800  "  20  "  236,000 

Total,    403,800  $2,000,000 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


317 


Conticcntal  Paper  Money.  Form  of  the  Bills.  Derices  and  Mottoes.  Paul  Revere  and  cotemporary  Engravers, 

among  the  colonies  according  to  the  supposed  number  of  the  inhabitants,  including  negroes 
and  mulattoes,  and  each  colony  was  to  pay  its  proportion,  in  four  equal  annual  payments,  the 


S2.,.j;-r^^',>.,>.. 


Six  a)Ot£ATl§ 

_!-  BsarcT  *•)  TfCt'ivf 
■  sy^^'J^..  M7^  SPAMSB  MILLED 
''§gr\  o\    1^0  LLAKS  .  or  A.  h- 

*^^>\  \  V*!"^  ih're„f  In  Gold 

.<-=  ^.,..n<r  i-\  V  or^SILVERttCrorrliT.i'tt' 
^;>iji?; ' 'U- lU  1  aR^sctution  or  COjV 
-  ■i^'^-^'    -  ■'   I  GRESS  naiVi^llH  Fh  - 


StX  r>OT.LARS 


!•' AC-SIMILE   OF  THE   CONTINENTAL  BiLLS. 


first  by  the  last  of  November,  1779,  and  the  fourth  by  the  last  of  November,  1782.  The 
several  Colonial  Conventions  were  to  provide,  by  taxes,  for  sinking  their  proportion  of  the 
bills,  and  the  bills  themselves  were  to  be  received  in  payment  for  such  taxes.  Two  general 
treasurers  were  appointed,  and  it  was  recommended  to  each  colony  to  appoint  a  treasurer. 
The  amount  of  the  first  emission  was  two  millions  of  dollars. 


Resolved,  That  the  form  of  the  bills  be  as  follows  : 

CONTINENTAL    CURRENCY. 


No. 


Dollars. 


This  bill  entitles  the  bearer  to  receive 


Spanish  milled  dollars,  or  the  value  thereof  in  pold 

and  silver,  according  to  the  resolutions  of  the  Congress,  held  at  Philadelphia  on  the  tenth  day  of  May, 
A.D.  1775. 

"  Resolved,  That  Mr.  J.  Adams,  Mr.  J.  Rutledge,  Mr.  Duanc,  Dr.  Franklin,  and  Mr.  Wilson  be  a  com- 
nnittee  to  get  proper  plates  engraved,  to  provide  paper,  and  to  agree  with  printers  to  print  the  above  bills."* 

'  The  paper  on  which  these  bills  were  printed  was  quite  thick,  and  the  enemy  called  it  "  the  pasteboard 
money  of  the  rebels."  The  vignettes  were  generally,  both  in  device  and  motto,  significant.  The  one  most 
prominent  in  the  engraving  represents  a  beaver  in  the  slow  but  sure  process  of  cutting  do\%-n  a  tree  with  its 
teeth.  The  motto,  "  Perseverando — by  Perseverance,"  said  to  the  colonists,  "  Persist,  and  you  will  be  suc- 
cessful." I  will  notice  a  few  other  devices  and  mottoes  of  bills  which  I  have  .seen.  A  globe,  with  the  motto, 
in  Latin,  "The  Lord  reigns;  let  the  earth  rejoice."  A  candlestick  with  thirteen  branches  and 
burners,  denoting  the  number  of  states;  motto,  "  O.ne  fire,  and  to  the  same  purpose."  A  thorn-bush 
with  a  hand  grasping  it ;  motto,  "  Sustain  or  abstain."  A  circular  chain  bearing  on  each  link  the  name 
of  a  state,  an  emblem  of  union  ;  motto,  "  We  are  one."  I  have  in  my  possession  a  coin,  made  of  some 
composition  resembling  German  silver  of  the  present  day  (of  which  the  foUowincr  is  a  fac-simile  the  proper 

*  The  plates  were  engraved  on  copper  by  Paul  Revere,  of  Boston.  Himself,  Nathaniel  Ilurd,  of  the  same  city,  Amos  Doolittle, 
of  New  Haven,  and  an  Englishman  named  Smithers,  in  Philadelphia,  were  the  only  engravers  in  America  at  that  time.  Ilurd 
engraved  as  early  as  1760.  Revere  began  a  little  later.  In  1766  he  engrnved  a  picture  emblematic  of  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp 
Act.  This,  and  a  caricature  called  The  Seventeen  Rescinders,  were  very  popular,  and  had  an  extensive  sale.  He  engraved  and 
published  a  print  in  1770,  representing  the  "  Boston  Massacre."  and  in  1774  he  engraved  another  of  a  similar  size,  representing 
the  landing  of  the  British  troops  in  Boston.  In  1775  he  engraved  the  plates,  made  the  press,  and  printed  the  bills  of  the  paper 
money  ordered  by  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts.  Doolittle  was  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  and  made  drawings  and 
engravings  of  the  skirmishes  at  those  places.  The  sketches  were  made  on  the  morning  after  the  engagements,  and  were  en- 
graved during  the  summer  of  1775.  Mr.  Doolittle  assisted  in  re-engraving  the  battle  of  Lexington  on  a  smaller  scale,  in  1832 
forty-three  years  afterward,  for  Barber's  "History  and  Antiquities  of  New  Haven."  A  copy  of  it,  by  permission,  is  inserted  in 
this  work. 


31  8 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


New  Emissions  of  Continental  Bills.         Plans  for  Redemption.         Counterfeits  issued  by  the  Tories.         First  coined  Money 

On  the  25th  of  July  the  Continental  Cono^ress  ordered  the  issuing  of  one  million 

1775  .  .  ■     ■  ■ 

of  dollars  more,'  and  from  time  to  time  new  emissions  were  authorized,  to  meet  tht 
Jemands  upon  the  treasury,  until,  at  the  beginning  of  1780,  the  enormous  sum  of  two  hund- 
red millions  of  dollars  had  been  issued,  no  part  of  which  had  been  redeemed.  While  the 
amount  of  the  issues  was  small,  the  credit  of  the  bills  was  good ;  but  when  new  emissions 
took  place,  and  no  adequate  measures  for  redemption  were  exhibited,  the  people  became  sus- 
picious of  those  frail  representatives  of  money,  and  their  value  began  to  depreciate.  This 
effect  did  not  occur  until  eighteen  months  from  the  time  of  the  first  emission  had  elapsed. 
Twenty  millions  of  the  Continental  bills  were  then  in  circulation,  besides  a  large  amount 
of  local  issues  by  the  several  states.  It  was  now  perceived  that  depreciation  was  inevita- 
ble, and  Congress  proposed,  as  a  substitute  for  further  issues,  a  loan  of  five  millions,  at  an 
interest  of  four  per  cent.  A  lottery  was  also  authorized,  designed  to  raise  a  like  sum  on 
loan,  the  prizes  being  payable  in  loan  office  certificates.  These  offices  were  opened  in  all 
the  states ;  the  rate  of  interest  was  raised  from  four  to  six  per  cent.,  but  the  loans  came  in 
very  slowly.  The  treasury  ran  low,  the  loan  offices  were  overdrawn  by  the  commissaries' 
drafts,  the  issue  of  bills  was  reluctantly  recommenced,  and  ten  additional  millions  were  speed- 
ily authorized.  During  the  year  1778  sixty  millions  and  a  half  were  added  to  the  issues 
already  made.  The  commissioners  in  France  (see  page  86)  had  been  instructed  to  borrow 
money  there,  but  as  yet  they  had  been  unsuccessful. 

Various  plans  were  proposed  at  different  times  to  sink  those  issues  of  bills  of  credit,  but 
none  could  be  put  into  efficient  practical  operation.  The  several  states  issued  paper  money 
independently  of  the  Continental  Congress  ;  and  the  Loyalists,  aided  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
in  the  autumn  of  1778  sent  out  large  quantities  of  counterfeits  of  the  Continental  emissions 
of  May  20th,  1777,  and  April  11th,  1778,  and  scattered  them  as  widely  among  the  people 
as  their  means  would  allow.^  Under  these  circumstances,  Congress  felt  the  necessity  of 
making  an  extraordinary  effort  to  sustain  the  declining  credit  of  the  bills,  by  making  some 
provision  for  their  actual  redemption.  On  the  2d  of  January,  1779,  it  was  ''Resolved, 
That  the  United  States  be  called  on  to  pay  in  their  respective  quotas  of  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars  for  the  year  1779,  and  of  six  millions  of  dollars  annually  for  eighteen  years  from  and 
after  the  year  1779,  as  a  fund  for  sinking  the  emissions  and  loans  of  the  United  States  to 
the  31st  of  December,  1778,  inclusive."  It  was  provided  that  any  bills  emitted  by  order 
of  Congress  prior  to  1780,  and  no  others,  should  be  received  in  payment  of  those  quotas.  A 
period  of  five  months  was  given  for  taking  out  of  circulation  the  emissions  which  had  been 
counterfeited,  during  which  time  they  were  to  be  received  into  the  public  treasury  in  pay- 


On  a  three  dollar  note  is  a  davice  representing  a  stork  strug- 


size),  bearing  the  same  device  on  one  side 
gling  with  an  eagle — the  feeble  col- 
onies warring  with  strong  Great 
Britain  ;  motto,  "  The  result  is 
UNCERTAIN."  This  bill  is  dated 
eighteen  days  after  the  adoption  of 
tlie  Declaration  of  Independence. 
A   majestic    oak-tree ;   motto,   "  I 

SHALL     FLOURISH     THROUGH     AGES 

OF  AGES."  A  hand  planting  a 
young  tree  ;  motto,  "  For  poster- 
ity." A  boar  encoimtering  a 
spear ;  motto,  "  Death,  or  life 
WITH  decency."  a  harp,  de- 
noting harmony  ;  motto,  "  Large 

THINGS      ARE       CONSONANT       WITH 

SMALL  ONES."  A  figure  of  Jus- 
tice ;  motto,  "The  will  of  Justice." 

'  As  the  signing  of  so  many  bills  would  require  more  time  than  the  members  could  spare  from  public 
duties,  Congress  appointed  twenty-eight  gentlemen  to  perform  the  duty,  allowing  each  one  dollar  and  thirty- 
three  cents  for  every  thousand  bills  signed  and  numbered  by  him.  It  was  necessary  for  each  bill  tc  have 
the  signature  of  two  of  them.      ^  See  page  662,  Vol.  II. 


Facsimile  of  the  first  Money  coined  by  the  United  States. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  319 


Depreciation  of  the  Paper  Money.  ContuBion  in  Trndo.  Foreign  and  Domestic  Debt  Specie  Value  of  tlie  Bills. 

merit  of  debts  and  taxes,  and  also  into  the  Continental  loan  offices,  either  on  loan  or  to  be 
exchanged  for  other  bills  of  a  new  tenor,  bearing  interest  at  five  jjor  cent.,  and  redeemable 
in  specie  within  six  years.      The  old  bills  thus  called  in  were  to  be  destroyed.' 

This  effort,  like  its  predecessors,  was  unsuccessful.  Prices  rose  as  the  money  sank  in 
value,  and  every  branch  of  trade  was  deranged.  In  several  states  laws  limiting  prices  were 
still  in  force,  and  the  rapid  depreciation  of  the  bills  threw  all  contracts  into  confusion.  The 
amount  in  circulation  on  the  1st  of  September,  1779,  was  a  hundred  and  sixty  millions. 
Congress  resolved  that  the  issues  should  not  exceed  two  hundred  millions  in  the  whole. 
The  loans  prior  tp  the  1st  of  August,  1778,  the  interest  of  which  was  payable  in  bills  on 
France,  were  seven  millions  and  a  half  The  loans  contracted  since  were  more  than  twenty- 
six  millions.  The  debt  abroad  was  estimated  at  four  millions.  Only  three  millions  out  of 
the  sixty  millions  of  paper  dollars  already  called  for  from  the  states  had  been  paid  into  the 
public  treasury. 

Congress  was  powerless  to  stay  the  downward  tendency  of  the  paper  currency.  It  con- 
tinued to  depreciate  and  prices  to  rise.  Early  in  1780,  forty  paper  dollars  were  worth  only 
one  in  specie."  The  commissaries  found  it  extremely  difficult  to  purchase  supplies  for  the 
army,  for  the  people  refused  to  exchange  their  articles  for  the  almost  worthless  paper. 
Direct  taxes  had  been  unsuccessfully  tried  to  replenish  the  treasury,  and,  as  supplies  could 
not  be  obtained,  a  speedy  dissolution  of  the  army  and  abandonment  of  the  rebellion  seemed 
inevitable. 

Congress  was  obliged  to  open  new  resources  for  the  supply  of  the  army,  and  required  each 
state  to  furnish  a  certain  quantity  of  beef,  pork,  flour,  corn,  forage,  and  other  articles,  which 
were  to  be  deposited  in  such  places  as  the  commander-in-chief  should  determine.  The  states 
were  to  be  credited  for  the  amount  at  a  fixed  valuation  in  specie.      This  scheme  was  utterly 

'  Journals  of  Congress,  vol.  i.,  p.  5. 

*  The  following  bill  of  items  is  preserved,  and  illustrates  the  value  of  the  Continental  bills  in  1781  : 

Captain  A.  M'Lane,^ 

BoH  of  W.  NiCHOLLS, 
January  5th,  1781. 

1  pair  boots S600 

6f  yds.  calico,  at  85  ds 752 

6  yds.  chintz,  at  150  ds 900 

4t  yds.  moreen,  at  100  ds 450 

4'hdkfs.,  at  100  ds 400 

8  yds.  quaUty  binding,  4  ds 32 

1  skein  of  silk • 10 

$3,144 

K  paid  m  specie £18  10s. 

Received  payment  in  full, 

For  Wm.  Niciiolls. 

JoNA.  Jones. 

The  following  scale  of  depreciation  is  also  preserved : 

Value  o/SlOQ  m  Specie  in  Continental  Money. 

1777.                 1778.  1779.  1780.  1781. 

January S105  §325  $742  S2934  87400 

February 107  350  868  3322  7500 

March 109  370  1000  3736  OOUO 

April 112  400  1104  4000  

May 115  400  1215  4600  

June 120  400  1342  6400  

July 125  425  1477  8900  

August 150  450  1630  7000  

September....  175  475  1800  7100  

October 275  500  2030  7200  

November  ....  300  545  2308  7300  

December 310  634  2593  7400  Nothing. 


Captain  M'Lane  was  the  father  of  the  late  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


320  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Unjust  Financial  Law.  Washington's  Deprecation  of  it.  Hopes  of  the  Tories.  Cipher  Writing  of  the  Loyalists. 

impracticable,  from  the  want  of  authority  to  enforce  the  demands,  and  the  distance  of  several 
states  from  the  army,  and  Congress  speedily  abandoned  it.  The  several  states  were  then 
recommended  by  Congress  to  pass  laws  making  paper  money  a  legal  tender,  at  its  nominal 
value,  for  the  discharge  of  debts  which  had  been  contracted  to  be  paid  in  hard  cash.  Such 
laws  were  enacted,  and  many  dishonest  debtors  took  advantage  of  them.  Although  the  bills 
were  passing  at  the  rate  of  twenty  for  one,  they  were  made  a  lawful  tender,  and  debts  were 
discharged  at  a  cheap  rate.  It  was  one  of  the  most  unwise  and  unjust  acts  committed  by 
Congress  during  the  war.  The  honest  and  simple  were  defrauded,  and  the  rogues  were  im- 
mense gainers.'  The  people  justly  raised  a  great  clamor,  while  the  friends  of  the  king  greatly 
rejoiced  in  seeing  the  growth  of  what  they  deemed  the  canker-worm  in  the  seed  of  rebellion.* 
Among  the  most  prominent  evils  arising  from  the  rapid  depreciation  of  the  paper  was  a 
spirit  of  speculation  and  fraud,  which  excited  unfounded  jealousies  and  suspicions.      The 

'  Washington  opposed  the  measure  from  the  beginning  as  iniquitous,  unjust,  and  fraught  with  the  direst 
evils.  He  was  a  considerable  loser  by  it.  While  at  Morristown,  a  respectable  man  in  the  neighborhood 
was  very  assiduous  in  his  attentions  to  the  chief,  and  they  were  generally  reciprocated.  This  man  paid  his 
debts  in  the  depreciated  currency,  under  the  law,  and  the  fact  became  known  to  Washington.  Some  time 
afterward  the  man  called  at  head-quarters,  but  the  general  hardly  noticed  him.  This  coldness  was  observed 
by  the  officers,  and  La  Fayette  remarked,  "  General,  this  man  seems  much  devoted  to  you,  and  yet  you  have 
scarcely  noticed  him."  Washington  replied,  smiling,  "  I  know  I  have  not  been  cordial ;  I  tried  hard  to  be 
civil,  and  attempted  to  speak  to  him  two  or  three  times,  but  that  Continental  money  stopped  my  mouth." 

'''  Rev.  Charles  Inglis,  who  was  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  in  New  York,  from  1777  until  1782,  and,  after 
the  peace,  was  made  Lord  Bishop  of  Nova  Scotia,  in  a  letter  to  Joseph  Galloway,  the  great  Pennsylvania 
Loyalist,  then  in  London,  thus  writes,  under  date  of  December  12th,  1778,  in  reference  to  the  immense  is- 
sues and  the  depreciation  of  the  bills  of  credit :   "  The  fee  simple  of  the  thirteen  United 
States  is  not  equal  to  this  sum,  which  is  still  increasing.     I  therefore  think  it  iitterly     ^^^  «^^   »A 
impossible  to  support  the  credit  of  this  money;  and  were  there  nothing  else,  this  u-oidd       T4"  ^^  C9^ 
be  sufficient  to  destroy  the  rebellion,  if  Britain  would  hold  the  places  she  now  possesses,      .i^Mt-  r,«  *  Z|— 
and  keep  a  moderate  number  of  cruisers  on  the  coast.     The  mode  of  securing  French     "  ff     ^  y'    V* 
debts,  by  which  the  colonies  became  mortgaged  for  the  fripperies  of  every  French  ped- 
dler,  is  another  embarrassing  article  on  this  head,  which  must  prove  ruinous  to  America.' '     ^1  ,_  -U^*  "^C 
Daniel  Coxe,  a  member  of  the  king's  council  of  New  Jersey,  and  a  refugee  in  New  York,    '    '    '  '  ff   '  fc«» 
writing  to  Galloway,  under  date  of  February  14th,  1779,  says,  "  The  current  deprecia-     ^|      ^/x  pQ 
tion  of  their  money  now  at  Philadelphia  is  fifteen  for  one  ;  and  tho'  there  are  clubs  and         '    i   ^^    ^^ 
■private  associations  endeavoring  to  support  its  credit,  nothing  will  do,  nor  can  any       •y    ^t_    ^^ 
tiling,  in  my  opinion,  now  save  'em  on  this  point  but  a  foreign  loan,  and  which,  though       /       ^  f^^. 
they  affect  otherwise,  I  think  they  can  not  negotiate  any  where  in  Europe,  unless  all  the      rm     or^     f^ 
moneyed  nations  are  turned  fools ;  and  if  they  can  not  command  a  loan,  and  are  pre-      «CJ^  .^■—    C^ 
vented  from  all  remittances  and  trade  southward,  they  must  sink,  never  again,  I  hope,     ^^ ^  j, 

to  rise In  short,  they  never  were  so  wretched  and  near  destruction  as  at  this     •jr  ^^^  ^4) 

moment,  and,  unless  some  unforeseen  event  takes  place  in  their  favor  soon,  1  firmly       -, 

expect  the  next  summer  must  end  their  independence  and  greatness For  God's      Tf^  ^^2*  ^LJ 

sake,  then,  encourage  every  degree  of  spirit  and  exertion  all  you  can,  and  quickly ;  a       '_  ^^ 

good  push,  and  they  go  to  the  wall  infallibly."  Such  was  the  tenor  of  the  letters  sent  "^^  ^f/  -^Lmm 
to  England  by  the  Loyalists  from  1778  until  1781.     The  financial  embarrassments  of       '  *■""** 

Congress  gave  Loyalists  and  friends  of  government  strong  hopes  that  it  would  accom-      Ciphze  Alphabet. 
plish  what  British  arms  had  failed  to  do.     It  may  be  here  remarked  that  many  of  the 
letters  which  ])assed  between  the  Loyalists  here  and  their  friends  abroad  were  wTitten  in  cipher,  so  that, 
should  they  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  patriots,  they  might  not  be  read,  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  writers  and 

Clinton  has  sent         a  secret  expedition  up 

THE  Hudson  to  intercept  Washington. 

Fac-simile  or  Cipher  Weiting. 

their  cause.  I  here  give,  for  the  gratification  of  the  curious,  an  alphabetical  key,  and  a  fac-simile  or  two 
lines  of  the  cipher  -WTiting,  copied  from  one  of  the  letters  of  a  distinguished  Tor}',  together  with  the  inter- 
pretation. 


OF  THE   REVOLliTlON  32  1 


CbaJ^o  against  General  Greene.         Kxcitement  throughout  the  Country.         Riot  iu  PhiludelpLla.        Convention  at  Hartford 

rapid  rise  in  prices  \vas  unjustly  attributed  to  extortion  on  tlie  part  of  public  officers,  and 
even  General  Greene,  who  acted  as  quarter-master  general,  was  accused  of  enrichinij  him- 
self at  the  public  expense,  because  he  received  for  his  salary  a  per  centage  on  all  moneys  dis- 
bursed, and  the  depreciation  made  the  nominal  amount  vast.  Individual  speculators  and 
monopolizers  were  the  extortioners  and  the  oppressors  of  the  people,  and  of  them  Washing- 
ton said,  in  a  letter  to  President  Reed,  "  I  would  to  God  that  some  of  the  more  atrocious  in 
each  state  were  hung  in  gibbets  upon  a  gallows  four  times  as  high  as  the  one  prepared  for 
Plaman."  It  was  remarked,  "  that  while  the  honest  and  patriotic  were  impoverished,  rogues 
and  Tories  were  fast  growing  rich." 

Toward  the  close  of  the  summer  of  1779,  the  country  was  greatly  agitated  by  the  exist- 
ing financial  embarrassments.  Meetings  were  held  in  the  chief  cities  on  the  subject.  In 
Philadelphia,  party  feelings,  growing  out  of  the  currency  question,  became  so  strong  and  de- 
cided that  a  riot  took  place  under  the  very  eyes  of  Congress.  A  committee  had  undertaken 
to  regulate  the  prices  of  flour,  rum,  sugar,  molasses,  coflee,  salt,  and  other  articles  of  general 
use.  Robert  Morris  and  other  leading  merchants  refused  to  conform  to  the  regulation.  Wil- 
son, Clymer,  and  Miiflin,  with  their  friends,  were  threatened  with  banishment  to  New  York, 
as  abettors  and  defenders  of  the  Tories.  They  armed  themselves,  and  repaired  to  October  i. 
Wilson's  house.  A  mob,  with  fire-arms  and  two  cannons,  approached.  Some  ^'"3- 
shots  were  fired,  and  one  of  the  defenders  of  the  house  was  killed.  A  man  and  a  boy  of  the 
mob  were  also  killed.  The  mob  were  about  to  force  the  door,  when  Reed,  the  president  of 
Congress,  appeared  with  some  cavalry,  and  partially  restored  order,  but  it  was  necessary  for 
the  citizens  to  turn  out  and  patrol  the  streets.  It  was  several  days  before  quiet  was  restored. 
In  the  midst  of  this  general  excitement  a  convention  of  the  five  Eastern  States  octobor  20. 
was  held  at  Hartford,  and  Congress,  unable  longer  to  disguise  the  fact  that  its  ^"y- 
bills  of  credit  were  permanently  depreciating,  approved  of,  and  recommended,  a  plan  elab- 
orated by  that  convention,  to  regulate  prices  on  the  basis  of  twenty  paper  dollars  for  one  of 
specie.  This  measure  partially  quieted  the  public  mind.  Before  the  end  of  the  year  the 
two  hundred  millions  were  emitted,  and  the  press  was  stopped.'  At  that  time  the  depre- 
ciation stood  thirty  for  one,  and  was  constantly  increasing.  The  diversion  of  labor  from  agri- 
cultural and  other  industrial  pursuits,  the  destruction  of  grain  by  the  belligerent  forces  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  combined  with  the  embarrassed  state  of  the  finances  of  govern- 
ment, which  we  have  briefly  considered,  threatened  famine  and  general  bankruptcy  ;  and 
during  the  winter  and  spring  of  1780,  when  Washington  had  his  quarters  at  Morristown, 
the  hope  of  the  patriot  was  suffering  an  almost  total  eclipse  ;  it  was  the  gloomiest  period  of 
the  Revolution.  The  financial  operations  which  subsequently  occurred  will  be  noticed  here- 
after, such  as  long  drafts  on  the  United  States  commissioners  abroad,  and  foreign  loans. 

We  have  made  a  wide  but  necessary  digression  in  turning  aside  to  view  the  financial  af 
fairs  of  the  patriots  at  the  period  under  consideration.  Let  us  resume  our  journey  and  his- 
toric annotations. 

I  left  Morristown  for  Springfield  in  the  early  morning  train.  The  air  was  September  13. 
cool  and  bracing,  and  I  had  a  pleasant  walk  of  about  a  mile  from  the  station,  ^^^8. 

at  the  foot  of  the  Short  Hills,  to  the  pretty  village  lying  in  the  bosom  of  a  fertile  plain  near 
the  banks  of  the  Fvahway  Pwiver.  The  trees  upon  the  surrounding  hills  were  beginning  to 
assume  the  variegated  livery  of  autumn,  not  from  the  effects  of  frosts,  but  of  a  long  drought  , 
yet  on  the  plain  every  thing  was  as  green  as  in  June,  except  the  ripening  maize.  I  sought 
for  the  "  oldest  inhabitant,"  and  found  him  in  the  person  of  the  venerable  Gilbert  Edwards, 
who  was  a  half-grown  boy  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Springfield,  and  sold  apples  to  the 
American  soldiers  when  they  came  down  from  the  Short  Hills  to  oppose  the  invasion  of  the 
enemy  under  Knyphausen,  the  German  general.'      He  kindly  accompanied  me  to  the  place 

'  Pitkin,  Marshall,  Ramsay,  Gordon,  Sparks,  Hildreth. 

*  General,  the  Baron  Knyphausen,  was  a  native  of  Alsace,  then  one  of  the  Rhenish  provinces.  His  father 
was  a  colonel  in  the  German  refriment  of  Dittforth,  in  the  service  of  John,  Duke  of  Marlborough.  The  gen- 
eral was  bred  a  soldier,  and  served  under  Frederic  the  First,  father  of  Frederic  the  Great  of  Prussia.     The 

X 


3  22 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Battleground  at  Springfield.  Invasion  by  General  Knyphaueen. 


Clinton's  Designs. 


Plan  of  the  Springfield  BatUe. 


where  the  principal  engagement  occurred,  which  is  on  the  right  of  the  present  turnpike  lead- 
ing from  Springfield  to  Elizabethtown,  and  a  few  rods  westward  of  the  Rahway.  Nothing 
now  remains  upon  the  spot  to  indicate  military  operations,  for  no  works  were  thrown  up  on 
the  occasion.      The  battle  was  the  result  of  an  unexpected  invasion.      The  knoll  on  which 

the  Americans  were  posted,  then  covered  with  apple-trees,  is 
now  bare,  only  a  few  stumps  remaining ;  but  on  the  eastern 
slope  a  fcM'  of  the  trees  are  left,  venerable  in  form  and  feature, 
and  venerated  for  their  associations.  One  of  them  is  pictured 
in  the  engraving.  It  bears  several  scars  of  wounds  inflicted 
by  the  cannon-balls  of  the  approaching  enemy.  They  are  "  hon- 
orable scars,"  and  I  bespeak  for  the  veteran  a  perpetual  pension 
of  respect. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  1780,  General  Knyphausen,  then  in  tem- 
porary command  of  the  British  troops  in  New  York  during  the 
absence  of  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton at  the  south,  dispatch- 
ed Brigadier-general  Mathews  from  Staten  Island  with 
;Lbout  five  thousand  troops,  who  landed  at  Elizabeth- 
town  Point.  He  had  been  informed  that  the  Ameri- 
can army  at  Morristown  was  much  dissatisfied,  and 
ripe  for  mutiny  and  treason,  and  that  the  people  of  New 
Jersey  were  ready  to  join  the  royal  standard  as  soon  as 
ample  protection  should  be  guarantied  them.  Influ- 
enced by  these  opinions,  Knyphausen  ordered  Mathews 
to  march  toward  Morristown,  but  the  annoyances  which 
he  met  with  on  the  way  soon  undeceived  him.  He 
hurned  the  village  of  Connecticut  Farms,  and  advanced 
'm  Springfield,  but,  being  informed  that  Washington 
had  sent  a  force  to  oppose  him,  he  wheeled  and  return- 
'id  to  Elizabethtown.  Many  of  his  soldiers  were  cut 
off"  during  the  recession,  by  small  parties  of  Jerseymen 
concealed  behind  fences,  rocks,  and  bushes.  On  reach- 
ing Elizabethtown  Point,  he  intrenched  his  forces  with- 
in the  old  works  thrown  up  there  by  the  Americans, 
where  they  remained  about  a  fortn,ight. 

In  the  mean  while,  General  Clinton  arrived  from  the 
south,  and  determined  to  carry  out  the  plan  arranged  by  Knyphausen,  to  capture  the  stores 
at  Morristown,  and,  if  possible,  draw  Washington  out  from  his  strong  position  among  the 
Short  Hills,  into  a  general  engagement.      He  also  took  pains  to  mislead  Washington,  by  em- 


Plan  of  the  Battle  at  Spbingfielu.' 


twelve  thousand  German  troops  h'red  by  the  English  government,  for  service  in  America,  were  placed  un- 
der his  command,  and  the  Hessians  were  led  by  the  Baron  de  Reidescl.  He  arrived  with  his  troops,  under 
convoy  of  Admiral  Lord  Howe,  in  June,  1776,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island  in  August  fol- 
lowing. He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Brandywine,  and  commanded  an  expedition  to  Springfield,  New  Jer- 
sey. For  some  months  during  the  absence  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  at  the  south,  Knyphausen  was  in  command 
of  the  city  of  New  York.  He  was  about  sixty  years  of  age,  possessed  of  a  fine  figure,  and  was  remarka- 
bly amiable  and  simple-minded.  La  Fayette  used  to  tell  an  anecdote  concerning  him,  on  the  authority  of 
British  officers.  The  passage  to  America  was  very  long,  and  one  night,  while  playing  whist  in  the  cabin, 
Knyphausen  suddenly  turned  to  the  captain  and  said,  with  an  air  of  much  sincerity,  "  Captain,  ain't  we  hab 
sailed  past  America?"     He  died  on  the  frontiers  of  Germany  toward  the  close  of  the  last  century. 

'  Explanation  of  the  Map. — The  stream  with  branches,  and  running  in  a  southerly  direction,  is  the 
Rahway  River ;  a  is  the  house  (still  standing)  of  Mrs.  Mathews,  near  which  the  enemy  formed  for  battle ; 
A,  the  site  of  Byram's  Tavern,  at  the  foot  of  the  first  range  of  hills ;  c,  the  Springfield  and  Elizabethtown 
turnpike ;  rf,  the  Vauxhall  Road ;  e,  the  first  position  of  the  brigades  of  Stark  and  Maxwell,  near  the  mill 
and  north  of  the  rail-road ;  _/,  Shrieve's  regiment  at  the  second  bridge ;  g,  the  mill ;  A,  post  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, on  the  hills  in  the  rear  of  Byram'»  Tavern.     The  other  localities  are  printed  on  the  map. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


23 


Washington  deceived  by  Clinton.         Second  Invasion  under  Ksyphausen.         Disposition  of  opposing  Troops.        The  Battle 

barking  troops  in  transports  on  the  Hudson,  as  if  an  expedition  was  intended  against  West 
Point.  Washington  teas  deceived  by  this  movement,  and,  with  a  considerable  force,  march- 
ed toward  the  Highlands,  leaving  Major-general  Greene  in  command  at  Springfield.  Clin- 
ton, perceiving  the  success  of  his  stratagem,  crossed  over  to  Elizabethtown,  with  Knyphau- 
sen  and  additional  troops,  and  at  break  of  day  on  the  23d  the  whole  army,  consisting  j„„p 
of  about  five  thousand  infantry,  a  considerable  body  of  cavalry,  and  from  fifteen  to  ^''^'^■ 
twenty  pieces  of  artillery,  advanced  toward  Springfield.  They  moved  in  two  columns,  one 
on  the  main  road  (the  present  turnpike)  leading  to  Springfield,  the  other  on  the  Vauxhall 
Road,  leading  to  the  principal  pass  among  the  Short  Hills,  a  series  of  high  ridges  at  the 
head  of  the  Springfield  plains.  The  Americans  were  under  the  immediate  command  of 
Greene.  The  right  column  of  the  enemy,  on  the  Vauxhall  Road,  was  opposed  by  Major 
Henry  Lee  with  his  cavalry,  and  some  pickets  under  Captain  Walker,  and  the  left  was  con- 
fronted by  Colonel  Dayton,  of  the  New  Jersey  line.'  The  remainder  of  the  American  troops 
had  been  posted  upon  the  roads  leading  to  the  different  passes  over  the  mountains,  and  it 
was  with  considerable  diificulty  that  they  were  collected  in  force  at  Springfield  to  oppose 
the  enemy  concentrating  there.  The  latter,  after  maneuvering  to  gain  the  flanks  of  the 
Americans,  formed  upon  a  gentle  eminence  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Rahway,  near  the 
house  of  Mrs.  Mathews,  which  is  still  standing.  Colonel  Angell,  with  his  regi- 
^'  ment,  was  posted  in  the  orchard  upon  the  knoll- west  of  the  stream,  with  a  single 
field  piece  under  the  charge  of  Captain  Littell,  to  defend  the  bridge  ;  and  Colonel 
Shrieve's  regiment  was  drawn  up  at  the  second  bridge,  in  the  rear  of  the  town,  to 
cover  the  retreat  of  the  Americans,  if  such  a  movement  should  become  necessary. 
Lee's  dragoons,  and  the  pickets  under  Captain  Walker,  were  stationed  at  the 
Vauxhall  Bridge,  and  the  militia  were  drawn  up  on  the  flanks,  principally  under 
the  command  of  General  Dickinson,  of  New  Jersey. 

The  first  attack  was  made  by  the  enemy  upon  Lee's  force  at  the  Vauxhall 
Bridge,  and  the  Americans  were  repulsed.  At  that  instant  the  British 
troops  near  the  first  Springfield  Bridge  moved  to  attack  Colonel  An- 
gell in  the  orchard.  Captain  Littell  played  his  artillery  so  briskly 
and  well,  that  he  kept  the  enemy  east  of  the  bridge  for  some  time  ; 
but  bringing  their  artillery  to  bear,  they  pressed  forward,  forded  the 
stream  (which  is  there  only  about  two  rods  wide),  and  drove  the 
Americans  from  their  position  and  across  the  second  bridge.  The 
artillery  of  the  British,  being  leveled  too  high,  did  but  little  execu- 
tion, except  among  the  branches  of  the  apple-trees,  and  the  Amer- 
icans retreated  with  very  little  loss.  The  enemy  were  warmly  re 
ceived  at  the  second  bridge  by  Shrieve's  regiment,  but  overwhelm- 
ing numbers  obliged  the  gallant  little  band  of  Americans  to  fall 
back  and  join  the  brigades  of  Maxwell  and  Stark  upon  the  hill. 
The  situation  of  the  patriot  army  was  now  critical.  The  enemy 
Mrs.  Mathews's  House.'        was  pushing  vigorously  forward  on  the  Vauxhall  Road,  leading  in 


'  Elias  Daj'ton  was  born  in  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  in  1735.  He  joined  the  army  during  the  French 
and  Indian  war.  He  was  a  member  of  the  corps  called  "  Jersey  Blues,"  raised  in  1759  by  Edward  Hart, 
the  father  of  John,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  With  that  corps  he  foupht  under 
Wolfe  at  Quebec.  He  was  one  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Elizabethtown  at  the  beginninir  of  the  Rev- 
olution;  in  February,  1778,  Congress  appointed  him  colonel  of  a  New  Jersey  regiment;  and  in  1782  he 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  general.  He  was  in  several  of  the  principal  battles  of  the  Revolu- 
lion,  and  had  three  horses  shot  under  him — one  at  Germantown,  one  at  Springfield,  and  one  at  Crosswick 
Bridge.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  Cincinnati  of  New  Jersey,  and,  daring  the  life  of  Washington, 
enjoyed  the  warm  personal  friendship  of  that  distinguished  man.     He  died  at  Elizabethtown  in  1807. 

'  This  sketch  was  made  from  the  left  bank  of  the  Rahway,  at  the  site  of  the  old  bridge.  This  is  now  the 
rear  of  the  house,  but,  at  the  time  of  the  battle,  the  road  was  upon  this  side  of  it,  which  formed  the  front. 
The  deviation  of  the  road  is  indicated  in  the  map  by  a  dotted  line  Remains  of  the  abutments  of  the  old 
bridge,  where  the  British  crossed,  may  still  be  seen. 


324  PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 

Partial  Retreat  of  tho  Americans.      Burning  of  Springfield.      Retreat  of  the  Enemy.      Colonel  Barber.       Connecticut  Farma 

their  rear,  and  their  numbers  were  too  small  to  guard  the  several  passes  through  the  mount- 
ains, and  have  a  respectable  force  engaged  in  battle.  Greene  accordingly  ordered  the  main 
body  of  the  army,  except  the  two  brigades  already  mentioned,  to  take  post  on  the  hills  in  the 
rear  of  Byram's  Tavern,  and  detached  the  regiments  of  Colonels  Webb  and  Jackson,  with 
one  piece  of  artillery,  to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy  on  the  Vauxhall  Road.  The  move- 
ment was  successful,  and  that  important  pass  was  secured. 

The  Americans  were  now  advantageously  posted,  and  General  Greene  was  anxious  for  an 
engagement ;  but  Knyphausen  saw  his  own  disadvantage,  and,  after  setting  fire  to  the  vil- 
lage, began  a  retreat  toward  Elizabethtown.  Greene  ordered  out  detachments  to  extinguish 
the  flames  of  such  houses  as  were  not  within  the  reach  of  the  enemy's  cannon,  but  their  ef- 
forts were  of  little  avail.  The  church,  and  every  house  and  barn  in  the  village  but  three, 
were  burned.  One  of  the  latter  now  stands  close  by  the  tavern  of  Mr.  Reynolds.  It  is  a 
very  well  built  house,  and  exhibits  an  orifice  in  the  northwestern  gable,  made  by  the  passage 
of  a  cannon-ball.  The  parsonage  was  saved,  and  in  it  the  congregation  worshiped  until  a 
more  convenient  place  was  supplied. 

As  soon  as  the  village  was  fired,  the  enemy  began  their  retreat.  Captain  Davis,  with 
one  hundred  and  twenty  men  and  large  parties  of  militia,  fell  upon  their  flanks  and  rear, 
and  kept  up  a  continual  fire  upon  them  all  the  way  to  Elizabethtown.  The  retreat  was  so 
precipitate  that  Stark's  brigade,  which  was  put  in  motion,  could  not  overtake  them.  At 
midnight  the  enemy  began  crossing  over  to  Staten  Island  on  a  bridge  of  boats,  and 
by  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  had  evacuated  Elizabethtown  and  removed  their 
bridge.'  The  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  has  not  been  fully  given  on  either  side.  Lieuten- 
ant-colonel Barber,  in  his  return  to  General  Greene,  reported  thirteen  Americans  killed,  and 
fifty-eight  wounded  and  missing.  In  this  report  was  not  included  the  return  of  Davis's  de- 
tachment and  of  the  militia  that  pursued  the  enemy  to  Elizabethtown.  The  militia  had 
twelve  wounded  and  none  killed.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  is  unknown.  The  newspapers  of 
the  day  put  down  their  loss  in  the  skirmish  at  Connecticut  Farms  and  vicinity,  two  weeks 
previous,  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  killed,  and  as  many  Avounded.  Colonel  Barber,  who  act- 
ed as  deputy  adjutant  general  on  the  occasion,  was  particularly  recommended  for  his  activ- 
ity, by  General  Greene,  in  his  report  of  the  engagement.'  General  Washington,  on  hear- 
ing of  the  movement  of  the  enemy  toward  Springfield,  sent  a  re-enforcement,  but  it  was  too 
late  to  save  the  town.  Greene,  in  his  report,  says,  "  I  lament  that  our  force  was  too  small 
to  save  the  town  from  ruin.  I  wish  every  American  could  have  been  a  spectator ;  they 
would  have  felt  for  the  sufferers,  and  joined  to  revenge  the  injury." 

After  much  difficulty,  I  procured  a  conveyance  to  Elizabethtown.  Mr.  Meeker,  a  resi- 
dent of  Springfield,  seventy-four  years  old,  kindly  left  his  plow,  and  in  a  light  wagon  took 
me  thither,  by  the  way  of  Connecticut  Farms,  a  small  village  now  called  Union,  lying  four 
miles  northwest  of  Elizabethtown.  Almost  every  building  in  that  village  was  destroyed  by 
the  British  invaders  while  on  their  way  to  Springfield,  on  the  6th  of  June,  1780.  An  event 
occurred  there  at  that  time,  which  excited  the  greatest  indignation  throughout  the  country. 
The  family  of  the  B.ev.  James  Caldwell,  the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  Eliz- 
abethtown, and  an  ardent  Whig,  had  removed  to  Connecticut  Farms  as  a  place  of  greater 
security,  and  occupied  the  parsonage.  Mrs.  Caldwell  was  the  daughter  of  John  Ogden,  of 
Newark,  and  was  greatly  beloved  for  her  piety  and  benevolence.      When  she  heard  of  the 

'  Report  of  General  Greene  to  the  commander-in-chief. 

*  Francis  Barber  was  born  at  Princeton  in  1751,  and  was  educated  at  the  College  of  New  Jersey.  He 
was  installed  rector  of  an  academic  institution  connected  with  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  in  which  situation  he  remained  until  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution.  He  joined  the  patriot 
army,  and  in  1776  was  commissioned  by  Congress  a  major  of  the  third  battalion  of  New  Jersey  troops :  at 
the  close  of  the  j'ear  was  appointed  lieutenant  colonel,  and  subsetiuently  became  assistant  inspector  general 
under  Baron  Steuben.  He  was  in  constant  service  during  the  whole  war,  was  in  the  principal  battles,  and 
was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown.  He  was  with  the  Continental  army  at  Newburgh 
in  1783  ;  and  on  the  very  day  when  Washinijton  announced  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  peace  to  the  army, 
ke  was  killed  by  a  tree  falling  upon  him  while  riding  by  the  edge  of  a  wood. — Rev.  Nicholas  Murray. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  32, 


Murder  of  Mrs.  Caldwell.  Her  Murderer  identified.  Timothy  Meeker  and  his  Sons.  His  Idea  of  a  Standing  Anny. 

approach  of  the  enemy,  and  the  people  fled  from  the  town,  she  resolved  to  remain,  trusting 
in  Providence  for  protection.  When  they  entered  the  village,  she  withdrew,  with  her  infant 
in  her  arms,  into  a  private  apartment,  and  engaged  in  religious  devotions.  A  maid,  who  had 
charge  of  the  other  children,  and  accompanied  her  to  the  private  apartment,  saw  a  "  red- 
coat soldier"  jump  over  the  fence  into  the  yard,  and  told  Mrs.  Caldwell  that  he  was  approach- 
ing the  window.  Mrs.  Caldwell  arose  from  a  bed  on  which  she  had  been  sitting,  and  at  that 
moment  the  soldier  discharged  his  musket  at  her  through  the  window.  It  was  loaded  with 
two  balls,  both  of  which  passed  through  her  body,  and  she  fell  lifeless  upon  the  floor,  in  the 
midst  of  her  children.'  It  was  with  much  difliculty  that  her  body  was  saved  from  the  con- 
flagration that  ensued.  It  was  dragged  into  the  street,  and  lay  exposed  for  several  hours  in 
the  hot  sun,  when  some  of  her  friends  procured  liberty  to  take  it  to  the  house  of  Captain 
Wade,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  Her  husband  was  at  the  Short  Hills  that  night, 
Buflering  dreadfully  from  anxiety  respecting  his  family.  The  next  day  he  procured  a  flag 
and  went  to  Connecticut  Farms,  when  he  found  the  village  in  ruins  and  his  wife  no  more. 
That  cold-blooded  murder,  as  well  as  the  wanton  destruction  of  the  peaceful  village,  changed 
many  Tories  to  Whigs,  and  helped  to  confirm  the  settled  hatred  of  the  Avell-aflected  and  the 
patriots  against  the  British  government,  whose  military  officers  winked  at  such  atrocities. 

On  our  way,  Mr.  Meeker  related  some  interesting  facts  concerning  his  family.  His  grand- 
father was  a  stanch  republican,  and  had  eight  sons  and  four  sons-in-law  in  the  Continental 
army,  who  were  remarkable  for  their  physical  strength  and  moral  courage.  The  father  of 
Mr.  Edwards,  the  old  gentleman  who  went  over  the  Springfield  battle-ground  with  me,  was 
one  of  the  sons-in-law.  One  of  his  sons  (Mr.  Meeker's  father)  lived  up  among  the  Short 
Hills,  and  was  a  substantial  farmer.  A  conversation  which  he  had  one  day  with  General 
Dayton,  at  Elizabethtown,  well  illustrates  the  political  character  of  many  of  the  yeomanry 
of  that  period.  While  a  portion  of  the  standing  army,  imder  the  administration  of  the  elder 
Adams,  was  at  Elizabethtown,  Mr.  Meeker  went  to  General  Dayton  to  pay  his  direct  tax, 
in  hard  cash,  for  the  support  of  the  army.  "  Of  what  use  is  your  standing  army  ?"  asked 
Meeker.  "  To  support  Congress,"  replied  Dayton.  "  Ay,  to  support  Congress  indeed," 
said  the  old  man,  bitterly.  "  To  support  Congress  in  taking  away  our  liberties,  and  in  al- 
tering the  Constitution  so  as  to  place  men  in  public  oflices  for  life.  I  fought  for  freedom 
through  the  war  for  nothing  (his  Continental  money  was  worthless),  and  now  I  want  to  pay 
for  my  land  and  be  independent  indeed,  but  tax  upon  tax  keeps  me  poor.  I  could  at  any 
time  raise  one  hundred  men  among  my  neighbors  upon  the  Short  Hills,  say  privately  to  your 
standing  army,  '  Come  and  help  us' — and  they  would  come,  and  we'd  march  to  Philadel- 
phia and  take  your  Congressmen  from  their  seats.  We  mmU  not  have  a  standing  army. 
Disband  it."  "  Our  standing  army,"  said  Dayton,  "  will  intimidate  the  British."  "  Look 
ahere.  General  Dayton,"  said  Meeker,  while  his  eyes  sparkled  with  emotion,  "  you  are  well 
acquainted  in  London.  Write  to  your  acquaintances  there,  and  tell  them  that  Timothy 
Meeker  is  dead,  and  that  he  has  left  seven  sons,  every  one  of  whom  is  a  stronger  man  than 
he.  Tell  them  we  are  seven  times  stronger  than  before,  and  that  will  intimidate  them  more 
than  all  your  standing  armies,  that  suck  the  life-blood  from  the  people."  Such  was  the  logic 
of  New  Jersey  farmers  in  1798,  and  our  government  soon  acted  in  accordance  with  it. 

We  reached  Elizabethtown  at  about  noon,  and  having  ample  time  before  the  departure 

'  Such  is  the  current  history,  and  the  diabolical  act  was  fixed  upon  "  a  British  soldier."  Some  believed 
that  the  occurrence  was  a  mere  accident,  resulting  from  the  cross  firing  of  the  combatants,  but  there  is  am- 
ple evidence  that  it  was  a  deliberate  murder.  A  correspondent  of  the  Newark  Advertiser  says  that  "  there 
is  evidence  of  a  very  direct  character,  which  affixes  the  guilt  of  murder  of  the  poor  lady  to  a  particular  in- 
dividual." "  A  verj'  respectable  citizen,"  he  adds,  "  lately  deceased,  who  was  a  witness  of  the  scenes  of 
that  day,  says  that  a  man  named  M 'Donald,  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  who  had  been  in  the  employment  of 
Mr.  Caldwell,  or  of  his  family,  was  the  person  who  committed  the  atrocious  deed.  This  man,  from  some 
unknown  cause,  had  conceived  a  violent  enmitj'  against  his  employer,  and  it  was  in  this  manner  he  satiated 
his  revenge.  The  witness  to  whom  reference  is  now  made,  further  declared  that  he  saw  M'Donald  after 
the  murder,  and  heard  him  avow  it,  saying,  at  the  same  time,  that  '  now  he  was  satisfied,'  upcn  which  he 
joined  and  went  off  with  the  enemy." 


26 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Burial-ground  at  Elizabethtown. 


Caldwell's  Monument. 


Dickinson's  Tomb. 


Boudinot's  Vaull. 


of  the  evening  train  for  Middlebrook,  my  next  tarrying-place,  I  visited  the  several  Revolu- 
tionary localities  in  the  vicinity.  The  burial-ground  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  on 
Broad  Street,  was  the  chief  attraction  within  the  village,  for  therein  repose  the  remains  of 
many  distinguished  men  of  the  Revolution.  The  church  that  occupied  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent one  was  burned  on  the  night  of  the  25th  of  January,  1780,  together  with  the  academy 
(which  stood  upon  the  ground  of  the  present  lecture  room)  and  the  court-house.  A  noto- 
rious Tory  named  Cornelius  Hetfield  fired  the  church  with  his  own  hands,  and  was  heard  to 
lament  that  the  "  black-coated  rebel,"  as  he  called  Dr.  Caldwell,  the  pastor,  was  not  burned 

in  his  pulpit.  Near  the  Broad  Street  front  of  the  burying 
ground  stands  the  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  the 
Rev.  James  Caldwell  and  his  wife,  by  citizens  of  Eliza- 
bethtown. It  is  a  handsome  marble  obelisk,  which,  with 
an  inscribed  pedestal,  rests  upon  a  granite  base.  On  the 
left  in  the  picture  are  seen  a  recumbent  slab,  and  also  an 
upright  one.  The  former  is  of  brown  stone,  and  covers 
the  grave  of  Jonathan  Dickinson,*  the  founder  of  the  Col- 
lege of  New  Jersey,  now  located  at  Princeton  ;  the  latter 
is  of  white  marble,  and  is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  Mar- 
garet Van  Pelt,  a  grand-daughter  of  Mr  Caldwell.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  cemetery,  in 
the  rear  of  the  church,  are  sev- 
eral vaults  shaded  by  a  venera- 
ble oak,  among  which  is  that  oi' 
the  celebrated  Elias  Boudinot, 
who  M^as  president  of  Congress 
in  1782,  and  an  active  patriot  during  the  Revolution.  Of  him  1 
shall  have  occasion  to  write  hereafter.  A  little  south  of  Boudinot's 
vault  is  that  of  General  Dayton,  just  mentioned,  and  in  the  vicin- 
ity are  the  graves  of  General  Crane,  an  active  patriot  of  the  Revo- 
lution ;  Colonel  Barber,  already  mentioned  ;  Moses  Ogden,  a  young 
American  officer,  who  was  killed  at  Connecticut  Farms  when  that  settlement  was  burned  , 
and  of  several  others  of  colonial  and  Revolutionary  eminence,  among  whom  is  Governor  Belcher. 


'^^f- 


Caldwell's  Monumknt.* 


Boudinot's  Vault. 


'  Jonathan  Dickinson  was  born  in  Hatfield,  Massachusetts,  April  22d,  1688.  He  graduated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1706,  and  two  years  afterward  became  the  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  New  Jersey,  where  he  continued  nearly  forty  years.  He  was  the  cotemporary  of  Whitfield,  Brai- 
nard,  Edwards,  and  the  Tennants.  He  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  organizing  the  academy  at  Elizabeth- 
town,  which  was  chartered  as  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1746.  He  was  made  its  first  president,  but 
the  institution  did  not  long  enjoy  the  advantages  of  his  care,  as  he  died  on  the  7th  of  October,  1747,  aged 
fifty-nine.  The  first  commencement  of  the  college  was  in  1748,  when  six  young  men  graduated,  five  of 
whom  became  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 

'^  The  following  are  the  inscriptions  upon  the  Caldwell  monument : 

East  Side.  "  This  monument  is  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  James  Caldwell,  the  pious  and 
fervent  Christian,  the  zealous  and  faithful  minister,  the  eloquent  preacher,  and  a  prominent  leader  among 
the  worthies  who  secured  the  independence  of  his  country.  His  name  will  be  cherished  in  the  church 
and  in  the  state  so  long  as  Virtue  is  esteemed  and  Patriotism  honored." 

West  Side.  "  Hannah,  wife  of  the  Rev.  James  Caldwell,  and  daughter  of  Jonathan  Ogden,  of  Newark, 
was  killed  at  Connecticut  Farms  by  a  shot  from  a  British  soldier,  June  25th,*  1780,  cruelly  sacrificed  by 
the  enemies  of  her  husband  and  of  her  country." 

North  Side.  "  '  The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed.'  '  Be  of  good  courage — and  let  us  behave  our- 
selves valiant  for  our  people,  and  for  the  cities  of  our  God,  and  let  the  Lord  do  that  which  is  good  in  his 
sight.'     '  The  glory  of  children  are  their  fathers.'  " 

South  Side.  "James  Caldwell.  Born  in  Charlotte  county,  in  Virginia,  April,  1734.  Graduated  at 
Princeton  College,  1759.  Ordained  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Elizabethto-^Ti,  1762. 
After  serving  as  chaplain  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution,  and  acting  as  commissary  to  the  troops  in  New 
Jersey,  he  was  killed  by  a  shot  from  a  sentinel  at  Elizabethtown  Point,  November  24th,  1781." 


*  This  is  an  error,  as  will  be  perceived  by  reference  to  the  text 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  307 


Death  of  Mr.  Caldwell.  Execution  of  hia  Murderer.  Mr.  Caldwell's  Funeral.  His  Orphan  Family. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Caldwell,  which  occurred  a  little  more  than  a  year  subsequent  to  thai 
of  his  wife,  was  regarded  as  a  foul  murder.  He  was  shot  upon  the  causeway  at  old  Eliza- 
bethtown  Point,  by  an  American  sentinel  named  Morgan,  who  was  hung  for  the  deed.  The 
circumstances  are  substantially  as  follows.  At  the  time  of  the  occurrence  the  American.* 
had  possession  of  Elizabethtown,  and  there  was  established  there  a  commissariat  of  prison- 
ers, under  the  superintendence  of  Major  Adams.  To  facilitate  the  business  for  which  the 
commissariat  was  established,  a  sloop  made  weekly  trips  between  the  Point  and  New  York, . 
then  the  head-quarters  of  the  British  army.  Passengers  with  a  flag,  and  also  parcels,  were 
frequently  carried  by  this  vessel,  and  a  strong  guard  was  placed  at  a  tavern  on  the  shore, 
having  one  or  more  sentinels  upon  the  causeway  that  extended  across  the  marsh  to  the  wharf 
On  the  24th  of  November,  1781,  this  vessel  arrived  at  the  wharf,  having  on  board  a  Miss 
Berlah  Murray  (afterward  Mrs.  Martin  Hoffman),  who  had  permission  to  visit  her  sister  (Mrs. 
Barnett),  at  Elizabethtown.  Mr.  Caldwell  went  down  to  the  sloop  in  his  chaise  to  receive 
her,  but  she  was  not  there.  He  went  on  board  the  vessel,  when  a  small  bundle  belonging 
to  her  was  placed  in  his  charge,  with  which  he  started  for  his  vehicle.  James  Morgan,  a 
sentinel  on  duty  upon  the  causeway,  ordered  Mr.  Caldwell  to  deliver  his  bundle  to  him  for 
examination,  as  his  orders  were  not  to  let  any  thing  of  the  kind  pass  without  strict  scrutiny. 
Mr.  Caldwell  told  him  it  was  the  property  of  a  lady,  which  had  been  placed  in  his  charge, 
and  refused  to  give  it  up.  The  sentinel  reiterated  his  demand,  when  Mr.  Caldwell  turned 
from  him,  and,  it  is  said,  went  toward  the  vessel  to  leave  the  bundle,  rather  than  subject  it 
to  the  inspection  of  the  soldier.  The  latter,  probably  irritated  by  disobedience  of  his  orders, 
and,  it  may  be,  by  words,  leveled  his  musket  and  shot  Mr.  Caldwell  dead  upon  the  spot. 
Opinions  were,  and  still  are,  various  as  to  the  motive  of  the  sentinel.  Some  justify  him  as 
acting  in  strict  obedience  to  his  orders  ;  others  believe  him  to  have  been  bribed  to  murder 
the  active  patriot  when  the  first  opportunity  should  offer  ;  and  others,  again,  simply  con- 
demn him  for  exceeding  the  spirit  of  his  instructions.  Morgan  was  arrested,  the  coroner's 
inquest  brought  in  a  verdict  of  willful  murder  against  him,  and  he  was  tried,  found  guilty, 
and  executed  at  Westiield  on  the  29th  of  January,  1782.  He  was  taken  to  the  church, 
where  a  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Elmer,  from  the  words  of  Jeremiah, 
"  O,  do  not  this  abominable  thing  which  I  hate ;"  and  immediately  after  the  close  of  the 
services  the  prisoner  was  hung.  The  place  of  his  execution  is  about  half  a  mile  north  of 
the  church,  in  Westfield,  and  still  bears  the  name  of  Morgan's  Hill.  A  local  controversy 
has  arisen  upon  the  subject,  which  seems  to  turn  more  upon  the  inferences,  of  the  several 
writers  than  upon  the  material  facts  here  given.  "  Who  shall  decide  when  doctors  disa- 
gree ?"  Cotemporary  records  form  the  best  umpire  in  such  cases,  and  correct  history,  the 
'patietit  in  question,  is  not  likely  to  suffer  from  such  a  disagreement. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Caldwell,  a  pious  and  eloquent  minister,  and  such  an  active  patriot, 
made  a  powerful  impression  on  the  public  mind,  and  there  was  "  a  voice  of  mourning" 
wherever  his  eminent  virtues  were  known.  It  wis  Saturday  afternoon  when  he  was  shot. 
His  body  was  conveyed  to  the  house  of  his  friend,  Mrs.  Noel,  whence  it  was  buried  the  fol- 
lowing Tuesday.  "Many,"  says  Dr.  Murray,  "were  ignorant  of  the  tragical  deed  until 
they  came  to  church  on  the  Sabbath  ;  and,  instead  of  sitting  with  delight  under  his  instruc- 
tions, there  was  a  loud  cry  of  wailing  over  his  melancholy  end.  There  was  a  vast  concourse 
assembled  to  convey  him  to  his  tomb.  The  corpse  was  placed  on  a  large  stone  before  the 
door  of  the  house  of  Mrs.  Noel  (now  the  residence  of  Miss  Spalding),  where  all  could  take  a 
last  view  of  the  remains  of  their  murdered  pastor.  After  all  had  taken  their  last  look,  and 
before  the  coffin  was  closed,  Dr.  Elias  Boudinot  came  forward,  leading  nine  orphan  children, 
and,  placing  them  around  the  bier  of  their  parent,  made  an  address  of  surpassing  pathos  to 
the  multitude  in  their  behalf"' 

I  rode  down  to  Elizabethtown  Point,  a  place  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  Revolution. 

'  Notes  on  Elizabethiotcn,  page  77.  The  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  M'Whorter,  of  Newark, 
from  Ecclesiastes,  viii.,  8. 


328 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Old  Elizabethport.  Ancient  Tavern  and  Wharf.  Fortification  of  the  Point.  Naval  Expedition.  Franklin  Stove 


Old  Tavern  at  Elizabethport. 


The  distance  is  about  two  miles,  and  so  nearly  adjacent  are  the  houses  along  the  road,  that 
it  may  be  said  the  village  extends  all  the  way  to  the  Point.  The  old  wharf  or  landing  ia 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  northeast  of  the  present  bustling  port,  and  only  a  solitary 
dwelling,  the  traces  of  the  causeway,  and  the  apparition,  at  low  water,  of  some  of  the  logs 
of  the  ancient  wharf,  constitute  the  remains  of  the  Revolution  there,  except  slight  indications 
of  the  works  thrown  up  by  the  Americans  in  the  rear.      Making  a  journey  in  a  direct  line 

through  some  shrub  oaks  and  a  field  of  tangled  buck- 
wheat, I  visited  and  sketched  the  old  tavern,  now  the 
property  of  Mr.  Isham,  of  New  York,  where  many  of 
the  stirring  scenes  of  the  Revolution  occurred.  There 
American  and  British  officers  were  alternately  quar- 
tered, from  1776  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  in  that 
house  the  corpse  of  Mr.  Caldwell  was  laid  while  a 
wagon  was  procured  to  convey  it  to  the  town.  In 
front  of  it  is  a  flat  shore,  overflowed  at  high  tide,  across 
which  was  a  substantial  causeway  about  seventy-five 
rods  in  length,  with  a  wharf  at  the  end.  Here  was 
the  landing-place  of  troops  passing  and  repassing  to 
and  from  Staten  Island,  closely  contiguous  ;  and  from 
this  wharf  extended  the  bridge  of  boats  over  which  the  British  retreated  after  the  battle  of 
Springfield.  There  Washington  embarked  in  the  barge  prepared  to  convey  him  to  New 
April  24  York,  to  be  inaugurated  the  first  President  of  the  United  States,  and  in  the  old  tav- 
1789.  em  he  breakfasted  that  morning. 
When  the  British  fleet  appeared  off  Sandy  Hook  with  the  troops  of  General  Howe,  in 
June,  1776,  great  alarm  spread  through  New  Jersey  ;  for,  as  the  Americans  then  had  mil- 
itary occupation  of  New  York  city,  it  was  supposed  the  enemy  would  land  on  the  Jersey 
coast.  Governor  Livingston,  at  the  head  of  the  New  Jersey  militia,  established  his  camp 
at  Elizabethtown  Point,  and  caused  a  fortification  to  be  constructed  by  digging  ditches  and 
throwing  up  breast- works,  which  extended  from  the  old  to  the  new  Point,  and  on  which  a 
few  cannons  were  mounted.  These  works  were  never  of  any  material  use,  and  hardly  a 
vestige  of  them  remains. 

From  the  Point  several  water  expeditions  were  fitted  out,  for  the  narrow  and  tortuous 
channel,  and  low,  marshy  shore  protected  the  place  from  the  visits  of  large  vessels  of  war. 
One  of  these  expeditions  was  under  the  command  of  Elias  Dayton  and  William  Alexander. 
The  latter  is  better  known  in  our  history  as  Lord  Stirling,  and  was  Governor  Shirley's  mil- 
itary secretary  at  Albany  twenty  years  before.  Informed  that  a  British  transport  and  pro- 
vision ship  was  on  the  coast,  the  Committee  of  Safety  at  Elizabethtown  ordered  four  armed 
boats  to  attempt  its  capture.  They  came  in  sight  of  the  vessel  about  forty  miles  from  Sandy 
Hook.     The  men  in  the  boats  were  all  concealed  under  hatches,  except  two  in  each,  unarm- 


'  This  view  is  looking  eastward.  In  the  distance,  on  the  right,  is  seen  a  vessel,  at  the  entrance  of  New- 
ark Bay,  and  the  land  beyond  is  the  iii:rh  ground  intervening  between  it  and  Jersey  City.  In  one  of  the 
rooms  of  the  old  tavern  is  a  Franklin  stove,  which  has  probably  been  a  tenant  there 
ever  since  it  came  from  the  foundery.  I  gave  a  sketch  of  it,  not  only  because  it  is  a 
relic  of  the  time,  but  because  it  doubtless  shows  the  form  of  the  stove  as  invented  by 
Dr.  Franklin  in  1742,*  before  an  "  improvement"  was  made.  On  its  front,  in  raised 
letters,  are  the  words  "  Ross  and  Bird's  Hibernia  Foundry,  1782."  Ross  had  a  found- 
ery at  Elizabethtown  in  1774,  as  appears  by  the  inscription  upon  the  dinner-bell  of  Sir 
William  Johnson,  now  in  the  belfry  of  the  old  Caughnawaga  Church  at  Fonda.  See 
note,  page  233. 


*  Franklin  says,  in  reference  to  this  invention,  "  Governor  Thomas  was  so  pleased  with  the  construction  of  this  stove,  that  he 
offered  to  give  me  a  patent  for  the  sole  vending  of  them  for  a  term  of  years  ;  but  I  declined  it,  from  a  principle  which  has  ever 
weighed  with  me  on  such  occasions,  viz.,  that,  as  we  enjoy  great  advantages  from  the  inventions  of  others,  we  should  be  glad 
of  an  opportunity  to  serve  others  by  an  invention  of  ours  ;  and  this  we  should  do  freely  and  generally."  A  London  iron-monger 
made  some  alterations,  which  Franklin  says  "  hurt  its  operation,"  got  a  patent  for  it  there,  and  made  a  small  fortune  by  it. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION 


329 


Capture  of  a  Provision  Ship.       Privateering 


'  London  Trading."       "  Liberty  Hall."       Designs  against  Governor  Livingston. 


ed,  who  managed  the  oars.  The  enemy  mistook  them  for  fishing  vessels,  and  allowed  them 
to  come  along  side.  At  a  preconcerted  signal,  the  hatches  were  raised,  the  armed  Ameri- 
cans poured  upon  the  deck  of  the  ship,  and  in  a  few  minutes  she  was  their  prize,  hardly  u 
show  of  resistance  having  been  made.  She  was  taken  in  triumph  to  Elizabethtown  Point, 
where  her  cargo  was  landed.  This  exploit  was  performed  in  the  summer  of  1775,  soon 
after  the  battle  on  Bunker  Hill.  Some  privateering  expeditions  were  fitted  out  here  and  at 
Amboy  during  the  war  ;  but,  with  the  exception  of  the  invasion  already  detailed,  there  were 
few  military  operations  there.  There  are  a  few  blemishes  in  the  general  good  character  for 
Whiggery,  claimed  by  Elizabethtown.  During  the  war  there  was  a  great  deal  of  "  London 
trading,"  or  supplying  the  enemy  with  provisions  and  other  things,  carried  on  there.  The 
high  price  paid  by  the  British  on  Staten  Island  tempted  even  the  most  ardent  Whigs  to  put 
money  in  their  purses  by  the  traffic.  Many  took  their  pay  in  British  goods,  and  actually 
opened  stores  in  the  village  with  articles  thus  obtained.  Governor  Livingston,  alluding  to 
the  practice,  said,  "  The  village  now  consists  of  miknown,  unrecommended  strangers,  guilty- 
looking  Tories,  and  very  knavish  Whigs." 

Having  an  hour  to  spare  on  my  return  to  the  village,  I  walked  out  to  old  "  Liberty  Hall," 

the  former  residence  of  Govern- 


or  Livingston,  now  the  proper- 
ty of  Mr.  John  Kean.  It  is  a 
fine  old  mansion,  imbowered  in 
shrubs  and  overshadowed  by 
venerable  trees.  It  is  situated 
upon  the  left  of  the  Springfield 
Turnpike,  beyond  the  Elizabeth 
River,  and  about  three  fourths 
of  a  mile  north  of  the  rail- way 
station  in  the  village.  Gov- 
ernor Livingston  was  an  active 
partisan,  and  during  the  whole 
war  was  continually  employed 
in  public  duties  or  in  wielding 
his  pen  in  favor  of  the  Repub- 
lican cause.  For  this  reason 
he  was  extremely  obnoxious  to 
the  enemy,  and  particularly  to  the  Tories,  whom  he  cordially  hated  and  despised.  Several 
attempts  were  made  to  abduct  him,  but  they  were  all  unsuccessful.  It  was  also  said  that 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  offered  a  bounty  for  his  life,  if  he  could  not  be  taken  alive,  and  that  a 
prominent  Tory  of  New  Jersey  had  been  solicited  to  assassinate  him  for  a  price.  Of  this 
Governor  Livingston  accused  Clinton,  in  a  letter.  The  latter  did  not  deny  the  charge,  but, 
in  a  very  discourteous  reply,  said,  "  Had  I  a  soul  capable  of  harboring  so  infamous  an  idea 
as  assa.ssination,  you,  sir,  at  least,  would  have  nothing  to  fear  ;  for,  be  assured,  I  should  not 
blacken  myself  with  so  foul  a  crime  to  obtain  so  trifling  an  end."  Sir  Henry,  however, 
thought  the  "  end  not  too  trifling"  to  fit  out  an  expedition  for  the  express  purpose  of  captur 
ing  the  "  rebel  governor."  It  was  midnight,  on  the  2Sth  of  February,  1779,  that  a  party 
of  British  troops,  gent  by  Clinton  from  New  York,  landed  at  Elizabethtown  Point,  and, 


"  LlBERTT  HaI.1,."' 


'  Some  time  after  the  death  of  Governor  Livingston  this  property  was  purchased  by  Lord  Bnlingbrokc, 
who,  under  the  assumed  name  of  John  Belesis,  ran  away  from  England  with  a  daughter  of  Baron  Hompasch, 
a  German  general.  She  was  at  a  boarding  school  there,  and  Bolingbroko  had  a  wife  living.  He  married 
the  girl  here.  She  died  in  England  in  1848.  The  grandmother  of  the  present  proprietor,  Susan,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  Van  Burgh  Livingston,  bought  the  farm  of  Lord  Bolingbroke,  and  it  has  been  in  possession  of 
the  family  ever  since.  Her  first  hasband  was  John  Kean,  a  member  of  Congress  from  South  Carolina  from 
1785  to  1787,  and  was  first  cashier  of  the  first  United  States  Bank,  chartered  by  an  act  of  Congress  passed 
February  8th,  1791.     Her  second  husband  was  Count  Nicmccwicz,  a  Polish  nobleman. 


30 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Scenes  at  "  Liberty  Hall." 


•Spirit  of  GoTemor  Livingston's  Daughters. 


Sketch  of  the  Life  of  Livingston 


marching  directly  to  "  Liberty  Hall,"  burst  open  the  doors,  and  shouted  vociferously  for  "  the 
damned  rebel  governor."  Fortunately,  the  governor  had  left  home  some  hours  before,  to 
pass  the  night  with  a  friend,  a  few  miles  distant.  After  becoming  convinced  that  he  was 
not  there,  they  demanded  his  papers.  Those  of  the  greatest  importance  (his  recent  corre- 
spondence with  Washington,  and  with  Congress  and  the  state  officers)  were  in  the  box  of 
his  sulky,  in  his  parlor.  This  box  the  officer  in  command  was  about  to  seize,  when  Liv- 
ingston's daughter  Catharine,  a  girl  of  great  spii'it  and  presence  of  mind,  represented  to  him 
that  the  box  contained  her  private  property,  and  appealed  to  his  courtesy  as  a  gentleman  and 
a  soldier  to  protect  it  for  her.  A  guard  was  placed  over  it,  and  she  then  led  the  men  to  the 
library,  where  they  filled  their  foraging  bags  with  worthless  law  papers.  After  threatening 
to  burn  the  house,  they  returned  to  Elizabethtown,  burned  one  or  two  dwellings  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  then  departed  for  New  York.' 

Mr.  Sedgwick  relates  a  tradition  connected  with  the  family  of  Governor  Livingston.      At 


the  time  of  the  invasion, 
when  the  village  of  Con- 
aiecticut  Farms  was  burn 
ed.  Governor  Livingston 
was  absent  from  home  on 
official  duty.  The  family 
had  spent  the  day  in  great 
alarm,  for  immediately  in 
front  of  their  dwelling  the 
smoke  and  flames  of  the 
conflagration  of  that  vil- 
lage were  distinctly  seen. 
Late  in  the  evening  several 
British  officers  came  to  the 
house,  told  them  that  their 
troops  were  retreating,  and 
proposed  to  pass  the  night 
there.  The  family  felt  se- 
cure from  marauders  while 
such  protectors  were  pres- 
ent, and  retired  to  bed. 
About  midnight  they 
were  aroused.  The  of- 
ficers were  called  away, 
and  soon  afterward  some 
exclaiming,  "  God  I  it's  Mrs.  Caldwell,  that  we  killed  to-day 


i'/'"^  ^^^>-^ 


drunken  soldiers  rushed  in- 
to the  hall,  swearing  that 
they  would  burn  the  ' '  rebel 
house."  There  were  none 
but  women  in  the  house. 
The  maid  servant  fastened 
herself  in  the  kitchen,  and 
the  ladies  of  the  family  lock- 
ed themselves  in  another 
room.  The  ruffians  dis- 
covered their  hiding-place, 
and,  fearing  to  exasperate 
them  by  refusing  to  como 
out,  one  of  the  governor's 
daughters  boldly  opened  the 
door.  A  drunken  soldier 
seized  her  by  the  arm,  and  at 
the  same  momei>t  she  seiz- 
ed him  by  the  collar  with 
a  force  that  alarmed  him 
At  that  instant  a  gleam  of 
light  illumined  the  hall 
and  fell  upon  the  white 
dress  of  the  lady.  The 
soldier  staggered  back, 
They  soon  left  the  house. 


'  Sedgwick's  Life  of  William  Livingston,  p.  322. 

'^  William  Livingston  was  descended  from  the  old  Scotch  family  of  that  name,  whose  first  representative 
iH  this  countrj^  was  Robert,  the  "  first  lord  of  the  manor"  upon  the  Hudson.  He  was  born  in  November, 
1723,  and  graduated  in  Yale  College  in  1741.  He  was  well  educated,  and  possessed  many  solid  as  well 
as  brilliant  attainments  in  law  and  literature.  He  early  espoused  the  cause  of  the  colonists,  and,  having 
removed  from  New  York  to  New  Jersey,  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  first  Continental  Congress  from  that 
state.  In  1776,  after  the  people  of  New  Jersey  had  sent  Governor  Franklin,  itnder  a  strong  guard,  to  Con- 
necticut, Mr.  Livingston  was  elected  chief  magistrate  of  the  state  ;  and  such  were  his  acknowledged  talents, 
and  republican  virtue,  and  the  love  of  the  people  for  him,  that  he  was  annually  elected  to  that  office  until 
his  death.  In  1787  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  that  formed  the  Federal  Constitution;  and,  after 
being  actively  employed  in  public  life  for  almost  twenty  years,  he  died  at  "Liberty  Hall,"  near  Elizabeth- 
tovra,  July  25th,  1790,  aged  sixty-seven  )'ears.  The  silhouette  here  given  is  copied  from  one  in  Sedgwick's 
Life  of  Livingston,  which  he  says  was  probably  taken  from  life,  about  1773.  The  Livingstons  are  de- 
scended from  a  noble  Scotch  family.  Lord  Livingston,  afterward  Earl  of  LinUthgow,  was  one  of  the  cus- 
todians of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  while  in  Dumbarton  Castle  in  1547.  The  great-grandson  of  the  Earl  was 
John  Livingston,  a  pious  Scotch  minister  who  fled  from  persecution,  and  went  to  Holland.     He  was  the 


I 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  33] 


Arrival  at  Middlebrook.  Place  of  the  Encampment  of  the  American  Army.  Howe's  Strotagem.  Skirmifihes 

T  left  Elizabethtown  in  the  cars,  at  about  three  o'clock,  and  arrived  at  Middlebrook,  a 
pleasant  little  village  on  the  Raritan,  toward  sunset,  passing  on  the  way  Scotch  Plains  and 
the  thriving  town  of  Plainfield.  The  road  passes  over  an  almost  level  country,  and,  though 
the  soil  is  light  and  sandy,  thrift  appeared  on  every  side.  Middlebrook  and  Boundbrook  lie 
close  together,  and  are  included  in  one  village.  Here,  toward  the  last  of  May,  1777,  Wash- 
ington encamped  his  army,  after  breaking  up  his  cantonments  at  Morristown.  His  troops 
rapidly  augmented  ;  and  when,  in  June,  General  Howe  began  to  show  some  disposition  to 
open  the  summer  campaign,  the  American  army  mustered  about  fourteen  thousand  eflective 
men.  They  were  strongly  posted  upon  the  Heights  of  Middlebrook,  in  the  rear  of  the  village, 
near  the  place  of  the  winter  encampment  in  1 7  7  8-9,  which  will  be  presently  noticed.  Wash- 
ington suspected  Howe's  design  to  be  to  make  an  attempt  to  capture  Philadelphia.  He  con- 
centrated the  Northern  forces  on  the  Hudson  ;  a  strong  division  under  Arnold  was  posted  on 
the  Delaware,  and  a  considerable  force  was  under  his  immediate  command  at  Middlebrook. 
General  Howe  had  encamped  at  New  Brunswick,  ten  miles  distant,  and  endeavored  to  draw 
Washington  out  from  his  strong  position,  into  a  general  engagement  upon  the  plains.  But 
the  chief  would  not  hazard  a  battle  while  his  forces  were  so  divided.  Howe  remained  two 
days  at  New  Brunswick ;  but,  concluding  that  Washington  was  too  strongly  posted  among 
the  hills  to  be  attacked  with  impunity,  the  British  commander  sought  to  accomplish  by  strat- 
agem Avhat  he  had  failed  to  do  by  open  and  obvious  movements.  For  this  purpose  j^^e  14 
he  advanced  rapidly  toward  Somerset  Court-house,  feigning  a  design  to  cross  the  ^"''■ 
Delaware.  Failing  to  draw  TVashington  from  his  post  by  this  maneuver,  he  made  another 
feint,  a  few  days  afterward,  which  succeeded  better.  He  suddenly  retreated,  first  ajuneio 
toward  New  Brunswick, a  and  then  to  Amboy,b  and  even  sent  some  detachments  ''June 2-2. 
over  to  Staten  Island.  Partly  deceived  by  these  movements,  and  hoping  to  reap  some  ad- 
vantage by  harassing  the  British  rear,  Washington  sent  strong  detachments  after  the  retreat- 
ing enemy,  and  also  advanced  with  his  whole  force  to  Quibbletown  (now  New  Market),  five 
or  six  miles  from  Middlebrook.  This  was  exactly  what  Howe  desired  to  accomplish, 
and,  accordingly,  on  the  night  of  the  25th,  he  suddenly  recalled  his  troops  from  Staten  ™*' 
Island  and  Amboy,  and  early  the  next  morning  marched  rapidly  toward  the  American  lines, 
hoping  to  cut  off  their  retreat  to  Middlebrook,  and  "thus  bring  on  a  general  action.  Wash- 
ington was  too  quick  and  vigilant  for  Howe,  and  reached  his  strong  position  again.  The 
advanced  guard  of  the  British  fell  in  with  Lord  Stirling's  division,  and  a  warm  skirmish 
ensued.  On  the  approach  of  Cornwallis  with  a  considerable  force,  Stirling  retreated  to  his 
camp  with  inconsiderable  loss.  Other  skirmishes  ensued,  but  neither  party  suffered  much. 
At  Westfield  the  British  forces  wheeled,  and,  marching  back  to  Amboy,  passed  over  to  Staten 
Island,  leaving  the  Americans  in  the  quiet  possession  of  New  Jersey. 

It  was  on  the  gentle  slope  from  the  plain  to  the  steep  acclivities  of  the  mountain  in  the 
rear  of  Middlebrook,  that  seven  brigades  of  the  American  army  were  hutted  duruig  the  win- 
ter of  1779—80.  After  the  battle  of  Monmouth, c  the  American  army  crossed  the  cju„e  28 
Hudson  River,  and  took  post  chiefly  in  Westchester  county.  The  head-quarters  ^'''^^■ 
of  Washington  were  at  WlJte  Plains.  In  the  mean  while  the  Count  d'Estaing  had  arrived 
at  Sandy  Hook  with  a  French  fleet ;  but,  being  unable  to  pass  the  bar  with  his  hca\'y  ships, 
to  attack  Lord  Howe  in  the  bay,  he  sailed  eastward  to  co-operate  with  General  Sullivan  in 
a  proposed  attack  upon  Newport,  on  Rhode  Island.  Of  this  expedition,  which  proved  un- 
successful, I  shall  hereafter  write. 

Washington  continued  at  White  Plains  until  late  in  autumn,  suspecting  the  design  of 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  to  be  to  make  a  movement  eastward.  Sir  Henry  gave  currency  to  the 
reports  that  such  were  his  intentions,  until  Washington  moved  his  head-quarters  to  Freder- 


common  ancestor  of  all  the  Livingstons  in  America.  His  son  Robert,  the  first  "  lord  of  the  manor"  of  Liv- 
ingston, in  Columbia  County,  New  York,  came  to  America  about  1675,  and  from  him  all  the  family  in  this 
country  have  descended.  They  were  all  remarkable  for  their  patriotism  during  the  Revolution  :  nnd  for  giity 
years  afterward  the  Livingstons  were  among  our  prominent  public  men 


332  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Clinton's  Operations  in  New  Jersey.         Disposition  of  the  American  Forces.        Encampment  at  Middlebrook.        Pluckerain. 

icsburg,  near  the  Connecticut  line,  and  turned  his  attention  decidedly  to  the  protection  of 
the  eastern  coast.  Clinton  then  sent  foraging  parties  into  New  Jersey,  and  ravaged  the 
whole  country,  from  the  Hudson  to  the  Raritan,  and  beyond.  The  abandonment  of  the 
siege  of  Newport,  the  return  of  Howe's  fleet  to  New  York,  and  the  entire  withdrawal  of 
forces  from  the  east  by  Clinton,  except  those  stationed  upon  R,hode  Island,  convinced  Wash- 
ington that  the  British  commander  had  no  further  designs  in  that  direction,  and  he  prepared 
to  put  his  army  into  the  most  advantageous  winter-quarters.  Nine  brigades  were  stationed 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson,  exclusive  of  the  garrison  at  West  Point.  One  of  these  was 
at  Smith's  Cove,  in  the  rear  of  Haverstraw,  one  at  Elizabethtown,  and  the  other  seven  were 
at  Middlebrook.  Six  brigades  were  cantoned  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  and  at  West 
Point.  One  was  at  West  Point,  two  were  at  Continental  Village,  a  hamlet  near  Peekskill, 
and  three  in  the  vicinity  of  Danbury,  in  Connecticut.  The  artillery  was  at  Pluckemin,  in 
Bedrainster  county,  New  Jersey.'  The  head-quarters  of  the  chief  were  in  the  vicinity  of 
MidJlebrook.  Knox,  Greene,  and  Steuben  were  among  the  general  officers  that  accompa- 
nied him  ;  and  the  ladies  of  several  of  the  officers,  among  whom  was  Mrs.  Washington,  en- 
livened the  camp  by  their  presence  during  the  winter. 

The  place  of  encampment  was  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  northwest  from  the  village. 
Log  huts  were  completed,  for  the  use  of  the  soldiers,  in  February,  after  they  had  sufTered 
exposure  under  canvas  tents  for  several  weeks.  The  huts,  according  to  the  description  of 
Dr.  Thacher,  who  was  there,  were  made  very  comfortable  by  filling  the  interstices  between 
the  logs  with  mud,  as  log  houses  in  our  Western  and  Southwestern  states  are  now  made. 
The  huts  were  arranged  in  straight  lines,  forming  a  regular  and  compact  village.  The  offi- 
cers' huts  were  arranged  in  front  of  the  line,  according  to  their  rank,  with  kitchens  in  the 
rear  ;  and  the  whole  was  similar  in  form  to  a  tent  encampment.  Remains  of  these  are  still 
found  in  the  fields  where  the  encampment  was.  I  could  not  ascertain  where  Washington 
was  quartered ;  and,  as  far  as  I  could  learn  by  inquiries,  there  is  only  one  house  remaining 
in  the  neighborhood  which  was  occupied  by  any  of  the  general  officers  at  that  time,  and 
that  is  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Staats,  where  Major-general  Baron  Steuben  had  his  quarters. 
From  a  remark  by  Dr.  Thacher,  in  his  Military  Journal  (page  156),  I  infer  that  Washing- 
ton's quarters  were  at  or  near  Pluckemin,  a  few  miles  from  the  camp.  The  doctor  speaks 
of  an  event  that  occurred  "  near  head-quarters,  at  Pluckemin." 

In  the  evening  of  my  arrival  at  Middlebrook,  I  called  on  Mrs.  Polly  Van  Norden,  a  small, 
but  vigorous  old  lady,  eighty-four  years  of  age.  She  lived  near  the  Monmouth  battle-ground 
at  the  time  of  the  conflict  there,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  the  sufferings  of  the  Whigs 
in  that  region  from  the  depredations  of  the  desperate  band  of  Tories  called  the  Pine  Robbers. 
She  was  a  woman  of  strong  but  uncultivated  mind,  and  became  excited  with  feelings  of  the 

'  Pluckerain  lies  at  the  base  of  a  high  mountain,  about  six  miles  northwest  of  Somerville.  There  the 
American  army  halted  on  the  4th  of  January,  1777  (the  day  after  the  battle  of  Princeton),  on  its  way  to 
Morristown.  In  the  village  burial-ground  is  the  grave  of  Captain  Leslie,  of  the  British  army,  who  was  mor- 
tally wounded  at  Princeton.  Mr.  Custis,  in  his  Recollections  of  the  Life  of  Washington,  says,  "  It  was  while 
the  commander-in-chief  reined  up  his  horse,  upon  approaching  the  spot,  in  a  plowed  field,  where  lay  the  gal- 
lant Colonel  Harslet,  mortally  wounded,  that  he  perceived  some  British  soldiers  supporting  a  wounded  offi- 
cer, and,  upon  inquiring  his  name  and  rank,  was  answered,  '  Captain  Leslie.'  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  who 
formed  a  part  of  the  general's  suite,  earnestly  asked,  'A  son  of  the  Earl  of  Levin?'  to  which  the  soldiers 
replied  in  the  affirmative.  The  doctor  then  addressed  the  general-in-chief :  '  I  beg  your  excellency  to  per- 
mit this  wounded  officer  to  be  placed  under  my  care,  that  I  may  return,  in  however  small  a  degree,  a  part 
of  the  obligation  I  owe  to  his  worthy  father  for  the  many  kindnesses  received  at  his  hands  while  a  student 
at  Edinburgh.'  The  request  was  immediately  granted  ;  but,  alas  !  poor  Leslie  was  soon  past  all  surgery." 
He  died  the  same  evening,  after  receiving  every  possible  kindness  and  attention,  and  was  buried  the  next 
day  at  Pluckemin,  with  the  honors  of  war.  His  troops,  as  they  lowered  the  body  to  the  soldier's  last  rest, 
shed  tears  of  sorrow  over  the  I'cmains  of  their  much-loved  commander.  On  a  plain  monument  erected  to 
his  memory  is  the  following  inscription :  "  In  memory  of  Captain  William  Leslie,  of  the  seventh  British 
regiment,  son  of  the  Earl  of  Levin,  in  Scotland.  He  fell,  January  3d,  1777,  aged  26  years,  at  the  battle 
of  Princeton.  His  friend,  Benjamin  Rush,  M.D.,  of  Philadelphia,  hath  caused  this  stone  to  be  erected,  as 
a  mark  of  his  esteem  for  his  worth,  and  respect  for  his  family." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


333 


Steuben's  Headquarters.       Recollectioua  of  Mrs.  Doty.       Visit  to  the  Camp.ground.       "  Washington's  Rock."      View  from  li. 

bitterest  hatred  against  the  Tories  -while  telling  me  of  their  deeds — a  hatred,  the  keenness 
of  which  the  lapse  of  seventy  years  has  scarcely  blunted. 

Early  the  following  morning,  in  company  with  a  gentleman  of  the  village,  I 
rode  to  the  residence  of  the  venerable  Bergen  Bragaw,  a  hale  old  man  of  eighty- 
seven.  From  him  I  learned  the  exact  locality  of  the  American  encampment 
brother  was  one  of  the  Pennsylvania  line,  and  my  informant  often  visited  him  in  the  camp. 
He  said  the  slope  where  the  huts  were  erected  was  heavily  timbered  at  that  time,  but  it 
was  completely  cleared  in  cutting  down  trees  for  the  log  houses,  and  has  been  a  cultivated 
tract  ever  since. 

From  Mr.  Bragaw's  we  rode  to  the  house  formerly  owned  by  Abraham  Staats,  and  now 


September  II, 

1818. 

His  half 


in  possession  of  his  son 
Three  sisters  survive,  one 
of  whom  (Mrs.  Jane  Doty), 
nearly  eighty  years  of  age, 
who  resided  there  during 
the  Revolution,  has  a  clear 
recollection  of  many  events 
connected  with  Baron 
Steuben's  occupancy  of  the 
house.  Although  she  was 
then  a  child  eight  or  ten 
years  old,  she  remembers 
the  dignity  of  his  appear- 
ance, the  urbanity  of  his 
manners,  for  which  he  was 


Steuben's  ilEAD-iiUARTKas.^ 


noted,  and  the  elegance 
and  richness  of  the  orna- 
ments with  which  he  was 
adorned.  She  spoke  of  a 
brilliant  medal  that  hung 
by  a  ribbon  upon  his  breast. ' 
Mrs.  Doty  recollected  two 
visits  made  to  the  baron  by 
Washington  and  his  lady, 
one  to  dine  and  the  other 
to  take  tea  with  him.  On 
the  latter  occasion  several 
ladies  were  present.  She 
also  remembers  an  enter- 
tainment given  by  the  bar 


on  to  the  American  officers  and  their  ladies,  on  which  occasion  the  table  was  spread  in  a 
grove  near  by.      This  occurred  a  short  time  before  the  encampment  broke  up,  which 
event  took  place  early  in  June. 

Returning  to  the  village,  we  proceeded  to  visit  the  camp-ground,  which  is  upon  the  left 
of  the  main  road  over  the  mountains  to  Pluckemin  ;  iilso  "  Washington's  Pv^ock."  The 
former  exhibits  nothing  worthy  of  particular  attention  ;  but  the  latter,  situated  upon  the 
highest  point  of  the  mountain  in  the  rear  of  Middlebrook,  is  a  locality,  independent  of  the 
associations  which  hallow  it,  that  must  ever  impress  the  visitor  with  pleasant  recollections 
of  the  view  obtained  from  that  lofty  observatory.  We  left  our  wagon  at  a  point  half  way  up 
the  mountain,  and  made  our  way  up  the  steep  declivities  along  the  remains  of  the  old  road. 
How  loaded  wagons  Avere  managed  in  ascending  or  descending  this  mountain  road  is  quite  in- 
conceivable, for  it  is  a  difficult  journey  for  a  foot-passenger  to  make.  In  many  places  not  even 
the  advantage  of  a  zigzag  course  along  the  hill  sides  was  employed,  but  a  line  as  straight  as 
possible  was  made  up  the  mountain.  Along  this  difficult  way  the  artillery  troops  that  were  sta- 
tioned at  Pluckemin  crossed  the  mountain,  and  over  that  steep  and  rugged  road  heavy  cannons 
were  dragged.  Having  reached  the  summit,  we  made  our  way  through  a  narrow  and  tangled 
path  to  the  bold  rock  seen  in  the  picture  on  the  next  page.  It  is  at  an  elevation  of  nearly 
four  hundred  feet  above  the  plain  below,  and  commands  a  magnificent  view  of  the  surround- 
ing country  included  in  the  segment  of  a  circle  of  sLxty  miles,  having  its  rundle  southward. 
At  our  feet  spread  out  the  beautiful  rolling  plains  like  a  map,  through  which  course  the  wind- 


'  Baron  Steuben  had  received  from  the  King  of  PriLssia  a  splendid  medal  of  gold  and  diamonds,  designat 
inp  the  Order  of  Fidelity,  which  he  always  wore  when  in  full  military  dress. 

'  This  view  isj  from  the  field  in  front  of  the  house,  looking  north.  The  dwelling  is  at  the  end  of  a  lane 
several  rods  from  the  main  road  leading  to  ]\Iiddlebrook  from  New  Bnmswick.  it  i.s  on  the  western  side 
of  the  Raritan,  and  about  a  mile  from  the  bridge  near  Middlebrook.  Only  the  center  building  wa.s  in  ex- 
i.stence  at  the  time  in  question,  and  that  seems  to  have  been  enlarged.  Each  wing  has  since  been  added. 
The  interior  of  the  old  part  is  kept  in  the  same  condition  as  it  wa.s  when  Steuben  occupied  it,  being,  like 
most  of  the  better  dwellings  of  that  time,  neatly  wainscoted  with  pmo.  wrought  into  moldings  and  panels. 


334 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


View  from  Washington's  Rock. 


Another  similar  Rock  at  Plainfield. 


Celebration  at  Pluckemin  in  1779. 


ing  Raritan  and  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal.      Little  villages  and  neat  farm-houses 
dotted  the  picture  in  every  direction.      Southward,  the  spires  of  New  Brunswick  shot  up 


above  the  intervening  for. 
ests,  and  on 
the  left,  as 
seen  in   the  pic 
ture.  was  spread  the 
expanse  of  Raritan  and 
Amboy  Bays,  with  many 
white   sails  upon  their  bo- 
soms.     Beyond    were    seen 
the  swelling  hills  of  Staten 
Island,   and  the   more   abrupt 
heights  of  Neversink  or  Navcsink 
Mountains,  at  Sandy  Hook       Upou 
this   lofty    rock   Washington   often 
stood,  with  his  telescope,  and  reconnoi- 
tered  the  vicinity.      He  ovei  looked  his 
camp  at  his  feet,  and  could  have  de- 
scried the  marchings  of  the  enemy  at  a 
great  distance  upon  the  plain,  or  the  evo- 
lutions of  a  fleet  in  the  waters  beyond 
In  the  rear  of  Plainfield,  at  an  equal  ele- 
vation, and  upon  the  same  lange  of  hills, 
is  another  rock  bearing  a  similar  appella- 
tion, and  from  the  same  cause.      It  is  neai 
the  brow  of  the  mountain,  but,  unlike  the 
one  under  consideration,  it  stands  quite  alone, 


and  rises  from  a  slope  of  the  hill, 
about  twenty-five  feet  from 
base  to  summit.  From  this 
latter  lofty  position,  it  is 
said,  Washington  watched 
the  movements  of  the  ene- 
my in  the  summer  of  1777, 
recorded  on  page  331. 
While  upon  the  mount- 
ains, a  haze  that  dimmed  the 
sky  in  the  morning,  gathering 
into  thick  clouds,  assumed  the 
nimbus  form,  and  menaced  us 
with  rain.  This  fact,  and  the 
^  expectationof  the  speedy  ar- 
rival of  the  train  for  Somer- 
viUe,  where  I  was  to  take  stage 
for  Easton, 
on  the  Del- 
aware, hur- 
ried us  back 
to  the  village.  There  I  met  an  old 
gentleman  (whose  name  I  have  forgot- 
ten), who,  though  a  small  boy  at  the 
time,  remembered  the  grand  display  at 


February  6, 

1778. 


Pluckemin  during  the  encampment,  on 
the  anniversary  of  the  alliance  of  America  with  France.'  He  remembered  an 
incident  which  I  have  not  seen  mentioned  in  the  published  accounts  of  that 


^  The  following  account  of  this  celebration,  published  at  the  time,  will  doubtless  interest  the  reader.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  on  the  6th  of  February,  1778,  Dr.  Franklin  and  other  American  commissioners. 
and  commissioners  appointed  by  the  French  government,  signed  a  treaty  of  friendship  and  alliance  between 
the  two  countries.  The  event  alluded  to  occurred  on  the  first  anniversary  (1779)  of  the  alliance,  or  a  few 
days  afterward.  It  was  postponed  until  the  1 8th,  on  account  of  Washington's  absence  from  camp.  The 
general-in-chief,  and  all  the  principal  officers  of  the  army  there,  Mrs.  Washington,  Mrs.  Knox,  Mrs.  Greene, 
and  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  for  a  large  circuit  around  the  camp,  were  of  the  company ;  and  there  was  a 
vast  concourse  of  spectators  from  every  part  of  New  Jersey. 

The  artillery  were  posted  upon  a  piece  of  rising  ground,  and  the  entertainment  was  given  by  General 
Knox  and  the  officers  of  the  artillery  corps.  The  entertainment  and  ball  were  held  at  the  academy  of  the 
Park.  The  celebration  was  commenced  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  by  a  discharge  of  thirteen 
cannons.  The  company  invited  then  sat  down  to  dinner  in  the  academy.  In  the  evening  a  display  of  fire- 
works was  made,  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Stevens,  "  from  the  point  of  a  temple  one  hundred  feet  in 
length,  and  proportionately  high."  The  temple  showed  thirteen  arches,  each  displaying  an  illuminated  paint- 
ing. The  center  arch  was  ornamented  with  a  pediment  larger  than  any  of  the  others ;  and  the  whole  edi- 
fice was  supported  by  a  colonnade  of  the  Corinthian  order.  The  illuminated  paintings  were  disposed  in  the 
following  order :  The  1st  arch  on  the  right  represented  the  commencement  of  hostilities  at  Lexington,  with 
this  inscription  :  "  The  scene  opened."  2d.  British  clemency,  represented  in  the  burning  of  Charlestown, 
Falmouth,  Norfolk,  and  Kingston.  3d.  The  separation  of  America  from  Britain.  A  magnificent  arch  broken 
in  the  center,  with  this  motto  :  "  By  your  tyranny  to  the  people  of  America,  you  have  separated  the  wide 
arch  of  an  extended  empire."  4th.  Britain  represented  as  a  decaying  empire,  by  a  barren  country,  broken 
arches,  fallen  spires,  ships  deserting  its  shores,  birds  of  prey  hovering  over  its  moldering  cities,  and  a  gloomy 
setting  sun.     Motto, 


"  The  Babylonian  spires  are  sunk, 
Achaia,  Rome,  and  Egypt  moldered  down  ; 
Time  shakes  the  stable  tyranny  of  thrones. 
And  tottering  empires  crush  by  their  own  weight." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  335 


Incident  at  Pluckemin.  Departure  from  Middlebrook.  Somerville.  Incidents  by  the  Way.  Arrival  at  Enston. 

affair.  He  said  that  several  boys  had  possession  of  a  small  swivel,  and,  in  firing  it,  one 
of  them,  while  loading,  had  his  hand  blown  off  by  a  premature  discharge  of  the  piece.  The 
boy  was  the  son  of  a  widow,  and  Washington,  hearing  of  the  circumstance,  sent  his  mother 
two  guineas. 

I  left  Middlebrook  at  noon,  and  within  half  an  hour  was  at  dinner  in  Somerville,  five  or 
six  miles  distant,  whence,  at  one  o'clock,  T  departed  in  a  stage-coach  for  Easton.  Within  . 
the  coach  were  seven  grown  persons,  three  children  about  ten  years  old,  and  two  babies  of 
a  respectable  size  and  sound  lungs  ;  while  on  the  outside  were  four  passengers  and  the  driver, 
and  an  indefinite  quantity  of  baggage.  The  roads  were  excessively  dusty.  The  rain  that 
commenced  falling  gently  soon  after  leaving  Somerville  relieved  us  of  that  annoyance,  but 
produced  a  greater — the  necessity  of  having  the  windows  of  the  coach  closed,  to  keep  out  the 
drippings  of  the  increasing  storm.  A  wheezing  old  gentleman  in  green  goggles  insisted  iipon 
keeping  the  window  open  near  him,  to  save  him  from  suffocation  ;  while  a  shadowy,  mid- 
dle-aged lady,  iipon  the  next  seat,  wrapped  in  a  cloak,  as  earnestly  declared  that  it  should 
be  closed  to  save  her  from  an  ague  that  had  threatened  her  for  a  week.  The  matter  ap- 
peared to  be  very  properly  a  casus  belli,  as  prime  ministers  say  ;  but,  unlike  the  action  of 
prime  ministers  in  general,  the  controversy  was  compromised  by  mutual  concessions,  the 
crooked  roads  over  the  rough  hills  presenting  a  basis  for  an  amicable  treaty  of  peace.  It 
was  agreed  that,  when  the  course  of  the  road  brought  the  lady  to  the  windward,  the  window 
was  to  be  closed,  and  at  other  times  the  gentleman  was  to  be  accommodated  with  fresh  air. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  is  beautifully  diversified  with  lofty  hills  and  deep 
ravines,  forming  numerous  water  courses,  whose  irrigating  streams  fertilize  the  broad  valleys 
which  are  found  occasionally  imbosomed  among  the  less  fertile,  but  cultivated  mountains. 
Of  these,  the  Musconetcong,'  through  which  flows  a  small  river  of  the  same  euphonious 
name,  dividing  the  counties  of  Hunterdon  and  Warren,  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  charm- 
ing. We  crossed  the  Musconetcong  at  the  pretty  little  village  of  Bloomsbury,  at  twilight,  but 
the  gloaming  and  the  rain  deprived  us  of  the  pleasure  of  a  view  of  the  valley  and  its  thriv- 
ing town.  We  were  now  within  six  miles  of  the  Delaware,  and  as  the  darkness  deepened 
the  storm  increased  ;  and  when,  at  seven  o'clock,  we  crossed  the  river,  and  reined  up  at  the 
hotel  in  Easton,  we  seemed  to  alight  in  the  very  court  of  Jupiter  Pluvius. 

Easton  is  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Delaware,  at  its  confluence  with  the  Lehigh  River, 
thirty-seven  miles  northwest  from  Somerville.  Arriving  there  after  dark,  and  departing  the 
next  morning  before  daylight,  I  had  no  opportunity  to  view  it.  It  is  said  to  be  a  place  of 
much  business,  and  inhabited  by  a  well-educated,  social,  and  highly  moral  population,  and 
is  in  the  midst  of  natural  scenery  singularly  picturesque.  It  has  but  little  Revolutionary 
history,  and  that  relates  chiefly  to  contests  with  the  Indians.      Here  the  division  of  the  army 

5th.  America  represented  as  a  rising  empire.  Prospect  of  a  fertile  country,  harbors  and  rivers  covered  with 
ships,  new  canals  opening,  cities  arising  amid  woods,  splendid  sun  emerging  from  a  bright  horizon.     Motto, 

"  New  worlds  are  still  emerging  from  the  deep, 
The  old  descending,  in  their  turns  to  rise." 

6th.  A  grand  illuminated  representation  of  Louis  the  Sixteenth,  the  encourager  of  letters,  the  sup- 
porter of  the  rights  of  humanity,  the  ally  and  friend  of  the  American  people.  7th.  The  center  arch,  The 
Fathers  in  Congress.  Motto,  ''''  Nil  desperandum  reipublicce.'^  8th.  The  American  philosopher  and  em- 
liassador  extracting  lightning  from  the  clouds.  9th.  The  battle  near  Saratoga,  7th  of  October,  1777.  10th. 
The  Convention  of  Saratoga.  11th.  A  representation  of  the  sea  fight,  off  Ushant,  between  Count  d'Orv-il- 
liers  and  Admiral  Kcppel.  12th.  Warren,  Montgomery,  Mercer,  Wooster,  Nash,  and  a  crowd  of  heroes 
who  have  fallen  in  the  American  contest,  in  Elysium,  receiving  the  thanks  and  praises  of  Brutus,  Cato,  and 
those  spirits  who  in  all  ages  have  gloriously  struggled  against  tyrants  and  tyranny.  Motto,  "  Those  who 
shed  their  blood  in  such  a  cause  shall  live  and  reign  forever."  13th  represented  Peace,  with  all  her  train 
of  blessinfTS.  Her  ri^ht  hand  displaying  an  olive  branch  ;  at  her  feet  lay  the  honors  of  harvest ;  the  back- 
ground was  filled  with  flourishing  cities ;  ports  crowded  with  ships ;  and  other  emblems  of  an  extensive 
empire  and  unrestrained  commerce. 

When  the  fire-works  were  finished,  the  company  concluded  the  celebration  by  a  splendid  ball,  which  was 
opened  by  Washington,  whose  partner  was  the  lady  of  General  Knox. 

'  This  is  an  Indian  word,  signifying  "  a  rapid-running  stream.' 


336  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Sullivan's  Expedition.  Indian  Council.  Whitefield  and  Braineril 

of  Sullivan,  under  his  immediate  command,  rendezvoused  previous  to  its  flying  and  desolat- 
ing campaign  against  the  Six  Nations  in  central  New  York  in  1779,  and  hither  came  the 
poor  fugitives  from  the  blackened  Valley  of  Wyoming,  after  the  terrible  massacre  and  burn- 
ing there  in  1778.  It  has  history  antecedent  to  this,  but  in  a  measure  irrelevant  to  our 
subject.  Here,  in  1758,  the  chiefs  of  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Delawares,  Shawnees,  Miamis, 
Nanticokes,  Mohicans,  Conoys,  Monseys,  and  all  of  the  Sbc  Nations,  assembled  in  grand 
council  with  the  Governors  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  Sir  William  Johnson,  and 
other  distinguished  men  ;  and  the  eloquence  and  good  sense  of  the  great  Indian  diplomatist, 
Teedyuscung,  were  here  displayed  on  several  occasions.  Here,  too,  before  the  cabin  of  the 
white  man  was  built  upon  the  Delaware  above  Trenton,  the  surrounding  hills  echoed  the 
voices  of  the  eminent  Whitefield  and  Brainerd,'  as  they  proclaimed  the  Gospel  of  Peace  to 
the  heathen ;  and  here  the  good  Moravians  sang  their  hymns  and  held  their  love-feasts  in 
the  wigwams  of  the  Indians. 

'  George  Whitefield  was  born  m  Gloucester,  England,  December  16th,  1714.  After  making  some 
progress  in  learning,  he  was  obliged  to  assist  his  mother,  who  kept  an  inn.  At  the  ajre  of  eighteen  he  en- 
tered Oxford,  where  he  became  acquainted  with  the  Wesleys  (John  and  Charles),  the  founders  of  the  Meth- 
odists. He  joined  these  eminent  Christians,  took  orders,  and  was  ordained  by  the  bishop  in  June,  1736. 
Mr.  John  Wesley  was  then  in  Georgia,  and  by  his  persuasion  Whitefield  embarked  for  America.  He  ar- 
rived at  Savannah  in  May,  1738,  and  returned  to  England  in  September  following.  Bishop  Benson  ordain- 
ed him  priest  in  January,  1739.  He  made  several  voyages  to  America,  and  traveled  through  nearly  all  the 
colonies.  He  went  to  the  Bermudas  in  1748.  In  1769  he  made  his  seventh  and  last  voyage  to  America. 
After  preaching  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  he  died  suddenly  at  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  Septem- 
ber 30th,  1770,  aged  fifty-five.  His  powers  of  eloquence  were  wonderful,  and  his  ministry  was  exceedingly 
fruitful.  His  voice  was  powerful.  Dr.  Franklin  estimated  that  thirty  thousand  people  might  hear  him  dis- 
tinctly when  nr^^ching  in  the  open  air.     Of  him  Cowper  wrote, 

"  He  loved  the  world  that  hated  him ;  the  tear 
That  dropped  upon  his  Bible  was  sincere  ; 
Assailed  by  scandal  and  the  tongue  of  strife, 
His  only  answer  was  a  blameless  life  ; 
And  he  that  forged  and  he  that  threw  the  dart, 
Had  each  a  brother's  interest  in  his  heart. 
Paul's  love  of  Christ  and  steadiness  unbribed 
Were  copied  close  in  him,  and  well  transcribed  , 
He  followed  Paul,  his  zeal  a  kindred  flame, 
His  apostoUc  charity  the  same  ; 
Like  him,  crossed  cheerfully  tempestuous  seao, 
Forsaking  country,  kindred,  friends,  and  ease  ; 
Like  him  he  labored,  and  like  him  content 
To  bear  it,  suffer  shame  where'er  he  went. 
Blush,  Calumny  I  and  write  upon  his  tomb, 
f  honest  eulogy  can  spare  thee  room, 
The  deep  repentance  of  thy  thousand  lies, 
VS^hich,  aimed  at  him,  have  pierced  th'  offended  skies, 
And  say,  blot  out  my  sin,  confessed,  deplored. 
Against  thine  image  in  thy  saint,  oh  Lord  1" 

David  Brainerd  was  born  at  Haddam,  Connecticut,  April  20th,  1718.  He  entered  Yale  CoUeore  in 
1739  ;  but,  being  expelled  in  1742,  on  account  of  some  indiscreet  remarks  respecting  one  of  the  tutors,  he 
never  obtained  his  degree.  He  immediately  commenced  the  study  of  divinity.  Toward  the  close  of  the 
year  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  immediately  afterward  was  appointed  a  missionary  to  the  Indians.  His 
first  efforts  were  made  among  the  Stockbridge  Indians,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Kinderhook,  New  York. 
There  he  lodged  upon  straw,  and  his  food  was  the  simple  fare  of  the  savages.  After  the  Stockbridge  In- 
dians agreed  to  remove  to  Stockbridge,  and  place  themselves  under  the  instruction  of  Mr.  Sergeant,  Brain- 
erd went  to  the  Indians  upon  the  Delaware.  There  he  labored  for  a  while,  and  then  visited  the  Indians 
at  Crossweeksung,  or  Crosswicks,  in  New  Jersey,  where  he  was  very  successful.  He  worked  an  entire  re- 
form in  the  lives  of  the  savages  at  that  place.  In  the  summer  of  1746,  Mr.  Brainerd  visited  the  Indians 
upon  the  Susquehanna.  The  next  spring,  finding  his  health  giving  way,  he  traveled  in  New  England.  In 
July  he  halted  at  Northampton,  and  there,  in  the  family  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  he  passed  the  remaining 
weeks  of  his  life.  He  died  October  9th,  1747,  aged  twenty-nine  years.  His  exertions  in  the  Christian 
cause  were  of  short  continuance,  but  they  were  intense,  incessant,  and  effectual 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION 


337 


Departure  for  Wyoming 


A  chilling  Mist 


Nap  in  the  Coach 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"  On  Susquehanna's  side,  fair  Wyoming  ! 

Although  the  wild  flowers  on  thy  ruined  wall 
And  roofless  homes  a  sad  remembrance  bring 
Of  what  thy  gentle  people  did  befall, 
Yet  thou  wert  once  the  loveliest  land  of  all 
That  see  the  Atlantic's  wave  their  morn  restore." 

Campbkll. 

"  Thou  com'st  in  beauty  on  my  gaze  at  last, 

'  On  Susquehanna's  side,  fair  Wyoming,' 
Image  of  many  a  dream,  in  hours  long  past, 

When  life  was  in  its  bud  and  blossoming, 
And  waters,  gushing  from  the  fountain  spring 

Of  pure  enthusiast  thought,  dimm'd  my  young  eyes, 
As  by  the  poet  borne,  on  unseen  wing, 

I  breathed,  in  fancy,  'neath  thy  cloudless  skies. 
The  summer's  air,  and  heard  her  echoed  harmonies." 

Halleck. 


LEFT  Easton  for  the  Valley  of  Wyoming,  sixty  miles  distant,  at  three  o'cloclc 
in  the  morning.  The  storm  was  over,  and  the  broken  clouds,  flitting  upon  a 
cool  wind  from  the  northwest,  permitted  a  few  gleams  of  moonlight  to  stray 
down  to  earth.  Although  there  were  but  three  passengers  in  the  coach  (two 
ladies  and  an  infant),  I  took  a  seat  with  the  driver,  for  there  were  promises  of 
a  bright  morning  and  magnificent  scenery.  The  coachman  was  a  good-natured 
Pennsylvania  Dutchman,  rather  taciturn,  and  such  an  adept  in  his  profession 
that  his  practiced  ear  detected  the  absence  of  a  shoe  from  the  foot  of  one  of  the 
"  leaders"  when  three  miles  from  Easton.  A  blacksmith  by  the  road  side  was 
aroused,  the  shoe  was  replaced,  and  within  an  hour  we  had  ascended  the  fertile 
slopes  of  the  Delaware  and  Lehigh,  to  Nazareth,  a  Moravian  village  about  half 
way  between  Easton  and  the  Wind-gap  in  the  Blue  Mountains.  The  day  had 
not  yet  dawned,  yet  the  snatches  of  moonlight  enabled  me  to  observe  the  uni- 
form and  neat  appearance  of  the  houses  in  the  village.'  We  were  now  high 
among  the  hills,  whence  the  mists  from  the  rivers  and  valleys  had  rolled  up 
when  the  storm  ceased  at  midnight,  and  I  was  glad  to  take  shelter  from  the 
chilling  vapor  within  the  coach.  The  seats  were  spacious,  and,  having  one  in 
'  '  exclusive  possession,  I  made  a  couch  of  it,  using  the  carpet  bag  of  one  of  the 

ladies  for  a  pillow,  and  slept  soundly  for  an  hour.      When  I  awoke,  the  morning  light  was 

'  Nazareth  is  seven  miles  northwest  of  Easton.  It  contains  a  church,  a  sisters'  house,  a  large  and  flour- 
ishing seminary  for  boys,  and  the  usual  dead-house  and  cemetery  peculiar  to  the  sect.  The  place  was  named, 
and,  it  may  be  said,  founded,  by  the  Rev.  George  Whitefield,  the  eloquent  cosmopolite  preacher.  He  had 
labored  in  conjunction  with  the  JNIoravians  in  Georgia.  When,  about  1740,  they  refused  to  take  up  arms 
for  the  governor  of  the  province,  and  left  Georgia  for  the  more  peaceful  domain  of  William  Pcnn,  Whitefield 
accompanied  them.  He  began  to  erect  a  large  building  "  in  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware"  as  a  school  for 
negro  children,  while  the  Moravians,  under  Bishop  Nischman,  purchased  the  site  and  founded  the  town  of 
Bethlehem,  about  ten  miles  distant.  Whitefield  named  his  domain,  or  manor,  Nazareth.  He  did  not  com- 
plete his  building,  but  sold  "  the  manor  of  Nazareth"  to  the  ^Moravians,  who  finished  the  edifice.  It  is  still 
standing,  in  the  eastern  border  of  the  village.  The  iMoravian  Sisters  of  Bethlehem  wrought  an  elegant  ban- 
r.er,  and  presented  it  to  Count  Pulaski.  A  dra^wing  of  the  banner,  and  the  beautiful  Consecration  Hymn,  writ- 
ten by  Longfellow,  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  work. 


338  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Passage  through  the  Wind-gap  The  great  Walk.  Roscommon  Tavern.  An  Office-hunter. 

abroad,  and  we  were  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Wind-gap.  I  again  mounted  the  driver's 
box,  for  all  around  us  Nature  was  displaying  her  attractions  in  the  plenitude  of  her  magnifi- 
cence and  beauty.  Before  us,  and  in  close  proximity,  were  the  Blue  Mountains,  their  sum- 
mits curtained  in  a  white  fog  that  was  rising  toward  the  loftier  clouds.  Behind  us,  far  down 
into  the  valleys  and  intervales,  orchards,  corn-fields,  forests,  and  meadows  were  spread  out 
like  a  carpet  of  mellow  tints,  and  on  every  side  the  gentle  breeze  was  shaking  the  rain-drops 
from  the  boughs  in  diamond  showers,  glittering  in  the  first  rays  of  the  morning  sun.  While 
the  bleating  of  sheep  and  the  bellowing  of  cattle  reminded  us  of  cultivated  fields  behind  us, 
the  whirring  of  the  pheasant,  the  drumming  of  the  partridge,  and  the  whistling  of  the  quail 
among  the  rocks  and  lofty  evergreens  around  betokened  the  uncultivated  wilderness. 

The  Wind-gap,  unlike  the  far-famed  Water-gap'  in  the  same  cluster  of  mountains,  is  a 
deep  depression  of  the  swmmit  of  the  range,  is  quite  level  on  both  sides  of  the  road  for  a  con- 
siderable distance,  and  exhibits  none  of  the  majestic  precipices  of  the  latter.  The  earth  is 
covered  with  masses  of  angular  rocks,  among  which  shoot  up  cedar  and  other  trees  and  shrubs, 
chiefly  of  the  coniferse  order  ;  but  the  road,  by  industry,  is  made  quite  smooth.  The  hills 
rise  on  each  side  of  the  Gap  to  an  altitude  of  eight  hundred  feet,  clothed  and  crowned  with 
trees.  It  was  through  this  pass  in  the  mountains  that  two  expert  walkers  crossed  to  a  spur 
of  the  Pocono  when  measuring  the  extent  of  a  district  of  country  northwest  of  the  Delaware, 
for  the  proprietors  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1737.  The  Indians  had  agreed,  for  a  certain  con- 
sideration, to  sell  a  tract  of  land  included  within  prescribed  points  on  the  river,  and  extend- 
ing back  as  far  as  a  man  could  "  walk  in  a  day  and  a  half"  The  proprietors  immediately 
advertised  for  the  most  expert  walkers  in  the  province,  and  they  performed  a  journey,  in  the 
day  and  a  half,  of  eighty-six  miles  !  The  Indians  were  greatly  dissatisfied,  for  they  had  no 
idea  that  such  a  distance  could  be  accomplished,  and  it  included  some  of  their  finest  lands. 
The  walkers  ran  a  considerable  portion  of  the  way.  They  ate  as  they  traveled,  and  never 
stopped  from  sunrise  until  sunset.  One  old  Indian  said,  bitterly,  when  complaining  of  the 
cheat,  "  No  sit  down  to  smoke — no  shoot  a  squirrel,  but  lun,  lun,  lun,  all  day  long."  The 
Indians,  supposing  the  walk  would  end  not  far  from  the  Wind-gap,  had  collected  there  in 
great  numbers  ;  but,  to  their  astonishment,  the  walkers  reached  that  point  on  the  evening 
of  the  first  day. 

The  turnpike  road  through  the  Wind-gap,  and  across  the  valleys  and  mountains,  to  Wilkes- 
barre,  was  made  by  Sullivan  for  the  passage  of  his  troops  in  1779,  when  marching  to  join 
General  Clinton  on  the  Tioga.  Before  that  time  the  pass  was  little  more  than  a  rough  In- 
dian war-path,  and  its  obscurity  made  the  hurried  flight  of  the  people  from  Wyoming  over 
the  solitary  region  more  perplexing  and  dreadful  than  it  would  be  now. 

We  descended  from  the  Wind-gap,  on  the  western.side  of  the  mountain,  along  a  steep  and 
winding  road,  skirting  a  precipice,  crossed  a  beautiful  mountain  stream,  and  alighted  at  the 
Roscommon  Tavern,  among  the  hills,  where  we  breakfasted  at  seven  o'clock.  At  the  table 
we  were  honored  by  the  presence  of  one  of  the  five  candidates  for  the  oflice  of  sherifl'  of  Mon- 
roe county.  He  was  out  canvassing  the  district  for  votes,  and  a  more  earnest,  intelligent, 
good-humored  man  I  have  seldom  met.  His  strongest  claim  to  the  honors  and  emoluments 
of  the  office  seemed  to  rest  upon  the  fact  that  he  was  a  representative  of  New  England 
pedagogueism  in  the  Wyoming  Valley  as  early  as  "  forty  years  ago  ;"  had  taught  the  "  young 
ideas"  of  the  fathers  of  three  Wilkesbarre  lawyers  "  how  to  shoot,"  and,  therefore,  he  assumed 
to  have  an  undisputed  right  to  the  privilege  of  hanging  the  inhabitants  of  a  neighboring  county. 
He  accompanied  us  to  the  next  tavern,  the  proprietor  of  which,  a  fat  little  man,  though  al- 
ready bearing  upon  his  shoulders  the  responsibilities  of  a  postmaster,  was  another  aspirant 
ambitiously  wheezing  for  the  office  of  sheriff'.      Both  were  too  good-natured  to  be  made  rivals; 

'  The  Water-gap  is  the  passage  through  the  Kittatinny  or  Blue  Mountains  of  the  Delaware  River,  about 
three  miles  from  Stroudsburg.  This  village  is  upon  the  Delaware,  twenty-four  miles  above  Easton,  and 
was  the  first  settlement  which  the  fugitives  from  Wyoming  reached  when  fleeing  from  the  valley  in  1778 
There  was  a  fort  there,  called  Hamilton,  during  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  near  the  eastern  end  ol 
the  village  Fort  Penn  was  built  during  the  Revolution. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


Ascent  of  the  PocoDo.      Tbo  . Mountain  Scenery.      Solitude  of  the  Region.      A  Soldier  Coachmnn.      First  View  of  Wyoming. 

they  were  only  different  ca7ididates  professing  the  same  political  faith.  We  left  them  com- 
paring notes  over  a  glass  of  whisky,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  we  had  crossed  fertile 
little  valleys  and  parallel  ranges  of  mountains,  and  begun  the  toilsome  ascent  of  the  famous 
Pocono.  From  base  to  summit,  the  distance,  by  the  road,  is  about  three  miles,  one  third 
of  which  is  a  straight  line  up  the  mountain  at  an  angle  of  thirty-five  degrees.  Then  our  way 
was  along  the  precipitous  sides  of  the  hills,  from  which  we  could  look  upon  the  tops  of  tall 
trees,  hundreds  of  feet  below.  It  was  noon  when  we  reached  the  level  summit,  two  thou- ' 
sand  feet  above  tide  water ;  and  there,  three  fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  eastern  brow  of  the 
mountain,  John  Smith  keeps  a  tavern,  and  furnished  us  with  an  excellent  dinner. 

The  road  upon  the  top  of  Pocono  is  perfectly  level  a  distance  of  four  miles  ;  and  all  the 
way  to  the  Wilkesbarre  Mountains,  twenty  miles,  there  is  but  little  variation  in  the  alti- 
tude. On  the  left,  near  Smith's,  is  an  elevation  called  the  Knob,  about  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  general  level,  from  the  apex  of  which  it  is  said  the  highest  peaks  of  the  Catskills, 
sixty  miles  distant,  may  be  distinctly  seen  on  a  clear  morning.  All  around  is  a  perfect  wil- 
derness as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  and  so  trifling  are  the  variations  from  a  level,  that  the 
country  appears  like  a  vast  plain.  The  whole  is  covered  with  shrub  oaks,  from  three  to 
ten  feet  in  height,  from  which  rise  lofty  pines,  cedars,  and  tamaracks,  interspersed  with  a 
few  birch  and  chestnut  trees,  and  occasionally  a  mountain  ash  with  its  blazing  berries.  The 
shrub  oaks,  at  a  distance,  appeared  like  the  soft  light  green  grass  of  a  meadow,  and  groups 
of  lofty  evergreens  dotted  the  expanse  like  orchards  upon  a  prairie.  Here  and  there  a  huge 
blasted  pine,  black  and  leafless,  towered  above  the  rest,  a 

'  Stern  dweller  of  the  mountain  !  with  its  feet 
Grasping  the  crag,  and  lifting  to  the  sky 
Its  haughty  crest !" 

Vast  cranberry  marshes  spread  out  upon  this  high,  rolling  table-land,  and  supply  the  sur- 
rounding settlements  with  an  abundance  of  that  excellent  fruit.  Indeed,  the  whole  region 
is  almost  a  continuorus  morass,  and  the  road,  a  large  portion  of  the  way,  is  a  causeway  made 
of  logs.  Here  the  gray  eagle  wheels  undisturbed,  the  bear  makes  his  lair,  and  the  wild  deer 
roam  in  abundance.  These,  with  the  flocks  of  pheasants,  and  the  numerous  rabbits  that 
burrow  upon  this  wild  warren,  invite  the  adventurous  huntsman,  willing  to  "  camp  out"  in 
the  wilderness.  No  settlements  enliven  the  way  ;  and  the  cabins  and  saw-mills  of  lumber- 
men, where  the  road  intersects  the  streams,  are  the  only  evidences  of  a  resident  population, 
except  three  or  four  places  where  a  few  acres  have  been  redeemed  from  the  poverty  of  na- 
ture. This  wilderness  extends  more  than  a  hundred  miles  between  the  Delaware  and  Sus- 
quehanna Rivers,  and  a  death-like  solitude  broods  over  the  region. 

I  kept  my  seat  upon  the  driver's  box  all  the  way  from  the  Wind-gap  to  Wilkesbarre, 
charmed  by  the  romance  of  the  scene,  rendered  still  more  wild  and  picturesque  by  the  dark 
masses  of  cumulous  clouds  that  overspread  the  heavens  in  the  afternoon.  The  wind  blew 
very  cold  from  the  northwest,  and  the  driver  assured  me  that,  during  the  hottest  weather  in 
summer,  the  air  is  cool  and  bracing  upon  this  lofty  highway.  Poor  fellow,  he  was  an  ema- 
ciated, blue-lipped  soldier,  recently  returned  from  the  battle-fields  of  Mexico,  where  the  vom- 
ito  and  ague  had  shattered  a  hitherto  strong  constitution,  and  opened  his  firm-knit  system 
to  the  free  entrance  of  diseases  of  every  kind.  He  was  at  Vera  Cniz  and  Cerro  Gordo.  He 
lay  sick  a  whole  summer  at  Perote,  and  now  had  resumed  the  whip  with  the  feeble  hope 
of  regaining  lost  health. 

We  crossed  the  upper  waters  of  the  Lehigh  at  Stoddartsville,  in  the  midst  of  the  great 
lumber  country,  and  reached  the  brow  of  the  Wilkesbarre  Mountains  just  before  sunset. 
There  a  scene  of  rare  grandeur  and  beauty  was  revealed,  heightened  by  contrast  with  the 
rugged  and  forbidding  aspect  of  the  region  we  had  just  traversed.  The  heavy  clouds,  like 
a  thick  curtain,  were  lifted  in  the  west  to  the  apparent  height  of  a  celestial  degree,  and  al- 
lowed the  last  rays  of  the  evening  sun  to  flood  the  deep  valley  below  us  with  their  golden 
light.      The  natural  beauties  of  the  vale,  reposing  in  shadow,  were  for  a  moment  brought 


340  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

A  charming  Landscape.  Arrival  at  Wilkesbarre.  Charles  Minor,  Esq.  His  Picture  of  old  Wyoming 

out  in  bold  outline  ;  and  from  our  point  of  view  we  gazed  upon  a  picture  such  as  the  paint 
er's  art  can  not  imitate.  Like  a  thread  of  silver  the  Susquehanna  appeared,  in  its  winding 
course,  among  the  lofty,  overshadowing  trees,  upon  its  margin,  and  the  villages,  hamlets, 
green  woodlands,  rich  bottoms,  and  fruitful  intervales  of  Wyoming,  twenty  miles  in  extent, 
and  the  purple  mountains  on  its  western  borders  were  all  included  in  the  range  of  our  vision. 
The  thought,  impious  though  it  may  be,  came  into  my  mind,  that  if  Satan,  when  he  took 
Immanuel  to  the  top  of  an  "  exceeding  high  mountain,"  exhibited  a  scene  like  this,  the  tempt- 
ition  was  certainly  great.  Wilkesbarre,'  apparently  at  our  feet,  was  three  miles  distant, 
and  it  was  dark  when  we  reached  the  Phoenix  Hotel,  upon  the  bank  of  the  river.  It  had 
been  a  fatiguing  day's  journey  of  sixty  miles  ;  but  a  supper  of  venison,  warm  biscuit,  and 
honey,  and  a  comfortable  bed,  made  me  feel  perfectly  vigorous  in  the  morning,  and  prepared 
for  a  ramble  over  the  historic  portions  of  the  valley. 
September  16  After  an  early  breakfast  I  rode  to  the  residence  of  Charles  Miner,  Esq.,  about 

1848.  t^ro  miles  from  the  village,  expecting  to  rely  chiefly  upon  his  varied  and  extens- 

ive knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  valley  for  information  concerning  the  localities  of  inter- 
est, but  was  disappointed.^  He  was  suffering  from  a  severe  attack  of  an  epidemic  fever 
then  prevailing  in  the  valley,  and  was  unable  even  to  converse  much,  yet  I  have  not  forgot- 
ten the  sincere  regrets  and  kind  wishes  he  expressed.  He  referred  me  to  several  gentlemen 
in  the  village,  descendants  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  valley,  and  to  one  of  them  (Mr.  Lord 
Butler,  a  grandson  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler)  I  am  indebted  for  many  kind  services  while 
I  remained  there.  He  accompanied  me  to  the  several  localities  of  interest  in  the  valley,  and 
furnished  me  with  such  facilities  for  acquiring  information  as  only  a  stranger  can  appreciate. 
We  visited  Kingston,  Forty  Fort,  the  monument,  the  chief  battle-ground,  Fort  Wintermoot, 
Monocasy  Island,  &c.  ;  but  a  record  of  the  day's  ramble  will  be  better  understood  after  a 
consultation  of  the  history,  and  we  will,  therefore,  proceed  to  unclasp  the  old  chronicle. 

History  and  song  have  hallowed  the  Valley  of  Wyoming,  and  every  thing  appertaining  to 
it  seems  to  be  v/rapped  in  an  atmosphere  of  romance.  Its  Indian  history,  too,  long  antecedent 
to  the  advent  of  the  whites  there,  is  full  of  the  poetry  which  clusters  around  the  progress  of 
the  aborigines.  Mr.  Miner  gives  a  graphic  picture  of  the  physical  aspect  of  the  valley.  "  It 
is  diversified,"  he  says,  "  by  hill  and  dale,  upland  and  intervale.  Its  character  of  extreme 
richness  is  derived  from  the  extensive  flats,  or  river  bottoms,  which,  in  some  places,  extend 
from  one  to  two  miles  from  the  stream,  unrivaled  in  expansive  beauty,  unsurpassed  in  luxu- 
riant fertility.  Though  now  generally  cleared  and  cultivated,  to  protect  the  soil  from  floods 
a  fringe  of  trees  is  left  along  each  bank  of  the  river — the  sycamore,  the  elm,  and  more  es- 
pecially the  black  walnut,  while  here  and  there,  scattered  through  the  fields,  a  huge  shell- 
bark  yields  its  summer  shade  to  the  weary  laborers,  «,nd  its  autumn  fruit  to  the  black  and 
gray  squirrel,  or  the  rival  plow-boys.  Pure  streams  of  v/ater  come  leaping  from  the  mount- 
ains, imparting  health  and  pleasure  in  their  course  ;  all  of  them  abounding  with  the  deli- 
cious trout.      Along  those  brooks,  and  in  the  swales,  scattered  through  the  uplands,  grow 

'  This  name  is  compounded  of  two,  and  was  given  in  honor  of  John  Wilkes  and  Colonel  Barre,  two  of  the 
ablest  advocates  of  America,  through  the  press  and  on  the  floor  of  the  British  House  of  Commons,  during 
the  Revolution. 

*  Mr.  Miner  is  the  author  of  a  "  History  of  Wyoming^''''  a  valuable  work  of  nearly  six  hundred  pages,  and 
possessing  the  rare  merit  of  originality,  for  a  large  proportion  of  its  contents  is  a  record  of  information  ob- 
tained by  him  from  the  lips  of  old  residents  whose  lives  and  memories  ran  parallel  with  the  Revolutionary 
history  of  the  valley,  and  events  immediately  antecedent  thereto.  He  folded  up  little  books  of  blank  paper, 
took  pens  and  ink,  and,  accompanied  by  his  daughter  Sarah,  who,  though  blind,  was  a  cheerful  and  agree- 
able companion,  and  possessed  a  very  retentive  memory,  visited  thirty  or  forty  of  the  old  people  who  were 
in  the  valley  at  the  time  of  the  invasion  in  1778.  "We  have  come,"  he  said  to  them,  "to  inquire  about 
old  W3-oming ;  pray  tell  us  all  you  know.  We  wish  an  exect  picture,  such  as  the  valley  presented  sixty 
years  ago.  Give  us  its  lights  and  shadows,  its  joys  and  sorrr/ws."  At  night,  on  returning  home,  he  read 
over  to  his  daufrhter  what  he  had  taken  down,  and  carefully  corrected,  by  the  aid  of  her  memory,  "  any  error 
into  which  the  pen  had  fallen."  In  this  way  Mr.  Miner  eolleoted  a  great  amount  of  local  history,  which 
must  otherwise  have  perished  with  the  source  whence  he  derived  it.  I  shall  draw  liberally  upon  his  inter- 
esting volume  for  many  of  my  historic  facts  concerning  Wyoming. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


341 


Ancient  Beauty  and  Fertility  of  Wyoming.       Campbell's  "Gertrude  of  Wyoming."       Its  Errors.       First  Trilies  in  the  Valley 

the  wild  plum  and  the  butter-nut,  while,  wherever  the  hand  of  the  white  man  has  spared  it, 

the  native  grape  may  be  gathered  in  un- 


■'^ 


Caxnpbell,  Avith  a  poet's  license,  sung, 


limited  profusion.  I  have  seen  a  grape- 
vine bending  beneath  its  purple  clusters, 
one  branch  climbing  a  butter-nut,  loaded 
with  fruit,  another  branch  resting  upon  a 
wild  plum,  red  with  its  dehcious  burden  ; 
the  while,  growing  in  the  shade,  the  ha- 
zel-nut was  ripening  its  rounded  kernel. 

"  Such  were  the  common  scenes  when 
the  white  people  first  came  to  Wyoming, 
which  seems  to  have  been  founded  by  Na- 
ture, a  perfect  Indian  Paradise.  Game 
of  every  sort  was  abundant.  The  quail 
whistled  in  the  meadow ;  the  pheasant 
rustled  in  its  leafy  covert ;  the  wild  duck 
reared  her  brood  and  bent  the  reed  in  ev- 
ery inlet ;  the  red  deer  fed  upon  the  hills  ; 
while  in  the  deep  forests,  within  a  few 
hours'  walk,  was  found  the  stately  elk. 
The  river  yielded  at  all  seasons  a  supply 
of  fish  ;  the  yellow  perch,  the  pike,  the 
catfish,  the  bass,  the  roach,  and,  in  the 
spring  season,  myriads  of  shad.'" 


"  Delightful  Wyoming  !  beneath  thy  skies 

The  happ3'  shepherd  swains  had  naught  to  do 
But  feed  their  flocks  on  green  declivities, 

Or  skim  perchance,  thy  lake  with  light  canoe, 
From  morn  till  evenmg's  sweeter  pastime  greW; 

With  timbrel,  when  beneath  the  forest's  brow  ' 

Thy  lovely  maidens  would  the  dance  renew ; 

And  aye  those  sunny  mountains  half  way  down 

Would  echo  flageolet  from  some  romantic  town. 

"  Then,  when  of  Indian  hills  the  daylight  takes 

His  leave,  how  might  you  the  flamingo  see, 
Disporting  like  a  meteor  on  the  lakes — 

And  playful  squirrel  on  his  nut-grown  tree  : 
And  every  sound  of  life  was  full  of  glee, 

From  merry  mock-bird's  song,  or  hum  of  men ; 
While  hearkening,  fearing  naught  their  revelry, 

The  wild  deer  arched  his  neck  from  glades,  and  then, 

Unhunted,  sought  his  woods  and  wUderness  again."* 

Wyoming,  in  the  Delaware  language,  signifies  "  large  plains."  By  what  particular  In- 
dian nation  or  tribe  it  was  first  settled  is  not  certainly  known,  but  it  is  probable  that  the 
Delawares  held  dominion  there  long  before  the  powerful  confederacy  of  the  Five  Nations,  by 
whom  they  were  subjugated,  was  formed.  The  tribes  known  as  the  Wyoming  Indians,  unto 
whom  Zinzendorf  and  his  Moravian  brethren  preached  the  Gospel,  and  who  occupied  the 
plains  when  the  white  settlers  from  Connecticut  first  went  there,  were  of  the  Seneca  and 


'  Miner's  History  of  Wyoming,  preliminary  chapter,  p.  xiv. 

'  Gertrude  of  Wyoming.  This  beautiful  poem  is  full  of  errors  of  every  kind.  The  "lakes,"  the  "  fla 
mingo,"  and  the  "mock  bird"  are  all  strangers  to  Wyominj^  j  and  the  bi.storical  allusions  in  the  poem  are 
quite  as  much  strangers  to  truth.  But  it  is  a  charming  poem,  and  hj'peroriticism  may  consoientiouslv  pass 
by  and  leave  its  beauties  untouched. 


342 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Count  Zinzendorf.     Hie  Visit  to  Wyoming.     Jealousy  of  the  Indians.     Attempt  to  marder  him.     Providential  Circumstance 

Oneida  nations,  connected  by  intermarriage  with  the  Mingoes,  and  the  subjugated  Leni- 
Lenapes,  or  Delawares.  As  it  is  not  my  province  to  unravel  Indian  history,  we  will  pas? 
to  a  brief  consideration  of  the  white  settlements  there. 

The  first  European  whose  feet  trod  the  Valley  of  Wyoming  was  Count  Zinzendorf,  who, 
while  visiting  his  Mo- 
ravian brethren  at 
Bethlehem  and  Naza- 
reth, in  1742,  extend- 
ed his  visits  among  the 
neighboring  Indians. 
His  warm  heart  had 
been  touched  by  the 
accounts  he  had  re- 
ceived of  the  moral 
degradation  of  the  sav- 
ages, and,  unattended, 
except  by  an  interpret- 
er, he  traversed  the 
wilderness  and  preach- 
ed salvation  to  the  red 
men.  In  one  of  these 
excursions  he  crossed 
the  Pocono,  and  pen- 
etrated to  the  Valley 
of  Wyoming.  With 
a    missionary    named 


Mack,  and  his  -wife., 
who  accompanied  him, 
he  pitched  his  tent 
upon  the  western  bank 
of  the  Susquehanna,  a 
little  below  the  present 
village  of  Kingston,  at 
the  foot  of  a  high  hill, 
and  near  a  place  in  the 
river  known  as  Toby's 
Eddy.  A  tribe  of  the 
Shawnees  had  a  vil- 
lage upon  the  site  of 
Kingston.  They  held 
a  council  to  listen  to 
the  communications  of 
the  missionaries,  but, 
suspicious  of  all  white 
men,  they  could  not  be- 
heve  that  Zinzendorf 
and  his  companions 
had  crossed  the  Atlan- 
tic for  the  sole  purpose  of  promoting  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Indians.  They  concluded 
that  the  strangers  had  come  to  "  spy  out  their  country"  with  a  view  to  dispossess  them  of 
their  lands  ;  and,  with  such  impressions,  they  resolved  to  murder  the  count.  The  savages 
feared  the  English,  and  instructed  those  who  were  appointed  to  assassinate  Zinzendorf  to  do 
it  with  all  possible  secrecy.  A  cool  September  night  was  chosen  for  the  deed,  and  two  stout 
Indians  proceeded  stealthily  from  the  town  to  the  tent  of  the  missionary.  He  was  alone,  re- 
clining upon  a  bundle  of  dry  weeds,  engaged  in  writing,  or  in  devout  meditation.  A  blanket 
curtain  formed  the  door  of  his  tent,  and,  as  the  Indians  cautiously  drew  this  aside,  they  had 
a  full  view  of  their  victim.  The  benignity  of  his  countenance  filled  them  with  awe,  but  an 
incident  (strikingly  providential)  more  than  his  appearance  changed  the  current  of  their  feel- 
ings. The  tent-cloth  was  suspended  from  the  branch  of  a  huge  sycamore,  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  partially  hollow  trunk  of  the  tree  was  within  its  folds.  At  its  foot  the  count  had 
built  a  fire,  the  warmth  of  which  had  aroused  a  rattlesnake  in  its  den  ;  and  at  the  moment 
when  the  savages  looked  into  the  tent  the  venomous  reptile  was  gliding  harmlessly  across 
the  legs  of  their  intended  victim,  who  did  not  see  either  the  serpent  or  the  lurking  murder- 
ers.     They  at  once  regarded  him  as  under  the  special  protection  of  the  Great  Spirit,  were 


Count  Zinzendokf.' 


'  Nicolas  Lewis,  Count  Zinzendorf,  was  descended  from  an  ancient  Austrian  family,  and  was  the  son  of 
a  chamberlain  of  the  King  of  Poland.  He  was  born  in  May,  1700,  and  was  educated  at  Halle  and  Utrecht. 
When  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  purchased  the  lordship  of  Berthholdsdorp,  in  Lusatia.  Some  poor 
Christians,  followers  of  John  Huss,  soon  afterward  settled  upon  his  estate.  Their  piety  attracted  his  atten- 
tion, and  he  joined  them.  From  that  time  until  his  death  he  labored  zealously  for  the  good  of  mankind. 
The  village  of  Hernhutt  was  built  upon  his  estate,  and  soon  the  sect  spread  throughout  Bohemia  and  Mo- 
ravia. He  traveled  through  Germany,  Denmark,  and  England,  and  in  1741  came  to  America,  and  preached 
at  Germantown  and  Bethlehem.  He  returned  to  Europe  in  1743,  and  died  at  Hernhutt  in  1760.  The 
Moravian  missionaries  were  very  successful  in  their  operations.  They  established  stations  in  various  parts 
of  Europe,  in  Greenland,  in  the  West  Indies,  and  in  Georgia  and  Pennsylvania.  Piety,  zeal,  benevolence, 
and  self-denial  always  marked  the  Moravians,  and  at  the  present  day  they  bear  the  character  of  "  the  best 
of  people." 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION 


343 


View  near  Toby's  Eddy.> 


Tob;-'8  Eddy.        Zinzendorf  s  Campground.        Alienation  of  the  Indians.        Gnadenhutton.        The  Susquehanna  Company 

filled  with  profound  reverence  for  his  person,  and,  returning  to  the  tribe,  so  impressed  their 

fellows  with  the  holiness  of  Zinzen- 

dorf's  character,  that  their  enmity 

was    changed    to   veneration.      A 

successful  mission  was  established 

there,  which  was  continued  until  a 

war  between  the  Shawnees  and  the 

Delawares  destroyed  the  peace  of 

the  valley.* 

Not  long  afterward  the  war  that 
ensued  between  the  English  and 
French  drew  the  line  of  separation 
so  distinctly  between  the  Indian 
tribes  that  respectively  espoused 
either  cause,  that  the  excitements 
of  warlike  zeal  repressed  the  relig- 
ious sentiments  which  the  indefati- 
gable missionaries  were  diflusing 
among  the  savages.  The  tribes  in 
the  interest  of  the  French  soon  be- 
gan to  hover  around  the  Moravian 
settlements.  Gnadenhutten  was 
destroyed,  and  the  other  settlements  were  menaced.'  For  several  years  these  pious  mission- 
aries suffered  greatly,  and  the  white  settlements  were  broken  up.  After  the  defeat  of  Brad- 
dock  in  1755,  the  Delawares  went  over  to  the  French,  and  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia  were  terribly  scourged  by  these  new  allies  of  the  enemies  of  the  English. 

In  1753  an  association  was  formed  in  Connecticut,  called  the  Susquehanna  Company, 
the  object  of  which  was  to  plant  a  colony  in  the  Wyoming  Valley,  a  region  then  claimed 
by  Connecticut  by  virtue  of  its  ancient  unrepealed  charter.*      To  avoid  difficulties  with  the 

'  This  was  originated  in  the  following  manner.  The  Shawnees  were  a  secluded  clan,  living,  by  permis- 
sion of  the  Delawares,  upon  the  western  bank  of  the  Susquehanna.  On  a  certain  day,  when  the  warriors 
of  both  tribes  were  engaged  in  the  chase  upon  the  mountains,  a  party  of  women  and  children  of  the  Shaw- 
nees crossed  to  the  Delaware  side  to  gather  fruit,  and  were  joined  by  some  of  the  squaws  and  children  of 
the  latter.  At  length  a  quarrel  arose  between  two  of  the  children  about  the  possession  of  a  grasshopper. 
The  mothers  took  part  respectively  with  their  children,  and  the  quarrel  extended  to  all  the  women  on  both 
sides.  The  Delaware  squaws  were  more  numerous,  and  drove  the  Shawnees  home,  killing  several  on  the 
way.  The  Shawnee  hunters,  on  their  return,  espousing  the  cause  of  their  women,  armed  themselves,  and, 
crossing  the  river,  attacked  the  Delawares ;  a  bloody  battle  ensued,  and  the  Shawnees,  overpowered,  re- 
tired to  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  joined  their  more  powerful  brethren.  How  many  wars  between  Chris- 
tian nations  have  originated  in  a  quarrel  about  some  miserable  grasshopper ! 

*  This  is  a  view  upon  a  stream  called  Mud  Creek,  a  few  rods  from  its  mouth,  at  Toby's  Eddy,  in  the  Sus- 
quehanna, about  a  mile  below  Kingston.  It  was  pointed  out  to  me  as  the  place  where,  tradition  avers, 
Count  Zinzendorf  erected  his  tent,  and  where  the  singular  circumstance  related  in  the  text  occurred.  It 
was  near  sunset  on  a  mild  day  (September  16th,  1848)  when  I  visited  the  spot,  and  a  more  inviting  place 
for  retirement  and  meditation  can  scarcely  be  imagined.  It  is  shaded  by  venerable  sycamore,  butternut, 
elm,  and  black  walnut  trees.  From  the  Eddy  is  a  fine  view  of  the  plain  whereon  the  Delawares  had  their 
village,  and  of  the  mountains  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley.     The  eddy  is  caused  by  a  bend  in  the  river. 

■•  The  Moravians  had  established  six  missionary  settlements  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware, 
or  the  junction  of  the  Delaware  and  Lehigh  Rivers,  viz.,  Nazareth,  Bethlehem,  Nain,  Freidenshal,  Ganden- 
thaul,  and  Gnadenhutten.  The  latter,  the  name  of  which  in  English  is  "  Huts  of  Mercy,"  wa.s  founded 
chiefly  for  the  accommodation  and  protection  of  those  Indians  who  embraced  the  Christian  faith.  Hence  it 
was  the  first  settlement  attacked  by  the  hostile  savages. 

*  When  the  regions  in  the  interior  of  America  were  unknown,  the  charters  given  to  the  colonists  were 
generally  very  vague  respecting  their  western  boundary.  They  defined  the  extent  of  each  colony  along 
the  Atlantic  coast,  but  generally  said  of  the  westward  extent,  "from  sea  to  sea."  Such  was  the  expres- 
sion in  the  Connecticut  charter,  and  Wyoming,  lying  directly  west  of  that  province,  was  claimed  as  a  por- 
tion of  its  territory.  The  intervening  portion  of  New  York,  being  already  in  actual  possession  of  the  Dutch, 
was  not  included  in  the  claim. 


344  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Purchase  of  Wyoming.  The  Delaware  Company.  Opposition  of  Peansylvanians.  Death  of  Teedyuscung 

Indians,  the  agents  of  the  company  were  directed  to  purchase  the  land  of  the  Six  Nations, 
the  actual  owners,  though  it  was  then  in  possession  of  the  Delawares.  A  deputation  for  the 
purpose  attended  the  great  convention  and  Indian  council  which  was  held  at  Albany  in  1754, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  strong  efforts  made  by  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  through  his 
agents,  to  the  contrary,  the  purchase  was  effected.  The  tract  bargained  for  included  the 
whole  Valley  of  Wyoming  and  the  country  westward  to  the  Allegany  River.  The  Penn- 
sylvanians  were  irritated  at  what  they  called  an  unfair  and  illegal  encroachment  of  the  Con- 
necticut people,  and  in  strong  terms  protested  against  the  purchase,  for  they  claimed  that 
the  whole  country  included  therein  was  covered  by  the  charter  granted  to  William  Penn. 
Here,  then,  was  planted  the  seed  which  soon  burst  forth  into  a  mature  tree,  and  bore  the 
apples  of  discord  in  abundance. 

Another  Connecticut  association,  called  the  Delaware  Company,  had  purchased  lands  upon 
the  Delaware  River,  at  a  place  called  Cushetunk.  They  commenced  a  settlement  there  in 
1757,  and  the  Susquehanna  Company  prepared  to  plant  their  colony  in  Wyoming  the  fol- 
lowing year.  But,  owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  the  French  and  Indian  war 
then  being  in  progress,  the  settlement  was  deferred  until  1762,  when  about  two  hundred 
colonists  pushed  forward,  and  commenced  building  and  planting  near  the  mouth  of  Mill 
Creek,  a  little  above  the  present  site  of  Wilkesbarre.  The  Indians,  and  among  them  their 
great  chief  Teedyuscung,  were  at  first  opposed  to  this  settlement  of  the  whites  in  the  valley, 
but  were  soon  reconciled,  and  lived  in  daily  friendly  intercourse  with  the  new  comers.  The 
Pennsylvanians,  however,  determined  to  repel  what  they  held  to  be  a  bold  encroachment 
upon  their  rights.  Proclamations  were  issued,  and  writs  of  ejectment  were  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  sheriff  of  Northampton  county,  within  the  limits  of  which  Wyoming  was  sit- 
uated ;  but  the  Yankees  continued  to  build  and  plant.  They  brought  their  families  into  the 
valley,  and  new  settlers  were  rapidly  augmenting  their  numbers.  An  event  now  occurred 
which  ai  iv.it?  lorrible  blow  cut  off  this  flourishing  settlement. 

I  brie/ly  adverted,  at  the  close  of  the  last  chapter,  to  the  fact  that  a  great  council  was 
held  at  Easton  in  1758,  where  Teedyuscung,  the  Delaware  chief,  acted  a  conspicuous  part. 
The  Six  Nations  regarded  the  Delawares  as  subjects,  and  were  jealous  of  the  popularity  and 
power  of  Teedyuscung.  They  could  not  brook  his  advancement,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1763 
a  party  of  warriors  descended  the  Susquehanna,  and  came  to  the  valley  upon  a  pretended 
visit  of  friendship.  As  previously  concerted,  they  set  fire  to  the  house  of  Teedyuscung  on  a 
certain  night,  and  the  chief  was  burned  in  it ;  while,  to  crown  their  wicked  act,  they  adroitly 
charged  the  deed  upon  the  whites.  The  Delawares  believed  the  tale.  They  loved  their 
chief,  and  determined  on  revenge.  At  broad  noon,  on  the  14th  of  October,  they  at- 
tacked and  massacred  thirty  of  the  settlers  in  their  fields.'  The  whole  settlement  was 
.speedily  alarmed,  and  men,  women,  and  children  fled  to  the  mountains,  from  which  they 
saw  their  houses  plundered  and  their  cattle  driven  away.  At  night  the  torch  was  applied 
to  their  buildings,  and  the  lovely  abode  of  several  hundred  peaceful  dwellers  in  the  morning 
was  made  a  desolation.  Over  the  wilderness  of  the  Pocono  they  made  their  way  to  the 
Delaware,  and  so  on  to  their  homes  in  Connecticut,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  The  blow  was  as  unexpected  as  it  was  merciless,  for  they  regarded  the  Delawares 
as  their  friendly  neighbors." 

The  Susquehanna  Company  did  not  attempt  a  settlement  again  for  several  years ;  and 
in  the  mean  time  the  proprietaries  of  Pennsylvania,  taking  advantage  of  an  Indian  council 
held  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  1768,  made  a  direct  purchase  of  the  Wyoming  Valley  from  the 
Six  Nations,  and  took  a  deed  from  some  of  the  chiefs  A  lease  of  the  valley  for  seven  years 
was  given  to  three  Pennsylvanians,'  who  established  a  trading  house  there,  which  they  for- 


^  This  is  the  testimony  of  current  history  Mr  Miner,  on  the  contrary,  is  persuaded  that  the  same  hands 
that  destroyed  TeedTOscung — the  Six  Nations — perpetrated  this  outrage. 

''■  Proud,  Gordon,  Chapman. 

^  Charles  Stewart,  Amos  Ogden,  and  John  Jennings.  The  latter  was  the  sheriff  of  the  county.  Charles 
Stewart  subsequently  became  a  popular  and  efficient  officer  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  in  the  Continental  army. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION  345 


Hostilities  between  the  "  Yankees"  and  "  Pennymites."         Erection  of  Forta.         Capture  of  Durkee.         Surrender  of  Ogden. 

tified.  Forty  pioneers  of  the  Susquehanna  Company,  prepared  to  act  promptly,  entered  the 
valley  in  February,  1769,  and  closely  invested  the  Pennsylvania  garrison.  There  were  but 
ten  men  in  the  block-house,  but  they  had  found  means  to  send  a  message  to  Governor  Penn, 
informing  him  of  their  situation.  They  did  not  Vi'ait  for  succor,  however,  but,  under  pre- 
tense of  consulting  about  an  amicable  compromise,  three  of  the  Connecticut  party  were  de- 
coyed into  the  block-house,  arrested  by  SherifT  Jennings,  and  sent  to  Easton  Jail.  The  Con 
necticut  immigrants  increased  rapidly,  and  Jennings  called  upon  the  2^osse  of  the  county  and 
several  magistrates  to  assist  in  their  arrest.  Quite  a  formidable  force  marched  to  Wyoming, 
but  the  Connecticut  people  had  not  been  idle.  They  too  had  erected  a  block-house,  which 
they  called  Forty  Fort.  Jennings  demolished  its  doors,  and  arrested  thirty-one  of  the  in- 
mates, most  of  whom  were  taken  to  Easton  Jail.  They  were  admitted  to  bail,  were  re- 
enforced  by  about  two  hundred  from  Connecticut,  and,  returning  to  Wyoming,  built  a  fort, 
which  they  called  Fort  Durkee,  in  honor  of  the  officer  elected  to  its  command.  This  forti- 
fication Avas  about  half  a  mile  below  Wilkesbarre,  near  the  Shawnee  Flats.  They  also 
built  thirty  log  houses  around  it,  furnished  with  loop-holes  for  musketry,  and,  the  number  of 
the  settlers  being  three  hundred  able-bodied  men,  Jennings  could  make  no  further  impression 
upon  them.  He  reported  to  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  that  the  whole  power  of  the  county 
was  inadequate  to  dislodge  the  Yankees. 

For  a  short  time  hostilities  ceased,  and  the  Susquehanna  Company  sent  commissioners  to 
Philadelphia  to  endeavor  to  negotiate  a  compromise. *  Governor  Penn  refused  to  treat  with 
them,  and  sent  an  armed  force  to  the  valley,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Francis.  He 
demanded  a  surrender  of  Fort  Durkee,  but  the  order  was  not  obeyed.  He  reconnoitered, 
and,  finding  the  works  too  strong  to  be  successfully  assaulted,  returned  to  Philadelphia,  leav- 
ing Ogden,  one  of  the  lessees  of  the  valley,  with  a  small  force  in  the  neighborhood.  A  larger 
force  was  assembled  under  Sheriff  Jennings,  well  armed,  and  provided  with  a  six  pound  can- 
non. Captain  Ogden,  who  was  prowling  about  the  settlement,  hearing  of  the  approach  of 
Jennings,  darted  suddenly  among  the  houses  with  forty  men,  and  captured  several  inhabit- 
ants, among  whom  was  Colonel  Durkee.  He  was  taken  to  Philadelphia,  and  closely  im- 
prisoned. Jennings,  with  two  hundred  armed  men,  appeared  before  the  fort,  and  began  the 
erection  of  a  battery.  The  garrison,  alarmed,  proposed  to  surrender  upon  certain  conditions, 
which  were  agreed  to.  The  articles  of  capitulation  were  drawn  up  in  due  form  and  signed, 
but  Ogden  acted  in  bad  faith,  and  the  seventeen  settlers  who  were  allowed  by  the  capitula 
tion  to  remain  in  the  valley  and  harvest  their  crops,  were  plundered  of  every  thing  and 
driven  over  the  mountains. 

In  February,  1770,  Lazarus  Stewart  led  an  armed  party  from  Lancaster  into  the  Valley 
of  Wyoming,  who  were  joined  by  another  armed  party  from  Connecticut.  They  captured 
Fort  Durkee,  and,  proceeding  to  the  house  of  Ogden  (who  was  then  absent),  seized  the  can- 
non already  mentioned.  Captain  Ogden,  on  hearing  of  these  transactions,  hastened  to  Wyo- 
ming with  fifty  men,  and  garrisoned  his  own  house.  A  party  of  fifty  Yankees  was  sent 
against  him,  and  a  skirmish  ensued.  Several  Connecticut  people  were  wounded,  and  one 
was  killed.  Colonel  Durkee'  had  now  been  released,  and  had  returned  from  Philadelphia. 
Under  his  command  the  Yankees  commenced  a  regular  siege  upon  the  fortress  of  the  Penny- 
mites.' They  mounted  the  four  pound  cannon  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  for 
several  days  played  upon  Ogden's  house.  Receiving  no  succor  from  Governor  Penn,  he  sur- 
rendered upon  terms  similar  to  those  allowed  the  Yankees  the  year  before.      He  was  to  with- 

'  Colonel  Dyer,  and  Jedediah  Elderkin,  of  Windham,  Connecticut. 

''  John  Durkee  was  a  native  of  that  portion  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  called  Bean  Hill,  and  was  generally 
called  the  "  bold  Bean  Hiller."  He  left  W)'onQing  and  returned  to  Connecticut.  When  the  Revolution 
broke  out,  he  entered  into  the  contest  zealously.  He  was  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  was  commissioned  a  colonel 
in  the  Connecticut  line.  He  was  in  the  battle  on  Long  Island,  at  Oermanto-wn,  and  other  engagements. 
He  died  at  his  residence  at  Bean  Hill  in  1782,  aged  fifty-four  years,  and  was  buried  with  military  honors. 

'  This  civil  commotion  is  usually  termed  the  Pcnnymite  and  Yankee  war.  The  former  name  was  derived 
from  John  Penn,  governor  of  Pennsylvania  when  hostilities  commenced. 


346  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK  ^ 

rreattnent  of  Ogden.    Another  Attack  on  the  Yankees.     Capture  of  Fort  Durkoe.    Pennymites  Expelled.    New  Fortifications, 

draw  himself  and  all  his  men  from  the  valley,  except  six,  who  were  to  remain  and  guard  his 
property.  But  the  Yankees,  imitating  Ogden's  bad  faith  with  them,  seized  his  property  and 
burned  his  house  as  soon  as  he  was  gone.  Warrants  were  afterward  issued  by  the  Governor 
of  Pennsylvania  against  Lazarus  Stewart,  Zebulon  Butler,  and  Lazarus  Young,  for  the  crime 
of  arson,  but  they  were  never  harmed. 

Governor  Penn,  fearing  political  outbreaks  in  his  capital  at  that  time,  and  unwilling  to 
isend  any  of  the  few  troops  away  from  Philadelphia,  called  upon  General  Gage,  then  in  com- 
mand at  New  York,  for  a  detachment  of  his  majesty's  troops  to  restore  order  at  Wyoming. 
Gage  refused  compliance,  and  the  Pennsylvanians  were  obliged  to  rely  upon  their  own  re- 
sources. It  was  autumn  before  another  attempt  was  made  against  the  Yankees.  Ogden, 
with  only  one  hundred  and  forty  men,  marched  by  the  Lehigh  route,  to  take  the  settlers  by 
surprise.  From  the  tops  of  the  mountains  he  saw  the  people  at  work  in  groups  in  their 
fields,  and,  separating  his  force  into  parties  equal  in  numbers  to  the  unsuspecting  farmers  be- 
low, they  rushed  down  upon  them,  made  several  prisoners,  and  sent  them  to  Easton.  Ogden 
lay  concealed  in  the  mountains,  awaiting  another  opportunity  to  assail  the  Yankees.  The 
latter  sent  messengers  to  solicit  aid  from  their  friends  on  the  Delaware.  These  fell  into  Og- 
den's hands,  and,  learning  from  them  the  exact  position  of  Fort  Durkee,  he  made  a  night 
attack  upon  it.  It  was  filled  with  women  and  children,  and  the  garrison,  too  weak  to 
defend  it,  surrendered  unconditionally.  The  fort  and  the  houses  of  the  settlement  were 
plundered,  and  many  of  the  principal  inhabitants  were  sent  prisoners  to  Easton  and  Phila- 
delphia. 

A  small  garrison  was  left  by  Ogden  in  Fort  Durkee.  The  Yankees  having  left  the  val- 
ley, they  were  not  very  vigilant.  On  the  night  of  the  18th  of  December,  between 
twenty  and  thirty  men,  under  Lazarus  Stewart,  reached  the  fort  by  stealth,  and  cap- 
tured it,  shouting,  "  Huzza  for  King  George  !"  The  Pennymites  were  now,  in  turn,  driven 
from  the  valley.  Stewart  held  possession  of  the  fort  until  the  middle  of  January  following, 
when  the  sheriff  of  Northampton  county,  with  a  considerable  force,  arrived  before  it.  Cap- 
tain Ogden  and  his  brother  Nathan  accompanied  the  expedition.  A  skirmish  ensued  at  the 
fort,  and  Nathan  Ogden  was  killed.'  Stewart  perceived  that  he  could  not  long  hold  out, 
January  ^^^  '^^  *^®  night  of  the  20th  withdrew  from  the  valley,  leaving  twelve  men  in  the 
I'^^i-  fort.  These  were  made  prisoners  and  sent  to  Easton,  and  quiet  again  prevailed  at 
Wyoming. 

For  six  months  the  Pennymites  were  undisturbed  in  the  possession  of  the  valley,  and  the 
number  of  the  settlers  of  Ogden's  party  had  increased  to  about  eighty.  But  their  repose 
was  suddenly  broken  by  the  descent  from  the  mountains,  on  the  6th  of  July,  of  seventy  armed 
men^om  Connecticut,  under  Captain  Zebulon  Butler,  and  a  party  under  Lazarus  Stewart, 
who  had  joined  him.  Ogden  had  built  another  and  a  stronger  fort,  which  he  called  Fort 
Wyoming.^  The  invaders  were  almost  daily  re-enforced,  and  commenced  several  military 
works  with  a  view  of  besieging  Ogden  and  his  party  in  the  forts.  The  besieged  were  well 
supplied  with  provisions,  and,  their  works  being  strong,  they  defied  the  assailants.  Ogden, 
in  the  mean  while,  escaped  from  the  fort  by  stratagem,^  proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  inducing  the  acting  governor  (Hamilton)  to  send  a  detachment  of  one  hundred  men 
to  Wyoming.  The  expedition  was  unsuccessful.  After  prosecuting  the  siege  until  the  11  th 
of  August,  Captain  Butler  sent  to  the  garrison  a  formal  summons  to  surrender.      The  gar- 

*  A  settler  named  William  Speddy  was  recognized  as  the  man  who  discharged  the  musket  that  killed 
Ogden,  and  in  November  he  was  tried  for  murder,  at  the  Supreme  Court  held  in  Philadelphia.  He  was 
acquitted. 

*  This  fort  stood  upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  court-house  in  Wilkesbarre.  There  was  another 
fort  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  a  little  belovf  the  Phoenix  Hotel.  Traces  of  the  ditches  were  visible  when  1 
visited  the  spot  in  1848. 

^  Ogden  prepared  a  light  bundle  that  would  float  upon  the  water,  on  which  he  fastened  a  hat.  To  this 
bundle  he  attached  a  cord  several  yards  in  length,  and,  entering  the  river,  swam  past  the  sentinels,  drawing 
the  bundle  at  the  distance  of  the  length  of  the  cord  behind  him.  The  hat  was  fired  at  several  times,  but 
Ogden  escaped  unhurt. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  347 


Close  of  the  Civil  War.  Organization  of  a  GoveramenL  Effort  ta  adjust  Difficulties.  "  Lawyers  and  Bull-froga." 

rison  refused  compliance.  Butler  had  110  ordnance,  and  a  colonist  named  Carey'  made  a 
cannon  of  a  pepperidge  log.  At  the  second  discharge  the  cannon  burst,  but  they  had  no 
further  need  of  artillery,  for  the  garrison  surrendered.  On  the' 14th  a  detachment  of  sixty 
men  from  Philadelphia,  to  re-enforce  the  garrison,  had  arrived  within  two  miles  of  the  fort ; 
but,  hearing  of  the  surrender,  they  retraced  their  steps.  Several  persons  were  killed  during 
the  siege.  By  the  terms  of  the  capitulation,  Ogden  and  his  party  were  all  to  leave  the  val- 
ley. Thus  closed  the  civil  war  in  Wyoming  for  the  year  1771,  and  the  Yankees  were  left 
in  possession  of  their  much-coveted  domain. 

The  settlement  now  increased  rapidly,  and  the  Susquehanna  Company  applied  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  Connecticut  to  take  them  under  its  protection  until  the  decision  asked 
of  the  king  should  be  made.  The  Assembly  advised  them  to  organize  a  government  by  them- 
selves. Pursuant  to  this  advice,  the  inhabitants  of  Wyoming  established  a  thoroughly  Dem- 
ocratic government.  "  They  laid  out  townships,"  says  Chapman,  "  founded  settlements, 
erected  fortifications,  levied  and  collected  taxes,  passed  laws  for  the  direction  of  civil  suits, 
and  for  the  punishment  of  crimes  and  misdemeanors,  established  a  militia,  and  provided  for 
the  common  defense  and  general  welfare  of  the  colony."  The  supreme  legislative  power 
was  vested  directly  in  the  people,  and  exercised  by  themselves  in  their  primary  meetings.  A 
magistracy  was  appointed  ;  courts  were  instituted,  having  civil  and  criminal  jurisdiction  ; 
and  a  high  court  of  appeals,  called  the  Supreme  Court,  was  established,  composed,  like  their 
Legislature,  of  the  people  themselves  in  primary  assembly.  The  government  was  Avell  ad- 
ministered, the  colony  rapidly  increased,  the  people  were  happy,  and  for  two  years  the  smiles 
of  peace  and  prosperity  gladdened  the  Valley  of  Wyoming. 

During  this  season  of  repose  the  Assembly  of  Connecticut  made  an  effort  to  adjust  all  dif- 
ficulties between  the  settlers  and  the  government  of  Pennsylvania.  Richard  Penn  was  then 
governor  of  that  province,  and  would  enter  into  no  negotiations  on  the  subject.  The  Con- 
necticut Assembly,  therefore,  made  out  a  case  and  sent  it  to  England  for  adjudication.^  It 
was  submitted  to  the  ablest  lawj'ers  of  the  realm — Lord  Thurlow,  Wedderburne,  Richard 
Jackson,  and  John  Dunning — and  their  decision  was  in  favor  of  the  Susquehanna  Company. 

'  IMr.  Carey  was  a  native  of  Dutchess  county,  New  Yoi-k,  and  went  to  Wj-oming  with  his  sons  in  1769. 
His  brother,  Samuel  Carey,  was  a  distinguished  Quaker  preacher.  His  sons  became  permanent  settlers  in 
Wyoming,  and  Hved  to  a  good  old  age. 

*  Colonel  Eliphalet  Dyer  was  sent  to  England  as  agent  for  the  Connecticut  Assembly.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  eminent  la^^"}"ers  of  that  province.  His  eloquence  was  of  the  most  persuasive  kind.  In  allusion  to  this 
intellectual  power,  a  wit  wrote  the  following  impromptu,  while  Dyer  was  advocating  the  cause  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna Company  on  the  floor  of  the  Assembly  chamber  : 

"  Canaan  of  old,  as  we  are  told, 
When  it  did  rain  down  manna, 
Wa'nt  half  so  good,  for  heavenly  food, 
As  Dyer  makes  Susquehanna." 

This  is  the  same  Dyer  alluded  to  in  the  amusing  doggerel  entitled  "  Lavryers  and  Bull-frogs,"  in  which  the 
people  of  Old  Windham,  in  Connecticut,  were  interested.  The  poem  is  printed  in  the  Historical  Collections 
of  Connecticut,  page  448.  The  introduction  avers  that,  after  a  long  drought,  a  frog-pond  became  almost 
dry,  and  a  terrible  battle  was  fought  one  night  by  the  frogs,  to  decide  who  should  keep  possession  of  the  re- 
maining water.  Many  "  thousands  were  fovmd  defunct  in  the  morning."  There  was  an  uncommon  silence 
for  hours  before  the  battle  commenced,  when,  as  if  by  a  preconcerted  agreement,  every  frog  on  one  side  of 
the  ditch  raised  the  war-cry.  Colonel  Dyer !  Colonel  Dyer!  and  at  the  same  instant,  from  the  opposite  side, 
resounded  the  adverse  shout  of  Elderkin  too  !  Eldcrkin  too  !  Owing  to  some  peculiarity  in  the  state  of  the 
atmosphere,  the  sounds  seemed  to  be  overhead,  and  the  people  of  Windham  were  greatly  frightened.  The 
poet  says, 

"This  terrible  night  Die  parson  did  fright 
His  people  almost  In  despair; 

For  poor  Wmdliam  souls  among  the  bean-poles 
lie  made  a  most  wonderful  prayer. 

Lawyer  Lxicifer  called  up  his  crew ; 

Dyer  and  Elderkin,*  you  must  come  too :  ^ 

Old  Colonel  Dyer  you  know  well  enough. 

He  had  an  old  negro,  his  name  was  Cuff." 

*  Jedediah  Elderkin  accompanied  Colonel  Dyer  to  Philadelphia  in  1769,  in  behalf  of  the  Susquehanna  Company 


348  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Peace  and  Prosperity  of  Wyoming.  Renewal  of  Hostilities.  Action  of  Congress.  Expedition  of  Plunkett 

The  settlement  was  now  taken  under  the  protection  of  Connecticut,  and  incorporated  into 
that  colony.  The  territory  was  erected  into  a  chartered  town  called  Westmoreland,  and  at- 
tached to  Litchfield  county  ;  representatives  from  it  were  admitted  to  seats  in  the  General 
Assembly,  and  Zebulon  Butler  and  Nathan  Denison  were  commissioned  justices  of  the  peace. 
Repose  continued  to  reign  in  the  valley,  and  unexampled  prosperity  blessed  the  settlement. 
A  town  immediately  adjoining  Wyoming  Fort  was  planted  by  Colonel  Durkee,  and  named 
Wilkesbarre  ;  and  the  whole  valley  became  a  charming  picture  of  active  life  and  social  hap- 
piness. The  foot-prints  of  civil  war  were  effaced,  and  the  recollections  of  the  gloomy  past 
were  obliterated.  A  dream  of  happiness  lulled  the  people  into  the  repose  of  absolute  secu- 
rity. Isolated  in  the  bosom  of  the  mountains,  and  far  removed  from  the  agitations  which 
disturbed  the  people  upon  the  ocean  coasts,  they  had  heard  little  of  the  martial  sound  of 
preparations  for  the  hostilities  then  elaborating  in  the  imperial  and  colonial  councils.  They 
were  enjoying,  in  fall  measure,  the  blessings  of  virtuous  democracy,  and  felt  none  of  the  op- 
pressions of  Great  Britaia,  then  bearing  with  such  heavy  hand  upon  the  commercial  cities 
of  America ;  yet  they  warmly  sympathized  with  their  suffering  brethren,  and  their  hearts 
and  hands  were  open  to  the  appeals  of  the  patriots  of  the  east. 

Four  years  Wyoming  enjoyed  uninterrupted  peace,  when  its  repose  was  suddenly  broken 
by  an  attack  upon  a  branch  of  the  colony,  located  about  sixty  miles  below  Wilkesbarre,  by 
a  body  of  Northumberland  militia,  who  were  jealous  of  the  increasing  prosperity  of  the  Yan- 
kees. On  the  28th  of  September,  1775,  the  unsuspecting  inhabitants  were  suddenly  assailed, 
several  of  them  were  killed,  and  the  residue  were  sent  to  Sunbury  and  imprisoned.  About 
the  same  time  several  boats  from  Wyoming,  trading  down  the  river,  were  plundered  by  the 
Pennsylvairians.  The  Continental  Congress  was  then  in  session  in  Philadelphia,  and  the 
Connecticut  people  of  Wyoming,  preferring  peaceful  measures  to  a  renewal  of  the  civil  war, 
petitioned  that  body  for  redress.  Congress,  "  considering  that  the  most  perfect  union  between 
the  colonies  was  essentially  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  the  just  rights  of  North  Amer- 
ica," adopted  resolutions  urging  the  governments  of  Pennsylvania  and  Connecticut  to  "  take 
the  most  speedy  and  effectual  steps  to  prevent  hostilities"  and  to  adjust  difficulties.*  But 
the  lawless  invaders  had  not  yet  learned  to  respect  the  voice  of  Congress.  Its  resolutions 
were  unheeded,  and  the  imprisoned  settlers  were  more  rigidly  confined,  under  the  apprehen- 
sion that  the  exasperated  people  of  Wyoming,  now  become  numerous,  might  make  a  retal- 
iatory movement  against  Sunbury.  A  proposition  was  made  to  raise  a  force,  and  march 
against  Wyoming  to  subjugate  it  before  the  people  could  organize  a  military  government. 
Governor  Penn  favored  the  design,  and  Colonel  Plunkett,  who  was  also  a  magistrate,  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  expedition.  He  was  ostensibly  vested  with  civil  powers,  and  his 
December  20     force  was  Called  the  posse  of  the  county.      Congress,  still  in  session  in  Philadel- 

1775.  phia,  passed  a  resolution  urging  the  immediate  termination  of  all  hostilities  be- 

tween the  parties."  But  the  Pennsylvanians  paid  no  attention  to  the  resolution,  and  Plunk- 
ett advanced  toward  Wyoming.  His  progress  was  slow,  for  the  river  was  much  obstructed 
by  ice  ;  and  before  he  came  to  the  Nanticoke  Rapids,  at  the  south  end  of  the  valley,  where 
he  was  obliged  to  leave  his  boats,  the  people  had  made  ample  preparations  to  receive  him. 
The  military  were  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler,  and  numbered  about  three 
hundred  effective  men. 

From  the  summit  of  a  bold  rock  on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  that  overhung  the  road 
along  which  Plunkett  was  marching,  a  volley  of  musketry  was  discharged  as  he  approached, 
and  arrested  his  progress.  By  means  of  a  bateau,  which  he  caused  to  be  brought  above  the 
rapids  by  land,  his  men  attempted  to  cross  the  river,  to  march  against  Fort  Wyoming  on  the 
eastern  side.  They  were  assaulted  by  an  ambuscade  on  shore,  and  the  whole  invading  force 
immediately  retreated  to  their  provision  boats,  moored  below  the  rapids,  where  a  council  of 
war  was  held.  This  council  wisely  concluded  that  the  chances  of  success  were  few,  and  the 
.expedition  was  abandoned. 

'  Journals  of  Congress,  vol.  i.,  p.  215.  ^  Ibid.,  p.  279. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  349 


The  Colonies  before  the  Revolution.  Exposed  Position  of  Wyoming.  Indian  Outrage.  Indian  Speecli. 

The  war  of  the  Revolution  had  now  fairly  commenced.  The  proprietary  government  of 
Pennsylvania  was  soon  afterward  virtually  abolished,  a  constituent  assembly  was  or- 
ganized, a  and  the  people  and  the  governments  of  both  colonies  had  matters  of  nyuch 
greater  importance  to  attend  to  than  disputes  about  inconsiderable  settlements.  Henceforth 
the  history  of  Wyoming  is  identified  with  the  general  history  of  the  Union.  I  have  glanced 
briefly  at  the  most  important  events  connected  with  its  early  settlement,  for  they  form  an 
interesting  episode  in  the  general  history  of  our  republic,  and  exhibit  prominently  those  social 
and  political  features  which  characterized  the  colonies  when  the  war  of  independence  broke 
out.  Separate  provinces,  communities,  and  families,  having  distinct  interests,  and  under  no 
very  powerful  control  from  without,  had  learned  independence  of  thought  and  action,  self- 
leliance,  patient  endurance  under  the  pressure  of  circumstances,  and  indomitable  courage  in 
the  maintenance  of  personal  and  political  rights,  from  the  circumstances  in  which  their  re- 
lations to  each  other  had  placed  them.  It  was  in  schools  like  that  of  the  Pennymite  war, 
the  resistance  of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants  to  the  domination  of  New  York,  the  opposition 
to  the  Stamp  Act  and  kindred  measures,  and  the  Regulator  movement  in  the  Carolinas, 
that  the  people  were  tutored  for  the  firm  resistance  which  they  made  to  British  oppressions 
during  the  seven  years  of  our  struggle  for  political  emancipation ;  and  there  is  more  of  the 
true  philosophy  of  our  great  Revolution  to  be  learned  by  studying  antecedent,  but  relative 
events,  than  in  watching  the  progress  of  the  war  itself  We  will  now  turn  to  a  considera- 
tion of  the  events  which  occurred  in  Wyoming  during  our  Revolution. 

The  defection  of  a  large  portion  of  the  Six  Nations,  the  coalition  of  the  Delawares  and 
Shawnees  with  the  friends  of  the  king  westward  of  the  AUeganies,  and  the  menaces  of  the 
tribes  bordering  on  Virginia,  with  whom  Lord  Dunmore,  the  royal  governor  of  that  province, 
had  long  tampered,  seeking  to  bring  their  hatchets  upon  the  frontier  settlements  of  that  re- 
bellious state,  gave  the  Continental  Congress  much  uneasiness  at  the  beginning  of  1776. 
Thousands  of  mercenary  Germans  were  preparing  to  come  like  "  destroying  locusts  upon  the 
east  \vind  ;"  the  British  Parliament  had  voted  fifty-five  thousand  men  for  the  American 
service  ;  loyalty  to  the  crown  was  rife  throughout  the  land  ;  and  the  dark  cloud  of  savages 
upon  the  western  border  of  the  colonies,  smarting  under  the  wrongs  inflicted  by  the  white 
men  for  a  century  and  a  half,  and  without  any  definite  ideas  of  the  nature  of  the  quarrel  in 
question,  or  means  of  discriminating  between  the  parties  to  the  feud,  were  ready  to  raise  the 
war-cry,  and  satiate  their  appetites  for  vengeance,  rapine,  and  blood.  Westmoreland,  or 
Wyoming,  was  peculiarly  exposed,  lying  upon  the  verge  of  the  Indian  country,  and  to  the 
people  of  its  lovely  valley  the  conciliation  of  the  Indians  was  a  matter  of  vast  importance. 
The  council  of  Onondaga,  the  chief  head  of  the  Six  Nations,  made  professions  of  peaceful 
intentions,  but  there  was  evident  hypocrisy  underlying  the  fair  appearance  of  the  surface, 
and  occasional  outrages  upon  the  remote  settlers  had  been  committed  without  rebuke.  On 
one  occasion  a  man  named  Wilson,  living  within  the  limits  of  Westmoreland,  had  been  cru- 
elly treated  by  the  Indians,  and  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  sent  a  messenger  to  ascertain  the 
true  intentions  of  the  savages.  A  chief  called  John  returned  with  the  messenger,  and,  in  a 
speech  replete  with  Indian  eloquence,  disclaimed,  in  behalf  of  the  Six  Nations,  all  thoughts 
of  hostility  to  the  friends  of  Congress.  The  Fvev.  Mr.  Johnson,  the  first  pastor  in  Wyoming, 
acted  as  interpreter.  "  We  are  sorry,"  said  the  chief,  "  to  have  two  brothers  fighting  with 
each  other,  and  should  be  glad  to  hear  that  the  quarrel  was  peaceably  settled.  We  choose 
not  to  interest  ourselves  on  either  side.  The  quarrel  appears  to  be  unnecessary.  We  do 
not  well  understand  it.      We  are  for  peace."      He  continued  : 

"  Brothers,  when  our  young  men  come  to  hunt  in  your  neighborhood,  you  must  not  im- 
agine they  come  to  do  mischief;  they  come  to  procure  themselves  provisions,  also  skins  to 
purchase  them  clothing. 

"  Brothers,  we  desire  that  Wyoming  may  be  a  place  appointed  where  the  great  men  may 
meet,  and  have  a  fire,  which  shall  ever  after  be  called  Wyomick,  where  you  shall  judge 
best  how  to  prevent  any  jealousies  or  uneasy  thoughts  that  may  arise,  and  thereby  preserve 
our  friendship. 


550  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Colonel  Butler  deceived.  Strangers  in  Wyoming.  Suspiciona  of  the  People. 

"  Brothers,  you  see  but  one  of  our  chiefs.  You  may  be  suspicious  on  that  account ;  but 
we  assure  you  this  chief  speaks  in  the  name  of  the  Six  Nations.      We  are  of  one  mind. 

"  Brothers,  what  we  say  is  not  from  the  lips,  but  from  the  heart.  If  any  Indians  of  little 
note  should  apeak  otherwise,  you  must  pay  no  regard  to  them,  but  observe  what  has  been 
said  and  written  by  the  chiefs,  which  may  be  depended  on. 

"  Brothers,  we  live  at  the  head  of  these  waters  [Susquehanna].  Pay  no  regard  to  any  re- 
ports that  may  come  up  the  stream  or  any  other  way,  but  look  to  the  head  waters  for  truth  ; 
and  we  do  now  assure  you,  as  long  as  the  waters  run,  so  long  you  may  depend  on  our  friend- 
ship.     We  are  all  of  one  mind,  and  we  are  all  for  peace." 

This  was  the  strong  language  of  assurance,  and  Colonel  Butler,  confident  of  its  sincerity, 
■wrote  accordingly  to  Roger  Sherman  of  the  Connecticut  Assembly.  He  mentioned  in  his 
letter  that  the  Indians  wanted  an  American  flag,  as  a  token  of  friendship  ;  and  the  whole 
tone  of  his  communication  evinced  a  belief  in  the  professed  attachment  of  the  savages  to  the 
republicans.  But  at  that  very  time  the  Mohawks,  Onondagas,  and  Senecas  were  leaguing 
against  the  patriots  ;  and  already  Brant  and  five  hundred  warriors  had  struck  a  severe  blow 
of  hostility  to  the  republicans  at  the  Cedars,  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  proposed  council 
fire  at  Wyoming  was  doubtless  intended  as  a  pretense  for  assembling  a  large  body  of  war- 
riors in  the  heart  of  the  settlement,  to  destroy  it ;  and  the  desire  for  an  American  flag  was 
undoubtedly  a  wish  to  have  it  for  a  decoy  when  occasion  should  call  for  its  use.  Events 
soon  occurred  which  confirmed  these  suspicions,  and  the  people  of  Wyoming  prepared  for 
defense  against  their  two-fold  enemy,  the  Indians  and  the  Tories.' 

When  the  war  broke  out,  the  Connecticut  Assembly  prevented  further  immigration  to 
Westmoreland.  But  people  came  there,  from  the  Hudson  and  the  Mohawk  Valleys,  hav- 
ing no  sympathy  with  either  of  the  parties  in  the  "  Pennymite  war,"  and,  as  it  appeared^ 
no  sympathy  with  the  republicans.  Almost  every  original  settler  had  espoused  the  cause 
of  the  Whigs  ;  and  the  open  expression  of  hostility  to  Congress  by  these  interlopers,  the 
most  active  of  whom  were  the  Wintermoots,  Van  Gorders,  Van  Alstyns,  and  a  few  other 
families,  excited  the  indignation  of  the  Wyoming  people."  The  recommendation  of  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  to  organize  committees  of  vigilance  in  every  town,  had  been  promptly 
acted  upon  in  Wyoming,  and  these  new  comers,  the  avowed  friends  of  the  king,  were  soon 
subjected  to  the  severest  scrutiny  of  the  committee  there.  The  people  of  Wyoming,  num- 
bering nearly  three  thousand,  and  united  in  thought  and  action,  were  pursuing  peacefully 
their  various  occupations.  The  sudden  influx  of  strangers  to  them,  not  only  in  person  but 
in  political  creed,  justly  excited  suspicions  that  they  were  a  colony  of  vipers,  come  to  nestle 
among  them  for  the  purpose  of  disseminating  the  poison  of  Toryism.  Influenced  by  these 
fears,  several  of  the  most  suspicious  of  the  interlopers  were  arrested  and  sent  to  Connecticut. 
This  was  an  unwise  act,  although  perhaps  justifiable,  and  was  one  cause  of  subsequent  disasters. 

In  the  mean  while  two  companies  of  regular  troops,  of  eighty-two  men  each,  had  been 
raised  in  the  valley,  under  a  resolution  of  Congress,  commanded  by  Captains  Ransom  and 

'  On  the  10th  of  March,  1777,  the  following  resolutions  were  adopted  at  a  town  meeting  held  at  Wilkes- 
barre : 

"  VoUd^  That  the  first  man  that  shall  make  fifty  weight  of  good  saltpetre  in  this  town  shall  be  entitled  to 
a  bounty  of  ten  pounds  lawful  money,  to  be  paid  out  of  the  town  treasury. 

"  VoUd^  That  the  select-men  be  directed  to  dispose  of  the  grain  now  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer  or  col- 
lector in  such  a  way  as  to  obtain  powder  and  lead  to  the  value  of  forty  pounds  lawful  money,  if  they  can  do 
the  same." 

It  was  also  subsequently  voted  to  empower  a  committee  of  inspectors  "  to  supply  the  soldiers'  wives  and 
the  soldiers'  widows  with  the  necessaries  of  life."     This  was  a  noble  resolution. 

*  Mr.  Miner,  hi  a  letter  to  the  late  William  L.  Stone,  mentions  the  fact  that  among  the  papers  of  Colonel 
Zebulon  Butler  he  found  a  list  of  Tories  who  joined  the  Indians.  The  list  contained  sixty-one  names,  of 
which  only  three  were  those  of  New  England  men.  Most  of  them  were  transient  persons,  who  had  gone 
to  Wyoming  as  hunters  and  trappers.  Six  of  them  were  of  one  famDy  (the  Wintermoots),  from  Minisink. 
Nine  were  from  the  Mohawk  Valley,  doubtless  in  the  interest  of  the  Johnsons,  four  from  Kinderhook,  and 
six  from  West  Chester,  New  York.  There  were  not  ten  Tory  families  who  had  resided  two  years  in  Wyo- 
ming.— See  Slone^s  History  of  Wyoming,  p.  181. 


DF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


351 


The  Wintermoots. 


Eroction  of  a  Fort 


Counteraction  of  the  old  Settlers. 


AtToir  on  the  Millstone  Kiver, 


Durkee,  and  were  attached  to  the  Connecticut  hne.'  The  Wintermoots,  who  had  purchased 
land  toward  the  head  of  the  valley,  and  upon  the  old  banks  of  the  Susquehanna,^  at  a  place 
where  bubbled  forth  a  large  and  living  spring  of  pure  water,  erected  a  strong  fortification 

known  as  Wintermoot's  Fort.      The  town  meet- 
ing alluded  to,  suspicious  of  the  design  of  the  Win- 
termoots, who  had  hitherto  acted   so  discreetly 
that  a  charge  of  actual  hostility  to  Congress  could 
not  properly  be  made  against  them,  thought  it  best 
to  counteract  their  apparent  belligerence,  and  re- 
solved that  it  had  "  become  necessary  for  the  in- 
habitants of  the  tovvTi  to  erect  suitable  forts  as  a 
defense  against  the  common  enemy."     Au'ni«t24 
A  fort  was  accordingly  built,  about  two        i'^'^''- 
miles  above  Wintermoot's,  under  the  supervision 
of  the  families  of  Jenkins  and  Harding,  and  called 
Fort  Jenkins.'     Forty  Fort  (so  called  from  the 
first  forty  Yankees,  the  pioneers  of  the  Susque- 
hanna settlers  in  Wyoming),  then  little  more  than 
a  weak  block-house,  was  strengthened   and  en- 
larged, and  sites  for  other  forts  were  fixed  on,  at 
Pittstown,  Wilkesbarre,  and  Hanover.      It  was 
agreed  in  town  meeting  that  these  several  forti- 
fications should  be  built  by  the  people,  "  without 
either  fee  or  reward  from  the  town." 
As  we  have  observed  in  a  former  chapter,  the  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations  which  had  receded 
from  their  solemn  agreement  of  neutrality  were  not  brought  actively  into  the  service  of  the 
king  until  the  summer  of  1777.      It  was  then  that  the  people  of  Wyoming  perceived,  and 
fully  appreciated,  the  perils  attendant  upon  their  isolation,  and  the  attention  of  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  was  often  called  to  their  exposed  situation.      While  St.  Leger  was  investing 
Fort  Stanwix,  some  straggling  parties  of  savages  hung  about  and  menaced  Wyoming  ;   but, 
after  the  siege  was  raised,  the  people  were  not  disturbed  again  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year  and  the  follo\ving  spring.      But  early  in  the  summer  of  1778  the  movements  of  Brant 
and  his  warriors,  and  the  Johnsons  and  Butlers  and  their  Tory  legions,  upon  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Susquehanna,  together  with  the  actions  of  the  Tories  in  the  Valley  of  Wyoming,  who 
were  greatly  exasperated  on  account  of  the  harsh  treatment  of  some  of  their  number  by  the 


Sits  op  Winter.moot's  Fort.* 


'  These  two  companies  ser\'ed  with  distinction  at  the  skirmish  on  Millstone  River,  in  New  Jersey,  on  the 
20th  of  January,  1777.  This  occurred  while  the  main  armj'  of  the  Americans  were  suffering  from  the  small- 
pox at  ^lorristown.  A  line  of  forts  had  been  established  along  the  Millstone  River,  in  the  direction  of  Prince- 
ton. One  of  these,  at  Somerset  Court-house,  was  occupied  by  General  Dickin.son  with  these  two  regular 
companies  and  about  three  hundred  militia.  A  mill  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  stream  contained  consider- 
able (lour.  Cornwallis,  then  Iving  at  New  Brunswick,  dispatched  a  foraging  party  to  capture  ir.  The  party 
consisted  of  about  four  hundred  men,  with  more  than  forty  wagons.  The  British  arrived  at  the  mill  early 
in  the  morninir,  and,  having  loaded  their  wagons  with  flour,  were  about  to  return,  when  General  Dickinson, 
leading  a  poition  (if  his  force  through  the  river,  middle  deep,  attacked  them  with  so  much  spirit,  that  they 
fled  in  haste,  leaving  the  whole  of  their  plunder,  with  their  wagons,  behind  them. 

*  Along  the  western  side  of  the  Susquehanna,  a  large  part  of  the  way  from  the  head  of  the  valley  to  the 
village  of  Kingston,  opposite  Wilkesbarre,  are  traces  of  a  more  ancient  shore  than  the  present,  when  the 
river  was  broader  and  perhaps  deeper  than  now.  The  plain  extending  from  the  ancient  shore  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  is  a  uniform  level,  several  feet  above  the  alluvial  bottom  between  it  and  the  present  bank 
of  the  river. 

'  There  was  another  fort,  called  Fort  Jenkins,  upon  the  Susquehanna,  about  half  way  between  Wilkes- 
barre and  Fort  Augusta,  or  Sunbury.     The  fort  in  question  was  about  eight  miles  above  Wilkesbarre. 

*  This  view  is  from  the  ancient  bed  of  the  SusqaehannA,  looking  west.  The  tiuilding,  formerly  the  prop- 
erty of  Colonel  Jenkins,  and  now  ovs-ned  by  Mr.  David  Goodwin,  is  upon  the  site  of  old  Fort  Wintermoot, 
which  was  destroyed  at  the  time  of  the  invasion  in  1778.  It  is  upon  the  ancient  bank  of  the  river,  heio 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high,  and  about  sixty  rods  from  the  stream  in  its  present  channel. 


352  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Alarta  in  Wyoming.  Condition  of  the  Settlement.  Apathy  of  Congress.  Patriotism  of  Wyoming  Women. 

Whigs,  greatly  alarmed  the  people.  Several  of  the  Loyalists  had  left  and  joined  the  forces 
under  Colonel  John  Butler,  and  the  people  very  properly  apprehended  their  return  with  power 
sufficient  to  satisfy  their  manifest  spirit  of  vengeance.  Early  in  May  the  savages  had  com- 
mitted many  robberies,  and  in  June  some  murders,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tioga,  and  other 
points  on  the  upper  borders  of  Westmoreland.  The  Indians  were  in  considerable  force  at 
Conewawah  (now  Elmira,  in  Chemung  county,  New  York),  and  were  in  constant  commu- 
nication with  the  Tory  settlers,  by  runners,  at  Wyalusing  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tunk- 
hannock,  within  the  precincts  of  Westmoreland.  These  circumstances  were  alarming  ;  yet 
the  exposed  territory,  cut  off  as  it  was  from  immediate  aid,  if  demanded,  was  weakened  by 
drafts  upon  its  able-bodied  men  for  the  Continental  army,  and  demands  upon  its  local  treas- 
ury for  the  use  of  the  Connecticut  Assembly.  Mr.  Miner  has  given,  in  a  spirited  historic 
•'pen-and-ink  sketch,"  a  picture  of  the  condition  of  Wyoming  at  the  close  of  1777,  and  at 
the  opening  of  the  active  operations  the  following  year.  He  says,  "  Nearly  all  their  able- 
bodied  men  were  away  in  the  service.  The  remaining  population,  in  dread  of  the  savages, 
were  building  six  forts  or  stockades,  requiring  great  labor,  'without  fee  or  reward.'  All  the 
aged  men  out  of  the  train  bands,  exempt  by  law  from  duty,  were  formed  into  companies  to 
garrison  the  forts,  one  of  the  captains  being  also  chief  physician  to  the  people  and  surgeon  to 
the  military.  Of  the  militia  the  whole  were  in  constant  requisition,  to  go  on  the  scout  and 
guard  against  surprise.  The  small-pox  pestilence  was  in  every  district.  A  tax  to  go  to 
Hartford  was  levied  in  the  assessment  of  the  year,  of  two  thousand  pounds,"'  not  in  Conti- 
nental bills  of  credit  at  their  nominal  value,  but  "  lawful  money  of  the  state  of  Connecticut." 

Such  was  the  condition  of  Wyoming  when,  in  June,  1778,  an  expedition  of  Tories  and 
Indians  was  prepared  to  fall  upon  the  defenseless  inhabitants.  Congress  was  apprised  of 
the  dark  design.  The  officers  and  men  in  the  army,  from  Wyoming,  pleaded  for  their  wives 
and  little  ones.  General  Schuyler  wrote  a  touching  letter  to  Congress  on  the  subject ;  yet 
that  body,  always  tardy  in  its  movements,  and  at  that  time  too  much  employed  in  sectional 
disputes  and  factious  intrigues,  left  the  settlement  uncared  for,  and  apparently  unnoticed,  ex- 
cept by  the  resolutions  to  permit  the  people  to  take  measures  for  self-defense  by  raising  troops 
among  themselves,  and  finding  "  their  own  arms,  and  accouterments,  and  blankets."^  The 
heads  of  the  families  there  exposed  were  cruelly  detained  in  the  ranks  of  the  Continental 
army  elsewhere,  and  thus,  naked  and  helpless,  the  settlement  presented  an  easy  prey  to  the 
vultures  that  scented  them  from  Niagara,  and  whose  companions  were  then  glutting  their  . 
appetites  in  the  Mohawk  and  Schoharie  settlements. 

A  force,  consisting  of  the  Tory  Rangers  of  Colonel  John  Butler,  a  detachment  of  John- 
son's Royal  Greens,  and  from  five  to  seven  hundred  Indians,  under  the  general  command  of 
Butler,  and  numbering  in  all  about  eleven  hundred  men,  crossed  the  Genesee  country  from 
Niagara,  and  appeared  at  Tioga  Point,  in  June,  whence  they  embarked  in  canoes,  and  landed 

'  History  of  Wyoming,  page  207.  Mr.  Miner  mentions  an  instance  of  the  patriotisna  of  the  women  of 
Wyoming,  and  the  draft  which  the  people  made,  under  the  pressure  of  circumstances,  upon  their  undevel- 
oped resources.  Gunpowder  was  very  scarce  at  the  time  when  the  settlement  was  menaced  by  the  enemy. 
The  husbands,  fathers,  and  brothers  were  away  in  the  Continental  ranks,  and  the  females  plowed,  sowed, 
and  reaped.  Nor  was  this  all :  they  manufactured  gunpowder  for  the  feeble  garrisons  in  the  forts.  "  They 
took  up  the  floors  of  their  houses,  dug  out  the  earth,  put  it  in  casks,  and  ran  water  through  it,  as  ashes  are 
leached.  They  then  took  ashes  in  another  cask,  and  made  ley,  mixed  the  water  from  the  earth  with  weak 
ley,  boiled  it,  and  set  it  to  cool,  and  the  saltpetre  rose  to  the  top.  Charcoal  and  sulphur  were  then  used, 
the  mixture  was  pounded  in  an  implement  brought  to  the  valley  by  Mr.  HoUenback,  and  thus  powder  was 
produced  for  the  public  defense." — Page  212. 

^  See  resolution  of  March  16th,  1778,  in  the  Journals  of  Congress,  vol.  iv.,  p.  113.  This  resolution  au- 
thorized the  raising  of  "  one  full  company  of  foot  in  the  town  of  Westmoreland."  Nothing  further  was  done 
by  Congress  in  behalf  of  the  people  there  until  the  23d  of  June  following,  when  a  resolution  was  passed  to 
write  to  the  two  independent  companies  under  Durkcc  and  Ransom,  then  greatly  reduced  by  battle  and  sick- 
ness, and  permit  them  to  return  home  for  the  defense  of  the  settlement.  Congress  also  resolved  to  pay  the 
officers  and  soldiers  of  the  companies  authorized  to  be  raised  by  the  resolution  of  the  16th  of  March  preced- 
mg,  for  their  arms  and  accouterments.  The  sum  of  $1440  was  granted  to  the  Board  of  War,  to  be  issued 
to  Colonel  Denison.  The  Continental  paper  dollars  were  then  rapidly  depreciating,  four  of  them  being  at 
that  time  worth  only  one  in  specie. 


4 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


Approach  of  Indians  and  Tories. 


Preparations  for  Defense. 


Council  of  War. 


Position  of  the  Wyoming  Forta 


near  the  mouth  of  Bowman's  Creek,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  about  twenty  miles  abovo 
Wyoming.  They  entered  the  valley  through  a  notch  from  the  west,  not  far  from  the  famous 
Dial  Rock,'  and  attacked  the  people  near  Fort  Jenkins,  three  of  whom  were  killed.'  Butler 
then  made  his  head-quarters  at  Wintermoot's  Fort,  whence  he  sent  out  scouts  and  ju]j% 
foraging  parties.  *''8- 

Virtually  abandoned  by  Congress,  the  people  had  made  all  the  preparations  in  their  power 
to  meet  the  invaders,  of  whose  approach  they  had  been  iniormed.  A  company  of  forty  of 
fifty  regulars  (so  called  only  because  the  raising  of  the  company  was  authorized  by  Congress), 
and  a  few  militia,  under  the  general  command  of  Captain  Hewett,  then  recruiting  in  the 
valley,  composed  the  military  force  to  oppose  the  enemy.  Grandfathers  and  their  aged  sons, 
boys,  and  even  women,  seized  such  weapons  as  were  at  hand.  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler,  then 
an  officer  in  the  Continental  army,  happening  to  be  at  home  when  the  enemy  entered  the 
valley,  was,  by  common  consent,  made  commander-in-chief  Forty  Fort  was  made  the  place 
of  general  military  rendezvous,  and  thither  the  women  and  children  of  the  valley  fled  for 
safety.  Aged  men  garrisoned  some  of  the  smaller  forts.  There  were  fearful  odds,  and  no 
alternative  was  left  but  to  fight  or  submit  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Indians  and  the  more 
savage  Tories.  "  Retirement  or  flight  was  alike  impossible,  and  there  was  no  security  but 
in  victory       Unequal  as  was  the  conflict,  therefore,  and  hopeless  as  it  seemed  in  the  eye  of 

prudence,  the  young  and  athletic  men  fit  to  bear 

l'^  /  ,'         k|^  '  yTj      arms,  and  enlisted  for  their  special  defense,  being  ab- 

'"^  sent  with  the  main  army,  the  inhabitants,  looking 

to  their  dependent  wives,  mothers,  sisters,  and  little 

ones,  took  counsel  of  their  courage,  and  resolved  to 

give  the  enemy  battle."^ 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  July  a  coun- 
cil of  war  was  held  in  Forty  Fort,  to  determ- 
ine what  action  was  proper.  Some,  among  whom 
M^ere  Colonels  Butler  and  Denison  and  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Dorrance,  were  in  favor  of  a  delay,  hoping 
that  a  re-enforcement  from  General  Washington's 
camp,  then  near  New  Brunswick,  in  New  Jersey 
might  reach  them  in  time,  or  that  Captain  Spald- 
ing, who  was  on  the  march  for  the  valley  witli  his 
company,  might  arrive.  Others,  having  little  hope 
of  succor,  were  anxious  to  meet  the  enemy  at  once.  While  the  debates  were  going  on,  five 
commissioned  oflicers  from  the  army  ai-rived  at  Forty  Fort.      Hearing  of  the  anticipated  in- 

'  Dial  Rock,  or  Campbell's  Rock,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is  a  high  bluff  at  the  junction  of  the  Susque- 
hanna and  Lackawana  Rivers.  Its  name  is  derived  from  the  circumstance  that  the  rays  of  the  sun  first 
strike  its  western  face  at  meridian,  and  the  farmers  in  the  valley  have  always  an  unerring  indicator  of  noon- 
tide on  clear  days. 

*  The  victims  were  all  scalped.  The  bodies  were  interred  by  their  friends,  and  over  the  graves  of  two 
of  the  Harding  family,  who  were  killed,  a  stone  was  raised,  many  years  afterward,  on  which  is  the  follow- 
ing inscription  :  "  Sweet  is  the  sleep  of  those  who  prefer  death  to  s-lavery." 

^  Wj-oming  ]\Iemorial  to  the  Legislature  of  Connecticut. 

*  ExpL.iNATioN  OF  THE  Plan. — ^^Thc  scvcral  divisions,  Hanover,  Wilkcsbarre,  Kingstown,  &c.,  mark  the 
districts  into  which  the  town  of  Westmoreland  wa.s  divided ;  in  military  language,  the  different  beats.  A  .• 
marks  the  site  of  Fort  Durkee  ;  B,  Wyoming  or  Wilkcsbarre  Fort ;  C,  Fort  Ogden  ;  Z),  villnfro  of  Kings-'^ 
ton ;  £,  Fort}'  Fort.  [This  in  the  early  histories  of  the  Revolution  is  called  Kingston  Fort.]  f,  the  battle- 
ground ;  G,  Wintermoot's  Fort ;  //,  Fort  Jenkins  ;  /,  Monocasy  Island  ;  /,  the  three  Pittstnwn  stockades. 
The  dot  below  the  G  marks  the  place  of  Queen  Esther's  Rock.  The  vilhige  of  Troy  is  ujion  the  battle- 
ground, and  that  of  Wilkcsbarre,  upon  the  site  of  Wilkcsbarre  Fort  and  its  ravelins.  The  distances  of  the 
several  points  from  the  present  bridge  at  Wilkcsbarre  are  as  follows  :  Fort  Durkeo,  half  a  mile  below,  on 
the  left  bank.  Fort  Ogden,  three  and  a  half  miles  above,  and  the  Pittstown  stockades,  about  eight  miles, 
on  the  same  side.  Forty  Fort,  three  and  a  half  miles ;  the  Monument,  on  the  battle-ground,  five  and  a  half; 
Queen  Esther's  Rock,  six  and  a  half;  Wintermoot's  Fort  and  Fort  Jenkins,  eight  miles  above,  on  the  «\e?i 
or  right  bank  of  the  river.     Kingston  is  directly  opposite  Wilkcsbarre,  half  a  mile  westwai  i. 

z 


Position  of  the  Wyoming  Forts.* 


364  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Decision  of  the  Wyoming  People.        Preparations  for  Battle.        Forces  of  the  Enemy.        Campbell's  Injustice  toward  Brant 

vasion,  they  had  obtained  permission  to  return  home  to  protect  their  families.  Already  Fort 
Jenkins  had  been  captured,  four  of  the  garrison  slain,  and  three  made  prisoners,  and  the 
other  stockade  would  doubtless  share  the  same  fate.  Already  a  demand  for  the  surrender 
of  Forty  Fort  and  the  valley  had  been  made  by  Colonel  John  Butler,  and  the  tomahawks 
of  the  Indians  were  lifted  above  the  heads  of  those  families  who  had  not  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing the  fort.  Upon  prompt  action  appeared  to  depend  their  salvation  ;  and,  influenced  by 
the  pleadings  of  the  only  hope  of  safety  left— —victory  in  battle — the  majority  decided  to 
march  at  once  against  the  invaders.  The  decision  was  rash,  and  the  minority  yielded  with 
much  reluctance. 

About  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  little  army,  consisting  of  about  three  hundred  vig- 
orous men,  old  men,  and  boys,  divided  into  six  companies  and  marched  from  the  fort,  leav- 
ing the  women  in  the  most  painful  anxiety.  They  were  joined  by  the  justices  of  the  court 
and  other  civil  officers,  and  marched  up  the  river  to  Wintermoot's  Fort,  intending  to  sur- 
prise the  enemy,  but  Colonel  John  Butler  was  too  vigilant  to  be  caught  napping.  He  had 
news  of  their  approach,  and  sent  for  the  party  then  demolishing  Fort  Jenkins  to  join  him 
immediately.  When  the  patriots  approached,  the  enemy  was  prepared  to  meet  them.  Col- 
onel John  Butler  and  his  Rangers  occupied  the  left,  which  rested  upon  the  river  bank  near 
Wintermoots  ;  and  the  right,  extending  into  a  marsh  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  on  the 
western  verge  of  the  plain,  was  composed  principally  of  Indians  and  Tories,  under  a  cele- 
brated Seneca  chief  named  Gi-en-gwa-tah,  which  signifies  He  ivho  goes  in  the  smoke}     John- 

'  Until  the  late  Mr.  Stone  made  his  researches  for  materials  for  his  interesting  biography  of  Joseph  Brant, 
or  Thayendanegea,  it  was  believed  that  Brant  and  his  Mohawk  warriors  were  engaged  in  the  invasion  of 
Wyoming.  Gordon,  Ramsay,  Thacher,  Marshall,  and  Allen  assert  that  he  and  John  Butler  were  joint  com- 
manders on  that  occasion,  and  upon  his  memory  rested  the  foul  imputation  of  being  a  participant  in  the  horrid 
transactions  in  Wyoming.     Misled  by  history,  Campbell,  in  his  Gertrude  of  Wyoming^  makes  the  Oneida  say, 

"  This  is  no  time  to  fill  the  joyous  cup ; 
The  mammoth  comes — the  foe — the  monster  Brant, 
With  all  his  howling,  desolating  band." 

And  again : 

"  Scorning  to  wield  the  hatchet  for  his  tribe, 

'Gainst  Brant  himself  I  went  to  battle  forth , 
Accursed  Brant !  he  left  of  all  my  tribe 

Nor  man,  nor  child,  nor  thing  of  living  birth. 
No !  not  the  dog  that  watched  my  household  hearth 

Escaped  that  night  of  blood  upon  the  plains. 
All  perish'd  I  I  alone  am  left  on  earth  I 

To  whom  nor  relative  nor  blood  remains — 

No,  not  a  kindred  drop  that  runs  in  human  veins." 

Brant  always  denied  any  participation  in  the  invasion,  but  the  evidence  of  history  was  against  him,  and  the 
verdict  of  the  world  was,  that  he  was  the  chief  actor  in  the  tragedy.  From  this  aspersion  Mr.  Stone  vindi- 
cated his  character  in  his  Life  of  Brant.  A  reviewer,  understood  to  be  Caleb  Cushing,  of  Massachusetts, 
disputed  the  point,  and  maintained  that  Stone  had  not  made  out  a  clear  case  for  the  sachem.  Unwilling  to 
remain  deceived,  if  he  was  so,  Mr.  Stone  made  a  journey  to  the  Seneca  country,  where  he  found  several 
survivino-  warriors  who  were  engaged  in  that  campaign.  The  celebrated  Seneca  chief  Kaoundoowand, 
better  known  as  Captain  Pollard,  who  was  a  young  chief  in  the  battle,  gave  Mr.  Stone  a  clear  account  of 
the  events,  and  was  positive  in  his  declarations  that  Brant  and  the  Mohawks  were  not  engaged  in  that  cam- 
paign. The  Indians  were  principally  Senecas,  and  were  led  by  Gi-en-gwa-tah,  as  mentioned  in  the  text. 
John  Brant,  a  son  of  the  Mohawk  sachem,  while  in  England  in  1823,  on  a  mission  in  behalf  of  his  nation, 
opened  a  correspondence  with  Mr.  Campbell  on  the  subject  of  the  injustice  which  the  latter  had  done  the 
chief  in  his  Gertrude  of  Wyoming.  The  result  was  a  partial  acknowledgment  of  his  error  by  the  poet,  in 
the  next  edition  of  the  poem  that  was  printed.  He  did  not  change  a  word  of  the  poem,  but  refeiTed  to  the 
use  of  Brant's  name  there,  in  a  note,  in  which  he  says,  "  His  son  referred  to  documents  which  completely 
satisfied  me  that  the  common  accounts  of  Brant's  cruelties  at  Wyoming,  which  I  had  found  in  books  of  trav- 
els, and  in  Adolphus's  and  other  shnilar  histories  of  England,  were  gross  errors The  name  of  Brant, 

therefore,  remains  in  my  poem  a  pure  and  declared  character  of  fiction."  This  was  well  enough  as  far  as 
it  went ;  but  an  omission,  after  such  a  conviction  of  error,  to  blot  out  the  name  entirely  from  the  poem,  was 
unworthy  of  the  character  of  an  honest  man  ;  and  the  stain  upon  the  poet's  name  will  remain  as  long  as  the 
libel  upon  a  hui/iane  warrior  shall  endure  in  the  epic. 


{ 


d. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  355 


Disposition  of  the  Belligerents  for  Battle.         Speech  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler.  The  Attack.  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler, 

son's  Greens,  under  Captain  Caldwell,'  formed  on  Butler's  right,  and  Indian  marksmen 
were  placed  at  intervals  along  the  line.  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  commanded  the  right  oi' 
the  Americans,  aided  by  Major  Garratt.  The  left  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Denison,  of 
the  Wyoming  militia,  assisted  by  Lieutenant-colonel  Dorrance.  The  battle-ground  was  a 
level  plain,  partly  cleared  and  cultivated,  and  partly  covered  by  shrub  oaks  and  yellow  pines 

As  the  Americans  approached  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  they  perceived  Wintermoot's  Fort, 
in  flames,  fired,  no  doubt,  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  patriots,  an  event  that 
seemed  quite  probable  to  the  Tory  leader,  who  was  ignorant  of  the  exact  number  of  men 
marching  against  him.  Captains  Durkee  and  Ransom,  and  Lieutenants  Ross  and  Wells, 
were  sent  forward  to  reconnoiter  and  select  the  position  for  battle.  The  Wyoming  compa- 
nies approached  separately,  and  as  they  were  wheeled  into  line.  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  thus 
addressed  them  :  "  Men,  yonder  is  the  enemy.  The  fate  of  the  Hardings  tells  us  what  we 
have  to  expect  if  defeated.  We  come  out  to  fight,  not  only  for  liberty,  but  for  life  itself, 
and,  what  is  dearer,  to  preserve  our  homes  from  conflagration,  our  women  and  children  from 
the  tomahawk.  Stand  firm  the  first  shock,  and  the  Indians  will  give  M'ay.  Every  man 
to  his  duty.'"" 

At  the  conclusion  of  Colonel  Butler's  short  address,  the  Americans  opened  the  battle  on 
the  enemy's  left.  It  was  about  four  o'clock,  the  sky  cloudless,  and  the  heat  quite  oppressive. 
The  Americans  were  ordered  to  advance  a  step  at  each  fire.  Soon  the  battle  became  gen- 
eral, and  the  British  left,  where  Colonel  John  Butler,  stripped  of  his  feathers  and  other  trap- 

'  It  is  uncertain  whether  either  of  the  Johnsons  was  in  this  campaign.  As  they  do  not  appear  in  any 
official  connection,  it  is  probable  they  were  not. 

'  Zebulon  Butler  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  Wyoming  Valley.  He  was  a  native  of  Lyme,  New 
London  county,  Connecticut,  and  was  born  in  1731.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  French  and  Indian  war 
he  entered  the  army  as  an  ensign.  He  was  at  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point,  and  other  places  in  Northern 
New  York.  He  was  also  in  the  memorable  expedition  to  Havana  during  that  war,  and  rose  to  the  rank 
of  captain.  He  left  the  service  at  the  peace  in  1763.  In  1769  he  emigrated  to  Wyoming,  and  became 
one  of  the  leading  men  in  that  settlement.  Before  he  left  Connecticut  he  was  strongly  imbued  with  feel- 
ings of  hostility  to  the  mother  country,  which  the  agitations  of  the  Stamp  Act  had  engendered,  and  when 
the  Revolution  broke  out  he  was  found  an  active  patriot.  He  was  appointed  colonel  in  1778.  He  accom- 
panied Sullivan  in  his  memorable  Indian  expedition  in  1779,  and  served  with  distinction  throughout  the  war. 
In  1787  he  was  made  lieutenant  of  the  new  county  of  Luzerne,  which  office  he  held  until  its  abrogation  by 
the  new  Constitution  in  1790.  He  died  on  the  28th  of  July,  1795,  at  his  residence,  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  above  Wilkesbarre,  and  his  remains  were  buried  in  the  grave-yard  at  the  borough.  "  Among  other 
marks  of  respect  to  his  memory,"  says  Mr.  Minor,  "  a  monody  of  a  dozen  verses  was  written,  one  of  which 
was  inscribed  on  his  tombstone  : 

"  Distinguished  by  his  usefulness 
At  home  and  when  abroad, 
At  court,  in  camp,  and  in  recess,  . 

Protected  still  by  God." 

Colonel  Butler  was  thrice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Ellen  Lord ;  his  second,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev 
Mr.  Johnson,  of  Wyoming  (the  Indian  interpreter  already  mentioned)  ;  and  the  third  was  Miss  Phcebc 
Haight,  whom  he  married  while  he  was  on  duty  at  West  Point,  near  the  close  of  the  war.  Colonel  Butler 
was  a  well-educated  and  intelligent  man,  as  his  letters  show.     An  autograph  letter  to  General  Washington. 


kindly  given  me  by  his  grandson,  the  Hon.  Ches- 
ter Butler,  of  Wilkesbarre,  from  which  this  fac- 
simile of  his  signature  is  copied,  is  a  good  specimen,  not  only  of  the  chirography,  but  of  the  perspicuity,  terse- 
ness, and  comprehensive  style  that  characterized  the  military  dispatches  of  the  Revolutionary  officers.  He 
was  one  of  those  reliable  men  whom  Washinjrton  cherished  in  memory,  and  after  the  war  he  received  tokens 
of  the  chief's  regard.  Activity,  energy,  and  a  high  sense  of  honor  were  the  distinguishing  'raits  of  Colone' 
Butler's  character.     He  was  not  a  relative  of  the  Tory  John  Butler,  as  some  have  asserted. 


356 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


"Battle  of  Wyoming. 


Deniaon's  Order  mistaken. 


Retreat  of  the  Americans. 


Scene  at  Monocaey  Island. 


pings,  appeared,  with  a  handkerchief  tied  round  his  head,  earnestly  cheering  his  men,  began 
to  give  way.  But  a  flanking  party  of  Indians,  which  covered  that  wing  of  the  enemy,  and 
was  concealed  under  some  bushes  upon  the  ancient  river  bank,  kept  up  a  galling  fire.  Cap 
tain  Durkee  was  slain  by  one  of  their  shots.'  In  the  mean  time  the  Indian  sharp-shooters 
along  the  line  kept  up  a  horrid  yell,  the  sound  of  which  reached  the  ears  of  the  women  and 
children  at  the  fort:  For  half  an  hour  the  battle  was  waged  with  unceasing  energy  on  both 
sides,  but  the  vastly  superior  numbers  of  the  enemy  began  to  manifest  its  advantage.  The 
Indians  on  the  American  left,  sheltered  and  half  concealed  by  the  swamp,  succeeded  in  out- 
flanking Colonel  Denison,  and  fell  with  terrible  force  upon  his  rear.  He  was  thus  exposed 
to  the  cross  fire  of  the  Tories  and  Indians.  Perceiving  this,  he  ordered  his  men  to  fall  back 
in  order  to  change  his  position.  The  order  was  mistaken  for  one  to  retreat.  That  word 
was  uttered  with  fatal  distinctness  along  the  line,  and  his  whole  division  fled  in  confusion 
at  the  moment  when  the  British  left  was  giving  way.  A  few  minutes  more  of  firm  resist- 
ance might  have  given  victory  to  the  republicans.  The  American  Colonel  Butler  and  Col- 
onel Dorrance  used  every  exertion  to  rally  the  fugitives  and  retrieve  the  loss,  but  in  vain. 
Colonel  Butler,  seemingly  unconscious  of  danger,  rode  along  the  lines  exposed  to  the  fire  of 
the  contending  parties,  beseeching  his  troops  to  remain  firm.  "  Don't  leave  me,  my  chil- 
dren," he  exclaimed,  "  and  the  victory  is  ours  I"  But  it  was  too  late  ;  the  Indians  leaped 
forward  like  wounded  tigers.  Every  American  captain  that  led  a  company  into  action  was 
slain  at  the  head  of  his  men.  Longer  resistance  was  vain,  and  the  whole  American  line, 
broken,  shattered,  and  dispersed,  fled  in  confusion,  some  in  the  direction  of  Forty  Fort,  and 

others  toward  Monocasy  Island, 
nearly  a  mile  distant,  and  the  only 
point  on  the  river  that  promised 
them  an  opportunity  to  escape. 
The  scene  that  ensued  was  ter- 
rible indeed.  A  portion  of  the 
flanking  party  of  Indians  rushed 
forward  to  cut  off'  the  retreat  to 
Forty  Fort,  while  the  rest  of  the 
invaders,  following  the  main  por- 
tion of  the  army,  M^ho  fled  through 
the  fields  of  grain  toward  Mono- 
casy Island,  slaughtered  them  by 
scores.  Many  who  could  not  swim,  and  hesitated  upon  the  brink  of  the  river,  were  shot 
down  ;  and  others,  who  hid  themselves  in  bushes  upon  the  shore,  were  dragged  out  and  shot 
or  tomahawked,  regardless  of  their  cry  for  quarter.  Many  swam  to  Monocasy  Island,  whither 
their  pursuers  followed  and  hunted  them  like  deers  in  cover.  Others  were  shot  while  swim- 
ming ;  and  some,  who  were  lured  back  to  the  shore  by  promises  of  quarter,  were  butchered. 
Only  a  few  escaped  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  river  and  fled  in  safety  to  the  mountains.' 

'  Captain  Robert  Durkee  was  a  younger  brother  of  Colonel  John  Durkee.  When  the  talley  was  men- 
aced, and  he  was  refused  permission  to  return  home,  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army,  and  hastened 
to  the  defense  of  his  family.     He  was  a  volunteer  in  the  battle  where  he  lost  his  life. 

^  This  view  is  from  the  left  or  eastern  bank  of  the  Susquehanna,  opposite  the  center  of  Monocasy  Island, 
looking  up  the  river.  Toward  the  foreground,  on  the  right  of  the  picture,  a  little  beyond  the  bar-post,  is 
seen  a  ravine,  through  which  the  fugitives  who  crossed  the  river  in  safety  made  their  way.  On  the  left  are 
seen  the  upper  end  of  Monocasy,  and  a  sand-bar  which  divides  the  waters  of  the  river.  The  distant  hills 
on  the  left  are  those  which  bound  the  western  side  of  the  valley.  From  the  head  of  Monocasy  Island,  across 
the  sand-bar,  the  river  is  often  fordable  in  summer  to  the  eastern  side. 

^  It  would  be  neither  pleasant  nor  profitable  to  relate  the  many  instances  of  suffering  on  that  occa-sion. 
All  the  horrors  of  war,  although  on  a  small  scale,  were  exhibited  on  that  memorable  day ;  and  were  the 
particulars  chronicled,  the  most  rapacious  gourmand  of  horrors  might  be  surfeited.  I  will  mention  one  or 
two  circumstances,  which  sufficiently  exhibit  the  bestiality  of  human  character  developed  by  civil  war,  de- 
stroying or  stifling  every  feeling  of  consanguineous  affection  or  neighborly  regard.  One  of  the  fugitives, 
named  Pensil,  hid  h.,nself  among  the  willows  upon  Monocasy  Island.     His  Tory  brother,  who  had  joined 


The  Susquehanna  at  Monocasy  Island.^ 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


357 


Escape  of  Colonels  Butler  and  Denison.         Cruelties  of  the  Indians.         Scene  at  '•  Queen  Kstbor's  Rock."         Queen  Esther. 

Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  escaped  to  Wilkesbarre  Fort  and  Colonel  Denison  to  Forty  Fort, 
where  the  latter  mustered  the  few  soldiers  that  came  in,  placed  sentinels,  and  prepared  i'or 
a  defense  of  the  women  and  children  collected  there. 

Darkness  put  an  end  to  the  pursuit,  but  not  to  the  horrors.      It  was  a  dreadful  nipht  for 
"Wyoming,  for  the  enemy,  elated  by  victory,  held  their  fearful  orgies  upon  the  battle-field. 

"  WTioop  after  whoop  with  rack  the  ear  assail'd, 
As  if  unearthly  fiends  had  burst  their  bar ; 
While  rapidly  the  marksman's  shot  prevail'd, 
And  aye,  as  if  for  death,  some  lonely  trumpet  wail'd.'" 

Many  prisoners  suffered  the  martyrdom  of  savage  torture,  while  some  of  their  friends  on  the 

opposite  shore,  near  Pittston,  powerless  to  help 

them,   observed  the  dreadful  proceedings  by  - 

ihe  light  of  the  fires.      Captain  Bidlack  was  ,_„ 

thrown,  alive,  upon  the  burning  timbers  of 

Wintermoot's  Fort,  where  he  was  held  down 

with  pitchforks  until  he  expired  I     Prisoners 

were  arranged  in  circles  around  large  stones, 

and,  while  strong  Indians  held  them,  they  were 

dispatched  with  a  tomahawk.      One  of  these 

stones,  called  Queen  Esther's  Rock,  is  pointed 

out  to  the  curious.      It  is  upon  the  old  river 

bank,  about  forty  rods  east  of  the  main  road, 

three  miles  above  Forty  Fort,  and  near  the 

house  that  belonged  to  a  Mr.  Gay.      Around 

it  sixteen  prisoners  were  arranged  in  a  circle, 

and  each  was  held  by  a  savage.      A  half-breed 

Indian  woman,  called  Queen  Esther,'  assumed 

the  office  of  executioner,  and,  using  a  maul  and  tomahawk  alternately  as  she  passed  around  the 


QuEE.N  Esther's  Rock.> 


in  the  pursuit,  found  him  there  concealed,  and  recognized  him.  The  fugitive  ca.st  himself  at  his  brother's 
feet  and  begged  his  life,  promising  to  serve  him  till  death  if  he  would  spare  him.  But  the  brother  was 
changed  to  a  demon.  "  Mighty  well,  you  damned  rebel !"  he  tauntingly  replied,  and  instantly  shot  him 
dead !  The  Oneida  savage  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter  refused  to  imbrue  his  hands  in  his  brother's . 
blood.  The  worst  passions  raged  with  wild  and  desolating  fury.  All  the  sweet  charities  of  life  seemed 
extinguished.  Lieutenant  Shoemaker,  one  of  the  most  generous  and  benevolent  of  men,  whose  wealth  en- 
abled him  to  dispense  charity  and  do  good,  which  was  a  delight  to  him,  fled  to  the  river,  when  Windecker. 
a  man  who  had  often  fed  at  his  board  and  drunk  of  his  cup,  came  to  the  brink.  "  Come  out,  come  out," 
he  said  ;  "you  know  I  will  protect  you."  How  could  Shoemaker  doubt  it?  Windecker  reached  out  his 
left  hand  as  if  to  lead  him,  much  exhausted,  ashore,  and  dashed  his  tomahawk  into  the  head  of  his  benefac- 
tor, who  fell  back  and  floated  away. — See  3Iincr,  p.  225. 

'  Gertrude  of  Wyoming. 

*  This  view  is  near  the  ancient  river  bank,  looking  westward.  The  rock  is  a  sort  of  conglomerate,  a  large 
proportion  of  which  is  quartz.  Some  of  it  is  of  a  reddish  color,  which  the  crcduloas  believe  to  bo  stains  of 
blood  still  remaining.  The  rock  projects  only  about  eighteen  inches  above  the  gronnd,  and  its  size  is  de- 
noted by  the  figure  standing  beside  it.  In  the  distance,  on  the  left,  is  seen  the  monument  which  has  been 
erected  to  the  memory  of  those  who  fell  on  the  occasion.  This  scene  includes  a  portion  of  the  battle-ground. 
The  little  villase  of  Troy  also  occupies  a  part  of  the  field  of  conflict. 

^  Queen  Esther,  as  she  was  called,  was  the  celebrated  Catharine  jNIontour,  whose  residence  was  at  Cath- 
arinestown,  near  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake,  in  New  York.  The  town  was  named  after  her,  and  was  the  first 
of  the  Indian  villages  destroyed  by  Sullivan  in  1779,  after  the  battle  of  Chemung.  She  was  a  native  of  Can- 
ada, and  her  father  was  one  of  the  French  governors,  probably  Frontcnac.  She  was  made  a  captive  durinj: 
the  wars  between  the  Hurons  and  French  and  the  Six  Nations,  and  was  carried  into  the  Seneca  country, 
where  she  married  a  young  chief  who  was  signal-zed  in  the  wars  against  the  Catawbas.  He  fell  in  battle. 
about  the  year  1730.  Catharine  had  several  children  by  him,  and  remained  a  widow.  Her  superior  mind 
gave  her  great  ascendency  over  the  Senecas,  and  she  was  a  queen  indeed  among  them.  She  accompanied 
the  delegates  of  the  Six  Nations  to  Philadelphia  on  .several  occa-sions,  where  her  refinement  of  manners  and 
attractive  person  made  her  an  object  of  much  regard,  and  she  was  greatly  caressed  by  the  ladies  of  that 
city.     From  the  circumstance  of  her  refinement  of  manners,  Mr.  Stone  argues  that  she  could  not  have  becti 


358  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Cruelties  of  Queen  Esther.         Scenes  at  Forty  Fort.         Negotiations  for  a  Surrender.         Escape  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler. 

Jring,  singing  the  death-song,  deliberately  murdered  the  prisoners  in  consecutive  order  as  they 
were  arranged.  The  time  was  midnight,  and,  the  scene  being  lighted  up  by  a  large  fire  burn- 
ing near,  she  appeared  like  a  very  fury  from  Pandemonium  while  performing  her  bloody 
work.  With  the  death  of  each  victim  her  fury  increased,  and  her  song  rose  clearer  and 
louder  upon  the  midnight  air.  Two  of  the  prisoners  (Lebbeus  Hammond  and  Joseph  El- 
liot), seeing  there  was  no  hope,  shook  off  the  Indians  who  held  them,  and,  with  a  desperate 
spring,  fled  to  a  thicket,  amid  the  rifle-balls  and  tomahawks  that  were  sent  after  them,  and 
^scaped.  Similar  scenes  were  enacted  on  other  portions  of  the  battle-field  on  that  dreadful 
night,  but  we  will  draw  a  vail  before  the  revolting  picture,  and  view  occurrences  at  Forty 
Fort,  where  the  hopes  of  the  settlement  were  now  centered. 

Terrible  were  the  suspense  and  anxiety  of  the  people  at  the  fort  while  the  battle  was  in 
progress.  They  could  distinctly  hear  the  firing,  and,  when  the  shots  became  fewer  and 
nearer,  hope  departed,  for  they  knew  the  Americans  M'ere  dispersed  and  retreating.  At  twi- 
light Captain  John  Franklin  arrived  at  Forty  Fort,  with  the  Hunterdon  and  Salem  com- 
pany, of  thirty-five  men.  It  was  a  timely  re-enforcement,  and  revived  the  hopes  of  the  little 
remnant  of  Denison's  force.  The  night  was  spent  in  sleepless  vigilance  and  alarm  by  those 
within  the  forts,  while  the  people  without  were  flying  to  the  mountains  and  the  wilderness 
j„,_.  4  beyond,  under  cover  of  the  darkness.  Early  the  next  morning  a  messenger  was  dis- 
^■^■'S-  patched  to  Wilkesbarre  Fort,  to  send  up  the  cannon,  and  cause  the  whole  settlement 
to  concentrate  for  defense  at  Forty  Fort.  But  all  was  confusion.  The  people  were  flying 
in  dismay,  and  leaving  their  homes  a  prey  to  the  invaders.  The  messenger  returned  with 
his  melancholy  tidings  just  as  another  arrived  from  Colonel  John  Butler,  demanding  a  sur- 
render, and  requesting  Colonel  Denison  to  come  up  to  head-quarters,  near  the  still  burning 
ruins  of  Wintermoot's  Fort,  to  agree  on  terms  of  capitulation.  Already  the  principal  stock- 
ade at  Pittston  (Fort  Brown)  had  surrendered,  and,  there  being  no  hope  of  a  successful  de- 
fense. Colonel  Denison  complied.  Colonel  Butler  demanded  the  surrender  of  all  the  forts, 
and  also  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  and  his  Continental  troops  (numbering  only  fifteen  men) 
as  prisoners  of  war.  Colonel  Denison  hastened  back,  by  agreement,  to  consult  with  his 
brother  officers.  He  conferred  with  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  at  Wilkesbarre  Fort,  and  it 
was  agreed  that  the  latter  and  his  men  should  immediately  retire  from  the  valley.  He  placed 
Mrs.  Butler  behind  him  upon  his  horse,  and  that  night  they  slept  at  Conyngham,  in  the  Nes- 
copeek  Valley,  twenty  miles  from  Wilkesbarre.  Colonel  Denison,  on  returning,  reported  to 
the  British  leader  that  the  Continentals  werp  beyond  his  command,  and  negotiations  were 
opened  without  reference  to  them.  The  terms  were  verbally  agreed  upon,  but,  there  being 
no  conveniences  for  writing  at  hand,  the  contracting  parties  went  to  Forty  Fort,  and,  upon 
a  table  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Bennet,  the  terms  of  capitulation  were  drawn  up  and  signed.' 

guilty  of  the  atrocities  at  Wyoming  which  history  has  attributed  to  her.  But  Mr.  Miner,  whose  means  for 
correct  information  on  points  connected  with  the  history  of  Wyoming  were  much  superior  to  those  of  Mr. 
Stone,  clearly  fixes  the  guilt  upon  her.  She  was  well  known  to  Colonel  Denison  and  Colonel  Frankhn,  and 
they  both  explicitly  charge  her  with  the  deed.  Two  of  her  sons  accompanied  her  in  the  expedition,  and  it 
is  said  that  her  fury  on  the  occasion  was  excited  by  the  death  of  one  of  them,  in  the  fight  that  occurred  near 
Fort  Jenkins  on  the  2d  of  July,  the  day  before  the  battle  of  Wyoming.  She  must  have  been  then  nearly 
eighty  years  of  age.  One  of  General  Sullivan's  men,  in  his  journal,  cited  by  Minor,  speaks  of  reaching 
"  Queen  Esther's  plantation"  [Sheshequin],  where  she  "  dwelt  in  retirement  and  sullen  majesty.  The  ruins 
of  her  palace,"  he  said,  "are  still  to  be  seen.  In  what  we  supposed  to  be  the  chapel  we  found  an  idol, 
which  might  well  be  worshiped  without  violating  the  third  commandment  on  account  of  Us  likeness  to  any 
thing  in  heaven  or  on  earth.  About  sunrise  the  general  gave  ordei-s  for  Catharinestown  to  be  illuminated, 
and  accordingly  we  had  a  glorious  bonfire  of  upward  of  thirty  buildings."  One  of  the  sons  of  Kate  Mon- 
tour, as  she  was  familiarly  called,  was  with  Walter  Butler  at  Cherry  Valley,  and  with  his  own  hands  cap- 
tured Mr.  Cannon,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Campbell,  mentioned  in  our  account  of  the  invasion  of  that  settlement. 
The  old  man's  life  was  spared,  and  he  was  taken  to  Niagara.  Kate  Montour  was  there,  and  "  was  greatly 
enraged,"  says  Stone,  "  because  her  son  had  not  killed  him  outright."  This  "  exhibition  of  a  savage  tem- 
per" is  in  accordance  with  her  acts  at  Bloody  Rock. 

'  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  articles  of  capitulation,  dated  Westmoreland,  July  4th,  1778  : 

"  Art.  1st.  That  the  inhabitants  of  the  settlement  lay  down  their  arms,  and  the  garrisons  be  demolished. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  359 


Surrender  of  the  Fort.  Treaty  Table.  Conduct  of  the  Tories.  Bad  Faith  of  tho  Indians.  The  Treaty. 

Colonel  Butler,  ascertaining  that  there  were  several  casks  of  whisky  m  the  fort,  ordered  them 
to  be  rolled  to  the  bank  of  the  river  and  emptied,  fearing  that  ^^-^^-—-^^.^^ 

they  might  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  and  make  them 
unmanageable. 

Every  thing  being  arranged,  the  two  gates  of  the  fort  were 
thrown  open.  The  arms  of  the  patriots  were  piled  up  in  the 
center,  and  the  women  and  children  retired  within  the  huts  that 
lined  the  interior  of  the  stockade.  At  the  appointed  time  the 
victors  approached,  with  drums  beating:  and  colors  flvinj?-      Thev 

.    ^^  '  ,.  ,   -r     T  r^,       n  Ti!E  "Treaty  Tablk."i 

came  m  two  columns,  whites  and  Indians.      The  lormer  were 

led  by  Colonel  John  Butler,  who  entered  the  north  gate,  and  the  latter  by  Queen  Esther, 
the  bloody  priestess  of  the  midnight  sacrifice.  She  was  followed  by  Gi-en-gwa-tah,  who, 
with  his  warriors,  entered  the  south  gate.  The  Wily  chief,  fearing  treachery,  glanced  quickly 
to  the  right  and  left  as  he  entered.  The  Tories,  with  their  natural  instinct  for  plunder,  im- 
mediately seized  the  piled  arms.  Butler  ordered  them  to  desist,  and  presented  the  muskets 
to  the  Indians.  The  inhabitants  were  then  marked  by  the  Indians  with  black  paint  in  their 
faces,  and.  ordered  to  carry  a  white  cloth  on  a  stick.  These  were  badges  which,  the  savages 
said,  would  insure  their  protection. 

The  terms  of  the  capitulation  were  respected  by  the  invaders,  particularly  the  Indians, 
for  a  few  hours  only.  Before  night  they  spread  through  the  valley,  plundering  the  few  peo- 
ple that  were  left,  and  burning  the  dwellings  of  those  already  gone  to  the  wilderness.  The 
village  of  Wilkesbarre,  containing  twenty-three  houses,  was  burned,  and  the  inhabitants,  with 
others  remaining  in  the  valley,  fled  in  dismay  toward  the  mountains,  whither  a  great  num- 
ber of  their  friends  had  gone  during  the  night.      Only  one  life'  was  taken  after  the  surrender 

"  2d.  That  the  inhabitants  occupy  their  farms  peaceably,  and  the  lives  of  the  inhabitants  be  preserved  en- 
tire and  unhurt. 

"  3d.  That  the  Continental  stores  be  delivered  up. 

"  4th.  That  Major  Butler*  will  use  his  utmost  influence  that  the  private  property  of  the  inhabitants  shall 
be  preserved  entire  to  them. 

'■  5th.  That  the  prisoners  in  Forty  Fort  be  delivered  up,  and  that  Samuel  Finch,  now  in  Major  Butler's 
possession,  be  delivered  up  also. 

"  6th.  That  the  property  taken  from  the  people  called  Tories,  up  the  river,  be  made  good,  and  they  to 
remain  in  peaceable  possession  of  their  farms,  unmolested  in  a  free  trade  in  and  throughout  the  state,  as  far 
as  lies  in  my  power. 

"  7th.  That  the  inhabitants  that  Colonel  Denison  now  capitulates  for,  together  with  himself,  do  not  take 

up  arms  during  the  present  contest. 

r^.        ,,  "  Nathan  Demson 

Ibigned  T         X) 

••    "       J  JoH.N  Butler. 

"  Zarah  Beech,       Samuel  Gustin, 

John  Johnson,      William  Caldwell.'''' 

*  The  table  on  which  the  capitulation  was  drawn  up  and  signed  was  still  in  possession  of  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Bennet  (Mrs.  Myers)  when  I  visited  her  in  September,  1848.  I  shall  have  occasion  to  mention  this 
venerable  woman  presently.  The  table  is  of  black  walnut,  small,  and  of  oval  form,  and  was  a  pretty  piece 
of  furniture  when  new.  It  is  preserved  with  much  care  by  the  family.  The  house  of  Mr.  Bennet  was  near 
Forty  Fort,  and  himself  and  family,  with  their  most  valuable  effects,  were  within  the  stockade  when  it  sur- 
rendered. 

*  This  was  Sergeant  Boyd,  a  deserter  from  the  British  army.  Standing  in  the  gateway  of  the  fort  after 
the  capitulation,  Colonel  Butler  recognized  him,  and  said,  sternly,  "  Boyd,  go  to  that  tree  !"     "  I  hope,"  said 

*  In  all  accounts  of  the  war  John  Butler  is  denominated  a  colonel,  while  hero  he  gives  what  was  doubtless  his  true  title.  Lord 
George  Germaine,  in  a  dispatch  to  Sir  Henry  CUnton,  gives  him  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  This  capitulation  was  highly 
honorable,  and  certainly  aflords  a  plea  in  favor  of  the  merciful  character  of  Butler  claimed  for  him  by  his  friends.  In  the  trans 
actions  which  subsequently  took  place  he  declared  his  inability  to  control  the  Indians.  This  may  have  been  true.  But  no  hon- 
orable man  would  have  headed  such  an  expedition  ;  and  whatever  may  have  been  his  efforts  to  allay  the  whirlwind  of  destruc- 
tion which  he  had  raised,  history  holds  him  responsible,  next  to  his  government,  for  the  dreadful  tragedy  in  Wyoming.  The 
stories  of  his  cruelties,  set  afloat  by  the  flying  fugitives  from  tho  valley,  and  incorporated  in  the  histories  of  Gordon,  Ramsay,  and 
other  early  historians  of  the  war,  have  been  refuted  by  ample  testimony,  and  proved  to  be  tho  offspring  of  imaginations  greatly 
excited  by  the  terrors  of  the  battle  and  flight.  The  story,  that  when  Colonel  Denison  asked  Butler  upon  what  terms  he  would 
accept  a  surrender,  he  replied,  "The  hatchet,"  and  tales  of  a  kindred  n:iturc  of  cruelties  permitted  by  him,  have  no  foundati.io 
in  truth. 


360  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Might  of  the  People  over  the  Pocono.     Incidents  of  the  Flight.      Providential  Aid  of  Mr.  Hollenback.     Preservation  of  Papers 

of  Forty  Fort,  but  numbers  of  women  and  children  perished  in  their  flight  in  the  great  swamp 
on  the  Pocono  Mountains,  known  as  the  Shades  of  Death,  and  along  the  wilderness  paths 
by  the  way  of  the  Wind-gap  and  Water-gap,  to  the  settlements  on  the  Lehigh  and  Dela- 
ware. So  sudden  was  their  departure,  that  scarcely  a  morsel  of  food  was  secured.  Terri- 
ble indeed  were  the  incidents  of  that  flight,  as  related  by  the  sufferers  and  their  friends,  and 
recorded  by  Chapman  and  Miner.  "  Tears  gushed  from  the  eyes  of  the  aged  widow  of  Mr. 
Cooper,"  says  Mr.  Miner,  "  when  she  related  that  her  husband  had  lain  on  his  face  to  lap 
up  a  little  meal  which  a  companion  in  their  flight  had  spilled  on  the  earth.  Children  were 
born,  and  several  perished  in  the  '  Dismal  Swamp,'  or  '  Shades  of  Death,'  as  it  is  called  to 
this  day.  Mrs.  Treusdale  was  taken  in  labor  ;  daring  to  delay  but  a  few  minutes,  she  was 
seen  with  her  infant  moving  onward  upon  a  horse.  Jabez  Fish,  who  was  in  the  battle,  es- 
caped ;  but,  not  being  able  to  join  his  family,  was  supposed  to  have  fallen  ;  and  Mrs.  Fish 
hastened  with  her  children  through  the  wilderness.  Overcome  by  fatigue  and  want,  her 
infant  died.  Sitting  down  a  moment  on  a  stone,  to  see  it  draw  its  last  breath,  she  gazed  in 
its  face  with  unutterable  anguish.  There  were  no  means  to  dig  a  grave,  and  to  leave  it  to 
be  devoured  by  wolves  seemed  worse  than  death  ;  so  she  took  the  dead  babe  in  her  arms  and 
carried  it  twenty  miles,  when  she  came  to  a  German  settlement.  Though  poor,  they  gave 
her  food  ;  made  a  box  for  the  child,  attended  her  to  the  grave-yard,  and  decently  buried  it, 
kindly  bidding  her  welcome  until  she  should  be  rested. 

"  The  wife  of  Ebenezer  Marcy  was  taken  in  labor  in  the  wilderness.  Having  no  mode 
of  conveyance,  her  sufferings  were  inexpressibly  severe.  She  was  able  to  drag  her  fainting 
steps  but  about  two  miles  that  day.  The  next,  being  overtaken  by  a  neighbor  with  a  horse, 
she  rode,  and  in  a  week  was  more  than  a  hundred  miles  with  her  infant  from  the  place  of 
its  birth. 

"  Mrs.  Rogers,  from  Plymouth,  an  aged  woman,  flying  with  her  family,  overcome  by 
fatigue  and  sorrow,  fainted  in  the  wilderness,  twenty  miles  from  human  habitation.  She 
could  take  no  nourishment,  and  soon  died.      They  made  a  grave  in  the  best  manner  they 

could Mrs.  Courtwright  relates  that  she,  then  a  young  girl  flying  with  her  father's 

family,  saw  sitting  by  the  road  side  a  widow,  who  had  learned  the  death  of  her  husband. 
Six  children  were  on  the  ground  near  her — the  group  the  very  image  of  despair,  for  they 
were  without  food.  Just  at  that  moment  a  man  was  seen  riding  rapidly  toward  them  from 
the  settlements.  It  was  Mr.  Hollenback.'  Foreseeing  their  probable  destitution,  he  had 
providentially  loaded  his  horse  with  bread,  and  was  hastening  back,  like  an  angel  of  mercy, 
to  their  relief  Cries  and  tears  of  gratitude  and  welcome  went  up  to  heaven.  He  imparted 
a  morsel  to  each,  and  hastened  on  to  the  relief  of  others. 

"  The  widow  of  Anderson  Dana,  Esq.,''  and  her  widowed  daughter,  Mrs.  Whiton,  did  not 
learn  certainly  the  death  of  their  husbands  until  they  were  at  Bullock's,  on  the  mountain, 
ten  miles  on  their  way.  Many  then  heard  the  fate  of  their  relatives,  and  a  messenger  brought 
to  Mr.  Bullock  M^ord  that  both  his  sons  were  dead  on  the  field.  Then  were  heard  mourning 
and  lamentation,  with  wringing  of  hands.  Mrs.  Dana  had  been  extraordinarily  careful.  Not 
only  had  she  provided  food,  but  had  taken  a  pillow-case  of  valuable  papers  (her  husband  being 
much  engaged  in  public  business),  the  preservation  of  which  has  thrown  much  light  on  our 
path  of  research.      Depending  chiefly  on  charity,  the  family  sought  their  ancient  home  in 

Boyd,  imploringly,  "  your  honor  will  consider  me  a  prisoner  of  war."  "  Go  to  that  tree,  sir,"  shouted  Butler, 
The  sergeant  obeyed,  and  a  volley  from  soma  Indian  marksmen  laid  him  dead  upon  the  spot. 

'  Mr.  Hollenback  survived  the  battle,  and  escaped  by  swimming  the  river  at  Monocasy  Island.  He  cross- 
ed the  mountains  to  the  settlements  in  advance  of  the  fugitives. 

^  Anderson  Dana  was  from  Ashford,  Windham  county,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  lawyer  of  good  attain- 
ments ;  his  talents  and  zeal,  in  the  promotion  of  the  welfare  of  the  Wyoming  settlement,  obtained  from  the 
people  their  unanimous  suffrage,  and  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Assembly.  Returning 
home  when  Wyoming  was  threatened,  he  mounted  his  horse,  and,  riding  from  family  to  family  throughout 
the  valley,  aroused  the  people  to  action,  and,  though  exempt  from  military  duty,  hastened  to  the  field  and 
fell.     His  son-ui-law,  Stephen  Whiton,  but  a  few  weeks  married,  also  went  into  the  battle  and  was  slain. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  361 

Picture  of  the  Flight        Story  of  the  Fugitives  pubUshed  at  Poughkeepsie.        Errors  of  History.        Bad  Faith  of  the  Invaders 

Connecticut.  These  few  instances,  selected  from  a  hundred,  will  present  some  idea  of  the 
dreadful  flight.'" 

What  a  picture  did  that  flight  present  I  No  embellishment  of  fancy  is  needed  to  give  it 
efi'ect.  One  hundred  women  and  children,  with  but  a  single  man  to  guide  and  protect  them, 
are  seen,  in  the  wildest  terror,  hurrying  to  the  mountains.  "  Let  the  mind  picture  to  itself 
a  single  group,  flying  from  the  valley  to  the  mountains  on  the  east,  and  climbing  the  steep 
ascent ;  hurrying  onward,  filled  with  terror,  despair,  and  sorrow  ;  the  afiVighted  mother, 
whose  husband  has  fallen,  with  an  infant  on  her  bosom,  a  child  by  the  hand,  an  aged  parent 
slowly  climbing  the  rugged  steep  behind  them  ;  hunger  presses  them  severely  ;  in  the  rus- 
tling of  every  leaf  they  hear  the  approaching  savage  ;  a  deep  and  dreary  wilderness  before 
them,  the  valley  all  in  flames  behind  ;  their  dwellings  and  harvests  all  swept  away  in  this 
spring  flood  of  ruin,  and  the  star  of  hope  quenched  in  this  blood  shower  of  savage  vengeance.'" 

From  the  settlements  on  the  Delaware  the  fugitives  made  their  way  to  Connecticut  by 
various  routes,  and  the  tales  of  horror  of  a  few  who  crossed  the  Hudson  at  Poughkeepsie 
were  published  in  a  newspaper  printed  there.  The  account  of  the  atrocities  therein  related 
was  repeated  every  where  in  America  and  in  Europe,  and,  remaining  uncontradicted,  formed 
the  material  for  the  darkest  chapter  in  the  annals  of  the  Pi-evolution,  as  recorded  by  the  ear- 
lier historians.  No  doubt  the  fugitives  believed  they  were  telling  truths.  The  battle,  the 
devastation  of  the  valley,  and  the  flight  across  the  wilderness  were  matters  of  their  own  ex- 
perience ;  and  other  refugees,  joining  them  in  their  flight,  added  their  various  recitals  to  the 
general  narrative  of  woe.  We  will  not  stop  to  detail  what  has  been  erroneously  written. 
The  pages  of  Gordon,  Ramsay,  and  Botta  will  satisfy  those  who  wish  to  "  sup  on  horrors." 
The  researches  of  Mr.  Minor  have  obliterated  half  the  stain  which  those  recitals  cast  upon 
human  nature,  and  we  should  rejoice  at  the  result,  for  the  honor  of  the  race.  It  is  but  just 
to  the  memory  of  the  dead  to  say,  in  passing,  that  the  conduct  of  Colonels  Zebulon  Butler 
and  Nathan  Denison^  on  the  occasion  has  been  falsely  represented,  and  injustice  done  to  their 
characters.      All  that  could  be  done  was  done  by  those  brave  and  devoted  men. 

Our  story  of  the  disaster  in  Wyoming  is  almost  ended.  Although  alarm  and  distress  pre- 
vailed there  until  the  close  of  the  war,  there  were  no  hostilities  of  greater  moment  than  the 
menaces  of  savages  and  a  few  skirmishes  with  marauders.  But,  before  closing  the  historic 
tome,  let  us  briefly  glance  at  the  events  in  the  valley  which  followed  the  surrender  of  the 
forts  and  the  flight  of  the  people. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  terms  of  capitulation  were  broken  by  the  invaders  within  a  few 
hours  after  the  treaty  was  signed,  and  the  houses  of  the  people  and  fields  of  waving  grain 
were  plundered  and  destroyed.  The  Indians  began  by  breaking  open  the  trunks  and  boxes 
in  the  huts  of  the  surrendered  fort.  The  town  papers  were  scattered,  and  many  valuable 
records  were  destroyed.  Colonel  Denison  called  upon  Butler  repeatedly  to  enforce  the  terms 
of  capitulation  by  restraining  the  Indians.  Butler  did,  indeed,  attempt  to  restrain  them,  but 
they  utterly  disregarded  his  orders.  At  length,  finding  his  authority  set  at  naught,  doubt- 
less considering  his  own  life  in  danger  should  he  attempt  harsh  measures  of  control,  and  prob- 
ably fearing  greater  enormities  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  Butler  withdrew  from  the  ju,y  g_ 
valley.*     Gi-en-gwa-tah  interposed  his  authority,  and  a  greater  part  of  the  Indians      i™- 

'  History  of  Wyoming,  p.  230. 

*  The  Hazleton  Travelers.  This  is  not  a  volume,  but  a  series  of  biographical  and  historical  sketches  by 
Charles  Miner,  Esq.,  in  the  form  of  colloquies  between  two  travelers  from  Hazleton.  They  were  published 
in  the  Wyomitig  Republican  in  1837-8.  They  are  admirably  conceived  and  written,  and  contain  vivid  pic- 
tures of  the  character  and  sufferings  of  the  people  of  Wyoming  during  the  Revolution. 

*  Colonel  Nathan  Denison  was  a  native  of  New  London,  Connecticut,  and  wa.s  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
Wyoming.  He  was  well  educated,  and  was  an  active  man  in  the  valley.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
held  several  important  offices  under  the  authority  of  Pennsylvania.  He  died  January  2oth,  1809,  aged 
sixty-eight  years. 

■•  ]MrrMiner  gives  Colonel  Butler  full  credit  for  humane  intentions,  and  believes  that  he  desired  to  regard 
faithfully  the  terms  of  the  capitulation,  and  that  he  made  the  most  earnest  endeavors  to  prevent  the  pillajje 
and  murders  which  ensued.     On  the  authority  of  a  ^Ir.  Finch,  a  prisoner  at  the  time,  who  went  over  the 


362  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BO  JK 

Departure  of  the  Invaders  from  the  Valley.  Indian  Cruelties.  Arrival  ot  Buccor.  Expedition  against  the  Indiana 

followed  the  leaders,  with  Queen  Esther  and  her  retinue  in  the  van.  The  appearance  of"  the 
retiring  enemy  was  extremely  ludicrous,  aside  from  the  melancholy  savageism  that  was  pre- 
sented. Many  squaws  accompanied  the  invaders,  and  these  brought  up  the  rear.  Some 
had  belts  around  their  waists,  made  of  scalps  stretched  upon  small  hoops  ;  some  had  on  from 
four  to  six  dresses  of  chintz  or  silk,  one  over  the  other  ;  and  others,  mounted  on  stolen  horses, 
and  seated,  "  not  sidewise,  but  otherwise,"  had  on  their  heads  four  or  five  bonnets,  one  with- 
in another. 

As  soon  as  Butler  and  the  main  body  of  the  invaders  left  the  valley,  the  Indians  that  re- 
mained, wholly  uncontrolled,  swept  over  the  plains  in  small  bands  of  from  five  to  ten,  and 
wantonly  destroyed  the  crops,  burned  houses  and  barns,  and  treated  the  few  remaining  peo- 
ple most  cruelly.'  Several  murders  were  committed,  and  terror  again  reigned  in  the  valley. 
Colonel  Denison,  and  all  who  remained  at  Forty  Fort,  fled,  some  down  the  river  and  some 
to  the  mountains.  Except  a  few  who  gathered  about  the  fort  at  Wilkesbarre,  the  whole 
people  abandoned  the  settlement.     It  presented  one  wide  scene  of  conflagration  and  ruin. 

Captain  Spalding  was  between  the  Pocono  and  Blue  Mountains,  nearly  fifty  miles  from 
Wilkesbarre,  on  the  day  of  the  battle.  Apprised  of  the  event  by  the  flying  settlers,  he  hast- 
ened forward,  and  when  within  twelve  miles  of  the  valley  sent  two  scouts  to  reconnoiter. 
From  the  brow  of  the  mountain  they  saw  the  flames  rising  in  all  directions,  and  the  valley 
in  complete  possession  of  the  invaders.  The  efforts  of  a  single  company  would  be  vain,  and 
Captain  Spalding  returned  to  Stroudsburg,  to  await  the  orders  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler, 
a  August  3     "^^°  ^"^"^  returned  to  Wyoming.      When  the  enemy  had  left  the  valley,  Spalding 

I'^^'^S-  marched  thither,  and  took  up  his  quarters  at  Wilkesbarre  Fort,  a  which  he  strength- 
ened. Other  means  for  the  defense  of  the  valley  were  adopted,  and  a  few  of  those  who  had 
fled  returned,  with  the  hope  of  securing  something  that  might  be  left  of  all  their  desolated 
possessions.  Some  of  them  were  w^aylaid  and  shot  by  straggling  Indians  and  Tories.  There 
was  no  security  ;  throughout  that  fertile  valley  fire  was  the  only  reaper,  and  the  luscious 
fruits  fell  to  the  earth  ungathered.  Even  the  dead  upon  the  battle-ground  lay  unburied  un- 
til the  autumn  frosts  had  come  ;  and  when  their  mutilated  and  shriveled  bodies  were  col- 
lected and  cast  into  one  common  receptacle  of  earth,  but  few  could  be  identified. 
That  sad  office  was  performed  by  guarded  laborers,  while  parties  of  the  enemy, 
like  hungry  vultures,  scented  their  prey  from  afar,  and  hovered  upon  the  mountains,  ready 
to  descend  upon  the  stricken  settlers  when  opportunity  should  offer. 

Colonel  Hartly,  of  the  Pennsylvania  line,  joined  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler,  and  an  expedi 
tion  was  arranged  to  expel  the  marauders.  In  September  a  detachment  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  men  marched  to  Shesequin,  Queen  Esther's  plantation,  a  beautiful  plain  on  the  east 
branch  of  the  Susquehanna  (now  in  Bradford  county),  where  a  battle  ensued.      Several  of 

battle-ground  with  Mr.  Miner  in  1838,  he  says  that  Colonel  Butler  received  a  letter  on  the  5th,  which  hast- 
ened his  departure  from  the  vallej'.  It  probably  gave  him  notice  of  the  approach  of  Captain  Spalding  or 
some  other  expected  re-enforceraents.  Mr.  Miner  tells  an  amusing  anecdote  of  Finch.  They  called  to- 
gether upon  Mrs.  Jenkins,  an  aged  lady,  more  than  eighty  years  old,  who  was  a  prisoner  in  Forty  Fort. 
She  instantly  recognized  Finch,  and  said,  with  much  archness  and  humor,  "  Oh,  yes,  Finch,  to  be  sure  I  re- 
member you.  An  old  squaw  took  you  and  lH'ought  3'ou  in.  She  found  you  in  the  bushes,  and,  as  she  drove 
you  along,  patted  you  on  the  back,  saying,  '  My  son,  my  son  !'  "  Finch  did  not  relish  the  exposure  as  well 
as  the  by-standers.  He  had  been  playing  the  hero  in  his  account  of  the  battle.  Mrs.  Jenkins  stripped  him 
of  his  plumage,  and  he  soon  after  left  the  valley. 

'  One  illustrative  instance  I  will  mention.  From  the  farm  of  an  old  man  named  Weekes,  seven  persons, 
three  of  whom  were  his  sons,  one  a  grandson-in-law,  two  relatives,  and  the  last  a  boai'der,  went  out 
to  the  battle.  At  night  the  whole  seven  lay  dead  on  the  field  !  After  the  capitulation,  a  band  of  Indians 
came  to  his  house  and  ordered  him  away.  "  How  can  I  ?"  he  said  ;  "  my  whole  family  you  have  killed. 
How  can  I  with  fourteen  grandchildren,  all  young  and  helpless."  They  feasted  on  the  food  in  his  house; 
and  one  of  the  Indians,  taking  the  hat  from  the  old  man's  head,  and  placing  himself  in  a  large  rocking-chair 
which  he  had  taken  to  the  road,  rocked  with  much  glee.  They  then  informed  him  that  he  might  have  thren 
days  allowed  him  to  prepare  for  departure,  and  the  use  of  a  pair  of  oxen  and  a  wagon  to  carry  away  his 
grandchildren.  He  departed,  and  the  savages  set  fire  to  the  building,  and  destroyed  all  that  was  left.  Over 
the  rough  country  along  the  Lackawanna  Mr.  Weekes  made  his  way  to  Orange  county. — See  Miner's  Wyo- 
ming, p.  238,  and  Hazleton  Travelers. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  35 


Ileturn  of  Settlers.  Continued  Alarm.  Murder  of  Mr.  Slocum.  Sullivan's  Expedition.  Situation  of  Wyoming. 

the  Indians  were  killed,  their  settlement  was  broken  up,  and  a  quantity  of  plunder  that  had 
been  taken  from  Wyoming  was  recovered.  Returning  to  Wyoming,  Colonel  Hartly  was 
called  away,  but  left  a  garrison  of  one  hundred  men  at  Wilkesbarre  Fort.  Thus  defended, 
although  the  season  was  much  advanced,  a  few  armed  settlers  plowed  and  sowed.  Maraud- 
ing parties  of  the  enemy  still  hovered  upon  the  mountains,  and  several  of  the  whites  were 
murdered  in  their  fields,  among  whom  was  Jonathan  Slocum,  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  The  interesting  story  of  the  abduction  of  his  little  daughter,  and  her  subsequent 
discovery  among  the  Indians,  will  be  related  in  the  next  chapter. 

In  March,  1779,  the  garrison  at  Wilkesbarre  was  menaced  by  a  party  of  about  two  hund- 
red and  fifty  Indians  and  painted  Tories,  who  surrounded  the  fort.  The  discharge  of  a  field 
piece  drove  them  away,  but,  the  garrison  being  too  feeble  to  attempt  a  pursuit,  the  maraud- 
ers carried  off  much  plunder,  not,  however,  without  suflering  considerably  in  some  smart 
skirmishes  with  the  inhabitants.  In  April  a  re-enforcement  for  the  garrison,  under 
Major  Powell,  while  marching  toward  Wyoming,  fell  into  an  Indian  ambuscade.  ^" 
Six  of  his  men  were  killed,  but  the  Indians  were  routed. 

Toward  the  close  of  June,  General  Sullivan  arrived  in  the  valley,  with  his  division  of  the 
army  destined  for  the  invasion  of  the  Seneca  country,  the  events  of  which  have  been  narra- 
ted in  a  preceding  chapter.  The  troops  had  rendezvoused  at  Easton,  and  marched  to  Wyo- 
ming by  the  way  of  the  present  turnpike.  They  arrived  on  the  23d  of  June,  and  encamped 
on  the  flats  below  AVilkesbarre.  A  large  fleet  of  boats,  that  had  been  prepared  in  the  lower 
waters  of  the  Susquehanna,  arrived,  with  provisions  and  stores,  on  the  24th.  We  have 
seen  that  Sullivan's  movements  were  remarkably  slow,  and  that  the  enemy  became  perfectly 
acquainted  with  his  strength  and  his  plans  before  he  reached  Tioga.  The  Indians,  guided 
by  the  mind  of  Brant,  tried  to  divert  the  attention  of  Sullivan  by  attacks  upon  his  outposts,' 
Several  of  these  occurred,  but  the  American  force  was  too  large  to  be  much  affected  by  them  , 
and  on  the  31st  of  July  the  tents  were  struck,  and  the  whole  armv,  with  martial  music 

.  .  1779 

and  the  thunder  of  cannon,  moved  up  the  Susquehanna,  proceeding  on  the  east  side. 
As  the  fleet  of  boats  approached  Monocasy  Island  and  the  battle-ground,  the  lively  music  ol' 
fife  and  drum  was  changed  to  a  solemn  dirge,  in  honor  of  the  patriot  dead.      The  army  en- 
camped the  first  night  a  little  above  Pittston,  near  the  confluence  of  the  Susquehanna  and 
Lackawanna  Rivers.      On  the  5th  it  arrived  at  Wyalusing,  on  the  9th  at  Queen  Es- 
ther's Plains  (Shesequin),  and  on  the  11th  reached  Tioga  Point.      The  remainder        ° 
of  the  story  of  the  expedition  has  already  been  told. 

As  soon  as  the  American  army  was  gone,  the  Indians  and  Tories  came  prowling  upon 
the  borders  of  the  valley,  and,  until  peace  was  proclaimed,  the  settlers  had  not^an  hour  of 
repose.  "  Revenge  upon  Wyoming,"  says  Stone,  "  seemed  a  cherished  luxury  to  the  infu- 
jiated  savages,  hovering  upon  her  outskirts  upon  every  side.  It  was  a  scene  of  war,  blood, 
and  suffering In  the  course  of  this  harassing  warfare  there  were  many  severe  skirm- 
ishes, several  heroic  risings  of  prisoners  upon  their  Indian  captors,  and  many  hair-breadth 
escapes."^  It  would  require  a  volume  to  detail  them,  and  the  reader,  desirous  of  more  mi- 
nute information,  is  referred  to  the  works  of  Chapman,  Miner,  and  Stone.  I  have  othei 
and  broader  regions  to  traverse  and  explore,  and  other  pages  of  our  wondrous  history  to  open 
and  recite.  Let  us  close  the  book  for  the  present,  and  ramble  a  while  along  the  banks  of  the 
Susquehanna,  where  the  tragedy  we  have  been  considering  was  enacted,  but  where  now  the 
smiles  of  peace,  prosperity,  and  repose  gladden  the  heart  of  the  dweller  and  the  stranger. 

'  The  boldness  of  the  Indians  was  remarkable.     Although  the  Americans  in  camp  were  three  thousand 
stronir,  they  approached  within  two  or  three  miles  of  the  tents,  and  committed  murders. 
*  History  of  Wyoming    p.  206. 


364 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Present  Scenery  in  Wyoming. 


Allusion  to  Campbell's  Poem 


Visit  to  Kins-ton  and  Fortv  Fort 


CHAPTEPw  XVI. 


*'  I  then  but  dream'd  :  thou  art  before  rae  now 
In  life,  a  vision  of  the  brain  no  more. 
I've  stood  upon  the  wooded  mountain's  brow, 
That  beetles  high  thy  lovely  valley  o'er. 

Nature  hath  made  thee  lovelier  than  the  power 

Even  of  Campbell's  pen  hath  pictured ;  he 
Had  woven,  had  ne  gazed  one  sunny  hour 

Upon  thy  smiling  vale,  its  scenery 
With  more  of  truth,  and  made  each  rock  and  tree 

Known  like  old  friends,  and  greeted  from  afar ; 
And  there  are  tales  of  sad  reality 

In  the  dark  legends  of  thy  border  war. 

With  woes  of  deeper  tint  than  his  own  Gertrude's  are." 

Halleck. 

MIST  still  reposed  upon  the  waters,  and  veiled  the  fringe  of  trees  along 
the  Susquehanna,  when,  late  in  the  morning,  I  left  Wilkesbarre,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Lord  Butler,  to  visit  the  celebrities  of  the  valley. 
The  poetry  of  the  bard  and  the  solemn  prose  of  the  historian  awakened 
thoughts  and  associations  which  invested  every  venerable  tree  and  anti- 
quated dwelling,  the  plains,  the  river,  and  the  mountains,  with  all  the 
glowing  characteristics  of  romance.  The  simple  beauty  of  nature, 
though  changed  in  feature,  is  as  attractive  as  of  old. 


"  But  where  are  they,  the  beings  of  the  mind, 
The  bard's  creations,  molded  not  of  clay, 
Hearts  to  strange  bliss  and  sufferings  assign'd — 

Young  Gertrude,  Albert,  Waldegrave — where  are  they  ? 

Waldegrave  'twere  in  vain 
To  point  out  here,  unless  in  3'on  scarecrow 
That  stands  full  uniform'd  upon  the  plain 
To  fi-ighten  flocks  of  crows  and  blackbirds  from  the  grain. 

"  For  he  would  look  particularly  droll 

In  his  '  Iberian  boot'  and  '  Spanish  plume,' 
And  be  the  wonder  of  each  Christian  soul, 

As  of  the  birds  that  scarecrow  and  his  broom. 
But  Gertrude,  in  her  lovehness  and  bloom, 

Hath  many  a  model  here ;  for  woman's  eye. 
In  court  or  cottage,  wheresoe'er  her  home. 

Hath  a  heart-spell  too  holy  and  too  high 

To  be  o'er-praised,  even  by  her  worshiper — Poesy." 

Halleck. 

We  crossed  the  plain  to  Kingston,  a  pretty  village  about  half  a  mile  westward  of  Wilkes- 
barre, and  then  proceeded  to  the  site  of  Forty  Fort,  three  and  a  half  miles  above,  which  is 
reached  by  a  road  diverging  toward  the  river  from  the  main  road  to  the  head  of  the  valley. 
It  stood  near  the  river  bank,  at  a  curve  in  the  stream.  Not  a  single  trace  of  it  is  left,  the 
spot  having  been  long  a  common,  perfectly  smooth,  and  covered  with  a  green  sward.  Near 
the  site  of  the  fort  is  a  venerable  house,  one  of  the  few  that  escaped  the  general  conflagra- 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


365 


The  "Treaty  Table"  at  Forty  Fort. 


Site  of  the  Fort. 


Visit  to  the  Monument 


Inscription  upon  it. 


tion,  and  close  by  is  the  residence  of  one  of  Mrs.  Myers's  family,  in  whose  possession  I  found 
the  treaty  table,  pictured  in  the  last  chapter.  The  venerable  owner  was  not  there,  but  I 
afterward  saw  her  at  the  house  of  her  son,  near  Kingston.  A  cottage  and  its  garden  occupy 
the  bank  of  the  river  where  the  trembling  families  at  Forty  Fort  stood  and  listened  to  the 
noise  of  the  battle  ;  and  from  that  point  is  a  charming  river  view,  bounded  on  the  northwest 
by  the  lofty  range  of  the  Shawnee  Mountains,  through  which  the  Susquehanna  makes  its 
way  into  the  valley. 

From  Forty  Fort  we  rode  up  to  the  monument,  which  is  situated  in  a  field  a  few  rods  east 
of  the  main  road,  near  the  pleasant  little  village  of  Troy,  five 
and  a  half  miles  from  Wilkesbarre.  It  is  constructed  of  hewn 
blocks  of  granite,  quarried  in  the  neighborhood,  is  sixty  two 
and  a  half  feet  in  height,  and  stands  upon  the  spot  where  ttie 
dead  were  buried  in  the  autumn  succeeding  the  battle.'  On 
two  marble  tablets  are  engraved  the  names  of  those  who  fell, 
so  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  and  also  of  those  who  were  in 
the  battle  and  survived.  Another  marble  tablet  contains 
an  inscription,  written  by  Edward  Mallory,  Esq.'  This 
monument,  like  many  others  proposed  to  be  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Revolutionary  men  or  events,  was  tardily  con- 
ceived and  more  tardily  executed.  It  remained  unfinished 
nearly  forty  years  after  the  first  movements  were  made  to- 
ward raising  money  for  the  purpose.  As  early  as  1809, 
Mr.  Minor,  the  historian  of  the  valley,  wrote  several  essays 
intended  to  awaken  public  attention  to  the  duty  of  erecting 
a  monument,  and  in  1810  Charles  F.  Wells,  Esq.,  wrote 
a  stirring  ode,  concluding  with  the  patriotic  interrogation, 


Wyoming  Monu.ment 


"  0,  when  shall  rise,  with  chisel'd  head, 
The  tall  stone  o'er  their  burial-place, 
Where  the  winds  may  sigh  for  the  gallant  dead, 
And  the  dry  grass  rustle  around  its  base?" 


'  Professor  Silliman  ^'isited  many  of  the  Revolutionarj'  grounds  about  twenty  years  ago.  In  his  Journal, 
vol.  x\'iii.,  p.  310,  in  describing  his  visit  to  Wyoming,  he  says  that  a  Mr.  Perrin,  one  of  those  who  assisted 
in  the  burial  of  the  dead,  went  over  the  ground  with  him,  and  assured  him  that,  owing  to  the  intense  heat 
and  dryness  of  the  air,  the  bodies  were  shriveled,  dry,  and  quite  inoffensive. 

*  The  following  is  the  inscription  upon  the  monument : 

Near  this  spot  was  fought. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  the  third  day  of  Julv,  1778, 

THE  BATTLE  OF  WYOMING,  ' 

In  which  a  .small  band  of  patriot  Americans, 

Chiefly  the  undisciplined,  the  youthful,  and  the  aged, 

Spared,  by  inefficiency,  from  the  distant  ranks  of  the  republic, 

Led  by  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  and  Colonel  Nathan  Denison 

With  a  courage  that  deserved  success, 

Boldly  met  and  bravely  fought 

A  combined  British,  Tory,  and  Indian  force 

Of  thrice  their  number. 

Numerical  superiority  alone  gave  success  to  the  invader, 

And  wide-spread  havoc,  desolation,  and  ruin 

Marked  his  savage  and  bloody  footsteps  through  the  valley. 

THIS  MONUMENT, 

Commemorative  of  these  events, 

And  of  the  actors  in  them. 

Has  been  erected 

Over  the  bones  of  the  slain. 

By  their  descendants  and  others,  who  gratefully  appreciate 

The  ser\'ices  and  sacrifices  of  their  patrio'.  ancestors. 


366  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Efforts  to  erect  the  Wyoming  Monument.  Success  of  the  Ladies.  Incidents  of  the  Battle.  The  Inman  Family. 

These  appeals  caused  meetings  to  be  held  and  resolutions  to  be  adopted,  but  little  more  sub- 
stantial was  done  until  1839,  when  a  committee  from  Wyoming  repaired  to  Hartford,  to 
solicit  pecuniary  aid  from  the  Legislature  of  Connecticut.  The  committee  set  forth  the 
claims  of  the  Wyoming  people  upon  Connecticut,  in  consideration  of  past  allegiance  and 
services.  A  report  was  made,  proposing  a  grant  of  three  thousand  dollars,  but  no  further 
action  was  taken  during  that  session.  In  1841  another  petition  was  presented,  and  so  ably 
was  the  matter  conducted  that  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legislature  voted  the  appropriation 
asked  for,  by  a  large  majority.  The  Senate  did  not  concur,  and  another  failure  was  the  con- 
sequence. The  ladies  of  Wyoming,  doubtless  feeling  the  truth  of  Dr.  Clarke's  assertion,  that 
"  in  all  benevolent  or  patriotic  enterprises  the  services  of  one  woman  are  equal  to  those  of 
seven  men  and  a  half,"  resolved  that  the  monument  should  be  erected.  They  formed  a 
"  Luzerne  Monumental  Associati(:fe,"'  solicited  donations,  held  fairs,  and  by  their  energy 
obtained  the  necessary  funds  and  erected  a  monument,  commemorative  alike  of  patriotic 
deeds  and  of  female  influence.  There  is  a  world  of  philosophy  (which  solicitors  of  subscrip- 
tions would  do  well  to  observe)  in  the  saying  of  Judge  Halliburton's  clock  peddler,  "The 
straight  road  to  the  pockets  of  the  men  is  through  the  hearts,  of  the  women." 

From  the  monument  northward  to  the  site  of  Wintermoot's  Fort,  a  mile  and  a  half,  the 
road  passes  over  the  battle-ground  ;  but  tillage  has  so  changed  the  whole  scene,  that  nothing 
remains  as  token  or  landmark  of  the  fight,  except  the  ancient  river  bank,  and  the  tangled 
morass  toward  the  mountains,  through  which  the  Indians  made  their  way  and  fell  upon  Col- 
onel Denison's  rear.  The  place  was  pointed  out  to  me,  upon  the  road  side,  where,  tradition 
says,  one  of  the  Wyoming  men,  somewhat  intoxicated,  lagged  behind  and  fell  asleep,  when 
the  little  band  marched  to  the  attack  of  the  invaders.  When  the  retreat  became  general, 
and  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  saw  no  other  means  of  safety  but  flight,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse. 
A  swift-footed  settler,  hotly  pursued  by  savages,  caught  the  tail  of  Colonel  Butler's  horse  as 
he  passed  by,  and,  with  the  tenacity  of  the  witch  that  fastened  upon  the  tail  of  Tam  O'Shan- 
ter's  mare,  held  on  until  he  was  far  beyond  danger.  As  they  passed  the  spot  where  the  in- 
ebriate had  just  awaked,  perfectly  sober,  the  man  at  the  tail  shouted  to  him  to  shoot  the  pur- 
suing savage.  He  did  so,  and  the  Indian  fell  dead  in  the  road.  Near  the  same  spot  Rufus 
Bennet  was  pursued  by  an  Indian.  Both  had  discharged  their  pieces,  and  the  savage  was 
chasing  with  tomahawk  and  spear.  Richard  Inman,  one  of  five  brothers  who  were  in  the 
battle,  shot  the  Indian  with  his  rifle,  who  fell  dead  within  a  few  feet  of  his  intended  victim." 

Passing  over  the  battle-ground,  we  visited  the  site  of  Wintermoot's  Fort,  a  view  of  which 
is  given  on  page  351,  and,  going  down  on  the  ancient  bank  of  the  Susquehanna,  we  came  to 
Queen  Esther's  Rock,  noticed  and  described  on  page  357.  There  is  a  scow  ferry  near,  by 
which  we  crossed  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  along  whose  margin,  skirted  with  lofty-trees, 
we  had  a  delightful  ride  to  the  ravine  opposite  Monocasy  Island.  Here  the  road  departs  from 
the  river  bank,  and  passes  among  fertile  intervales  between  that  point  and  Wilkesbarre.  The 
wheat  harvests  were  garnered,  but  the  corn-fields  and  orchards  were  laden  with  the  treas- 

^  The  most  active  ladies  in  the  association  were  descendants  of  those  who  suffered  at  the  time  of  the  in- 
vasion. The  names  of  the  officers  of  the  society  are  as  follows  :  Mrs.  Chester  Butler,  President ;  Mrs.  G 
1:1.  Hollenback  and  Mrs.  E.  Carey,  Vice-presidents  ;  Mrs.  J.  Butler,  Mrs.  Nicholson,  Mrs.  HoUenback,  Mrs. 
Lewis,  Mrs.  Ross,  Mrs.  Conyngham,  JNIrs.  Beaumont,  Mrs.  Drake,  Mrs.  Bennet,  Mrs.  Carey,  Executive  Com- 
mittee ;  Miss  Emily  Cist,  Trfioswrcr  ;  Miss  Gertrude  Butler,  Secretary/  Mrs.  Donley,  Mrs.  L.  Butler,  Corre- 
spondiyig  Committee. 

^  The  Inman  family  were  terrible  sufferers.  Five  brothers  went  to  the  field  of  battle.  Two  others  (for 
the  father  had  seven  sons)  would  have  gone  forth,  but  they  had  no  arms.  Two  were  killed  on  the  field,  two 
escaped  without  injury,  and  the  fifth,  plunging  into  the  waters  under  some  willows  on  the  river  shore  while 
heated  by  the  exertions  of  the  battle  and  the  flight,  took  such  a  cold  that  in  a  few  weeks  he  was  in  his  grave. 
The  remainder  of  the  family  fled  with  the  rest  of  the  settlement.  In  the  fall  they  ventured  to  return,  and 
put  in  some  winter  grain.  A  surviving  son,  a  lad  of  nineteen  -"sars,  while  in  the  field,  heard,  as  he  supposed, 
some  wild  turkeys  in  the  woods.  He  went  after  them,  shots  were  heard,  but  the  boy  never  came  back.  In 
the  spring  his  body  was  found.  He  had  been  murdered  and  scalped  by  the  Indians.  Thus  four  sons  of  Eli- 
jah Inman  perished  within  a  few  months.  One  of  the  sons.  Colonel  Edward  Inman,  is  still  living,  I  believe, 
upon  a  fine  farm  a  few  miles  below  Wilkesbarre. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  367 

Residence  and  Grave  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler.  Mr.  Slocuin  and  his  Family  History.  Abduction  of  his  Sister. 

ures  of  the  season,  their  abundance  betokening  the  extreme  fertility  of  the  soil.  We  passed 
the  homestead  of  Colonel  Butler,  near  which, 

'■  On  the  margin  of  yon  orchard  hill, 

Are  marks  where  time-worn  battlements  have  been, 
And  in  the  tall  grass  traees  linger  still 
Of  arrowy  frieze  and  wedged  ravelin." 

Near  the  entrance  to  the  village  we  came  to  the  cemetery  where  repose  many  of  the  patriot 
dead  of  Wyoming.  There  rest  the  remains  of  Colonel  Butler  and  his  wife.  The  rude  slab 
that  first  marked  the  bed  of  the  hero  had  been  removed,  and  in  its  place  a  neat  white  marble 
stone  is  laid,  bearing  the  following  inscription  :  "  In  memory  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler, 
of  the  Pcevolutionary  army,  who  died  July  28th,  1795,  in  the  64th  year  of  his  age  ;  and  also 
in  memory  of  Mrs.  Phcebe  H.  Butler,  his  wife,  who  died  January  19th,  1837,  in  the  82d 
year  of  her  age." 

It  was  late  in  the  day  when  I  reached  my  lodgings,  and,  wearied  by  the  rambles  of  the 
morning,  resolved  to  pass  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  with  the  Hazleion  Travelers. 
Their  conversation  was  exclusively  of  those  who  acted  and  suficred  at  the  time  of  the  mas- 
mere,  and  I  listened  with  intense  interest  to  the  recitals  of  the  "  knowing  one."  I  would 
gladly  give  the  details  here,  if  my  space  would  allow,  for  they  furnish  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting of  those  chapters  in  our  Revolutionary  history,  showing  the  terrible  cost  at  which 
our  liberties  were  purchased.      Mr.  Minor  has  made  the  record,  and  to  it  the  reader  is  referred. 

I  passed  the  evening  with  the  venerable  Joseph  Slocum,  whose  family  was  among  the  suf- 
ferers in  the  Wyoming  Valley.  He  related  to  me  all  the  particulars  of  the  capture  and  final 
discovery  of  his  sister  Frances,  and  other  incidents  connected  with  the  sufferings  of  his  fam- 
ily. His  father  was  a  Quaker,  and  was  distinguished  for  his  kindness  to  the  Indians.  He 
remained  unharmed  at  the  time  of  the  invasion,  and,  while  the  torch  was  applied  to  the  dwell- 
ings of  others,  his  was  left  untouched.  But  his  son  Giles  was  in  the  battle.  This  doubt- 
less excited  the  ire  of  the  Indians,  and  they  resolved  on  vengeance.  Late  in  autumn  they 
were  seen  prowling  about  the  house,  which  was  situated  about  one  hundred  rods  from  the 
Wilkesbarre  Fort.  A  neighbor  named  Kingsley  had  been  made  a  prisoner,  and  his  wife 
and  two  sons  had  a  welcome  home  in  Mr.  Slocum's  family.  One  morning  the  November  2, 
two  boys  were  grinding  a  knife  near  the  house,  when  a  rifle-shot  and  a  shriek  i"^- 
brought  Mrs.  Slocum  to  the  door.  An  Indian  was  scalping  the  eldest  boy,  a  lad  of  fifteen, 
with  the  knife  he  had  been  grinding.  The  savage  then  went  into  the  house,  and  cauglit 
up  a  httle  son  of  Mrs.  Slocum.  "  See  I"  exclaimed  the  frightened  mother,  "  he  can  do  thee 
no  good ;  he  is  lame."  The  Indian  released  the  boy,  took  up  her  little  daughter  Frances, 
aged  five  years,  gently  in  his  arms,  and,  seizing  the  younger  Kingsley,  hastened  to  the  mount- 
ains. Two  Indians  who  were  with  him  carried  off  a  black  girl,  about  seventeen  years  old 
Mr.  Slocum's  little  daughter,  aged  nine  years,  caught  up  her  brother  Joseph  (my  informant') 
two  and  a  half  years  old,  and  fled  in  safety  to  the  fort,  where  an  alarm  was  given,  but  the 
savages  were  beyond  successful  pursuit. 

About  six  weeks  afterward  Mr.  Slocum  and  his  father-in-law,  Ira  Trip,  were 

■^  ,        .  December  IG. 

shot  and  scalped  by  some  Indians  while  foddering  cattle  near  the  house.  Again 
the  savages  escaped  with  their  horrid  trophies.  Mrs.  Slocum,  bereft  of  father,  husband,  and 
child,  and  stripped  of  all  possessions  but  the  house  that  sheltered  her,  could  not  leave  the 
valley,  for  nine  helpless  children  were  yet  in  her  household.  She  trusted  in  the  God  of 
Elijah,  and,  if  she  was  not  fed  by  the  ravens,  she  was  spared  by  the  vultures.  She  mourn- 
ed not  for  the  dead,  for  they  were  at  rest ;  but  little  Frances,  her  lost  darling,  where  was 
she  ?  The  lamp  of  hope  kept  on  burning,  but  years  rolled  by,  and  no  tidings  of  the  little 
one  came.  When  peace  returned,  and  friendly  intercourse  with  Canada  was  established, 
two  of  the  little  captive's  brothers  started  in  search  of  her.  They  traversed  the  wilderness 
to  Niagara,  ofiering  rewards  for  her  discovery,  but  all  in  vain.  They  returned  to  Wyoming, 
convinced  that  the  child  was  dead.     But  the  mother's  heart  was  still  the  shrine  of  hope, 


368  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Mrs.  Slocum's  PresentimeDts.  A  Foundlinj.  Disappointment.  Singular  Discovery  of  the  "  lost  Sister."' 

and  she  felt  assured  that  Frances  was  not  in  the  grave.  Her  soul  appeared  to  commune 
with  that  of  her  child,  and  she  often  said,  "  I  know  Frances  is  living."  At  length  the  moth- 
er's heart  was  cheered  ;  a  woman  (for  many  years  had  now  passed,  and  Frances,  if  living, 
must  be  a  full-grown  woman)  was  found  among  the  Indians,  answering  the  description  of 
the  lost  one.  She  only  remembered  being  carried  away  from  the  Susquehanna.  Mrs.  Slo- 
cum  took  her  home  and  cherished  her  with  a  mother's  tenderness.  Yet  the  mysterious  link 
of  sympathy  which  binds  the  maternal  spirit  to  its  offspring  was  unfelt,  and  the  bereaved 
mother  was  bereaved  still.  "  It  may  be  Frances,  but  it  does  not  seem  so.  Yet  the  woman 
shall  be  ever  welcome,"  said  Mrs.  Slocum.  The  foundling  also  felt  no  filial  yearnings,  and, 
both  becoming  convinced  that  no  consanguinity  existed,  the  orphan  returned  to  her  Indian 
friends.  From  time  to  time  the  hope  of  the  mother  would  be  revived,  and  journeys  were 
made  to  distant  Indian  settlements  in  search  of  the  lost  sister,  but  in  vain.  The  mother 
w^ent  "  down  into  the  grave  mourning,"  and  little  Frances  was  almost  forgotten.  Hex 
brothers  had  become  aged  men,  and  their  grandchildren  were  playing  upon  the  very  spot 
whence  she  had  been  taken. 

In  the  summer  of  1837,  fifty-nine  years  after  her  capture,  intelligence  of  Frances  was  re- 
ceived. Colonel  Ewing,  an  Indian  agent  and  trader,  in  a  letter  from  Logansport,  Indiana, 
to  the  editor  of  the  Lancaster  Intelligencer,*  gave  such  information  that  all  doubts  respect- 
ing her  identity  were  removed,  and  Joseph  Slocum,  with  the  sister  who  carried  him  to  the 
fort,  and  yet  survived,  immediately  journeyed  to  Ohio,  where  they  were  joined  by  their  younger 
brother  Isaac.  They  proceeded  to  Logansport,  where  they  found  Mr.  Ewing,  and  ascertain- 
ed that  the  woman  spoken  of  by  him  lived  about  twelve  miles  from  the  village.  She  was 
immediately  sent  for,  and  toward  evening  the  next  day  she  came  into  the  town,  riding  a  spir- 
ited young  horse,  accompanied  by  her  two  daughters,  dressed  in  full  Indian  costume,  and 
the  husband  of  one  of  them.  An  interpreter  was  procured  (for  she  could  not  speak  or  un- 
derstand English),  and  she  listened  seriously  to  what  her  brothers  had  to  say.  She  answered 
but  little,  and  at  sunset  departed  for  her  home,  promising  to  return  the  next  morning.  The 
brothers  and  sister  were  quite  sure  that  it  was  indeed  Frances,  though  in  her  face  nothing 
but  Indian  lineaments  were  seen,  her  color  alone  revealing  her  origin. 

True  to  her  appointment,  she  appeared  the  follov/ing  morning,  accompanied  as  before. 
Mr.  Joseph  Slocum  then  mentioned  a  mark  of  recognition,  which  his  mother  had  said  would 
be  a  sure  test.  While  playing  one  day  with  a  hammer  in  a  blacksmith's  shop,  Joseph,  then 
a  child  two  and  a  half  years  old,  gave  Frances  a  blow  upon  the  middle  finger  of  the  left 
hand,  which  crushed  the  bone  and  deprived  the  finger  of  its  nail.  This  test  Mr.  Slocum 
had  withheld  until  others  should  fail.  When  he  mentioned  it,  the  aged  woman  was  greatly 
agitated,  and,  while  tears  filled  the  furrows  of  her  face,  she  held  out  the  wounded  finger. 
There  was  no  longer  a  doubt,  and  a  scene  of  great  interest  ensued.      Her  affections  for  her 

^  This  letter  was  dated  January  20th,  1835,  a  year  and  a  half  pi-evious,  and  gave  the  following  account : 
"  There  is  now  living  near  this  place,  among  the  Miami  tribe  of  Indians,  an  aged  white  woman,  who,  a  few 
days  ago,  told  me  that  she  was  taken  away  from  her  father's  house,  on  or  near  the  Susquehanna  River,  when 
she  was  veiy  young.  She  says  her  father's  name  was  Slocum ;  that  he  was  a  Quaker,  and  wore  a  large- 
brimmed  hat ;  that  he  lived  about  half  a  mile  from  a  town  where  there  was  a  fort.  She  has  two  daughters 
living.  Her  husband  is  dead.  She  is  old  and  feeble,  and  thinks  she  shall  not  live  long.  These  considera- 
tions induced  her  to  give  the  present  history  of  herself,  which  she  never  would  before,  fearing  her  kindred 
would  come  and  force  her  away.  She  has  lived  long  and  happily  as  an  Indian,  is  very  respectable  and 
wealthy,  sober  and  honest.  Her  name  is  without  reproach."  The  cause  of  the  delay  in  the  pubhcation 
of  the  letter,  and  of  its  final  appearance  and  effect,  was  not  a  little  singular.  Mr.  Ewing  sent  it  to  the  post- 
master at  Lancaster,  with  a  request  that  he  would  have  it  published  in  a  Pennsjdvania  paper.  The  post- 
master, not  acquainted  with  the  wTiter,  concluded  that  it  was  a  hoax,  and  cast  the  letter  among  other  papers, 
where  it  remained  a  year  and  a  half  One  day  his  wife,  while  engaged  in  arranging  the  office,  saw  the  let- 
ter, and,  having  her  feelings  very  much  interested,  sent  it  to  the  editor  of  the  Intelligencer.  It  so  happened 
that  the  issue  of  his  paper  in  which  the  letter  was  published  contained  an  important  temperance  document, 
and  a  large  number  of  extra  copies  were  printed  for  general  distribution.  One  of  these  was  sent  to  a  gen- 
tleman in  Wyoming,  who,  having  heard  the  story  of  the  "  lost  sister,"  and  knovinng  Mr.  Joseph  Slocum,  put 
the  paper  into  his  hands ;  and  thus,  by  a  series  of  providential  circumstances,  a  clew  to  Frances  was  discovered. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


369 


luterview  between  the  "  lost  Sister"  and  her  white  Kindred.     Her  Narrative.     Her  Condition.      Children  and  Grandchildren 

kindred,  that  had  slumbered  half  a  century,  were  aroused,  and  she  made  earnest  inquiries 
after  her  father,  mother,  brothers,  and  sisters.  Her  full  heart — full  with  the  cherished  se- 
crets of  her  history — was  opened,  and  the  story  of  her  life  freely  given.  She  said  the  sav- 
ages (who  were  Delawares), 
after  taking  her  to  a  rocky  cave 
in  the  mountains,  departed  for 
the  Indian  country.  The  first- 
night  was  the  unhappiest  of  her 
life.  She  was  kindly  treated, 
being  carried  tenderly  in  their 
arms  when  she  was  weary. 
She  was  adopted  in  an  Indian 
family,  and  brought  up  as  their 
daughter.  For  years  she  led  a 
roving  life,  and  loved  it.  She 
was  taught  the  use  of  the  bow 
and  arrow,  and  became  expert 
ill  all  the  employments  of  sav- 
age existence.  When  she  was 
irrown  to  womanhood  both  her 
Indian  parents  died,  and  she 
soon  afterward  married  a  young 
chief  of  the  nation,  and  remov- 
ed to  the  Ohio  country.  She 
was  treated  with  more  respect 
than  the  Indian  women  gener- 
ally ;  and  so  happy  was  she  in 
her  domestic  relations,  that  the 
chance  of  being  discovered  and 
compelled  to  return  among  thi- 
whites  was  the  greatest  evil 
that  she  feared,  for  she  had 
been  taught  that  they  were  the  implacable  enemies  of  the  Indians,  whom  she  loved.  Her 
husband  died,  and,  her  people  having  joined  the  Miamies,  she  went  with  them  and  married 
one  of  that  tribe.  The  last  husband  was  also  dead,  and  she  had  been  a  widow  many  years 
Children  and  grandchildren  were  around  her,  and  her  life  was  passing  pleasantly  away 
When  she  concluded  the  narrative,  she  lifted  her  right  hand  in  a  solemn  manner,  and  said, 
"  All  this  is  as  true  as  that  there  is  a  Great  Spirit  in  the  heavens  I"  She  had  entirely  for- 
gotten her  native  language,  and  was  a  pagan.  To  her  Christ  and  the  Christian's  Sabbath 
were  unknown. 

On  the  day  after  the  second  interview,  the  brothers  and  sister,  with  the  interpreter,  rode 
out  to  her  dwelling.  It  was  a  well-built  log  house,  in  the  midst  of  cultivation.  A  large 
herd  of  cattle  and  sixty  horses  were  grazing  in  the  pastures.  Every  thing  betokened  plenty 
and  comfort,  for  she  was  wealthy,  when  her  wants  and  her  means  were  compared.  Her  an- 
nuity from  government,  which  she  received  as  one  of  the  Miami  tribe,  had  been  saved,  and 
she  had  about  one  thousand  dollars  in  specie.  Her  white  friends  passed  several  days  very 
agreeably  with  her  ;   and  subsequently  her  brother  Joseph,  with  his  daughter,  the  wife  of 

*  This  portrait  I  copied  from  a  painting  of  life  size  in  the  possession  of  her  brother,  Mr.  Joseph  Slocuni, 
of  Wilkesbarre.  It  was  painted  for  hira  by  an  artist  named  Winter,  residing  at  Logansport.  Her  under- 
dress  is  scarlet,  and  the  mantle  with  the  large  sleeve  is  black  cloth.  The  Indians  gave  her  the  name  ot" 
Ma-con-a-qua,  a  Youyig  Bear.  The  names  of  her  children  and  grandchildren  are  as  follows  :  Eldest  daugh- 
ter, Kich-ke-ne-che-quah,  Cut  Finger  ;  youngest  daughter,  0-saw-she-quah,  Yellow  Leaf.  Grandchildren  : 
Kip-pe-no-quah,  Corn  Tassel ;  Wap-pa-no-se-a,  Blue  Corn  ;  Kim-on-sa-quah,  Young  Panther 

Aa 


Frances  Slocuu — Ma-con-aqua.i 


370  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

\  Sabbath  in  Wyoming.         Visit  to  Mrs.  Myers.         Incidents  of  her  Life.         Escape  of  her  Father  and  Brother  from  Indians. 

the  Hon.  Ziba  Bennet  of  Wyoming,  made  her  another  visit,  and  bade  her  a  last  farewell. 
She  died  about  four  years  ago,  and  was  buried  with  considerable  pomp,  for  she  was  regarded 
as  a  queen  among  her  tribe.' 

September  18,         "'■  P^^^ssed  a  Sabbath  in  Wyoming.      It  was  a  dull  and  cheerless  day.      The 
ie4g.  mountains  were  hooded  with  vapor,  and  all  day  a  chilly  drizzle  made  the  trees 

weep.  But  Monday  morning  dawned  clear  and  warm,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day  I  re- 
visited Forty  Fort  and  the  battle-ground,  ascended  the  mountain  to  Prospect  Rock,  to  ob- 
tain another  glorious  view  of  the  valley,  peeped  into  the  black  caverns  of  the  coal  mines  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills,  and  at  noon  took  shelter  from  the  hot  sun  in  the  shaded  walks  of  Toby's 
Eddy,  where  Zinzendorf  pitched  his  tent.  Thence  I  rode  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Myers,  a 
.son  of  the  venerable  lady  already  alluded  to,  where  I  passed  an  interesting  hour  with  the 
living  chronicle  of  the  woes  of  Wyoming.  I  found  her  sitting  in  an  easy  chair,  peeling  ap- 
ples, and  her  welcome  was  as  cheerful  and  cordial  as  she  could  have  given  to  a  cherished 
friend.  Her  memory  was  clear,  and  she  related  the  incidents  of  her  girlhood  with  a  per- 
spicuity that  evinced  remarkable  mental  vigor.  Although  blindness  has  shut  out  the  beau- 
tiful, and  deprived  her  of  much  enjoyment,  yet  pious  resignation,  added  to  natural  vivacity, 
makes  her  society  extremely  agreeable.  "  I  am  like  a  withered  stalk,  whose  flower  hath 
fallen,"  she  said;  "but,"  she  added,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  "the  fragrance  still  lingers." 
She  was  sixteen  years  old  at  the  time  of  the  invasion,  and  was  in  Forty  Fort  when  it  sur- 
rendered. Every  minute  circumstance  there  she  remembered  clearly,  and  her  narrative  ol' 
events  was  substantially  the  same  as  recorded  in  the  last  chapter.  Her  father's  house  was 
near  the  fort,  and  for  a  week  after  the  surrender  it  was  spared,  while  others  were  plundered  and 
destroyed.  Every  morning  when  she  arose  her  first  thought  was  their  house,  and  she  would 
'fXO  early  to  see  if  it  was  safe.  One  morning  as  she  looked  she  saw  the  flames  burst  through 
the  roof,  and  in  an  hour  it  was  a  heap  of  embers.  She  remained  two  weeks  in  the  valley 
after  the  surrender  of  the  fort.  The  Indians  kept  her  face  painted  and  a  white  fillet  around 
her  head,  as  a  protection  against  the  tomahawks  of  strange  savages,  and  she  was  treated 
very  kindly  by  them.  When  Colonel  Denison  and  others  fled  from  the  valley,  she  and  her 
tamily  accompanied  them.  After  the  savages  left  the  valley,  her  family  returned,  and  for 
seventy  years  she  has  enjoyed  the  sweets  of  peace  and  domestic  happiness.  Her  maiden 
name  was  Bennet,  and  her  family  were  conspicuous  in  the  events  at  Wyoming  during  the 
Revolution.^  She  has  been  many  years  a  widow.  One  of  her  sons  was  high  sheriff  of  Lu- 
zerne county,  another  was  a  magistrate,  and  a  daughter  is  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Peck, 
the  editor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Review,  published  at  the  "  Book  Concern,"  in  New 
York.  She  is  yet  living  (November,  1849),  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  honored 
and  beloved  by  all. 

I  returned  to  Wilkesbarre  at  sunset.      The  evening  was  as  pleasant  as  June, 

and  the  moonlight  scene  from  the  upper  piazza  of  the  Phcenix,  embracing  the 

quiet-flowing  Susquehanna,  with  its  fringe  of  noble  trees ;   the  sparkling  of  the  lights  at 

'  When  the  Miamies  were  removed  from  Indiana,  the  "  lost  sister"  and  her  Indian  relatives  were  ex- 
empted. The  affecting  story  of  her  life  was  laid  before  Congress,  and  so  eloquently  did  John  Quincy  Adams 
plead  her  cause,  that  he  drew  tears  from  the  eyes  of  many  members.  Congress  gave  her  a  tract  of  land  a 
mile  square,  to  be  held  in  perpetuity  by  her  descendants,  and  there  her  children  and  grandchildren  still  dwell. 

*  Her  brother  Solomon  was  in  the  battle.  In  the  spring  succeeding  the  invasion,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Myers, 
her  brother  (a  lad),  and  Lebbeus  Hammond  (one  of  the  two  who  escaped  from  Queen  Esther  at  the  bloody 
rook)  were  captured  by  a  party  of  Indians  while  at  work  in  the  field,  and  hurried  away  to  the  north.  It 
was  evident  that  they  were  destined  for  torture,  and,  while  the  Indians  wei'e  drinking  at  a  spring  on  the 
third  day  of  their  journey  into  the  wilderness,  they  concerted  a  plan  for  escape.  Mr.  Bennet,  being  old, 
was  allowed  to  travel  unbound,  but  the  arms  of  Hammond  and  the  boy  were  tied.  There  were  six  Indians 
in  the  party.  At  night  all  were  laid  down  to  sleep  but  Mr.  Bennet  and  an  Indian.  The  former  brought 
in  dry  wood  for  the  tire,  and  kept  himself  busy  for  some  time.  He  then  sat  down  by  the  fire,  and,  taking 
up  a  spear,  he  rolled  it  playfully  on  his  thigh.  The  Indian  finally  began  to  nod,  and  the  others  were  snor- 
ing soundly.  Watching  his  opportunit}',  Bennet  thrust  the  savage  through  with  the  spear,  cut  the  cords 
that  bound  his  son  and  Hammond,  and  the  three  attacked  the  sleeping  savages.  Five  were  killed,  the  other 
one  escaped.     The  captives  returned  home,  bringing,  as  trophies,  the  scalps  of  the  slain  savages. 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  371 


Revival  of  Civil  War  in  Wyoming.     Decree  of  Trenton.     Its  Effect     Injustice  toward  the  "  Yankees."     Inaction  of  Congress. 

Kingston,  and  the  dark  outline  of  the  Shawnee  Mountains,  all  hallowed  by  historic  associa 
tions,  was  one  of  great  beauty  and  interest.  Let  us  employ  the  quiet  hour  in  reminiscences 
of  some  stirring  events  that  occurred,  within  trumpet  call  of  our  presence,  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, for  early  on  the  morrow  I  must  leave  Wyoming,  perhaps  forever. 

We  have  considered  the  civil  war  that  disturbed  Wyoming  before  the  Revolution.  That 
great  movement  absorbed  all  lesser  topics  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  storm  had  subsided,  and  pri- 
vate interests  again  became  paramount,  old  jealousies  and  animosities  were  resuscitated,  and 
struggled  into  active  life.  As  soon  as  all  fear  of  the  Indians  had  subsided,  Connecticut  pour- 
ed hundreds  of  immigrants  into  this  paradise  of  the  Susquehanna.  The  influx  was  regarded 
with  jealousy  by  the  Pennsylvanians,  and  it  was  not  long  before  all  the  rancor  of  the  Penny- 
mite  and  Yankee  war  was  reproduced. 

The  Articles  of  Confederation,  under  which  the  general  government  of  the  United  States 
was  carried  on,  having  made  provision  for  the  adjustment  of  difficulties  that  might  arise  be- 
tween states,  and  Connecticut  insisting  upon  the  maintenance  of  its  jurisdiction  over  Wyo- 
ming, Pennsylvania  applied  to  Congress  to  appoint  a  commission  to  hear  the  claimants  by 
representatives,  and  to  determine  the  question  in  dispute.  The  commissioners  met  at  Tren- 
ton, in  New  Jersey,  toward  the  close  of  1782,  and,  after  a  session  of  five  weeks,  decided, 
unanimously,  that  Connecticut  had  no  right  to  the  land  in  controversy,  and  that  the  juris- 
diction and  pre-emption  of  all  lands  belonged  to  Pennsylvania.  The  people  of  Wyoming 
appeared  to  be  well  satisfied  with  the  decision,  for,  considering  it  a  question  o{  jurisdiction 
only,  they  deemed  it  a  matter  of  little  moment  whether  they  rendered  allegiance  to  Connec- 
ticut or  Pennsylvania.  The  Pennsylvanians,  however,  did  not  so  construe  the  decision,  but 
contended  not  only  ior  jurisdiction,  but  for  the  soil,  and  steps  were  immediately  taken  for 
a  sweeping  ejectment  of  the  Connecticut  settlers.  In  March  ensuing,  two  companies  were 
sent  to  garrison  the  fort  at  Wilkesbarre,  under  the  pretext  of  affording  protection  to  the  peo- 
ple ;  and  the  name  of  the  fort  was  changed  to  Dickinson,  in  honor  of  the  President  of  the 
Council  of  the  State.  Pennsylvania  had  already  appointed  three  commissioners  to  repair  to 
Wyoming,  to  inquire  into  the  state  of  affairs,  and  report  proper  measures  to  be  adopted  to- 
ward the  settlers.  Their  report  proposed  an  entire  surrender,  on  the  part  of  the  Wyoming 
people,  of  their  tenures,  and  all  claim  to  the  soil  then  in  their  possession,  with  their  improve- 
ments ;  in  lieu  of  which  they  were  to  receive  an  indefinite  compensation,  at  the  option 
of  their  oppressors,  in  the  wild  lands  of  some  unknown  region.  It  was  a  most  unjust  and 
tyrannical  measure,  for  the  right  to  the  soil  had  been  purchased,  not  only  with  money,  but 
with  the  dreadful  sufferings  of  those  about  to  be  driven  away.  This  report  of  the  commis- 
sioners, and  the  quartering  of  troops  in  the  valley,  now  that  the  war  was  ended,  and  the 
.spirit  of  tyrannical  domination  that  characterized  the  soldiers,  greatly  exasperated  the  peo- 
ple, and  they  were  upon  the  verge  of  open  insurrection  for  several  months. 

Early  in  the  autumn  two  special  justices  of  the  peace  were  appointed,  who,  in  concert 
with  the  military,  formed  a  tribunal  for  the  adjudication  of  all  questions  arising  under  the 
civil  law.  The  real  object  of  constituting  this  tribunal,  sustained  by  military  force,  was  ob- 
vious ;  it  was  to  dispossess  the  Connecticut  people  of  their  farms.  The  tribunal  became  an 
instrument  of  cruelty  and  oppression,  and  a  disgrace  to  the  character  of  civilization.  The 
next  year,  according  to  Chapman,  "  the  people  were  not  only  subject  to  insult,  but 
their  crops  were  destroyed  in  their  fields,  their  cattle  were  seized  and  driven  away,  and 
in  some  instances  their  houses  were  destroyed  by  fire  and  the  females  rendered  victims  of 
licentiousness."  But  why  this  rigorous  treatment?  "It  was,"  says  Pickering,  "not  only 
to  strip  the  people  of  their  possessions,  but,  by  wearying  them  of  their  '  promised  land,'  drive 
them  from  the  valley."  Although  the  inhabitants  were  greatly  excited,  they  loved  peace 
and  order,  and  appealed  to  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  for  justice.  Their  appeal  was 
unnoticed,  and  they  sent  a  memorial  to  Congress.  That  body  resolved^  that  a  .January 23 
committee  of  the  states  should  hear  both  parties  on  the  first  Monday  in  June  fol-  i"^^- 

lowing  ;  but  neither  Congress  nor  a  committee  of  the  states  were  in  session  at  the  time  des- 
ignated, and  the  people  were  left  without  redress. 


372  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Great  Deluge  in  Wyoming.      Danger  and  Distress  of  the  Inhabitants.     Reappearance  of  the  Soldiers.      Renewal  of  Hostilitiea. 

In  the  mean  while  a  terrible  scourge  swept  over  the  valley.  The  winter  had  been  in- 
tensely cold  ;  snow  fell  to  a  great  depth,  and  the  Susquehanna  was  bridged  by  ice  of  un- 
common thickness.  The  mountains,  covered  with  forests,  treasured  up  vast  beds  of  snow 
among  their  rocks  and  in  their  deep  ravines,  from  the  action  of  the  sun.  In  March, 
a  warm  rain  fell  for  nearly  three  days  in  succession.  The  snow  melted,  and  every 
mountain  rivulet  became  a  sweeping  torrent,  pouring  its  volume  into  the  Susquehanna.  The 
ice  in  the  river  was  broken  up,  and  the  huge  masses,  borne  upon  the  flood,  obstructed  by 
trees,  formed  immense  dams,  spreading  the  waters  of  the  swollen  river  over  the  plains.  At 
length  the  narrow  Nanticoke  pass  at  the  lower  end  of  the  valley  became  blocked  with  the 
ice,  and  the  water,  flowing  back,  submerged  the  river  flats,  and  filled  all  the  lower  inter- 
vales. Houses  and  barns  were  uplifted  on  the  bosom  of  the  waters.  The  people  fled  to 
the  higher  points  iu  the  valley,  some  to  the  mountains.  For  several  hours  the  waters  con- 
tinued to  rise,  until  suddenly  a  dam  in  the  mountain  gorge,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  valley, 
gave  way,  and  down  came  the  flood  with  fearful  strength.  All  the  ice  barriers  in  the  val- 
ley were  broken  up,  and  the  ponderous  masses  of  ice,  mingled  with  floating  houses,  barns, 
fences,  drowned  cattle  and  sheep,  stacks  of  hay,  furniture,  and  agricultural  implements,  were 
scattered  over  the  plains,'  or  hurried  forward  to  the  broader  expanse  of  the  river  below.  It 
was  a  scene  of  fearful  grandeur,  and  to  the  poor  settlers,  shivering  in  the  mountains,  or 
huddled  upon  the  little  hills  in  the  midst  of  the  roaring  floods,  the  star  of  hope  seemed 
forever  set.  The  present  was  utter  desolation — the  future  would  unveil  injustice  and  op- 
pression. 

As  soon  as  the  floods  subsided  the  inhabitants  returned,  and  with  them  came  the  soldiers, 
who  snatched  from  them  nearly  all  of  the  little  food  that  had  been  saved,  for  they  were 
"  quartered  upon  the  people."  Their  rapacity  and  oppression  were  greater  than  ever,  and 
the  settlers,  anxious  to  retrieve  their  farms  from  the  ruin  of  the  flood,  were  not  allowed  to 
work  in  peace,  but  were  tormented  by  them  continually.  At  length  the  people  resolved  to 
oppose  their  oppressors  by  force,  and  armed  for  the  purpose.  The  magistracy,  indignant  at 
their  presumption,  sent  out  the  soldiers  to  disarm  them  ;  and  in  the  process  one  hundred  and 
fifty  families,  many  of  whom  had  lost  portions  of  their  household  in  the  battle  of  Wyoming, 
were  turned  out  of  their  newly-constructed  dwellings,  and  compelled  to  fly  on  foot  through 
the  wilderness  to  the  Delaware,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles.  Houses  were  burned,  and  other 
atrocities  were  committed.  Ashamed  of  such  conduct,  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania 
(which  had  refused  to  vote  supplies  to  the  sufferers  by  the  flood),  when  the  naked  facts  were 
known,  endeavored  to  heal  the  wounds  which,  under  its  sanction,  had  been  inflicted,  and,  in 
a  measure,  to  wipe  out  the  stain  that  rested  upon  the  state  authorities.  The  troops  were 
discharged,  except  a  small  guard  left  at  Fort  Dickinson,  and  a  proclamation  was  issued,  in- 
viting the  people  who  had  been  driven  away  to  return.  Some  of  them  did  so,  but  the  val 
ley  was  allowed  but  a  short  season  of  repose. 

So  many  of  the  discharged  soldiers  joined  the  guard  at  the  Wilkesbarre  Fort,  that  the 
people,  alarmed,  garrisoned  Forty  Fort.  A  party  of  them,  having  occasion  to  visit  their 
July  20,  grain-fields  below,  were  fired  upon  by  a  detachment  of  thirty  from  the  other  fort,  and 
1784.  ^.^YQ  promising  young  men  were  killed.  The  people  resolved  on  retaliation,  and  about 
midnight  marched  to  Wilkesbarre  Fort,  to  take  the  garrison  by  surprise.  The  latter,  in- 
formed of  the  movement,  were  prepared  to  receive  them,  and  the  settlers  returned  to  Forty 
Fort  with  a  stock  of  provisions.  On  the  27th,  the  people,  led  by  Colonel  John  Franklin,  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  invested  the  Wilkesbarre  Fort,  and  made  a  formal  summons  for  sur- 
render. Two  hours  were  allowed  the  besieged  for  an  answer.  Before  one  hour  had  elapsed 
information  was  received  that  a  considerable  re-enforcement  for  the  garrison  was  approaching. 
The  siege  was  raised,  and  the  besiegers  returned  to  Forty  Fort.  It  was  a  false  alarm  ;  the 
strangers,  who  were  supposed  to  be  the  pioneers  of  a  large  number  who  were  approaching, 

*  It  is  said  that  so  huge  were  many  of  the  masses  of  ice  that  were  lodged  in  different  portions  of  the  val- 
ley, that  it  was  the  last  of  July  before  they  were  melted  away. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTIOIV.  373 


Armstrong's  Expedition.  Stratagem.  Change  in  Public  Sentiment  The  Censors.  Appeal  for  Relief. 

were  a  committee  appointed  by  the  state  council  to  proceed  to  Wyoming  and  disarm  both 
parties.  A  conference  was  held,  and  such  was  the  state  of  feeling  that  neither  party  would 
listen  to  the  commissioners. 

Stronger  measures  were  now  deemed  necessary,  and  Colonel  John  Armstrong  was  sent 
with  a  considerable  force  to  establish  order  in  the  valley.  From  Easton  he  sent  forward  a 
detachment,  which  was  captured  among  the  mountains  on  its  way  to  Wyoming,  by  Au-mst " 
a  party  of  Connecticut  people.  Armstrong  pushed  forward,  and  on  the  4th  of  Au-  ^'S^-  . 
gust  reached  Wyoming,  where  his  whole  force  numbered  about  four  hundred  men,  including 
the  garrison  in  Wilkesbarre  or  Dickinson  Fort.  He  found  Forty  Fort  too  strong  for  success- 
ful attack,  and  resorted  to  stratagem.  He  professed  pacific  intentions,  and  proposed  to  the 
people  of  all  parties  to  deliver  up  their  arms  at  Fort  Dickinson,  and  there  reclaim  any  prop- 
erty which  they  might  identify  as  their  own.  Numbers  of  the  Connecticut  people  believed 
him  sincere,  went  to  the  fort,  delivered  up  their  arms,  and  were  captured.  Forty  of  them 
were  sent  to  the  prison  at  Sunbury,  and  nearly  as  many  to  Easton.  The  jailer  of  the  latter 
place  was  knocked  down  by  a  young  man  named  Inman,  and  the  whole  party 
escaped,  a  They  returned  to  the  valley  in  company  with  about  forty  Vermont-  ep  m  er 
ers,  and,  finding  Armstrong  and  the  few  men  left  with  him  (for  a  large  portion  of  his  men 
had  been  discharged  when  the  prisoners  were  sent  to  jail)  harvesting  the  crops,  they  attacked 
them  and  drove  them  into  Fort  Dickinson.  Forty  Fort  was  again  garrisoned  by  the  people, 
and  a  plan  was  arranged  for  recovering  the  arms  which  they  had  surrendered.  A  block- 
house in  which  they  were  stored  was  attacked,  and  the  arms  recovered.  Two  men  in  the 
block-house  were  mortally  wounded. 

On  hearing  of  this  latter  event,  the  executive  council  sent  another  expedition  to  W^yoming, 
under  Armstrong,  who  was  at  the  same  time  promoted  to  the  office  of  adjutant  general  of 
the  state.  But  the  sympathies  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania  began  to  be  enlisted  in  favoi 
of  the  Wyoming  settlers,  and  they  were  regarded  as  a  persecuted  party.  President  Dickin- 
son also  remonstrated  with  the  Council  and  General  Assembly,  but  to  no  purpose."  It  so 
happened  that  about  this  time  the  Board  of  Censors  held  their  septennial  meeting.  They 
called  upon  the  Assembly  for  papers  relative  to  Wyoming.  The  Assembly  refused  acqui- 
escence. A  mandamus  was  issued,  but  the  Assembly  treated  it  with  contempt.  Thus  treat- 
ed, and  viewing  affairs  justly,  the  Censors  openly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Connecticut  peo- 
ple, condemned  all  of  the  military  proceedings,  and  passed  a  vote  of  censure  upon  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  state.  This  strengthened  the  hands  and  hearts  of  the  Wyoming  people. 
They  defied  Armstrong  and  his  troops  ;  and  as  winter  was  approaching,  food  scarce,  and  not 
a  recruit  could  be  obtained,  that  officer  discharged  the  garrison  and  returned  to  Philadelphia 
Though  relieved  of  the  presence  of  the  military,  the  condition  of  the  settlers  was  indeed  de- 
plorable. What  the  spring  flood  had  spared  was  small,  and  the  presence  of  the  troops  had 
prevented  sowing  and  reaping.  They  appealed  to  Congress  and  to  Connecticut  for  aid,'  but 
they  received  little  more  than  the  cold  charity  of  words — "  Be  ye  clothed,  and  be  ye  fed" — 
without  contributing  to  their  necessities.  The  last  military  expedition  against  Wyoming 
had  been  accomplished,  yet  the  question  of  possession  was  unsettled,  and  they  had  but  little 
heart  to  improve  their  lands,  not  knowing  how  soon  other  efforts  might  be  made  to  dispos- 
sess them.      The  population,  however,  increased  rapidly,  and  for  two  years  quiet  prevailed 

'  Pennsylvania,  under  its  first  independent  state  Constitution,  had  no  oflicer  bearing  the  title  of  governor. 
The  government  of  the  commonwealth  was  vested  in  a  House  of  Representatives,  a  president,  and  council. 
There  was  also  a  Board  of  Censors,  elected  by  the  people,  who  were  to  meet  once  in  seven  years,  to  inquire 
whether  the  Constitution  had,  in  the  mean  while,  been  violated,  and  to  transact  other  general  supervisory 
business,  such  as  trying  impeachments,  recommending  the  repeal  of  unwholesome  laws,  &c. 

*  In  their  appeal  to  the  Connecticut  Assembly  they  set  forth  that  their  "  numbers  were  reduced  to  about 
two  thousand  souls,  most  of  whom  were  women  and  children,  driven,  in  many  cases,  from  their  proper  hab- 
itations, and  living  in  huts  of  bark  in  the  woods,  without  provisions  for  the  approaching  winter,  while  the 
Pennsylvania  troops  and  land  claimants  were  in  possession  of  their  houses  and  farms,  and  wasting  and  de- 
stroying their  cattle  and  subsistence." 


374 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Timothy  Pickering  in  Wyoming. 


Organization  of  the  County. 


Memoir  of  Pickeriii, 


in  Wyoming.      On  the  petition  of  the  people,  the  district  of  Wyoming  and  vicinity 
■     were  formed  into  a  new  county,  which  they  named  Luzerne.' 

About  this  time  Colonel  Timothy  Pickering,*  of  Massachusetts,  but  then  a  resident  of 

Pennsylvania,  visited  Wyoming,  and  made  himself  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  affairs  of  the  valley.  He 
became  convinced  that  the  settlers  were  satisfied  with 
the  political  system  of  the  state,  and  were  ready  to  be- 
come obedient  citizens  of  the  commonwealth  if  -they 
could  be  quieted  in  the  possession  of  their  farms.  These 
views  he  communicated  to  Dr.  Rush  and  other  eminent 
men  in  Philadelphia,  who,  anxious  to  have  an  amicable 
adjustment  of  the  difficulties,  proposed  to  Mr.  Pickering 
to  accept  of  the  five  principal  county  offices,  and  remove 
to  Wyoming  ;  for  he,  being  a  New  England  man,  would 
doubtless  exercise  great  influence  over  the  people.  He 
accepted  the  proposition  and  went  to  Wyoming,  bearing 
to  the  Connecticut  people  the  full  assurance  that  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature  would  pass  a  law  quieting 
them  in  their  possessions. 
^__-^^  ^  Clothed  with  the  necessary  power.  Colonel  Pickering 

^"^X^  ^^.^A^-^^^-T-^  proceeded  to  hold  elections  and  to  organize  the  county. 

vJ^X  He  succeeded  in  persuading  the  people  to  memorialize 

the  Legislature  for  a  compromise  law,  the  chief  provisions  of  which  should  be,  that,  in  case  the 

'  So  called  in  honor  of  the  Chevalier  de  Luzerne,  the  distinguished  embassador  from  France  to  the  United 
States  during  the  latter  years  of  the  Revolution. 

^  Timothy  Pickering  was  born  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  on  the  17th  of  July,  1745.  He  entered  Har- 
vard University  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  and  received  collegiate  honors  in  1763.  He  was  elected  reg- 
ister of  deeds  in  the  county  of  Essex ;  and  before  the  Revolution  he  was  a  colonel  of  the  Essex  militia,  and 
acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  military  tactics.  When  the  town  meeting  was  held  at  Salem  in  1774, 
and  an  address  voted  to  General  Gage  on  the  subject  of  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  Colonel  Pickering  was  appoint- 
ed to  write  the  address  and  deliver  it  in  person  to  the  governor.  For  him  is  claimed  the  distinction  of  con- 
ducting the  first  resistance,  in  arms,  to  the  power  of  the  mother  country.  On  Sunday,  the  26th  of  Februa- 
ry, 1775,  an  express  arrived  at  Salem  from  Marblehead  with  the  intelUgence  that  British  troops  were  land- 
ing from  a  transport,  with  the  intention  of  marching  through  Salem  to  seize  some  military  stores  in  the. in- 
terior. The  people  were  dismissed  from  their  churches,  and,  led  by  Colonel  Pickering,  they  opposed  the 
progress  of  the  British  at  a  draw-bridge.  A  compromise  was  effected,  the  British  were  compelled  to  march 
back  to  Marblehead,  and  bloodshed  was  avoided.*  When  he  heard  of  the  battle  of  Lexuigton,  Colonel  Pick- 
ering marched,  with  his  regiment,  to  intercept  the  enemy.  In  1775  he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  th& Court 
of  Common  Pleas  for  Essex.  In  the  fall  of  1776,  with  seven  hundred  Essex  men,  he  performed  duty  under 
Washington,  and  was  with  the  chief  in  his  retreat  across  the  Jerseys.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of 
BrandyM'ine  and  Germantown,  holding  the  office  and  rank  of  adjutant  general.  Congress  appointed  him  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  War  with  Gates  and  Mifflin  ;  and  in  1780  he  succeeded  General  Green  as  quarter- 
master general.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  fixed  his  residence  in  Philadelphia,  soon  after  which  he  was 
deputed  to  attempt  the  settlement  of  the  troubles  in  Wyoming.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  called 
to  revise  the  Constitution  of  Pennsylvania  in  1790.  Washington  appointed  him  postmaster  general  in  1791. 
which  office  he  held  nearly  four  years,  when,  on  the  resignation  of  General  Knox,  he  was  appointed  Secre- 
tary of  War.  In  1795  Washington  made  him  his  Secretary  of  State,  which  position  he  held  imtil  1800, 
when  he  was  removed  by  President  Adams  on  political  grounds.  He  was  poor  on  leaving  office,  and,  build- 
ing a  log  house  for  his  family  upon  some  wild  land  that  he  owned  in  Pennsylvania,  he  commenced  the  ardu- 
ous duties  of  clearing  it  for  cultivation.     Through  the  liberality  of  his  friends,  he  was  induced  to  return  to 

*  Of  this  exploit,  Trumbull,  in  his  M'Fingal,  wrote : 

"  Through  Salem  straight,  without  delay, 
The  bold  battalion  took  its  way ; 
March'd  o'er  a  bridge,  in  open  sight 
Of  several  Yankees  arm'd  for  fight ; 
Then,  without  loss  of  time  or  men, 
Veer'd  round  for  Boston  back  again. 
And  found  so  well  their  projects  thrive, 
That  every  soul  got  back  alive  I" 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  375 


Now  Difficulties  in  Wyoming.  Jolin  Franklin.  Arrest  of  Franklin.  Ethan  Allen 

commonwealth  would  grant  them  the  seventeen  townships*  which  had  been  laid  out,  and  on 
which  settlements  had  been  commenced  previous  to  the  decree  of  Trenton,  they  would,  on  their 
part,  relinquish  all  their  claims  to  any  other  lands  within  the  limits  of  the  Susquehanna  pur- 
chase. The  law  was  enacted,  but  new  difficulties  arose.  Many  of  the  best  lands  in  these 
townships  had  been  granted  by  the  government  of  Pennsylvania  to  its  own  citizens,  in  the  face 
of  the  claims  of  the  Connecticut  people.  These  proprietors  must  be  satisfied.  Commissioners 
were  accordingly  appointed,  under  the  law,  to  go  to  Wyoming  to  examine  and  adjust  claims  on  . 
both  sides. '^  They  met  in  May,  arranged  the  preliminaries,  and  adjourned  until  Au- 
gust. The  law  satisfied  those  within  the  seventeen  townships,  but  the  Connecticut 
people  had  extended  settlements  beyond  these  limits,  and  these,  excluded  from  the  benefits 
of  the  law,  were  much  dissatisfied.  It  was  also  said  that,  pending  the  negotiations,  the  Sus- 
quehanna Company  had  been  using  great  exertions  to  increase  the  number  of  settlers  in  the 
unincluded  districts,  and  Colonel  Pickering  positively  asserted  that  gratuitous  offers  of  land 
were  made  to  such  as  would  come  armed,  "  to  man  their  rights."'  The  most  active  man 
in  this  alleged  movement  was  John  Franklin,  whose  great  popularity  enabled  him  to  stir  up 
a  violent  commotion  among  the  "  out-siders" — so  violent  that  the  commissioners  were  obliged 
to  flee  from  the  valley  for  personal  safety.  Chief-justice  M'Kean  issued  a  warrant  for  th^ 
arrest  of  Franklin,  on  the  charge  of  high  treason.  But  how  should  they  catch  him  ?  They 
could  not  trust  the  proper  officer,  the  sheriff"  of  Luzerne  county,  who  was  living  in  the  midst 
of  the  insurgents,  as  they  were  called.  Four  strong,  bold  men,  two  of  whom  had  served 
in  the  Revolutionary  army,  were  selected  for  the  purpose,  and  they  repaired  to  Wyoming.* 
Franklin  was  then  thirty-five  miles  ^^       _  ^  interfered.     Observing  the  commo- 

distant,  exciting  the  people  to  arm-       ,^^^^^^^  *^°^^  ^rom.  the  window  of  his  house, 

ed  resistance.  Preparations  were  ^^^^^^^^'  )  ^®  sallied  out  with  his  pistols,  and, 
made  for  his  safe-conduct  to  Phila-  ^^9^^^^^^  '  presenting  one  to  the  breast  of 
delphia,  and,  on  his  return,  he  was  l|MK|^^^r  , -J  Franklin,  kept  him  quiet  while  he 
arrested  at  the  "  Red  House,"  near  ^p^^^^^m^  was  securely  bound  to  a  horse, 
the  river.  It  was  with  great  dif-  C'~'~  T^l^^^Bi  Franklin  was  carried  to  Philadel- 
ficulty  that  he  was  secured,  and,  as  '^^^sg^^^^^M  phia  and  cast  into  prison, 
the  people  were  assembling  for  his        ^^^^^m^^^R  The  interference  of  Colonel  Pick- 

rescue,  he  would  doubtless  have  es-  ."R     H        "5*      ering  greatly  exasperated  the  peo- 

caped,  had  not  Colonel  Pickering  pie,  and  retaliatory  measures  were 

immediately  adopted.      He  was  informed  of  the  fact  that  a  party  was  about  to  seize  him, 

his  native  state,  out  of  debt,  and  a  comfortable  living  in  prospect.  He  was  a  United  States  senator  in  1803, 
and  again  in  1805.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  War  in  Massachusetts  in  1812,  and  in  1814  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives.  He  retired  from  public  life  in  1817,  and 
died  in  Salem  on  the  29th  of  January,  1829,  aged  eighty-four  years. 

'  These  townships  were  Salem,  Newport,  Hanover,  Wilkesbarre,  Pittston,  Westmoreland,  Putnam,  Brain- 
tree,  Springfield,  Claverack,  Ulster,  Exeter,  Kingston,  Plymouth,  Bedford,  Huntington,  and  Providence. 
These  towns  were  represented  as  nearly  square  as  circumstances  would  permit,  and  to  be  about  five  miles 
on  a  side,  and  severally  divided  into  lots  of  three  hundred  acres  each.  Some  of  these  lots  were  set  apart  as 
glebes,  some  for  schools,  and  others  for  various  town  purposes. 

■^  The  commissioners  were  Timothy  Pickering,  William  Montgomery,  and  Stephen  Balliott. 

'  About  this  time  "no  little  sensation  was  produced  in  the  valley,"  says  Minor,  "by  the  appearance  of 
the  far-famed  General  Ethan  Allen,  from  Vermont,  arrayed  in  cocked  hat  and  regimentals.  The  purpose  ol 
his  visit  was  as  well  understood  by  Pickering  as  by  Franklin  and  his  associates.  A  grant  of  several  thou- 
sand acres  was  made  to  him  by  the  Susquehanna  Company.  How  many  men  he  was  pledged  to  lead  fron' 
the  Green  Mountains  we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  ;  but  it  was  not  doubted  that  his  object  was  to  re- 
connoiter,  and  concert  measures  for  early  and  decisive  action." 

*  Three  of  these  were  Captain  Lawrence  Erbe,  Captain  Brady,  and  Lieutenant  M'Cormick.  The  other 
name  is  not  known. 

*  The  "  Red  House"  is  situated  upon  the  street  in  Wilkesbarre  next  the  river,  and  about  seventy-five  rods 
below  the  bridge.  It  is  the  place  where  John  Franklin  was  arrested.  On  his  return  from  a  political  tour 
down  the  valley,  he  came  up  by  the  way  of  Hanover  to  Wilkesbarre.  While  standing  near  the  ferry,  an 
acquaintance  came  up  to  him  and  said,  "A  friend  at  the  Red  House  wishes  to  speak  to  you."  Franklin 
walked  to  the  house,  where  a  person  caught  him  from  behind,  and  attempted  to  pinion  his  hands.  He  wa.< 
a  powerful  man.  and  shook  off  his  captors  ;  but,  a  noose  being  thrown  over  his  head,  he  was  secured.     Thev 


376  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Pickering's  Escape  to  Philadelphia.    His  Return.     Abduction  and  Treatment.    Wyomiag  quieted.    Departure  from  Wyominj,. 

and  he  fled  to  the  mountains,  whence  he  made  his  way  to  Philadelphia.  The  partisans  of 
Franklin  now  became  alarmed.  They  acknowledged  their  offense  to  the  council,  and  prayed 
for  pardon.  Under  these  circumstances,  Pickering  thought  it  safe  for  him  to  return  to  his 
family,  particularly  as  the  very  people  whose  acts  had  driven  him  away  had  chosen  him  a 
delegate  to  the  General  Assembly  during  his  exile  I  He  returned,  but  found  many  of  the 
people  still  much  exasperated  against  him,  and  he  was  often  menaced.  Finally,  one  night 
in  June,  fifteen  ruffians,  with  painted  faces,  burst  open  the  door  of  the  room  where 
himself  and  wife  were  sleeping,  bound  him  with  cords,  and  in  the  darlmess  of  the  night 
carried  him  up  the  valley.  For  twenty  days  he  was  kept  by  them  in  the  forest,  and  sub- 
jected to  ill  treatment  in  various  forms.  Sometimes  they  threatened  him  with  death  ;  tbeti 
he  was  manacled  and  chained,  and  in  this  way  the  miscreants  tormented  him,  and  tried  to 
wring  from  him  a  letter  to  the  executive  council  recommending  the  discharge  of  Franklin. 
When  this  requirement  was  first  proposed,  and  his  own  release  promised  on  his  compliance, 
Pickering  promptly  replied,  "  The  executive  council  better  understand  their  duty  than  to 
discharge  a  traitor  to  procure  the  release  of  an  innocent  man."  This  determined  tone  and 
manner  he  preserved  throughout.  They  finally  released  him,  and  he  found  his  way  back 
to  Wilkesbarre,  where  his  death  was  considered  a  matter  of  certainty.  Haggard  and  un- 
shaven, his  wife  regarded  him  with  consternation,  and  his  children  fled  from  him  affrighted. 
This  was  the  last  scene  in  the  drama  of  violence  so  long  enacted  in  Wyoming.  Franklin 
was  liberated  on  bail,  and  finally  discharged  ;  and  he  and  Pickering  often  met  as  friends  in 
public  life  afterward.  The  disputes  about  land  titles  and  possessions  in  Wyoming  remained 
unsettled  for  nearly  fifteen  years,  while  the  population  rapidly  increased.  Ultimately  the 
claims  were  all  quieted  by  law,  and  for  the  last  forty  years  the  sweet  vale  of  Wyoming  has 
presented  a  beautiful  picture  of  repose  and  prosperity.'  We  will  close  the  record  and  retire, 
for  the  moon  has  gone  down  behind  the  western  hills,  and  chilly  vapors  are  coming  up  from 
the  bosom  of  the  river. 

September  20  ^  ^^^*  Wilkesbarre  on  the  mail-coach  early  on  Tuesday  morning,  for  the  Lack- 

1848.  '  awanna  Valley  and  the  coal  regions  of  Luzerne.  The  whole  of  Wyoming  was 
wrapped  in  a  dense  fog,  and  from  the  driver's  box,  where  I  had  secured  a  seat,  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  we  could  observe  objects  beyond  the  leaders.  The  coveted  pleasure  of  another 
view  of  the  beautiful  scenery  as  we  passed  along  the  uplands  was  denied  ;  but  when  we  ar- 
rived at  Pittston,  the  cool  breeze  that  came  through  the  mountain  gateway  of  the  Susque- 
hanna, and  from  the  valley  of  the  Lackawanna,  swept  away  the  vapor,  and  revealed  the 
rich  plains  at  the  head  of  the  valley,  the  majestic  curve  of  the  river  where  it  receives  its 
tributary,  and  the  grandeur  of  its  rocky  margins  toward  the  north.  At  the  junction  of  the 
rivers  we  turned  eastward,  and  in  a  few  moments  Wyoming  and  all  its  attractions  were  left 
behind,  and  scenery  and  associations  of  a  far  different  cast  were  around  us. 

The  Lackawanna  River  flows  in  a  deep  bed,  and  its  valley,  wider  than  Wyoming,  is  very 
rough  and  hilly,  but  thickly  strewn  with  fertile  spots.  Iron  and  anthracite  every  where 
abound  ;  and  the  latter  is  so  near  the  surface  in  many  places,  that  the  farmers  in  autumn 
quarry  out  their  winter's  stock  of  fuel  upon  their  own  plantations  with  very  little  labor. 
Several  iron  manufactories  are  seated  upon  the  river  between  its  mouth  and  Carbondale, 
and  little  villages,  brought  forth  and  fostered  by  these  industrial  establishments,  enliven  the 
otherwise  ungenial  features  of  the  route.  At  one  of  these,  called  Hyde  Park,  we  lunched 
and  changed  horses,  receiving  an  addition  to  our  company  in  the  person  of  a  tall,  cadaverous 
Yankee  lumberman,  who,  with  a  huge  musk-melon  and  jack-knife  in  his  hand,  took  a  seat 


then  attempted  to  get  him  on  horseback,  when  he  cried  out,  "  Help,  help !  William  Slocum !  where  is 
William  Slocum?"  and,  drawing  his  pistols,  discharged  one,  but  without  effect.  He  was  felled  by  a  blow, 
and  laid  almost  senseless.  It  was  seeding  time,  and  nearly  all  the  men  were  in  the  fields.  But  the  Yankee 
blood  of  Mrs.  Slocum  (the  mother  of  the  "  lost  sister")  was  up,  and,  seizing  a  gun,  she  ran  to  the  door,  ex- 
claiming, "William!  Who  will  call  William?  Is  there  no  man  here?  Will  nobody  rescue  him?"— 
Mmer. ''  Colonel  Pickering's  dwelling  was  near  the  "  Red  House."  It  is  still  standing,  but  so  modernized 
that  its  original  character  is  lost. 
'  Chapman.  Gordon,  Miner,  Stone. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  377 

A  Yankee  Lumberman.  Carbondale.  The  Coal  Mines.  Fatal  Accident  Heroic  Benevolence  of  Mr.  Bryden. 

beside  me  on  the  driver's  box.  Having  satisfied  his  own  appetite  with  the  melon,  he  gener 
ously  handed  the  small  remainder  to  the  driver  and  myself;  and  the  moment  his  jaws  ceased 
mastication,  his  tongue  began  to  wag  like  a  "  mill-tail."  He  discoursed  fluently,  if  not  wisely, 
upon  the  general  demerits  of  fever  and  ague,  whose  subject  he  had  been  for  nearly  a  year,  and 
upon  the  particular  productiveness  of  "  Varmount."  "  It's  a  garden  of  flowers,"  he  said, 
"  while  York  state,  and  all  'tother  side  on't,  is  wild  land,  raisin'  nothin'  but  snakes  and  agers." 

"  Compared  to  New  England,  our  horses  are  colts, 
Our  oxen  are  goats,  and  a  sheep  but  a  lamb ; 
The  people  poor  blockheads  and  pitiful  dolts — 
JNIcre  Hottentot  children,  contrasted  with  them." 

He  was  a  capital  specimen  of  the  genus  "  brag,"  refined  by  superb  Munchausen  polish.  His 
voice  was  a  shrill  falsetto,  and,  every  word  being  audible  to  the  passengers,  we  soon  had  a 
laughing  chorus  within  the  coach  that  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  hills. 

Approaching  Carbondale,  the  road  gently  ascends  a  mountain  ridge  until  all  traces  of  cul- 
tivation disappear,  and  pines  and  cedars  compose  the  forest.  From  this  rugged  height  it 
winds  along  the  steep  acclivities  ;  and  the  mining  village,  in  the  bosom  of  a  deep,  rocky  in- 
tervale, may  be  seen  below,  at  a  distance  of  more  than  a  mile.  It  was  about  two  o'clock 
when  we  arrived  at  Carbondale.  Having  two  hours  leisure  before  the  departure  of  the  mail- 
coach  for  Honesdale  and  the  Delaware,  I  applied  to  Mr.  James  Clarkson,  the  chief  surveyor 
at  the  mines,  for  permission  to  enter  one  of  them.  It  was  cordially  granted,  and,  in  com- 
pany with  his  assistant,  Mr.  Alexander  Bryden,  as  guide,  I  entered  the  one  wherein  an  ap- 
palling circumstance,  resulting  in  the  death  of  several  miners,  occurred  on  the  morning  of 
the  1 2th  of  January,  1 846.  Indications  of  danger  were  observed  several  months  previously 
in  one  of  the  chambers.  The  pillars  of  coal  and  pine  logs  that  supported  the  roof  seemed  to 
be  crushing  beneath  the  superincumbent  weight,  and  the  chamber  was  abandoned.  Other 
portions  of  the  mine  appeared  to  be  safe,  although  in  some  cases  the  roof  of  slate  was  cracked. 
Suddenly,  at  about  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  in  question,  nearly  sixty  acres  of  the  hill  cov- 
ering the  mines  sunk  about  two  feet,  crushing  every  thing  beneath  it,  and  producing  a  pow- 
erful concussion.  The  fall  was  accompanied  by  a  sound  similar  to  distant  thunder,  and  a 
shock  which  was  perceptible  throughout  the  village.  Fortunately,  a  large  portion  of  the 
workmen  were  at  breakfast.  Under  or  beyond  the  fallen  body  were  about  sixty  men.  The 
intelligence  of  the  disaster  rapidly  spread,  and  general  alarm  pervaded  the  town.  There 
were  few  who  did  not  fear  that  some  relative  or  friend  was  buried  in  the  mine.  The  scene 
was  exceedingly  painful,  and  not  easily  described.  There  were  daughters,  wives,  and  moth- 
ers at  the  mouth  of  the  mine,  in  an  agony  of  expectation  that  a  loved  one  was  lost,  and  for  a 
while  it  was  difficult  to  enter  to  attempt  a  rescue  of  those  within.  The  superintendents  and 
others  proceeded  immediately,  and  at  the  risk  of  their  own  lives,  to  examine  the  bounds  of 
the  destruction.  It  was  soon  perceived  that  some,  whose  station  must  be  within  the  limits 
of  the  fall,  were  probably  killed. 

Beyond  the  point  where  the  roof  was  secure,  some  thirty  or  more  of  the  men  had  escaped 
immediate  death,  but  their  situation  was  truly  horrible,  having  lost  their  lights,  the  roof 
still  cracking  and  breaking  around  them,  and  scarcely  a  hope  left  of  escape  from  the  spot. 
Mr.  Bryden,  with  courage  sustained  by  love  for  his  fellow-men,  boldly  entered  the  mine,  and 
endeavored  to  reach  the  point  where  the  men  were  imprisoned.  He  succeeded,  after  much 
labor,  and  released  them.  Informed  that  a  man  who  had  met  with  a  serious  accident  had 
been  left  in  another  chamber,  Mr.  Bryden  directed  his  steps  thitherward.  He  found  the 
wounded  man,  and  carried  him  upon  his  back  to  his  companions.  Within  five  minutes  after 
Mr.  Bryden  left  the  chamber  with  his  burden  of  life,  the  passage  he  had  traversed  was  en- 
tirely closed  by  the  crushed  pillars  of  coal. 

Among  those  known  to  have  been  at  about  the  center  of  the  fall  a  short  time  before  the 
occurrence,  was  a  young  Scotchman  named  Hosea,  another  of  the  superintendents.  Dili- 
gent search  was  made  foi  him  on  that  and  the  succeeding  day  without  success.  On  the 
third  day,  while  a  party  were  in  search  of  hira,  he  emerged  from  the  mines  unaided,  having 


378 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Escape  of  Mr.  Hosea.  Effects  of  the  Concussion. 


Entrance  and  Exploration  of  the  Mine. 


Interior  Appearance 


dug  his  way  out  through  fallen  masses  with  his  hands  I  The  excitement  relative  to  him 
had  been  extreme,  and  his  sudden  appearance,  under  the  circumstances,  produced  great  joy. 
He  had  been  recently  married.  His  young  bride,  having  lost  all  hope  of  his  recovery  alive, 
was  in  a  store  purchasing  mourning  materials,  when  he  was  carried  by  homeward  in  a  sleigh. 
The  people  flocked  to  his  house,  and  saluted  him  as  one  risen  from  the  dead.  The  hours 
he  had  spent  entangled  in  the  passages  of  the  mines  were  horrible  indeed.  At  one  time  he 
saw  the  glimmer  of  lights.  He  tried  to  make  himself  heard  by  the  party  carrying  them, 
but  was  unsuccessful.  He  ran  toward  them,  but,  stumbling  against  a  car,  he  fell  senseless. 
When  he  revived,  the  lights  had  disappeared,  and  all  was  intense  gloom.  He  scrambled 
over  broken  rocks  and  through  narrow  apertures,  and  finally  reached  one  of  the  rail-roads 
and  made  his  way  out,  having  been  forty-eight  hours  laboring,  without  food  or  drink,  in  re- 
moving the  fallen  masses.  Fourteen  perished  by  the  disaster  ;  the  bodies  of  nine  have  been 
recovered,  the  remainder  are  still  in  the  chambers — to  them  the  "  chambers  of  death."  The 
air  was  expelled  from  the  mine,  when  the  superincumbent  mass  settled,  with  great  force.  A 
train  of  empty  cars,  drawn  by  a  horse  driven  by  a  boy,  was  just  entering  when  the  event 
occurred.  The  boy  and  horse  were  instantly  killed,  and  the  train  was  shattered  in  pieces. 
The  horse  appeared  to  have  been  rolled  over  several  times  by  the  blast,  and  pieces  of  the 
harness  were  found  thirty  feet  from  his  body. 

It  was  into  this  mine,  now  considered  perfectly  safe,  that  Mr.  Bryden  conducted  me. 
Seated  upon  a  square  block  of  wood  on  the  bottom  of  one  of  a  train  of  mine  cars,  in  the  at- 
titude of  a  toad,  each  with  a  torch  in  his  hand,  we  entered  an  aperture  at  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  by  the  side  of  the  canal.      The  cars  (five  in  a  train),  running  upon  iron  rails, 
";     and  drawn  by  a  horse,  are  three  feet  long  and  two  feet  wide  at  top,  tapering  to  the  bot- 
.\,  torn.      Thus  boxed  up,  and  our  heads  bowed  in  meek  submission  to  the  menaces  of  the 
mV  low  roof,  of  the  passage,  we  penetrated  the  mountain  nearly  half  a  mile,  when  we 
came  to  an  inclined  plane.      There  the  horse  that  took  us  in  was  attached  to  a 
loaded  train  that  had  just  descended,  and  went  back  to  the  entrance.      The  dark- 
ness was  so  profound,  that  objects  could  be  seen  by  the  light  of  our  torches 
only  a  few  feet  from  us,  and  on  all  sides  were  the  black  walls  of  anthracite, 
glistening  in  some  places  with  water  that  trickled  through  the  crevices.      At 
the  foot  of  the  inclined  plane  we  were  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  beneath 
^^     the  surface  of  the  earth.      Up  the  rough  steep,  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  we  clambered  on  foot,  and,  when  half  way  to  the  sum- 
—    mit,  we  saw  the  cables  moving  and  heard  the  rumble  of  a  de- 
scending train.'     The  passage  is  so  narrow  that  there  is  very  lit- 
tle space  on  each  side  of  the  cars.      We  were,  therefore,  obliged, 
for  our  safety,  to  seek  out  one  of  the  slippery  ledges  of  anthracite  wide  enough  to  sustain  us, 
and,  while  thus  "  laid  upon  a  shelf,"  the  vehicles,  with  their  burden,  thundered  by. 

A  little  beyond  the  inclined  plane  is  the  region  of  the  fall.  Here  the  roof  is  lower  than 
in  other  parts.  Crushed  timbers  and  pulverized  anthracite,  the  remains  of 
the  supporters  of  the  chambers,  are  seen  for  some  distance ;  and  the  fiUed- 
up  avenues  that  led  to  other  chambers,  where  some  of  the  bodies  remain 
buried,  were  pointed  out  to  me.  We  at  length  reached  the  chambers  where 
men  were  working,  each  with  a  lamp  suspended  by  a  hook  from  the  front  of 
his  cap.  So  intense  was  the  darkness,  that,  when  a  little  distance  from  a 
workman,  nothing  of  him  could  be  seen  but  his  head  and  shoulders  below  the 
lamp.  The  coal  is  quarried  by  blasting  with  powder  ;  and  the  sulphurous 
vapor  that  filled  the  vaults,  and  the  dull  lights,  with  hideous-looking  heads, 
apparently  trunkless,  beneath  them,  moving  in  the  gloom,  gave  imagination  free  license  to 

'  There  is  a  double  track  upon  the  inclined  plane,  and,  by  means  of  cables  and  pulleys,  the  loaded  train 
liauls  up  the  empty  one  by  force  of  gravity.  From  the  main  entrance  many  avenues  are  seen  that  extended 
to  other  chambers  now  exhausted.  As  fast  as  these  avenues  become  useless,  the  rails  are  taken  up.  ana 
ihey  are  filled  with  the  slate  or  other  impurities  of  the  mines. 


C.VRS  ENTERING  THE  MiNE; 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  379 

dossils.  Ascent  from  the  Mine.  Ni;jht  Ride.  A  Gninabler.  Cliniigc  In  the  Coal  Region. 

iraw  a  picture  of  the  palace  of  Pluto.      Added  to  the  sight  was  the  feeling  of  awe  which 

the  apparent  dangers  of  the  place  engendered,  as 
the  recollection  of  the  tragedy  just  recorded  was 
kept  alive  by  the  identification  of  localities  con- 
nected with  the  event,  by  my  guide.  After  col- 
lecting a  few  fossils,'  we  sought  the  "  wind  en- 
trance," and,  ascending  a  flight  of  steps  about 
twenty-five  feet,  we  stood  high  upon  the  mount- 
ain overlooking  Carbondale,  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  from  the  place  of  our  entrance.  Notwith- 
AppBARANCE  OF  THE  Cha.mbebs.»  Standing  thc  air  is  comparatively  pure  within,  ex- 

cept in  the  working  chambers  at  the  time  of  blast- 
ing, I  breathed  much  freer  when  standing  in  the  sunlight,  and  removed  from  all  danger. 
Hastening  down  the  mountain  to  the  canal,  I  washed  my  fossils  and  hurried  to  the  stage- 
jffice  in  the  village,  where  I  arrived  just  in  time  to  hear  the  provoking  rattle  of  the  coach- 
wheels  half  a  mile  distant,  on  the  road  to  Honesdale,  leaving  me  to  decide  the  question 
whether  to  remain  over  a  day,  or,  departing  at  nine  in  the  evening,  ride  all  night.  I  chose 
the  latter  alternative,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  among  the  mines  and  miners. 
I  left  Carbondale  at  nine  in  the  evening,  and  arrived  at  Cherry  Hill,  thirteen  miles  dis- 
tant, at  one  in  the  morning.  The  road  was  exceedingly  rough  and  the  coach  rickety.  I 
had  but  a  single  fellow-passenger,  and  he  was  as  deaf  as  a  post.  He  was  a  grumbler  of  the 
first  water,  and  his  loud  thoughts  so  amused  me  that  I  had  no  inclination  to  sleep.  At 
Cherry  Hill  we  awaited  the  coach  from  Honesdale.  Informed  that  its  arrival  would  be  two 
hours  later,  we  took  beds ;   but  the  first  dream  had  scarcely  begun,  when  the  wooden  voice 

'  The  coal  is  covered  by  a  layer  of  slate,  so  even  on  its  under  surface  that  the  roofs  of  the  passages,  when 
the  coal  has  been  removed,  are  quite  smooth  and  flat.  Upon  this  flat  surface  are  impressions  of  stalks  and 
leaves  of  plants  of  immense  size,  intermingled  with  those  of  the  fern,  of  the  size  which  now  grow  on  the 
borders  of  marshes.  Some  of  these  fossil  stalks  found  between  the  slate  and  the  coal  measure  from  ten  to 
sixteen«nches  across  (for  they  are  all  flattened,  as  if  by  pressure),  and  were  evidently  at  least  thirty  feet 
long.  They  lie  across  each  other  in  every  direction,  and  in  all  cases  the  stalks  are  flattened.  Many  theo- 
ries have  been  conceived  to  account  for  the  origin  of  the  coal  and  of  the  appearance  of  these  fossils.  Thc 
most  plausible  seems  to  be  that  the  bed  of  coal  was  once  a  vast  bed  of  peat,  over  which,  in  ages  past,  grew 
these  mammoth  ferns ;  that  the  slate  that  covers  the  upper  stratum  of  coal  was  thrown  up,  in  a  semi-fluid 
state,  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  by  volcanic  action,  and  flowed  over  the  fields  of  peat,  casting  down  thc. 
ferns  and  other  vegetables  flat  beneath  the  whelming  mass,  which,  in  time,  became  indurated,  and  was  form- 
ed into  slate.  The  huge  stalks  that  have  been  found  may  have  belonged  to  a  species  of  water-lily  that  abound- 
ed when  the  mastodon  and  megatherium  browsed  in  the  marshes  that  now  form  tlic  coal  beds  of  the  Lacka- 
wanna Valley. 

'  The  miners,  when  they  branch  off  from  the  main  shaft  or  avenue,  leave  pillars  of  coal  about  eighteen 
feet  square,  to  support  the  roof  or  mass  above.  These  huge  pillars  were  crushed  by  the  great  weight  upon 
them,  in  the  accident  recorded. 

Note. — The  change  which  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  and  Mining  Company  has  wrought  in  the 
physical  features  of  this  region  is  wonderful.  Twenty  years  ago  the  whole  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Car- 
bondale was  an  uninhabited  wilderness ;  now  fertile  farms  and  thriving  villages  are  there.*  When  Mau- 
rice Wurts,  of  Philadelphia,  after  spending  years  in  exploring  the  country  between  the  Lackawanna  and  thc 
Hudson,  presented  his  plan  for  the  gigantic  work  now  in  progress,  his  friends  looked  upon  him  as  nearly 
crazed,  and,  like  Fulton,  he  was  doomed  to  have  hope  long  deferred.  But  there  were  some  who  compre- 
hended the  feasibility  of  the  undertaking,  and  estimated  correctly  its  golden  promises  of  profit.  The  work 
was  begun,  and  in  1829  seven  thousand  tons  of  anthracite  coal  were  forwarded  to  New  York.  WonderfuUv 
has  the  business  increased.  The  company  now  employs  between  five  and  six  thousand  men  and  boys,  over 
one  thousand  horses,  and  nearly  nine  hundred  canal-boats,  independent  of  the  vessels  at  Rondout.  Last 
year  (1848)  the  company  forwarded  to  market  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  tons  of  coal,  and  its  monthly 
disbursements  are  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  At  Carbondale  there  are  nine  mines  or 
entrances  ;  and  about  seven  hundred  men,  chiefly  Irish  and  Welsh,  are  employed  under  ground  there.  Thc 
coal  is  sent  from  Carbondale  to  Honesdale,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles,  in  cars  upon  an  inclined  plane,  and 
there  it  is  shipped  for  market  upon  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal,  the  termination  of  which  is  upon  the 
Hudson  River,  at  Rondout,  Ulster  county. 

*  Carbondale  contained  about  seven  thousand  inhnbitants,  and  Iloneedole  about  four  lliousand. 


380  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

A  Coach  Load.  Result  of  Politeness.  Bad  Coach  and  Driver.  MUford.  The  Sawkill 

of  a  Dutch  hostler  broke  our  slumbers  with  the  cry  of  "  Stage  I"  We  were  charged  a  quar- 
ter each  for  the  privilege  of  warming  a  cold  bed,  which  made  the  deaf  grumbler  swear  like 
a  pirate.  A  young  woman,  unused  to  crowds,  -occupied  a  place  by  the  side  of  the  driver, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  shrink  into  proper  dimensions  to  share  a  seat  within,  with  two  elderly 
women  who  were  by  no  means  diminutive.  "  I  can't  be  squeezed,  I  can't  be  squeezed !" 
cried  one  of  them,  as  I  opened  the  coach-door  to  get  in.  My  size  was  magnified  in  the  dark- 
ness to  very  improper  dimensions,  but  the  lady  was  pacified  by  a  solemn  assurance  that  what 
she  saw  was  more  than  half  overcoat.  Thus  packed,  we  were  trundled  over  one  of  the  rough- 
est roads  in  Pike  county,  and  at  six  o'clock  were  set  down  at  Decker's,  among  the  Lacka- 
wanna Mountains,  where  we  breakfasted.  Before  reaching  there,  rain  began  to  fall,  and  the 
delicate  young  lady,  who  occupied  a  seat  with  the  driver  for  the  sake  of  fresh  air,  implored 
shelter  within.  Of  course  her  petition  was  granted,  but  she  proved  a  destroyer  of  the  com- 
fort of  two  of  the  passengers.  She  was  a  plump  Dutch  girl,  weighing  nearly  two  hundred, 
and  the  two  old  gentlemen,  who,  in  the  plenitude  of  their  good  will  and  politeness,  had  of- 
fered her  a  seat  upon  their  knees  before  she  alighted  from  above,  "  worked  their  passage" 
down  the  rough  mountain  roads,  for  the  horses  were  allowed  a  loose  rein  while  the  shower 
lasted.  One  of  the  victims,  whose  obesity  was  conspicuous,  declared  that  his  gallantry  could 
not  have  extended  another  rood,  and  that  the  announcement  of  the  appearance  of  Decker's 
sign-post  was  as  grateful  to  him  as  the  "  land  ho  I"  is  to  the  returning  mariner. 

At  Decker's  we  changed  coaches,  horses,  and  drivers.  The  former,  like  the  morals  of  the 
latter,  were  very  dilapidated.  A  worse  vehicle  and  more  wicked  driver  than  we  were  in  the 
custody  of  I  never  encountered.  The  rain  fell  copiously  for  two  hours,  and  every  passenger 
was  subjected  to  the  filthy  drippings  through  the  leaky  roof  of  the  coach,  and  the  more  filthy 
drippings  of  profanity  and  low  slang  from  the  lips  of  the  driver,  who  was  within  speaking  dis- 
tance of  a  companion  upon  another  stage. 

Toward  noon  the  clouds  broke,  and  I  escaped  from  my  damp  prison  to  the  driver's  box  just 
as  we  reached  the  brow  of  the  loftiest  hill  over  which  the  road  passes  before  descending  to  the 
Delaware  Valley.  Twenty  miles  eastward  loomed  up  the  dark  range  of  the  Shawangunk 
Mountains  ;  on  our  right,  far  below,  sparkled  a  beautiful  bell-shaped  lake  fringed  wifh  ever- 
greens, and,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  wooded  hills  stood  "  peeping  over  each  others  shoul- 
ders." The  scenery  was  as  wild  and  more  diversified  than  that  of  the  Pocono.  Suddenly  we 
came  upon  the  brow  of  the  mountain  that  overlooks  the  beautiful  plain  of  Milford,  on  the  Dela- 
ware, and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  rattling  through  the  pretty  village.  Milford  is  remarkable 
for  the  picturesque  beauty  of  its  own  location  and  surrounding  country,  and  for  the  size  of  one 
of  its  publicans,  who  died  in  1841.'      Near  it  are  the  beautiful  falls  of  the  Sawkill,  where, 

"  Swift  as  an  arrow  from  the  bow, 

Headlong  the  torrent  leaps,  ^ 

Then  tumbling  round  in  dazzling  snow 

And  dizzy  whirls  it  sweeps  • 
Then  shooting  through  the  narrow  aisle 

Of  this  sublime  cathedral  pile,  ; 

Amid  its  vastness,  dark  and  grim, 
It  peals  its  everlasting  hymn." 

Street. 

1  Milford  has  been  settled  about  fifty  years.  The  chief  business  of  the  place  is  the  lumber  trade.  It  is 
quite  a  large  village,  and,  since  1814,  has  been  the  county  seat  of  Pike.  In  1800  there  were  but  two  houses 
and  a  blacksmith's  shop  upon  its  site.  The  plain  was  then  covered  with  pines,  hemlocks,  and  bushes.  The 
wadding  of  a  hunter's  gun  set  the  brush  on  fire,  and  the  plain  was  cleared  for  a  great  distance.  The  build- 
ings, however,  remained  untouched.  Some  wag  published  an  account  of  the  fire,  and  said  that  it  had  "  rav- 
aged the  town  of  Milford,  and  had  left  but  two  houses  and  a  blacksmith's  shop  standing !" 

The  publican  referred  to  was  a  tavern-keeper  named  Lewis  Cornelius,  whose  dimensions  were  nearly  as 
great  as  those  of  the  famous  Daniel  Lambert.  His  height  was  six  feet ;  in  circumference  at  the  waist,  six 
feet  two  and  a  half  inches ;  circumference  below  the  waist,  eight  feet  two  inches ;  circumference  of  arm 
above  the  elbow,  two  feet  two  inches ;  below  the  elbow,  one  foot  nine  inches ;  at  the  wrist,  one  foot  three 
mches  ;  of  the  thigh,  four  feet  three  inches  ;  of  the  calf  of  the  leg,  two  feet  seven  inches  ;  weight,  six  hund- 
red and  forty-five  and  a  half  pounds,  without  any  clothes. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


381 


Delaware  River  and  Valley.         Port  Jervis.         The  Neversink  Valley.         Shawangunk  ftlountains.        Orange  and  Rockland. 

But  the  pleasure  of  a  visit  thither  were  denied  us  by  tlie  urgent  beck  of  time.  It  vi^as  after 
)ne  o'clock,  and  we  must  be  at  Port  Jervis,  eight  miles  distant,  at  three,  to  enter  the  cars 
ibr  the  Hudson  River,  our  point  of  destination. 

The  road  from  Milford  to  Port  Jervis'  passes  along  the  margin  of  the  Delaware  Valley, 
wmetimes  beneath  steep  acclivities  that  seem  ready  to  topple  down.  We  crossed  the  river 
jpon  a  bateau  propelled  by  two  strong  men  with  poles,  and  guided  by  a  rope  stretched  over 
;he  stream,  and  reached  the  rail-way  station  just  as  the  last  bell  was  ringing  and  a  dark 
;loud  began  to  pour  out  its  contents.  In  a  few  minutes  we  were  sweeping  along  the  slopes 
)f  the  Neversink  Valley,  aiid  ascending,  by  a  circuitous  route,  to  the  lofty  passes  among  the 
Shawangunk  Mountains. 

The  scenery  here  was  indescribably  grand.  On  the  right  the  hills  towered  far  above,  and 
)a  the  left,  a  thousand  feet  below,  was  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Neversink  lying  in  the  shad- 
)ws  of  the  lofty  hills  on  the  west.  The  table-land  upon  the  summit  inclines  gently  to  the 
jastward  ;  and  a  little  before  sunset  we  passed  through  the  fine  grazing  lands  of  Orange, 
ying  between  Middletown  and  Goshen,  where  the  cow-herds  furnish  the  materials  for  the 
'ar-iamed  Goshen  butter.  Westward  of  Middletown  we  passed  near  the  historic  ground  of 
\Iinisink,  and  at  twilight,  descending  the  rugged  slopes  of  Rockland  along  the  winding  course 
)f  a  mountain  stream,  we  passed  by  Ramapo  and  Tappan,  places  famous  in  our  Revolution- 
iry  history.  A  visit  there  was  reserved  for  another  occasion,  and,  proceeding  to  Piermont, 
)n  the  Hudson,  the  termination  of  the  rail-road,  I  embarked  for  New  York,  and  reached 
iome  at  nine  in  the  evening. 

'  Port  Jervis  was  then  (1848)  the  western  terminus  of  travel  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  Rail-road.  It 
s  situated  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Delaware,  upon  a  small  triangular  plain  at  the  mouth  of  the  Neversink 
IJreek,  within  the  state  of  New  York. 


Vnsw  ON  THE  Shawangunk  Mountains. 


382 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Poughkeepsie. 


Origin  of  it8  Name. 


Condition  of  the  State  in  1777. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  I  glory  in  the  sages 

Who,  in  the  days  of  yore, 
In  combat  met  the  foemen, 

And  drove  them  from  the  shore  ; 
Who  flung  our  banner's  starry  field 

In  triumph  to  the  breeze, 
And  spread  broad  maps  of  cities  where 
Once  waved  the  forest  trees. 
Hurrah ! 

"  I  glory  in  the  spirit 

Which  goaded  them  to  rise, 
And  form  a  mighty  nation 

Beneath  the  western  skies. 
No  clime  so  bright  and  beautiful 

As  that  where  sets  the  sun  ; 
No  land  so  fertile,  fair,  and  free 
As  that  of  Washington. 
Hurrah!" 

George  P.  Morris. 


O  New  England,  the  nursery  of  the  Revolutionary  spirit,  T  next  turned 
my  attention,  and  to  that  interesting  field  of  research  I  proceeded, 
after  visiting  the  battle-ground  of  Bennington,  upon  the  Wallooms- 
coick.  I  went  up  the  Hudson  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  of 
September  as  far  as  Poughkeepsie,'  where  I  passed  the  after-  ■'^* 
noon,  and  in  the  evening  proceeded  to  Kingston,  or  Esopus,  memo- 
rable in  our  Revolutionary  annals  for  its  destruction  by  the  British. 

Poughkeepsie  is  one  of  the  finest  villages  in  New  York.  It  lies  principally 
upon  an  elevated  plain,  half  a  mile  from  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  and  in  the 
midst  of  a  region  remarkable  for  its  beauty  and  fertility.  Although  an  old  town, 
laving  been  founded  by  the  Dutch  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  and 
lying  directly  in  the  path  of  travel  between  New  York  and  Canada,  it  was  spared 
the  infliction  of  miseries  which  other  places  far  more  isolated  suffered  during  the  Revolution  ; 
and  it  has  but  little  history  of  general  interest  beyond  the  fact  that  a  session  of  the  state 
Legislature  was  held  there  in  1778,  and  that,  ten  years  afterward,  the  state  Convention  to 
consider  the  Federal  Constitution  assembled  there. 

When  the  state  government  was  organized,  in  1777,  by  the  adoption  of  a  Constitution, 
the  city  of  New  York  was  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy,  and  the  first  session  of  the  Leg- 
islature under  the  new  order  of  things  was  appointed  to  be  held  at  Kingston,  in  July  of  that 
year.  But  the  invasion  of  the  state  at  several  points — by  Burgoyne  on  the  north,  by  St. 
Leger  and  his  Tory  and  Indian  associates  on  the  west,  and  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton  on  the  south 
— compelled  Governor  Clinton  to  prorogue  that  body  until  the  1st  of  September.  Greater 
still,  however,  was  the  excitement  in  the  state  at  that  time,  for  Burgoyne  was  pressing  tri 
umphantly  toward  Albany,  and  General  Clinton  was  making  active  preparations  to  form  a 
junction  with  him.      No  quorum  was  present  until  the  9th,  and  early  in  October,  before  any 

'  Poughkeepsie  is  a  corruption  of  the  Iroquois  word  Ap-o-keep-sinck,  which  signifies  «q/e  harbor.  On 
an  old  map  of  the  Hudson  River  in  my  possession  it  is  spelled  Pocapsey  ;  and  I  have  heard  many  of  the  old 
inhabitants  of  Dutchess  pronounce  it  as  if  so  spelled;  the  a  in  the  penultimate  having  the  long  sound,  as  in  ape. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


383 


Meeting  oftliu  I.cj,'i8larnre  at  KingBton  find  Pouglikuopsio.  Stnt«  Convention. 


Federal  Constitution. 


Ann  Leo. 


THK  VANi^LKUlk  UoUol;. 


laws  could  be  matured,  the  ses.sion  was  broken  up,  on  the  rapid  approach  of  the  enemy  up 

the  Hudson,  alter  the  fall  of  the  forts  in  the 
Highlands.  Kingston  was  laid  in  ashes,  and 
all  was  confusion.  About  the  same  time 
IJurgoyne  was  conquered  and  captured,  and 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  retired  to  New  York. 
As  soon  as  the  alarm  had  subsided.  Govern- 
or Clinton  called  a  meeting  of  the  Legisla- 
ture at  Poughkeepsie.  It  assembled  in  the 
old  stone  building  known  as  the  Van  Kleek 
House  (then  a  tavern),  early  in  January, 
1778.  Various  acts,  to  complete  the  or- 
ganization of  the  state  government,  were 
pa.ssed  ;  provisions  were  made  for  strength- 
ening the  civil  and  military  powers  of  the 
state  ;  and  it  was  during  that  session  that 
the  state  gave  its  assent  to  the  pebmnry  o 
Articles  of  Confederation,  the  or-  '''^'*- 
ganic  law  of  the  Federal  Union  until  our  pres- 
ent Constitution  was  formed  and  adopted. 
This  building  was  the  meeting-place  of  the  inhabitants  to  consult  upon  the  public  welfare, 
when  the  Boston  Port  Bill  and  kindred  measures  awakened  a  spirit  of  resistance  throughout 
the  country."  There  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  of  Dutchess  held  their  meetings, 
and  there  the  pledge  to  sustain  the  Continental  Congress  and  the  Provincial  Assembly  was 
signed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Poughkeepsie.  in  June  and  July,  1775.' 

'  This  is  from  a  sketch  which  I  made  in  1835,  a  few  weeks  before  the  vencriible  building  was  demolished 
by  the  hand  of  improvement.  It  stood  upon  Mill  Street,  on  the  land  of  Matthew  Vassar,  Jr.,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  Congregational  Church.  It  was  built  by  Myndert  Vankleek,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Dutch- 
oss  county,  in  1702,  and  was  the  first  .substantial  house  erected  upon  the  site  of  Poughkeepsie.  Its  walls 
were  very  thick,  and  near  the  caves  they  were  pierced  with  lancet  loop-holes  for  musketry.  It  was  here 
that  Ann  Lee,  the  founder  of  the  sect  called  Shaking  Quakers,  in  this  country,  wa.s  lodged  the  night  previ- 
ous to  her  commitment  to  the  Poughkeepsie  jail,  in  1776.  She  was  a  native  of  Manchester,  P^ngland.  Dur- 
ing her  youth  she  was  employed  in  a  cotton  factory,  and  afterward  as  a  cook  in  the  Manchester  Infirmarv. 
She  married  a  blacksmith  named  Stanley ;  became  acquainted  with  James  and  Jane  VVardlcy,  the  origina- 
tors of  the  sect  in  England,  and  in  1758  joined  the  small  society  they  had  formed.  In  1770  she  pretended 
to  have  received  a  revelation,  while  confined  in  prison  on  account  of  her  religious  fanaticism ;  and  so  great 
were  the  spiritual  gifts  she  was  believed  to  possess,  that  she  was  soon  acknowledged  a  spiritual  mother  in 
Chrisl.  Hence  her  name  o{  Mother  Ann.  She  and  her  husband  came  to  New  York  in  1774.  He  soon 
afterward  abandoned  her  and  her  faith,  and  married  another  woman.  She  collected  a  few  followers,  and 
in  1776  took  up  her  abo<lo  in  the  woods  of  Watervliet,  near  Niskayuna,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Troy.  By 
some  she  was  charged  with  witchcraft ;  and,  because  she  was  ojjposed  to  war,  she  was  accused  of  secret 
correspondence  with  the  British.  A  charge  of  high  treason  was  preferred  against  her,  and  she  was  imj)ris- 
oned  in  Aliiany  during  the  summer.  In  the  fall  it  was  concluded  to  send  her  to  New  York,  and  banish  her 
to  the  British  army,  but  circumstances  prevented  the  accomplishment  of  the  desi<rn,  and  she  was  imprisoned 
in  the  Poughkeepsie  jail  until  Governor  Clinton,  in  1777,  hearing  of  her  situation,  released  her.  She  re- 
turned to  Watervliet,  and  her  followers  greatly  increased.  She  died  there  in  1784,  aged  eighty-four  years. 
Her  followers  sincerely  believe  that  she  now  occupies  that  form  or  figure  which  John  saw  in  his  vision,  stand- 
ing beside  the  Savior.  In  a  poem  entitled  "  A  Memorial  to  Mother  Ann,"  contained  in  a  book  called  "  Christ's 
Second  Appearing,"  the  following  stanza  occurs  : 

"  How  much  they  are  mistaken  who  ttiink  that  mother's  dond. 
When  throui^h  her  ministrntionB  so  many  souIh  are  saved. 
In  union  with  the  P'ather,  eho  is  the  second  Kve, 
Dispensing  full  salvation  to  all  who  do  believu." 

'  The  city  of  New  York  elected  James  Duane,  John  Jay,  Philip  Livingston,  Isaac  Low,  and  John  Alsoji 
delegates  to  the  first  Continental  Congress,  in  1774.  The  Dutchess  county  committee,  whose  meetings  upon 
the  subject  were  held  in  the  Van  Kleek  House,  adopted  tho.se  delegates  as  representatives  for  their  district. 
—See  Journals  of  Congress,  i.,  7. 

'  On  the  29th  of  April,  1775,  ten  days  after  the  skirmish  at  Lexington,  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of 


384  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Huddlestone.  State  Convention  at  Poughkeepsie.  Patriot  Pledge.  Federal  Constitution.  The  Federalist. 

Huddlestone,  the  famous  spy,  who  was  captured  upon  Wild  Boar  Hill,  near  Yonkers,  in 
West  Chester  county,  was  tried,  condemned,  and  hung  at  Poughkeepsie  in  April,  1780.  The 
place  of  his  execution  was  upon  a  verge  of  the  plain  on  which  the  town  stands,  known  as 
Forbus's  Hill.  I  have  heard  the  late  venerable  Abel  Gunn,  of  Poughkeepsie,  who  was  a 
drum  major  in  the  Continental  army,  speak  of  Huddlestone  and  of  his  execution.  He  de- 
scribed him  as  a  small  man,  with  a  large  head  and  thick  neck.  He  was  accompanied  to 
the  scafibld  by  the  county  officers  and  a  small  guard  of  militia  enrolled  for  the  purpose. 

The  state  Convention  to  consider  the  Federal  Constitution  assembled  at  the  Vankleek 
House,  in  Poughkeepsie,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1788.  There  were  fifty-seven  delegates  pres- 
ent, and  Governor  George  Clinton  was  chosen  the  president  of  the  Convention.  In  that  As- 
sembly were  some  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  debates  were  of 
the  most  interesting  character.  In  no  state  in  the  Union  was  hostility  to  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution more  extensive  and  violent  than  in  the  state  of  New  York.  Forty-six  of  the  fifty- 
seven  delegates,  including  the  governor,  were  anti- Federalists,  or  opposed  to  the  Constitution. 
The  principal  advocates  of  the  instrument  were  John  Jay,  Alexander  Hamilton,  and  Robert 
Livingston.  Mr.  Hamilton  had  been  a  leading  member  of  the  National  Convention  that 
framed  the  Constitution,  and  also  one  of  the  principal  writers  of  the  Federalist}  He  felt 
the  responsibility  of  his  situation,  and  the  Convention  readily  acknowledged  the  value  of  his 
judgment.  He  was  perfectly  familiar  with  every  topic  included  in  the  wide  range  which 
the  debates  embraced,  and  he  was  nobly  sustained  by  his  colleagues,  Jay  and  Livingston. 
The  hostile  feelings  of  many  of  the  anti-Federalists  gradually  yielded,  and  on  the  26th  of  July 
the  final  question  of  ratification  was  carried  in  the  affirmative  by  a  majority  of  three  votes. 

A  little  more  than  a  mile  below  Poughkeepsie,  on  the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  is  the  resi- 
dence of  the  late  Colonel  Henry  A.  Livingston,  a  grandson  of  Philip  Livingston,  one  of  the 

tlie  city  of  New  York,  called  to  consider  the  alarming  state  of  public  affairs,  fonned  a  general  Association, 
or  fraternized,  to  use  a  popular  term,  and  adopted  a  pledge.  The  Association  and  pledge  were  approved 
by  the  Provincial  Assembly,  and  copies  of  the  latter  were  sent  to  every  county  in  the  state  for  signatures. 
The  following  was  the  form  of  the  pledge  : 

"  Persuaded  that  the  salvation  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  America  depend,  under  God,  on  the  firm  un- 
ion of  its  inhabitants  in  a  rigorous  prosecution  of  the  measures  necessary  for  its  safety ;  and  convinced  of 
the  necessity  of  preventing  anarchy  and  confusion,  which  attend  the  dissolution  of  the  powers  of  government, 
we,  the  freemen,  freeholders,  inhabitants  of ,  being  greatly  alarmed  at  the  avowed  design  of  the  min- 
istry to  raise  a  revenue  in  America,  and  shocked  by  the  bloody  scene  now  acting  in  Massachusetts  Bay, 
do,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  resolve  never  to  become  slaves ;  and  do  associate,  under  all  the  ties  of  re- 
ligion, honor,  and  love  to  our  country,  to  adopt,  and  endeavor  to  carry  into  execution,  whatever  measures 
may  be  recommended  by  the  Continental  Congress,  or  resolved  upon  by  our  Provincial  Convention  for 
the  purpose  of  preserving  our  Constitution,  and  opposing  the  execution  of  the  several  arbitrary  Acts  of 
the  British  Parliament,  until  a  reconciliation  between  Great  Britain  and  America,  on  constitutional  princi- 
ples (which  we  most  ardently  desire),  can  be  obtained ;  and  that  we  will  in  all  things  follow  the  advice  of 
our  General  Committee  respecting  the  purposes  aforesaid,  the  preservation  of  peace  and  good  order,  and 
the  safety  of  individuals  and  property." 

The  list  of  signers,  and  the  names  of  those  who  refused  to  sign  in  Poughkeepsie,  have  been  preserved. 
The  number  of  signers  was  two  hundred  and  thirteen  ;  the  number  who  refused  to  sign  was  eighty-two.  A 
list  of  the  names  of  the  signers,  and  those  who  refused  to  sign,  in  the  various  precincts  in  the  county,  may 
be  found  in  Blake's  History  of  Putnam  County^  p.  102-143  inclusive. 

^  When  the  Constitution,  adopted  by  the  National  Convention,  was  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the 
people,  extensive  and  violent  opposition  was  observed,  founded  principally  upon  the  undue  jealousy  wiui 
which  the  doctrine  of  state  rights  was  regarded.  The  friends  of  the  Constitution  saw  that  general  public 
enlightenment  upon  the  subject  was  necessary  to  secure  the  ratification  of  the  instrument  by  the  requisite 
number  of  states  to  make  it  the  organic  law  of  the  republic.  To  this  end  Jay,  Hamilton,  and  Madison  com- 
menced a  series  of  essays  in  explanation  and  vindication  of  the  principles  of  government.  They  appeared 
successively  every  week  in  the  New  York  papers,  between  October,  1787,  and  the  spring  of  1788.  Th« 
whole  work,  which  is  called  The  Federalist,  consists  of  eighty-five  numbers.  Mr.  Jay  wrote  six  numbers,* 
Mr.  Madison  twenty-five,  and  Mr.  Hamilton  the  residue.  They  had  a  powerful  efTect  upon  the  public  mind 
and  contributed  largely  to  the  success  which  finally  crowned  the  efforts  of  the  friends  of  the  Constitution. 

*  Mr.  Jay  and  other  gentlemen  armed  and  placed  themselves  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Hamilton,  to  suppress  a  riot  ii 
New  York  known  as  The  Doctors'  Mob.  He  was  nearly  killed  by  a  stone  thrown  by  one  of  the  rioters,  and  was  confined  to  hit 
bed  for  some  time.  He  had  written  the  fifth  number  of  the  Federalist  essays  when  that  event  occurred.  He  recovered  in  tim« 
to  write  the  sixty-fourth. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


85 


I'he  Living8ti>n  Mansion. 


Henry  A.  Livingston,  ICsq. 


Kingston,  or  Eeopus. 


Its  Dutch  Name. 


The  Livingston  Mansion. 


signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  son  of  the  late  John  II.  Livingston,  D.D., 
president  of  the  College  of  Now  Brunswick.  It  was  built  by  his  paternal  grandfather,  Henry 
Livingston,  in  1714,  and  is  a  fine  specimen  of  a  country  mansion  of  that  period.  The  sit- 
uation is  delightful,  completely  imbosomed  in  venerable  trees,  and  far  removed  from  the  bus- 
tle of  the  highway.'  The  late  oc- 
cupant, in  the  exercise  of  his  good 
taste  and  patriotism,  preserved  the 
old  mansion  Irom  the  invasion  of 
modern  improvements,  and  kept 
up  that  generous  hospitality  which 
marked  the  character  of  the  "gen- 
tleman of  the  old  school."  Even 
the  orifice  in  the  side  of  the  house, 
under  the  piazza,  which  was  made 
by  a  cannon-ball  fired  from  one  of 
the  British  ships  that  conveyed  the 
troops  up  the  river,  who  burned 
Kingston,  seventy-two  years  ago,  is 
preserved  with  care,  and  shown  to 
visitors  as  a  token  of  the  spite  of 
the  enemy  against  active  Whigs. 
The  last  time  I  visited  the  mansion 
the  late  proprietor  was  living,  possessing  apparently  all  the  vigor  and  cheerfulness  of  a  man 
of  fifty,  though  then  past  three  score  and  ten  years. '■'  In  the  room  which  contained  his  val- 
uable library  I  passed  several  hours,  copying  the  portraits  of  John  and  Mary  Livingston,  the 
parents  of  Robert  Livingston,  the  first  emigrant  of  that  name  to  America  ;  and  also  an  in- 
teresting genealogical  tree,  illustrative  of  the  family  growth  and  connections,  which  Colonel 
Livingston  kindly  placed  at  my  disposal.  I  have  referred  to  these  before,  and  they  will  be 
found  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

I  left  Poughkeepsie  at  ten  in  the  evening,  and  reached  Kingston  village,  ninety-three  miles 
north  of  New  York,  a  little  past  midnight.  The  landing  is  upon  a  rocky  island  separated 
from  the  main  land  by  a  morass,  crossed  by  a  causeway.  It  is  nearly  three  miles  from  the 
village,  which  lies  upon  an  elevated  plain  several  miles  in  extent,  and  is  surrounded  by  high 
hills  on  all  sides  except  toward  the  Hudson.  On  the  northwest  the  Catskill  range  rises  grand 
and  beautiful,  and  far  enough  distant  to  present  an  azure  hue.  I  think  I  never  saw  a  more 
imposing  display  of  distant  mountain  scenery  than  is  presented  at  Kingston,  toward  sunset, 
when  the  higher  peaks  and  bold  projections  cast  their  long  shadows  over  the  agricultural  dis- 
tricts below,  reflecting,  at  the  same  time,  from  their  southwestern  declivities,  the  mellow 
light  of  departing  day. 

Kingston  was  settled  by  the  Dutch  as  early  as  1663,  as  appears  from  an  account  of 
troubles  between  the  white  settlers  and  the  Indians  there,  and  was  called  Wiltwyck — literally 
Wild  Witch,  or  Indian  Witch.  The  Dutch  built  a  redoubt  upon  the  bank  of  the  creek,  near 
the  ancient  landing-place.  The  creek  Avas  called  Redoubt  Kill,  or  Creek,  and  is  now  known 
by  the  corrupted  name  of  Rondout  Creek.'     The  Esopus  Indians  then  occupied  the  beautiful 

'  Since  my  visit  the  quiet  and  beauty  of  the  place  have  been  iilvadod  by  the  Hudson  River  Rail-road, 
which  passes  within  a  few  feet  of  the  mansion,  and  in  wliose  construction  the  beautiful  cove  has  been  de- 
stroyed, and  some  of  the  venerable  willows,  planted  by  the  first  owner,  have  been  uprooted.  In  our  coun- 
try the  bcaulif-^l  has  but  a  feather's  weight  in  the  scale  airainst  the  useful. 

*  Colonel  Livingston  died  June  9th,  1849.  Although  living  in  the  retirement  of  a  gentleman  of  wealth 
and  leisure,  he  often  consented  to  serve  the  public  in  offices  re(|uiring  judgment,  industry,  and  integrity. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  state  Senate  one  term ;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  he  was  never  absent  a 
day  from  his  post  in  the  Senate  Chamber  or  in  the  hall  of  the  Court  of  Errors.  He  will  long  be  remembered 
in  Poughkeepsie  as  one  of  its  best  citizens. 

^  Benson's  Memoirs,  in  the  Collections  of  the  New  York  Historical  Socictv.  vol.  i.,  part  ii..  p.  IIQ 

Bb 


386  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Early  Settlement  at  Kingston.  Indian  Troubles.  The  Huguenots.  Formation  of  the  State  Constitutioa 

flats  extending  from  the  creek  northward  nearly  to  the  present  town  of  Saugerties,  and,  be- 
coming dissatisfied  with  their  white  neighbors,  resolved  to  destroy  them.  For  this  purpose 
they  fell  upon  the  settlement  while  the  men  were  abroad  in  the  fields,  and  killed  or  carried 
off  sixty-five  persons.  The  survivors  retreated  to  the  redoubt,  and  the  Indians  began  to  erect 
a  stockade  near  it.  A  message  was  sent  to  Nieu  Amsterdam  (New  York),  and  Governor 
Stuyvesant  immediately  forwarded  a  body  of  troops,  under  Martin  Crygier,  who  drove  the 
Indians  back  to  the  mountains.  During  the  summer,  parties  of  the  Dutch  made  inroads 
among  the  hill  fastnesses,  destroyed  the  Indian  villages  and  forts,  laid  waste  and  burned  their 
fields  and  stores  of  maize,  killed  many  of  their  warriors,  released  twenty-two  of  the  Dutch 
captives,  and  captured  eleven  of  the  enemy.  This  chastisement  caused  a  truce  in 
December,  and  a  treaty  of  peace  in  May  following. 

The  Dutch  settlement  at  Kingston  received  a  valuable  accession,  toward  the  close  of  the 
century,  by  the  arrival  of  a  company  of  Huguenots,'  who,  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes,  fled  from  persecution  to  America.  They  were  a  fragment  of  the  resolute  Chris- 
tian band  of  eight  hundred  thousand  who  escaped  from  France  into  Holland,  Germany,  Switz- 
erland, and  England.  They  settled  in  the  fertile  valleys  of  Ulster  and  Orange,  but  that  re- 
pose which  they  coveted  was  a  long  time  denied  them,  for  the  Indians,  jealous  of  the  en- 
croachments of  the  pale  faces,  harassed  them  continually.  The  school  of  suffering  in  which 
they  had  been  tutored  before  leaving  Europe  had  given  them  patience  and  perseverance, 
and  they  succeeded  in  planting  the  Gospel  of  Peace  in  the  midst  of  the  heathen,  and  gave 
many  hardy  sons  to  do  battle  in  the  council  and  the  field  for  American  independence. 

Kingston  and  the  neighboring  region  suffered  much  from  the  Indians  and  Tories  during  the 
Revolution,  for  this  was  emphatically  a  Whig  district ;  and  when  Kingston  became  so  pre- 
sumptuous as  to  harbor  rebel  legislators,  it  was  marked  for  severe  chastisement  by  the  enemy. 

In  1776,  after  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  General  Assembly 
of  New  York  changed  its  title  from  the  "  Provincial  Congress  of  the  colony"  to  the  "  Con- 
vention of  the  Representatives  of  the  state  of  New  York."  The  Assembly  was  to  meet  in 
the  city  of  New  York  on  the  8th  of  July,  the  special  object  of  the  session  being  the  forming 
of  a  state  Constitution.  But  before  that  day  arrived,  the  fleet  of  Admiral  Howe,  with  a 
British  army,  appeared  near  Sandy  Hook,  and  the  new  Congress  assembled  at  White  Plains, 
in  West  Chester  county,  twenty-five  miles  from  the  city.  At  the  moment  of  meeting  it  re- 
ceived intelligence  of  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  its  first  act  waa 
to  approve  that  measure  by  a  unanimous  vote.  On  the  1  st  of  August  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  draw  up  and  report  a  Constitution.^  John  Jay  was  the  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee, and  the  duty  of  drafting  the  instrument  was  assigned  to  him. 

During  the  autumn  the  labors  of  the  Convention  were  greatly  disturbed  by  military  events. 
The  enemy  had  taken  possession  of  New  York  city  and  island  ;   had  spread  over  the  lower 

^  These  people  occupy  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  history  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  and, 
as  will  be  observed  hereafter,  formed  an  essential  element  in  the  machinery  of  our  Revolution,  particularly 
in  the  Carolinas.  On  the  26th  of  August,  1572,  the  festival  of  St.  Bartholomew,  seventy  thousand  Protest- 
ants were  butchered  in  France  by  royal  and  papal  authority.  Terrible  persecutions  continued  until  1598, 
when  Henry  IV.  issued  an  edict,  called  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  granting  toleration  to  his  Protestant  subjects. 
For  nearly  a  century  this  edict  was  in  force,  but  in  1685  Louis  XIV.  revoked  it,  and  persecutions  began 
anew.  This  cruel  and  injudicious  policy  lost  France  eight  hundred  thousand  of  her  best  subjects,  who  were 
Protestants,  fifty  thousand  of  whom  made  their  way  to  England,  where  they  introduced  silk  weaving,  the 
manufacture  of  jewelry,  and  other  elegant  employments  then  monopolized  by  France.  Of  those  who  set- 
tled in  Ulster  county  the  names  of  twelve  are  preserved,  whose  descendants  are  numerous,  and  among  the 
most  respectable  citizens  of  that  and  Orange  county.  The  following  are  the  names  :  Lewis  Dubois,  Andre 
Lefevre,  Louis  Bevier,  Hugues  Frere  [Frear],  Christian  Deyo,  Jean  Hasbrouck,  Anthony  Crispell,  Isaac  Du- 
bois, Abraham  Hasbrouck,  Pierre  Deyo,  Abraham  Dubois,  Lyman  Lefevre. 

*  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  gentlemen  who  composed  that  committee :  John  Jay,  John  Sloss 
Hobart,  William  Smith,  William  Duer,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Robert  R.  Livingston,  John  Broome,  John  Jlor- 
ris  Scott,  Abraham  Yates,  Jr.,  Henry  Wisner,  Sen.,  Samuel  Townsend,  Charles  De  Witt,  and  Robert  Yates. 
James  Duane  was  subsequently  placed  on  the  committee,  and,  Mr.  Jay  being  absent  when  the  draft  of  the 
Constitution  was  reported,  it  was  submitted  to  the  Assembly  by  him. — Journal  of  the  Convention^  p.  552 
and  83.3. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


387 


Completion  and  Adoption  of  the  Constitution.       Ita  Character.       Subsequent  Constitutions.       Effects  of  a  Mixture  of  Races. 

part  of  "West  Chester  county,  and  expelled  the  American  troops,  and  Washington  and  his 
army  had  fled  before  them  to  the  Delaware.  The  Convention  migrated  from  place  to  place, 
and  held  brief  sessions  at  Ilarlaem,  White  Plains,  and  Fishkill  in  Dutchess  county.  At  the 
latter  place  the  members  armed  themselves  for  defense  against  the  British  or  Tories  who 
should  assail  them.'  Finally  they  retreated  to  Kingston,  where  they  continued  in  session 
from  February,  1777,  until  May  of  that 
year.  There,  undisturbed,  the  committee 
pursued  its  labors,  and  on  the  1 2th  of  March 
reported  the  draft  of  a  Constitution.  It  was 
under  consideration  more  than  a  month,  and 

was  finally  adopted  on  the  2  0  th  of  April. 

It  is  a  document  of  great  merit,  and  ex- 
hibits a  clear  apprehension  of  the  just  fimc- 
tions  of  government,  which  distinguished  the 
mind  of  its  author.  lU  preamble  sets  forth 
explicitly  the  cause  which  demanded  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  government ;  and  its  first  arti- 
cle declared  that  no  authority  should  be  ex- 
ercised in  the  state  but  such  as  should  be 
derived  from,  and  granted  by,  the  people. 
Great  wisdom  was  manifested  in  all  its  pro- 
visions for  regulating  the  civil,  military,  and 
judicial  powers  of  the  state.  It  was  highly  approved  throughout  the  country,  and  English 
jurists  spoke  of  it  in  terms  of  praise.  Under  it  the  government  of  the  state  was  organized 
by  an  ordinance  of  the  Convention,  passed  in  May,  and,  as  we  have  noticed,  the  first  jyj^y  g 
session  of  the  Legislature  was  appointed  to  be  held  at  Kingston  in  July.'  This  Con-  ^'''^^ 
stitution  remained  in  force,  with  a  few  amendments,  until  1823,  when  a  new  one  was  formed 
by  a  state  Convention.  This,  in  time,  was  submitted  to  the  action  of  a  Convention  to  revise 
it,  and  a  third  was  formed  and  became  law  in  1846. 

In  the  history  of  these  movements  toward  perfecting  the  organic  law  of  the  state  of  New 
York  is  developed  much  of  the  philosophy  of  that  progress  which  marks  so  distinctly  the  ca- 
reer of  our  republic.  From  the  old  Dutch  laws,  sometimes  narrow  and  despotic,  but  marked 
by  a  sound  and  expansive  policy,  to  the  enlightened  features  of  the  Constitution  of  1846,  we 
may  trace  the  growth  of  the  benevolent  principles  of  equality,  and  a  correct  appreciation  in 
the  public  mind  of  human  rights.  "  We  may  see,"  says  Butler,  "  in  the  provisions  of  our 
several  Constitutions,  the  effects  of  the  intermixture  of  the  different  races  :  the  Dutch  ;  the 
English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  ;  the  French,  Swedes,  and  Germans  ;  the  Anglo-American  from 
the  eastern  colonies,  from  whom  our  people  have  been  derived.  To  this  cause,  and  to  the 
great  number  and  diversity  of  religious  sects  and  opinions  which  have  flowed  from  it,  may 
especially  be  ascribed  the  absolute  freedom  and  perfect  equality  in  matters  of  religion,  and 
the  utter  separation  of  the  Church  from  the  State,  secured  by  these  instruments."* 


'The  Constitution  House,"  Kingston.^ 


'  Lives  of  Gouverneur  Morris  and  John  Jay. 

*  This  house,  the  property  and  residence  of  James  W.  Baldwin,  Esq.,  was  used  for  the  session  of  the  stato 
•invention  in  1777.  It  is  built  of  blue  limestone,  and  stands  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Maiden  Lane  and 
Fair  Street.     It  is  one  of  the  few  houses  that  survived  the  eonflagration  of  the  village. 

*  Popular  elections  for  members  of  the  Legislature  were  held  in  all  the  counties  except  New  York,  Kings, 
Queens,  and  SutFoik,  which  were  then  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  George  Clinton,  then  a  brigadier  general 
in  the  Continental  army,  was  elected  to  the  offices  of  governor  and  lixjutcnant  governor.  The  former  office 
he  held  by  successive  elections  for  eighteen  years,  and  afterward  for  three  years.  Pierre  Van  Courtlandi, 
who  was  president  of  the  Senate,  became  lieutenant  governor ;  Robert  R.  Livingston  was  appointed  chan- 
cellor ;  John  Jay,  chief  justice ;  Robert  Yates  and  John  Sloss  Hobart,  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  and 
Egbert  Benson,  attorney  general. — Juurnals  of  the  Convention,  p.  916-918. 

■*  Outline  of  the  Constitutional  History  of  New  York,  a  discourse  delivered  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
New  York  Historical  Society,  in  1847,  I'V  Berjamin  F.  Butler,  late  attorney  general  of  the  United  States. 


388 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Marauding  Expedition  up  the  Hudsoii. 


Landing  at  Kingston. 


Burning  of  the  Town. 


Rhinebeck  Flats. 


1777. 


October  6  Kingston  (or  Esopus),  being  the  capital  of  the  state  when  Sir  Henry  Clinton 

1777.  gained  possession  of  the  forts  in  the  Hudson  Highlands,  was  marked  by  the  con- 
queror for  special  vengeance.  Having  demolished  the  chevmcx-de-frise  at  Fort  Montgomery, 
the  British  fleet  proceeded  up  the  Hudson ;  the  massive  iron  chain  was  not  yet  stretched 
across  the  river  at  West  Point.'  All  impediments  being  removed,  a  flying  squadron  of  light 
frigates,  under  Sir  James  Wallace,  bearing  three  thousand  six  hundred  men,  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Vaughan,  sailed  up  the  river.  They  were  instructed  to  scatter  desolation 
m  their  track,  and  well  did  they  perform  their  mission.  Every  vessel  upon  the  river  was 
burned  or  otherwise  destroyed ;  the  houses  of  known  Whigs,  such  as  Henry  Livingston,  at 
Poughkeepsie,  were  fired  upon  from  the  ships  ;  and  small  parties,  landing  from  the  vessels, 
desolated  neighborhoods  with  fire  and  sword.  They  penetrated  as  far  northward  as  Kings- 
ton, where  they  landed  on  the  13th  of  October.  The  frigates  were  anchored  a  little 
above  the  present  landing  on  Kingston  Point,  and  a  portion  of  the  invaders  debarked 
in  the  cove  north  of  the  steam-boat  wharf  Another  division,  in  small  boats,  proceeded  to 
the  mouth  of  Esopus  (now  Rondout)  Creek,  and  landed  at  a  place  a  little  northeast  of  Ron- 
dout  village,  called  Ponkhocken  Point.  The  people  at  the  creek  fled,  afirighted,  to  Marble- 
town,  seven  miles  southwest  of  Kingston,  and  their  houses  were  destroyed.  The  two  divi- 
sions then  marched  toward  the  village,  one  by  the  upper  road  and  the  other  by  the  Esopus 
Creek  Road.      Near  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Yeoman,  who  was  in  the  army  at  Stillwater,  they 

seized  a  negro,  and  made  him  pilot  them  directly  to  the  town. 
The  detachments  joined  upon  a  gentle  eminence  near  the  vil- 
lage, a  few  rods  south  of  the  Rondout  Road,  and,  after  a  brief 
consultation,  proceeded  to  apply  the  torch.      Almost  every 
house  was  laid  in  ashes,  and  a  large  quantity  of  provisions 
and  stores  situated  there  and  at  the  landing  was  destroyed. 
The  town  then  contained  between  three  and  four  thousand 
inhabitants,  many  of  whom  were  wealthy,  and  most  of  the 
houses  were  built  of  stone.'     Warned  of  the  approach  of  the 
enemy,  a  few  saved  their  most  valuable  effects,  but  many  lost  all  their  posses- 
sions, and  were  driven  back  upon  the  interior  settlements  upon  the  Wallkill. 
Governor  Clinton,  with  the  members  of  the  Legislature,  was  there,  and  efforts 
were  made  to  raise  a  sufficient  number  of  militia  for  the  protection  of  the  town, 
but  without  success.      The  enemy,  however,  fearing  their  wanton  cruelty  would 
bring  the  people  in  mass  upon  them,  hastily  retreated  after  destroying  the  vil- 
lage.     A  detachment  crossed  the  river  and  marched  to  Rhinebeck  Flats,"  two 
miles  eastward,  where  they  burned  several  houses  ;   and,  after  penetrating  north- 
ward as  far  as  Livingston's  Manor,  and  burning  some  houses  there,  they  rejoined 
the  main  body,  and  the  fleet  returned  to  New  York. 

This  wanton  and  apparently  useless  expedition  excited  great  indignation.  It  was  sup- 
posed that  the  destination  of  the  enemy  was,  according  to  arrangement,  Albany,  and  a  junc- 
tion with  Burgoyne,  then  hemmed  in  by  Americans  at  Saratoga,  and  anxiously  awaiting  the 

*  A  detail  of  this  event,  and  a  drawing  of  the  remains  of  the  chain  now  at  West  Point,  may  be  found  on 
page  700  of  this  volume. 

'^  This  view  is  from  the  road,  looking  north.  An  attempt  was  made  by  a  soldier  to  burn  the  house,  but 
so  rapid  was  the  march  of  the  invaders  that  the  flames  had  made  but  little  progress  before  the  troops  were 
far  on  their  road  to  the  village.  A  negro  woman,  who  was  concealed  under  some  corn-stalks  near,  extin- 
guished the  flames.  The  house  is  about  half  a  mile  from  the  river,  on  the  right  side  of  the  road  from  the 
landing  to  Kingston  village. 

*  Governor  Clinton,  writing  to  Captain  Machin  on  the  subject  of  erecting  works  for  the  defense  of  Kings- 
ton, saj's,  "I  do  not  conceive  it  necessary  to  inclose  the  town,  as  the  houses  are  stone,  and  will  form  (if  the 
windows  are  properly  secured)  good  lines  of  defense." 

■*  Rhinebeck  Flats  village  is  in  Dutchess  county,  about  seventeen  miles  north  of  Poughkeepsie.  It  was 
eminently  a  V/hig  place  during  the  Revolution.  There  was  the  residence  of  the  widow  of  General  Mont- 
gomery, who  had  been  killed  at  Quebec  two  years  before,  and  of  many  of  her  numerous  relatives,  the  Liv- 
ingstons, all  of  whom  were  friends  of  the  patriot  cause. 


The  Yeoman  House.' 


f 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  389 


Liringston's  Manor.  An  Advantage  thrown  away.  Gates's  Letter.  Loyalists.  Rondout. 

promised  aid  from  Clinton.  When  Vaughan  and  his  troops  were  at  Livingston's  Milis 
(which  they  destroyed),  a  flood  tide  would  have  carried  them  to  Albany  in  five  hours  ;  and 
50  completely  had  the  army  of  Gates  drained  the  country,  in  that  vicinity,  of  men,  that  they 
might  easily  have  burned  the  stores  at  Albany,  and  taken  possession  of  that  city.  Gates 
afterward  declared  that,  had  such  an  event  occurred,  he  must  have  retreated  into  New 
England,  and  Burgoyne  would  have  escaped.  But,  instead  of  becoming  honorable  victors, 
Vaughan  and  his  party  appeared  content  to  fulfill  the  office  and  earn  the  renown  of  success- 
ful marauders.  They  may  have  thought  that  their  operations  would  divert  Gates's  atten- 
tion, and  cause  him  to  detach  troops  for  the  defense  of  the  country  below,  and  thus  so  weaken 
his  force  as  to  enable  Burgoyne  to  conquer  or  escape.  But  this  effect  was  not  produced,  and 
the  expedition  was  fruitless  of  good  to  the  cause  of  the  king.  Gates  at  that  very  time  was 
making  the  most  honorable  propositions  to  Burgoyne  for  a  surrender,  and,  when  he  heard  of 
Vaughan's  operations,  he  wrote  that  officer  a  letter  replete  with  just  severity.' 

Kingston  was  the  scene  of  the  execution  of  several  Loyalists  during  the  Revolution,  and 
there  Sir  Henry  Clinton's  spy,  who  was  caught  at  New  Windsor,  with  a  dispatch  for  Bur- 
goyne in  a  silver  bullet  (of  which  I  shall  hereafter  write),  was  hung  upon  the  limb     October  12, 
of  an  apple-tree.      Several  Tories  saved  their  lives  by  consenting  to  enlist  in  the         ^''^^ 
Continental  army. 

The  depredations  of  the  Indians  and  Tories  in  the  Warwasing  and  Mamakating  Valleys, 
and  other  portions  of  Ulster  county,  from  1778  till  near  the  close  of  the  war,  will  be  noticed 
hereafter,  in  connection  with  the  Minisink  massacre.  Let  us  now  make  a  flying  visit  to  the 
Revolutionary  locafities  in  the  vicinity  of  Kingston,  and  then  pass  on  to  the  battle-ground 
of  Bennington. 

With  the  exception  of  the  "  Constitution  House"  (depicted  on  page  387)  and  two  or  three 
other  stone  buildings,  and  the  venerable  tomb-stones  in  the  old  Dutch  burying-ground,  Kings- 
ton presents  little  attraction  to  the  seeker  of  Revolutionary  relics.'  Its  hills,  and  rich  plains, 
and  distant  mountain  scenery  are  still  there,  but  greatly  modified  by  cultivation.  I  passed 
the  morning  in  the  village,  with  General  Smith,  and  at  about  noon  proceeded  to  Rondout. 
This  thriving  little  village  is  nestled  in  a  secluded  nook  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ftondout  Creek, 
which  here  comes  flowing  through  a  deep  and  narrow  gorge  among  the  hills,  and  mingles 
its  waters  with  the  Hudson.  Mr.  Gossman,  the  editor  of  the  Courier,  kindly  offered  to  ac- 
company me  to  points  of  interest  connected  with  the  Revolution,  and  I  passed  the  remainder 
of  the  day  in  a  pleasant  ramble  with  him.      Crossing  the  creek  in  a  skilT  to  its  southwestern 

*  He  concluded  his  letter  by  saying,  "  Is  it  thus  that  the  generals  of  the  king  expect  to  make  converts  to 
the  royal  cause  ?  Their  cruelties  operate  as  a  contrary  effect :  independence  is  founded  upon  the  universal 
disgust  of  the  people.  The  fortune  of  war  has  delivered  into  ray  hands  older  and  abler  generals  than  Gen- 
eral Vaughan  is  reputed  to  be :  their  condition  may  one  day  become  his,  and  then  no  human  power  can 
save  him  from  the  just  vengeance  of  an  offended  people."  The  friends  of  the  king  were  also  displeased  at 
the  movement.  One  of  the  leading  loyalists  of  New  York,  writing  to  Joseph  Galloway,  said,  "  Why  a  de- 
lay was  made  of  seven  days  after  Clinton  had  taken  the  forts,  we  are  ignorant  of.  The  Highland  forts  were 
taken  on  the  6th  of  October;  Esopus  was  burned  on  the  13th;  Burgoyne's  convention  was  signed  on  the 
17th.  There  was  no  force  to  oppose  even  open  boats  on  the  river.  Why,  then,  did  not  the  boats  proceed 
immediately  to  Albany  ?  Had  Clinton  gone  forward,  Burgoyne's  army  had  been  saved.  Putnam  could  not 
have  crossed  to  Albany.  The  army  amused  themselves  by  burning  Esopus,  and  the 
houses  of  individuals  on  the  river  bank."  Clinton  and  the  brothers  Howe  seem  to  have 
been  perfect  malaprops,  striking  at  the  wrong  time,  and  withholding  a  blow  when  most 
appropriate  and  promising  the  best  success. 

'  In  the  old  grave-yard  rest  the  remains  of  some  of  the  Huguenots  and  of  many  of 
their  descendants ;  and  there  repose  the  bodies  of  not  a  few  who  suffered  during  the 
war  for  independence.  Some  of  the  earlier  grave-stones  are  rude  monuments.  One 
of  them',  at  the  head  of  the  grave  of  Andries  De  Witt,  is  delineated  in  the  engraving. 
The  inscription  is  rudely  carved.  The  tall  and  slender  slate  stone  is  supported  by  a 
cedar  post,  which  was  probably  set  up  when  the  stone  was  erected,  yet  it  is  perfectly 
preserved,  and  retains  its  odor.  I  saw  it  there  fifteen  years  ago,  and  then  "  the  oldest 
inhabitant"  remembered  it  from  his  boyhood.  The  meaning  of  IVLY  may  need  to  be 
explained  to  young  readers.  I  was  used  for  J  and  V  for  U  in  former  times,  and  the 
letters,  therefore,  make  the  word  JULY. 


390 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


An  Octogenarian. 


Landing-places  of  the  British. 


A  frightened  Dutchman. 


Departure  for  the  North 


View  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Rondout. 


side,  we  called  upon  the  venerable  John  Sleight,  now  eighty  years  old,  who  lives  in  the 
dwelling  of  his  father,  on  the  slope  of  a  high  hill  near  the  water.  He  had  a  clear  recollec- 
tion of  the  landing  of  the  British,  and  directed  us  to  the  diflerent  localities  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek.  He  said  there  were  only  three  houses  where  Rondout  now  is,  and  they  were  burned. 
The  occupants  fled  to  Marbletown,  and  the  few  soldiers  stationed  at  the  redoubt  on  the  hill, 
a  little  northeast  of  the  village,  with  a  single  cannon,  followed  the  flying  inhabitants.  The 
enemy  did  not  cross  the  creek,  and  the  house  of  Mr.  Sleight  was  spared. 

From  the  high  hills  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Mr.  Sleight's  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  land- 
^^^,^j^3,___^  ing-places  of  both  divisions 

of  the  enemy,  as  seen  in  the 
engraving.  The  water  ex- 
tending on  the  left  is  Ron- 
dout Creek,  and  that  on  the 
right  and  beyond  the  long 
point  is  the  Hudson  River, 
the  spectator  looking  north- 
east. The  high  point  on  the 
left  is  the  place  where  the  re- 
doubt was  thrown  up.  The 
small  building  beyond,  stand- 
ing upon  the  water's  edge,  is 
upon Ponkhocken Point,'  and 
in  the  cove  between  it  and 
the  redoubt  is  the  place  where  the  enemy  landed.  The  long  point  in  the  distance  is  the 
present  landing,  immediately  above  which,  in  a  sandy  cove,  the  main  division  of  the  British 
army  debarked.  An  amusing  anecdote  was  related  to  me,  connected  with  that  event.  Be- 
tween the  point  and  Ponkhocken  are  extensive  flats,  bare  at  low  water,  and  yielding  much 
coarse  grass.  When  the  enemy  landed,  some  Dutchmen  were  at  work  just  below  the  point, 
and  were  not  aware  of  the  fact  until  they  saw  the  dreaded  red-coats  near  them.  It  was 
low  water,  and  across  the  flats  toward  Ponkhocken  they  fled  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry 
them,  not  presuming  to  look  behind  them,  lest,  like  Lot's  wife,  they  might  be  detained.  The 
summer  hay-makers  had  left  a  rake  on  the  marsh  meadow,  and  upon  this  one  of  the  fugitives 
trod.  The  handle  flew  up  behind  him,  and  gave  him  a  severe  blow  on  the  back  of  his  head. 
Not  doubting  that  a  "  Britisher"  was  close  upon  his  heels,  he  stopped  short,  and,  throwing 
up  his  hands  imploringly,  exclaimed,  "O,  mein  Cot !  mein  Cot !  I  kivs  up.  Hoorah  for 
King  Shorge  I"  The  innocent  rake  was  all  the  enemy  that  was  near,  and  the  Dutchman's 
sudden  conversion  to  loyalty  was  known  only  to  a  companion  in  the  race,  who  had  outstrip- 
ped him  a  few  paces. 

Passing  along  the  river  road  to  the  upper  point,  we  visited  the  landing-place  of  the  Brit- 
ish. A  large  portion  of  the  cove  is  now  filled  by  a  mass  of  earth,  rocks,  and  trees  that  slid 
down  from  the  high  shore  a  few  years  ago.  The  heaps  of  blue  clay  have  the  appearance 
of  huge  rocks,  and  will  doubtless  become  such  in  time,  by  induration.  Returning  to  Ron- 
dout, I  rode  over  to  Kingston  at  about  sunset,  passed  the  evening  with  Mr.  Vanderlyn^  the 
painter,  and  at  midnight  embarked  in  a  steamer  for  Albany. 

Sept  27  '^^^^  morning  was  cold,  and  every  thing  without  was  white  with  hoar  frost.      I  was 

1848.      in  Troy  a  little  after  sunrise,  and  at  eight  o'clock,  seated  with  the  driver  upon  a  mail- 
coach,  was  ascending  the  long  hills  on  the  road  toHoosick,  in  Rensselaer  county,'  about  twenty- 

'  The  ferry  to  Rhinebeck  was  from  Ponkhocken  Point  until  1814,  when  the  causeway  was  constnicted 
at  the  upper  point,  and  the  ferry  and  landing  established  there. 

*  Mr.  Vanderlyn  was  a  native  of  Kingston.  He  resided  many  years  in  Europe,  where  he  painted  his  large 
picture  of  the  Landing  of  Columhus^  for  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington.  It  was  completed  about 
three  vears  ago  (1846),  and  now  occupies  its  appropriate  place.      He  died  in  1853. 

^  The  original  Manor  of  Rensselaer,  or  Rcnsselaerwyck,  includ-^d  all  of  Rensselaer  county,  except  Hoosick, 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


391 


Ride  to  the  Hoosick  Valley. 


Van  Schaick'3  Mills.  Place  of  the  Bennington  Battle-ground. 


Baumc's  Dispatch 


five  miles  east  of  the  Hudson.  The  country  is  very  elevated  and  hilly,  and,  vi'hen  three  miles 
east  of  Troy,  the  Green  Mountains  vi'cre  seen  in  the  distance.  Before  the  Hoosick  Valley  is 
reached,  the  country  becomes  extremely  broken  and  picturesque.  We  descended  by  a  roman- 
tic mountain  road  into  the  valley,  a  little  past  noon,  and  halted  at  Richmond's,  at  Hoosick  Four 
Corners.  This  is  the  nearest  point,  on  the  turnpike,  to  the  Bennington  battle-j^round.  The 
road  thither  skirted  the  Hoosick  River  northward  for  three  miles,  to  the  falls,'  where  we  turned 
eastward,  and  passed  through  North  Hoosick.  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Walloomscoick  and 


\A^hite  Creeks.  Here 
is  still  standing  the 
old  mill  known  as  Van 
Schaick's  in  the  R.ev- 
olution.  It  was  occu- 
pied by  a  party  of  A  mer- 
icans  when  Baume  and 
his  Hessians  approach- 
ed ;  and  here  the  mem- 
orable battle  of  Ben- 
nington ended.  From 
this  mill,  along  the 
hills  and  the  valley  on 
the  right  bank  of  the 
Walloomscoick,  to  the 
bridge  near  the  house  of 
Mr.  Barnet,  two  miles 
above,  is  the  scene  of 
the  battle ;  and  the  hot- 
test of  the  fight  (which 


Van  Schaick's  Mill.^ 


occun-ed  when  the  Hes- 
sians retreated  from  the 
heights)  took  place  be- 
tween the  little  facto- 
ry village  of  Starkville 
and  the  house  of  Mr. 
Taber.  These  allu- 
sions will  be  better  un- 
derstood after  consult- 
ing the  history. 

The  conflict  called 
the  battle  of  Benning- 
ton" was  a  part  of  the 
operations  connected 
with  Burgoyne's  inva- 
sion from  Canada,  in 
the  summer  and  au- 
tumn of  1777.  The 
delay  which  he  had  ex- 
perienced at  Skenesbor- 


ough  and  on  his  way  to  Fort  Edward  had  so  reduced  his  stores  and  provisions,  that  a  re- 

Schaghticoke,  and  Piltstown,  and  also  the  greater  part  of  Albany  county.  The  city  of  Albany  is  near  the 
center  of  the  manor.  This  domain  was  granted  to  Killian  Van  Rensselaer  by  patent  from  the  States-Gen- 
eral of  Holland,  after  he  had  purchased  the  native  right  to  the  soil  in  1641,  and  was  twenty-four  miles  wide, 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  about  forty-two  miles  long  east  and  west.  When  the  English  came  into 
possession  of  the  country,  the  right  to  his  domain  of  the  proprietor  of  Rensselaerwyck,  who  was  called  the 
patroon,*  was  not  questioned,  and  on  the  4th  of  March,  1685,  it  was  confirmed  by  letters  patent  under  the 
great  seal  of  the  state  of  Xew  York. 

'  At  the  Hoosick  Falls  is  a  manufacturing  village  containing  about  one  hundred  dwellings.  The  river 
here  falls  about  forty  feet,  and  affords  ver}'  extensive  water  power.  Near  the  factories  I  observed  a  hand- 
some octagonal  edifice,  on  the  road  side,  on  the  front  of-which,  in  prominent  letters,  is  the  following : 

"SACRED  TO  SCIENCE. 
In  eea,  earth,  and  sky,  what  are  untold 
Of  God's  handiwork,  both  modem  and  old." 

It  contains,  I  was  told,  a  large  collection  of  natural  curiosities,  which  the  wealthy  and  tasteful  proprietor 
takes  pleasure  in  exhibiting  freel)-, 

*  This  battle  was  fought  within  the  towTi  of  Hoosick,  and  five  or  six  miles  from  Bennington.  At  that 
time  the  boundary  line  between  New  York  and  New  Hampshire  (Vermont,  as  a  state,  not  being  then  in  ex- 
istence) was  at  the  Green  Mountains,  and  Bennington  was  claimed  to  be  within  the  borders  of  New  York 

•*  This  view  is  taken  from  the  left  bank  of  the  Walloomscoick,  a  little  below  the  bridge.  The  mill  belong- 
ed to  a  Whig  named  Van  Schaick,  who  had  joined  General  Stark's  collecting  forces  at  Bennington.  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel Baume  wrote  the  following  dispatch  to  Burgoyne  from  this  place : 

"Sancoik,t  14tlj  August,  1777,  9  o'clock, 
"  Sir — I  have  the  honor  to  inform  your  excellency  that  I  arrived  here  at  eight  in  the  morning,  having  had 
intelligence  of  a  party  of  the  enemy  being  in  possession  of  a  mill,  which  they  abandoned  at  our  approach ; 

*  This  title  was  given  to  those  Dutch  purchasers  of  lands  who  bought  the  soil  fairly  from  the  natives,  and  planted  a  colony 
There  were  several  patroon  estates,  but  that  of  Van  Rensselaer  is  the  only  one  not  disturbed  by  political  changes.  This,  how 
ever,  is  now  on  the  verge  of  extinction,  and,  for  several  years  past,  anti-rmlism,  as  the  opposition  to  the  patroon  pririlege  is  call 
e>l,  has  been  working  a  change  in  the  public  mind  unfavorable  to  such  TEist  landed  monopolies. 

t  See  note  respecting  this  name  on  page  399. 


392  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Foraging  Expedition  to  Bennington.  Burgoyne's  Instructions.  Baume's  Indian  Allies.  Skirmish  near  Cambridga 

plenishment  was  necessary.  Informed  that  the  Americans  had  a  large  quantity  of  these, 
and  of  cattle  and  horses,  at  Bennington  and  in  the  vicinity,  he  resolved,  vv'ith  the  advice  of 
Major  Skene,  to  send  a  detachment  of  his  army  thither  to  capture  them.  Both  Phillips  and 
Reidesel,  the  most  experienced  of  his  generals,  were  opposed  to  the  measure  ;  but  Burgoyne, 
actuated  by  an  overweening  confidence  in  his  strength,  and  deceived  as  to  the  extent  of  the 
Royalist  party  in  the  colonies,"  dispatched  Lieutenant-colonel  Baume  thither  with  five  hund- 
red Hessians,  Canadians,  and  Tories,  and  one  hundred  Indians.  Burgoyne's  instructions  to 
the  commander  of  the  expedition,  dated  August  9th,  1777,^  declared  the  objects  to  be  to  try 
the  afiections  of  the  county,  to  disconcert  the  councils  of  the  enemy,  to  mount  Reidesel's  dra- 
goons, to  complete  Peters's  corps  [of  Loyalists],  and  to  obtain  large  supplies  of  cattle,  horses, 
and  carriages.  Baume  was  directed  "  to  scour  the  countiy  from  Rockingham  to  Otter  Creek," 
to  go  down  Connecticut  River  as  far  as  Brattleborough,  and  return  by  the  great  road  to  Al- 
bany, there  to  meet  General  Burgoyne,  and  to  endeavor  to  make  the  country  believe  his  corps 
was  the  advanced  body  of  the  general's  army,  who  was  to  cross  Connecticut  River  and  pro- 
ceed to  Boston.  He  ordered  that  "  all  officers,  civil  and  military,  acting  under  the  Congress, 
should  be  made  prisoners."  Baume  was  also  instructed  "  to  tax  the  towns  where  they  halted 
with  such  articles  as  they  wanted,  and  take  hostages  for  the  performance,  &c. ;  to  bring  all 
horses  fit  to  mount  the  dragoons  or  to  serve  as  battalion  horses  for  the  troops,  with  as  many 
saddles  and  bridles  as  could  be  found."  Burgoyne  stipulated  the  number  of  horses  to  be 
brought  at  thirteen  hundred  at  least,  and  more  if  they  could  be  obtained,  and  directed  them 
to  be  "  tied  in  strings  of  ten  each,  in  order  that  one  man  might  lead  ten  horses."  Dr.  Thatcher, 
in  his  Journal,  says,  "  This  redoubtable  commander  surely  must  be  one  of  the  happiest  men 
of  the  age,  to  imagine  such  prodigious  achievements  were  at  his  command  ;  that  such  inval- 
uable resources  were  within  his  grasp.  But,  alas  !  the  wisest  of  men  are  liable  to  disap- 
pointment in  their  sanguine  calculations,  and  to  have  their  favorite  projects  frustrated  by  the 
casualties  of  war.  This  is  remarkably  verified  in  the  present  instance."' 
Au<T]st  With  these  full  instructions,  Baume  left  his  encampment  on  the  13th,  and  the 

^"^"^^^  next  day  arrived  at  the  mill  on  the  Walloomscoick.  He  reached  Cambridge  on  the 
evening  previous,  near  which  place  an  advanced  guard  of  Tories  and  Indians  attacked  a 
small  party  of  Americans  who  were  guarding  some  cattle.  The  patriots,  after  delivering  a 
well-directed  fire,  retreated  to  the  woods,  leaving  five  of  their  number  behind,  prisoners. 
Some  horses  were  captured,  but,  according  to  a  dispatch  from  Baume  to  Burgoyne,  the  In- 
dians who  secured  them  destroyed  or  drove  away  all  that  were  not  paid  for  in  ready  cash. 
In  his  whole  expedition  Burgoyne  found  the  savages  more  trouble  than  profit.  Let  us  leave 
the  invader  at  "  Sancoik's,"  while  we  take  a  retrospect  of  relative  events  on  the  part  of  the 
Americans. 

On  the  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga,  and  the  advance  of  Burgoyne  toward  the  Hudson,  the 
Eastern  States  were  filled  with  alarm.  Burgoyne's  destination  was  not  certainly  known, 
and  when  he  was  at  Skenesborough  it  was  thought  that  Boston  might  be  the  point  to  which 
he  would  march.      The  whole  frontier  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  was  uncovered, 

out,  in  their  usual  way,  fired  from  the  bushes,  and  took  their  road  to  Bennington.  A  savage  was  slightly 
wounded ;  they  broke  down  the  bridge,  which  has  retarded  our  march  above  an  hour ;  they  left  in  the  mill 
about  seventy-eight  ban-els  of  very  fine  flour,  one  thousand  bushels  of  wheat,  twenty  barrels  of  salt,  and  about 
£1000  worth  of  pearlash  and  potash.  1  have  cideied  thirty  provmcials  and  an  officer  to  guard  the  provi- 
sions and  the  pass  of  the  bridge.  By  five  prisoners  taken  here,  they  agree  that  from  fifteen  to  eighteen 
hundred  are  at  Bennington,  but  are  supposed  to  leave  it  on  our  approach.  I  will  proceed  so  far  to-day  as 
to  fall  on  the  enemy  early  to-morrow,  and  make  such  disposition  as  I  may  think  necessaiy,  from  the  intelli- 
gence I  may  receive.  People  [Tories]  arc  flocking  in  hourly,  but  want  to  be  armed.  The  savages  can 
not  be  controlled ;  they  ruin  and  take  every  thing  they  please. 

"  I  am  your  excellency's  most  humble  servant, 

"F.  Baume." 

'  Major  Skene  assured  him  that  "  the  friends  to  the  British  cause  were  as  five  to  one,  and  that  they  want- 
3(1  only  the  appearance  of  a  protecting  power  to  show  themselves." — Gordon,  ii.,  242. 

^  The  original  of  these  instructions  is  in  the  archives  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 

'  Military  Journal,  p.  92. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  393 

Measure  for  defending  Now  Hampshire.  Langdon  s  Patriotism.  Raising  of  Troops.  General  Stork. 

and  strenuous  efforts  were  at  once  made  for  the  defense  of  these  states,  particularly  New 
Hampshire,  which  was  lying  nearest  the  scene  of  danger.  The  Committee  of  Safety  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Grants  (now  Vermont)  wrote  to  the  New  Hampshire  Committee  of  Safety 
at  Exeter,  apprising  them  of  the  pressing  danger  near,  and  imploring  their  assistance.  The 
Provincial  Assembly  had  finished  their  session,  and  had  gone  home,  but  a  summons  from  the 
committee  brought  them  together  again  in  three  days.  Despondency  seemed  to  pervade  the 
whole  convention  when  they  met,  until  the  patriotic  John  Langdon,'  then  Speaker  of  the 
Assembly,  thus  addressed  them  :  '=  I  have  three  thousand  dollars  in  hard  money.  I  will 
pledge  my  plate  for  three  thousand  more.  I  have  seventy  hogsheads  of  Tobago  rum,  which 
shall  be  sold  for  the  most  it  will  bring.  These  are  at  the  service  of  the  state.  If  we  suc- 
ceed in  defending  our  firesides  and  homes,  I  may  be  remunerated  ;  if  we  do  not,  the  property 
will  be  of  no  value  to  me.  Our  old  friend  Stark,  who  so  nobly  sustained  the  honor  of  our 
state  at  Bunker  Hill,  may  be  safely  intrusted  with  the  conduct  of  the  enterprise,  and  we 
will  check  the  progress  of  Burgoyne." 

Langdon's  patriotic  spirit  seemed  to  be  infused  into  the  Assembly,  for  the  most  energetic 
measures  were  planned  and  put  in  operation.  The  whole  militia  of  the  state  was  formed 
into  two  brigades.  The  first  was  placed  under  the  command  of  William  Whipple  (one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence),  and  the  second,  of  John  Stark.  They  or- 
dered one  fourth  part  of  Stark's  brigade  and  one  fourth  of  three  regiments  of  Whipple's  to 
march  immediately,  under  the  command  of  the  former,  to  the  frontiers  of  the  state,  and  con- 
front the  enemy.  The  militia  officers  were  empowered  to  disarm  the  Tories.  A  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer  was  ordered  and  observed. 

Stark  was  then  a  private  citizen.  He  had  been  a  brigadier  with  Washington  at  Trenton 
and  Princeton,  and,  when  the  army  went  into  winter-quarters  at  Morristown,  returned  to 
New  Hampshire  on  a  recruiting  expedition.  Having  filled  his  regiments,  he  returned  to 
Exeter  to  await  orders,  and  there  learned  that  several  junior  officers  had  been  promoted  by 
Congress,  while  he  was  left  out  of  the  list.  Feeling  greatly  aggrieved,  he  resigned  March 
his  commission  and  left  the  army,  not,  however,  to  desert  his  country  in  the  hour  of  ^'^'^''• 
peril,  for,  like  General  Schuyler,  he  was  active  for  good  while  divested  of  military  authority. 
He  was  very  popular,  and  the  Assembly  regarded  him  as  a  pillar  of  strength  in  upholding 
the  confidence  and  courage  of  the  militia  of  the  state.  That  body  offered  him  the  com- 
mand, and,  laying  aside  his  private  griefs,  he  once  more  donned  his  armor  and  went  to  the 
field,  stipulating,  however,  that  he  should  not  be  obliged  to  join  the  main  army,  but  hang 
upon  the  wing  of  the  enemy  on  the  borders  of  his  state,  strike  when  opportunity  should  offer, 
according  to  his  own  discretion,  and  be  accountable  to  no  one  but  the  Assembly  of  New 
Hampshire. 

Joy  pervaded  the  militia  when  their  favorite  commander  was  announced  as  their  chief, 
and  they  cheerfully  ffocked  to  his  standard,  which  was  raised,  first  at  Charleston  and  then 
at  Manchester,  twenty  miles  north  of  Bennington,  where  Colonel  Seth  Warner,  with  his 
Green  ^lountain  Boys  was  posted.  This  Avas  only  the  remnant  of  the  regiment  that  so  gal- 
lantly opposed  the  enemy  at  Hubbardton  on  the  7th  of  July,  and  was  then  recruiting  at 

'  John  Langdon  was  born  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  in  1740.  He  received  a  mercantile  educa- 
tion, and  for  several  years  prosecuted  business  upon  the  sea,  and,  when  the  Revolution  broke  out,  was  a 
leadiniT  merchant  in  Portsmouth.  He  espoused  the  republican  cause,  and  was  one  of  the  party  which  re- 
moved the  powder  and  military  stores  from  Fort  William  and  Mary,  at  New  Castle,  in  1774.  He  was  a 
delegate  in  the  Continental  Congress  in  1775  and  1776.  For  a  short  time  he  commanded  a  company  of 
volunteers  in  Vermont  and  on  Rhode  Island.  He  was  Speaker  of  the  Provincial  Assembly  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  1776  and  1777.  He  was  Continental  agent  in  New 
Hampshire  in  1779,  and  was  again  elected  a  delegate  to  Congress  in  1783.  He  served  in  the  Legislature 
of  his  state  for  several  years,  and  in  1788  was  chosen  President  of  New  Hampshire.  The  next  year  he 
was  elected  a  memher  of  the  United  States  Senate,  and  m  1794  was  re-elected  for  another  term  of  six  years. 
From  1805  till  1811  he  was  four  years  governor  of  the  state,  and  then  retired  into  private  life.  Ho  was 
of  Jefferson's  political  school,  and  in  1812  the  majority  in  Congress  selected  him  for  Vice-president  of  the 
United  States,  but  he  declined  the  honor.  He  died  at  Portsmouth,  September  18th,  1819,  aged  seventy 
eight  years. 


394 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Stark's  Refusal  to  accompauy  Lincoln.      Censure  of  Congress.     The  Result.     Movements  to  oppose  Baume.      Life  of  Stark 


August, 

1777. 


Manchester.      There   Stark  met  General  Lincohi,  who  had  been  sent  by  General 
Schuyler,  then  in  command  of  the  Northern  Department,  to  conduct  him  and  his  re- 


AugTist  19. 


cruits  to  the  Hudson.      Stark 
positively  refused  to  go,   and 
exhibited   the   written   terms 
upon  which  he  had  consented 
to  appear  in  the  field  at  all. 
His  refusal  was  communica- 
ted to  Congress,  and  that  body 
resolved     that     the 
Assembly    of    New 
Hampshire  should  be  inform- 
ed that  the  instructions  which 
they  had  given  General  Stark 
were    "  destructive  of  milita- 
ry subordination,   and  highly 
prej  udicial  to  the  common 
cause ;"  and  the  Assembly 
was  desired   "  to  instruct 
tion,  which  seemed  so 
benefits  to  the  country 


a  August  13. 


General  Stark  to  conform  him- 
self to  the  same  rules  which 
other  general  officers  of  the 
militia  were  subject  to  when- 
ever they  were  called  out  at 
the  expense  of  the  United 
States."'  This  was  sound 
military  logic,  but  was  not 
adapted  to  the  circumstances 
in  question.  General  Stark, 
as  well  as  the  Assembly  of 
New  Hampshire,  knew  better 
than  Congress  what  policy,  in 
the  premises,  was  most  condu- 
cive to  the  general  good, 
/Tj;^^^^  ~fy'^^        y7^     and  the  sequel  proved  that 

^  o  (^  C--'^^-''2/  ^       ij^g  apparent  insubordina- 

highly  prejudicial  to  the  common  cause,"  was  productive  of  great 
It  was  at  this  very  juncture  that  Burgoyne  was  planning  his  ex- 
pedition to  Bennington,  and  on  the  day  of  the  date  of  Baume's  instructions  Stark 
°"°"''     arrived  at  that  place. 

Informed  of  the  presence  of  Indians  at  Cambridge,  twelve  miles  north  of  Bennington,  and 
of  their  attack  upon  the  party  of  Americans  there, a-  he  detached  Lieutenant-col- 
onel Gregg,  with  two  hundred  men,  to  oppose  their  march.  Toward  night  he 
received  information  that  a  large  body  of  the  enemy,  with  a  train  of  artillery,  was  in  the 
rear  of  the  Indians,  and  in  full  march  for  Bennington.  Stark  immediately  rallied  his  bri- 
gade, with  all  the  militia  that  had  collected  at  Bennington,  and  sent  out  an  urgent  call  for 
the  militia  in  the  vicinity.  He  also  sent  an  order  to  the  officer  in  command  of  Colonel  War- 
ner's regiment,  at  Manchester,  to  march  his  men  to  Bennington  immediately.  The  order 
was  promptly  obeyed,  and  they  arrived  in  the  night,  thoroughly  drenched  with  rain.  On 
the  morning  of  the  14th,  about  the  time  when  Baume  was  at  Van  Schaick's  Mills,  Stark,' 
with  his  whole  force,  was  moving  forward  to  support  Colonel  Gregg.  He  was  accompa- 
nied by  Coloaels  Warner,  Williams,  and  Brush.  The  regiment  of  the  former  was  not  with 
him  ;  they  remained  at  Bennington,  to  dry  themselves  and  prepare  their  arms  for  action. 
After  marching  about  five  miles,  they  met  Gregg  retreating,  and  the  enemy  within  a  mile 

*  Journals  of  Congress,  vol.  iii.,  273. 

^  John  Stark  was  the  son  of  a  native  of  Glasgow,  in  Scotland,  and  was  born  in  Londonderr}',  New  Hamp- 
shire, August  28th,  1728.  His  father  renaoved  to  Derryfield  (now  Manchester),  on  the  Merriraac,  in  1736- 
While  on  a  hunting  expedition  in  1752,  young  Stark  was  taken  prisoner  and  carried  off  by  a  party  of  St. 
Francis  Indians.  He  was  redeemed  by  a  Boston  friend  for  the  sura  of  one  hundred  and  three  dollars,  to  pay 
which  he  went  on  another  hunting  expedition  on  the  Androscoggin.  He  served  in  Rogers's  company  o( 
Rangers  during  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  was  made  a  captain  in  1756.  Repairing  to  Cambridge  on 
hearing  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  he  received  a  colonel's  commission,  and  on  the  same  day  enlisted  eight  hund- 
red men.  He  fought  bravely  on  Bunker  Hill,  his  regiment  forming  a  portion  of  the  left  of  the  American  line, 
and  its  only  defense  being  a  rail  inclosure  covered  with  hay.  He  went  to  Canada  in  the  Spring  of  1776,  and 
in  the  attack  at  Trenton  commanded  the  van  of  the  right  wing.  He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Princeton 
In  March,  1777,  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  retired  to  his  farm.  He  commanded  the  New  Hampshire 
militia  at  the  battle  of  Bennington,  in  August,  1777,  and  in  September  enlisted  a  new  and  larger  force,  and 
joined  the  Continental  army,  under  Gates,  with  the  rank  of  major  general.  He  served  in  Rhode  Island  in 
1778  and  1779,  and  in  New  Jersey  in  1780.  In  1781  he  had  the  command  of  the  Northern  Department 
at  Saratoga.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  left  all  public  employments.  In  1818  Congress  voted  him  a  pen- 
sion of  sixty  dollars  a  month.  He  died  on  the  8th  of  May,  1822,  in  the  ninety-third  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  buried  on  a  small  hill  near  the  Merrimac,  at  Manchester,  and  over  his  remains  is  a  granite  obelisk,  in- 
scribed with  the  words  Major  ^tener.il  St.'vrk.    A  costly  monument  is  now  in  contemi)lation. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


395 


PreparadoQB  for  Battle.    Disposition  of  the  Enemy's  Troops.    English  Plans  of  Battles.     Errors,  and  Difficulties  in  Correctioa 

of  him.  Stark  immediately  disposed  his  army  for  battle,  and  Baume  and  his  men,  halting 
advantageously  upon  high  ground  near  a  bend  in  the  Walloomscoick  River,  began  to  in- 
trench themselves.  Per^ 
ceiving  this,  Stark  fell 
back  about  a  mile,  to  wait 
for  re-enforcements  and 
arrange  a  plan  of  attack. 
Baume,  in  the  mean  time, 
alarmed  at  the  strength  of 
the  Americans,  sent  an  ex- 
press to  Burgoyne  for  aid. 
Colonel  Breyman  was  im- 
mediately dispatched  with 
about  five  hundred  men, 
but  he  did  not  arrive  in 
time  to  render  essential 
service. 

The  15  th  was  ^usust, 
rainy,  and  both  ^''~''- 
parties  employed  the  time 
in  preparing  for  battle. 
The  Hessians  and  a  corps 
of  Rangers  were  strongly 
intrenched  upon  the  high 
ground  north  of  the  Wal- 
loomscoick, and  a  party 
of  Rangers  and  German 
grenadiers  were  posted  at 


a  ford  (now  the  bridge  near  Mr.  Barnet's),  where  the  road  to  Bennington  crossed  the  stream. 
Some  Canadians,  and  Peters's  corps  of  Tories,  were  posted  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
near  the  ford.  At  the  foot  of  the  declivity,  on  the  east,  near  the  mouth  of  a  small  creek, 
some  chasseurs  were  posted,  and  about  a  mile  distant  from  the  main  intrenchments  on  the 
height,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  Peters's  American  volunteers,  or  Tories,  cast  up  a 
breast-work.  On  the  same  side,  upon  the  Bennington  Road,  Stark  and  the  main  body  of 
his  army  were  encamped.      The  Walloomscoick,  though  called  a  river,  is  a  small  stream. 


Note. — The  map  here  given  is  a  copy,  reduced,  of  one  drav^Ti  by  Lieutenant  Durnford,  and  published  in 
Bur<ioyne"s  "  State  of  the  Expedition,"  &c.  The  Walloomscoick  is  there  erroneously  called  Hosack  (mean- 
ing Hoosick),  that  river  being  nearly  three  miles  distant  from  the  place  of  the  Hessian  intrenchments.  I 
would  here  remark  that  we  are  obliged  to  rely  almost  solely  upon  British  authorities  for  plans  of  our  Revo- 
lutionary battles.  They  are,  in  general,  correct,  so  far  as  I'elates  to  the  disposition  and  movement  of  Brit- 
ish troops,  but  are  full  of  errors  respecting  the  movements  of  the  Americans,  and  also  concerning  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  country,  with  which  they  were  necessarily  little  acquainted.  It  is  too  late  now  to  correct  many 
of  these  errors,  for  the  living  witnesses  have  departed,  and  the  hearsay  evidence  of  a  younger  generation  is 
not  sufficiently  certain  to  justify  any  important  corrections  in  the  published  plans  of  the  battles.  I  have,  there- 
fore, copied  such  maps  as  seemed  most  trustworthy,  and  endeavored,  by  slight  alterations,  and  by  descrip- 
tions in  the  text,  to  make  them  as  correct  as  possible,  as  guides  to  a  full  understanding  of  the  military  op- 
erations of  the  time.  In  this  particular,  £is  well  as  in  local  traditions,  great  caution  is  necessary  in  receiving 
testimony ;  and,  where  the  subject  has  historical  importance,  I  have  uniformly  rejected  traditions,  unless  sup- 
ported  by  other  and  concurrent  authority,  or  the  strongest  probability. 

The  group  upon  this  map,  composed  of  a  drum  without  a  head,  a  musket,  sword,  and  grenadier's  cap,  is 
a  representation  of  those  objects  thus  arranged  and  hanging  over  the  door  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate  Cham 
her  at  Boston.  They  are  trophies  of  the  Bennington  battle,  and  were  presented  by  General  Stark  tn  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  The  grenadier's  cap  is  made  of  a  coarse  fabric  resembling  flannel,  dyed 
red,  and  on  the  front  is  a  large  figured  brass  plate.  The  drum  is  brass ;  the  sword  has  an  enormous  brass 
guard  and  hilt ;  and  the  bayonet  attached  to  the  musket  is  blunted  and  bent. 


396  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Skirmishing  in  the  Rain.  The  Hessian  Encampment  A  bellicose  Clergyman.  Stark's  Promise  and  Fulfillment 

every  where  fordable  when  the  water  is  of  ordinary  depth.      Lying  in  the  midst  of  high 
hills,  its  volume  is  often  suddenly  increased  by  rains. 

Notwithstanding  the  rain  fell  copiously  on  the  15th,  there  was  some  skirmishing.  The 
Americans,  in  small  parties,  fell  upon  detachments  of  the  enemy  ;  and  so  annoying  did  this 
mode  of  warfare  become,  that  the  Indians  began  to  desert  Colonel  Baume,  "  because,"  as 
they  told  him,  "  the  woods  were  filled  with  Yankees."  The  Hessians  continued  their  works 
upon  the  hill.  By  night  they  were  strongly  intrenched,  and  had  mounted  two  pieces  of 
ordnance  which  they  brought  with  them. 


Thi  Bennington  BATTLB-OEotrND.' 

During  the  night  of  the  1 5th,  Colonel  Symonds,  with  a  body  of  Berkshire  militia,  arrived. 
Among  them  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Allen,  of  Pittsfield,  whose  bellicose  ardor  was  of  the  most 
glowing  kind.  Before  daylight,  and  while  the  rain  was  yet  falling,  the  impatient  shepherd, 
who  had  many  of  his  flock  with  him,  went  to  Stark,  and  said,  "  General,  the  people  of  Berk- 
shire have  often  been  summoned  to  the  field  without  being  allowed  to  fight,  and,  if  you  do 
not  now  give  them  a  chance,  they  have  resolved  never  to  turn  out  again."  "  Well,"  said 
Stark,  "do  you  wish  to  march  now,  while  it  is  dark  and  raining?"  "No,  not  just  this 
moment,"  replied  the  minister  of  peace.  "  Then,"  said  the  general,  "  if  the  Lord  shall  once 
more  give  us  sunshine,  and  I  do  not  give  you  fighting  enough,  I'll  never  ask  you  to  come  out 
again."  Sunshine  did  indeed  come  with  the  morrow,  for  at  the  opening  of  the  dawn  the 
clouds  broke  away,  and  soon  all  Nature  lay  smiling  in  the  warm  sunlight  of  a  clear  August 
morning ;  and  "  fighting  enough"  was  also  given  the  parson  and  his  men,  for  it  was  a  day 
of  fierce  conflict. 

August  16  Early  in  the  morning  the  troops  of  both  parties  prepared  for  action.      Stark  had 

^'''''^-        arranged  a  plan  of  attack,  and,  after  carefully  reconnoitering  the  enemy  at  the  dis- 

'  This  view  is  from  the  hill  on  the  southwest  bank  of  the  Walloomscoiek,  a  little  west  of  the  road  from 
the  bridge  to  Starkville,  looking  northeast.  The  road  over  this  hill  existed  at  the  time  of  the  battle,  and  is 
laid  down  on  the  map,  page  395.  The  river,  which  here  makes  a  sudden  bend,  is  seen  at  two  points — near 
the  cattle,  and  at  the  bridge,  in  the  distance,  on  the  right.  The  house  on  the  left,  near  the  bridge,  is  Mr. 
Barnet's,  and  the  road  that  crosses  the  center  of  the  picture  from  right  to  left  is  the  road  from  Bennington 
to  Van  Schaick's  or  North  Hoosick.  It  passes  along  the  river  flat,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  where  the  battle 
occurred.  The  highest  point  on  the  distant  hills,  covered  with  woods,  is  the  place  where  the  Hessians  were 
intrenched.  From  that  point,  along  the  hills  to  the  left,  for  about  two  miles,  the  conflict  was  carried  on; 
and  upon  thp  slopes,  now  cultivated,  musket-balls  and  other  relics  of  the  battle  have  been  plowed  up. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  397 

Commencement  of  the  Battle  of  Bennington.     Terror  and  Flight  of  the  Indians.     Victory  for  the  Americans.     Second  Battle 

tance  of  a  mile,  proceeded  to  act  upon  it.  Colonel  Nichols,  with  two  hundred  men,  was  de 
tached  up  the  little  creek  that  empties  into  the  Walloomscoick  above  the  bridge,  to  attack 
the  enemy's  left  in  the  rear,  and  Colonel  Ilerrick  was  sent  with  three  hundred  to  fall  upon 
the  rear  of  their  right,  with  orders  to  form  a  junction  with  Nichols  before  making  a  genera) 
assault.  Colonels  Hubbard  and  Sticknuy  were  ordered  to  march  down  the  Walloomscoick 
with  two  hundred  men,  to  the  right  of  the  enemy,  and  with  one  hundred  men  in  front,  neai 
Peters's  intrenched  corps,  in  order  to  divert  Baume's  attention  to  that  point.  Thus  arranged, 
the  action  commenced  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  on  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  left,  by 
Colonel  Nichols,  who  marched  up  from  the  deep-wooded  valley,  and  fell  furiously  upon  the 
Hessian  intrenchments.  At  the  same  moment  the  other  portions  of  the  American  army 
advanced  to  the  attack.  As  soon  as  the  first  volley  from  Nichols's  detachment  was  heard, 
Stark,  who  remained  with  the  main  body  at  his  camp,  sprang  to  his  saddle  and  gave  the 
word  "  Forward  I"  They  pressed  onward  to  the  hill  above  the  Tory  intrenchments,  and 
there  the  whole  field  "of  action  was  open  to  their  view.  The  heisfhts  were  wreathed  in  the 
smoke  of  the  cannon  and  musketry,  and  along  the  slopes  and  upon  the  plains  the  enemy  was 
forming  iato  Ijattle  order.'  The  Americans  rushed  down  upon  the  Tories,  drove  them  across 
the  stream,  and,  following  after  them,  the  whole  of  both  armies  was  soon  engaged  in  the 
fight.  "  It  lasted,"  says  Stark,  in  his  official  account,  "  two  hours,  and  was  the  hottest  I 
ever  saw.  It  was  like  one  continued  clap  of  thunder."  The  Tories,  who  were  driven  across 
the  river,  were  thrown  in  confusion  on  the  Hessians,  who  were  forced  from  their  breast-works 
on  the  heights.  The  Indians,  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  being  surrounded,  fled  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  action,  between  the  corps  of  Nichols  and  lierrick,  with  horrid  yells  and 
the  jingling  of  cow-bells,  and  the  weight  of  the  conflict  finally  fell  upon  the  brave  corps  of 
Reidesel's  dragoons,  led  by  Colonel  Baume  in  person.  They  kept  their  column  unbroken, 
and,  when  their  ammunition  was  exhausted,  were  led  to  the  charge  with  the  sword.  But 
they  were  finally  overpowered,  and  gave  way,  leaving  their  artillery  and  baggage  on  the 
field.  The  Americans,  like  the  dragoons,  displayed  the  most  indomitable  courage.  With 
their  brown  firelocks,  scarce  a  bayonet,  little  discipline,  and  not  a  single  piece  of  cannon,  they 
ventured  to  attack  five  hundred  well-trained  regulars,  furnished  M'ith  the  best  and  most  com- 
plete arms  and  accouterments,  having  two  pieces  of  artillery,  advantageously  posted,  and  ac- 
companied by  one  hundred  Indians.  The  mingled  incentives  of  a  defense  of  homes  and  prom- 
ises of  plunder'  made  the  American  militia  fight  with  the  bravery  of  disciplined  veterans. 

As  soon  as  the  field  was  won,  the  Americans  dispersed  to  collect  plunder.  This  nearly 
proved  fatal  to  them,  for  at  that  moment  Colonel  Breyman  arrived  witli  his  re-enfbrcements 
for  Baume.  They  had  approached  within  two  miles  before  Stark  was  apprised  of  their  prox- 
imity. The  heavy  rain  on  the  preceding  day  had  kept  them  back,  and,  although  their  march 
had  been  accelerated  on  hearing  the  noise  of  the  battle  just  ended,  they  could  not  reach  the 
field  in  time  to  join  in  the  action.  They  met  the  flying  party  of  Baume,  which  made  a  rally, 
and  the  whole  body  pushed  forward  toward  the  abandoned  intrenchments  on  the  heights. 
Stark  endeavored  to  rally  his  militia,  but  they  were  too  much  scattered  to  be  well  arranged 
for  battle,  and  the  fortunes  of  the  day  were,  for  a  moment,  in  suspense.  Happily  the  corps 
of  Colonel  Warner,  which  was  left  at  Bennington  in  the  morning,  arrived  at  this  juncture, 
fresh  and  well  armed,  and  fell  vigorously  upon  the  enemy.  Stark,  with  what  men  he  had 
been  able  to  collect,  pushed  forward  to  his  assistance.  The  battle  continued  with  obstinacy 
until  sunset.  It  Avas  a  sort  of  running  conflict,  partly  on  the  plains  and  partly  on  the  hills, 
from  the  heights  to  Van  Schaick's,  where  the  enemy  made  his  last  stand,  and  then  fled  to- 
ward the  Hoosick.      The  Americans  pursued  thera  until  dark,  and  Stark  was  then  obliged 

'  It  was  at  this  moment  that  Stark  made  the  laconic  .speech  to  his  men,  which  popular  tradition  has  pre- 
served :  "  See  there,  men  !  there  are  the  red-coats.  Before  night  they  are  ours,  or  JNIolly  Stark  will  be  a 
widow!"  This  speech,  it  is  said,  brought  forth  a  tremendous  shout  of  applause  from  the  eager  troops, 
which  greatly  alarmed  the  Loyalists  in  their  works  below. 

'  General  Stark,  in  his  orders  in  the  morning,  promised  his  soldiers  all  the  plunder  that  should  be  taken 
in  the  enemy's  camp. — Gordon,  ii.,  244. 


398  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Pursuit  of  the  Enemy.  Loss  in  the  Battle.  Stark's  Popularity.  Visit  to  tlie  Battle-ground.  Anecdotes 

to  draw  off  his  men  to  prevent  them  from  firing  upon  each  other  in  the  gloom  of  evening. 
Seven  hundred  of  the  enemy  were  made  prisoners,  among  whom  was  Colonel  Baume.  He 
was  wounded,  and  died  soon  afterward.  "Another  hour  of  daylight,"  said  Stark,  in  his  of- 
ficial report,  "  and  I  would  have  captured  the  whole  body."  Besides  the  prisoners,  four 
pieces  of  brass  cannon,  two  hundred  and  fifty  dragoon  swords,  several  hundred  stand  of  arms, 
eight  brass  drums,  and  four  ammunition  wagons  were  secured.  Two  hundred  and  seven  of 
the  enemy  were  killed.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  about  one  hundred  killed,  and  as 
many  wounded.  General  Stark  had  a  horse  killed  under  him,  but  was  not  injured  himself 
The  total  loss  of  the  enemy  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners  was  nine  hundred  and  thirty- 
four,  including  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  Tories.' 

This  victory  was  hailed  with  great  joy  throughout  the  land.  It  was  another  evidence  of 
the  spirit  and  courage  of  the  American  militia  when  led  to  the  field  by  a  good  commander." 
It  also  crippled  the  strong  arm  of  Burgoyne,  and  revived  the  spirits  of  the  American  array 
at  Cohoes  and  Stillwater.  The  loud  commendatory  voice  of  the  people  forced  Congress  to 
overlook  the  insubordination  of  General  Stark,  which  seemed  so  "  highly  prejudicial  to  the 
common  cause,"  and  on  the  4th  of  October  resolved,  "  That  the  thanks  of  Congress  be 
presented  to  General  Stark,  of  the  New  Hampshire  militia,  and  the  officers  and  troops 
under  his  command,  for  their  brave  and  successful  attack  upon,  and  signal  victory  over,  the 
enemy  in  their  lines  at  Bennington  ;  and  that  Brigadier  Stark  be  appointed  a  brigadier  gen- 
eral in  the  army  of  the  United  States."^ 

When  I  visited  the  Bennington  battle-ground,  every  ancient  resident  in  the  vicinity,  who 
had  been  familiar  with  the  locality,  had  departed,  and  I  was  unable  to  find  a  person  who 
could  point  out  the  exact  place  of  the  German  intrenchments.  A  vendue,  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant, had  attracted  the  men  from  home  ;  but,  through  the  general  familiarity  with  the  scenes 
of  Mr.  Richmond,  of  Hoosick  Four  Corners,  who  accompanied  me,  and  aided  by  the  map  of 
Lieutenant  Durnford,  which  I  had  with  me,  the  points  of  interest  were  easily  recognized. 

Ascending  the  rough  hills  northeast  of  Mr.  Barnet's,  we  soon  found,  upon  the  highest  knoll 
on  the  crown  of  the  timbered  heights,  traces  of  the  German  intrenchments.  Portions  of  the 
banks  and  ditches  are  quite  prominent,  and  for  several  rods  on  all  sides  the  .timber  is  young, 
the  spot  having  been  cleared  by  the  enemy.  Descending  the  gentle  slope  northward,  we 
emerged  into  cleared  fields,  whence  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  valleys  of  the  White  Creek 
on  the  north  and  of  the  Walloomscoick''  on  the  east.  Here  was  the  place  vdiere  Colonel 
Nichols  made  his  first  attack  upon  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  left.  The  view  of  the  Wallooms- 
coick Valley  was  one  of  the  finest  I  ever  beheld.  From  our  point  of  vision  it  stretched  away 
to  the  eastward,  its  extremity  bounded  by  the  lofty  Green  Mountains,  about  nine  miles  dis- 

'  Gordon,  Ramsay,  Thacher,  Marshall,  Allen,  Burgoyne's  Defense,  Stedman,  Everett's  Life  of  Stark. 

^  There  are  several  anecdotes  related  in  connection  with  this  battle,  which  exhibit  the  spirit  of  the  people 
and  the  soldiers.  Thacher  says  that  an  old  man  had  five  sons  in  the  battle.  On  being  told  that  one  of  them 
was  unfortunate,  he  exclaimed,  "  What,  has  he  misbehaved  ?  Did  he  desert  his  post  or  shrink  from  the 
charge  ?"  "  Worse  than  that,"  replied  his  informant.  "  He  was  slain,  but  he  was  fighting  nobly."  "  Then 
I  am  satisfied,"  replied  the  old  man  ;  "  bring  him  to  me."  After  the  battle  the  body  of  his  son  was  brought 
to  him.  The  aged  father  wiped  the  blood  from  the  wound,  and  said,  while  a  tear  glistened  in  his  eyes, 
"  This  is  the  happiest  day  of  my  life,  to  know  that  my  five  sons  fought  nobly  for  freedom,  though  one  has 
fallen  in  the  conflict."     This  was  an  exhibition  of  old  Spartan  patriotism. 

When  Warner's  regiment  came  into  the  field,  Stark  rode  up  and  ordered  a  captain  to  lead  his  men  into 
action.  "  Where's  the  colonel  [Warner]  ?  I  want  to  see  him  first,"  he  coolly  replied.  The  colonel  was 
sent  for,  and  the  captain,  in  a  nasal  tone,  said,  "  Well,  colonel,  what  d'ye  want  I  should  do  ?"  "  Drive  these 
red-coats  from  the  hill  yonder,"  replied  Warner.  "  Well,  it  shall  be  done,"  said  the  captain,  and  in  an  in- 
stant himself  and  men  were  on  the  run  for  the  thickest  of  the  battle. 

^  Journal  of  Congress,  iii.,  327.  In  passing  the  last  clause  of  the  resolution,  the  3'eas  and  nays  were  re- 
quired and  taken.  There  was  but  one  dissenting  voice,  Mr.  Chase,  of  Maryland.  The  delegates  from  Vir- 
ginia did  not  vote. 

*  This  is  said  to  be  a  Dutch  word,  signifying  Walloom's  Patent.  It  is  variously  spelled.  On  Durnford's 
map  it  is  Walmscock.  On  Tryon's  map  of  the  state  of  New  York,  1779,  it  is  Wallamschock  ;  and  others 
spell  itWallamsac,  Wolmseec,  and  Walmsook.  The  orthography  which  I  have  adopted  is  that  which  the 
New  York  rec"rds  exhibit,  and  is  doubtless  correct. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  399 


fiew  of  the  WaDoomscoick  Valley.  Incident  while  Sketching.  Insurrection  in  that  Vicinity.  Ita  Supprcssioo 

tant,  which  formed  a  line  of  deeper  blue  than  the  skyj  the  tint  broken  a  little  by  gray  clifTs 
and  bald  summits  reflecting  occasional  gleams  of  the  evening  sun.  Through  the  rich  inter- 
vales of  the  broad  basin,  the  winding  Walloomscoick,  traversed  by  the  higlnvay,  glistened 
at  various  points  among  the  groves  that  shade  its  banks  ;  and  the  whole  valley,  dotted  with 
farm-houses,  presents  one  picture  of  peaceful  industry.  On  the  right,  seven  miles  distant, 
and  nestled  among  the  hills  near  the  Green  Mountains,  lies  Bennington,  the  white  spire  of 
whose  church  was  seen  above  the  intervening  forests.  From  the  heights  we  could  plainly 
discern  a  brick  house  in  the  valley,  that  belonged,  during  the  Revolution,  to  a  Tory  named 
Mathews.  It  is  remarkable  only  for  its  position,  and  the  consequences  which  sometimes  re- 
sulted therefrom.  It  stands  upon  the  line  between  New  York  and  Vermont,  and  in  it  cen- 
ter the  corner  points  of  four  towns — Bennington,  Shaftsbury,  Hoosick,  and  White  Creek  ; 
also,  those  of  the  counties  of  Bennington,  Washington,  and  Rensselaer.  The  occupant  had 
only  to  step  from  one  room  to  another,  to  avoid  the  operation  of  a  legal  process  that  might 
be  issued  against  him  in  any  one  of  the  counties  or  four  towns. 

Descending  the  heights,  we  crossed  the  bridge  at  the  old  ford,  near  Barnet's,  and  went 
down  the  river,  on  its  southern  side,  to  Starkville.  From  the  hill  a  few  rods  south  of  the 
place  where  Peters's  Tories  were  intrenched  (slight  traces  of  the  mounds  were  still  visible) 
we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  whole  battle-ground.  I  tarried  long  enough  upon  the  brow  of 
the  hill,  near  the  river,  to  make  the  sketch  on  page  396.  While  thus  engaged,  a  low  bel- 
low, frequently  repeated,  attracted  my  attention,  and,  seeming  to  approach  nearer,  induced 
me  to  reconnoiter.  Toward  the  foot  of  the  hill  a  huge  bull  was  pawing  the  earth,  and  mak- 
ing menacing  advances  up  the  slope.  He  had  mistaken  my  cloak,  fluttering  in  the  wind, 
for  a  formal  challenge  to  combat,  and  seemed  about  advancing  to  the  charge.  Regarding 
an  honorable  retreat  as  a  wiser  measure  than  the  risk  of  a  probable  defeat,  I  gathered  up 
my  "  implements  of  trade,"  and  retired  to  the  fence,  thinking  all  the  way  of  the  similarly- 
chased  negro's  use  of  Henry  Laurens's  motto,  "  Millions  for  de  fence."  It  Avas  sunset  when 
we  reached  Van  Schaick's  on  our  return,  and  I  had  barely  light  sufficient  to  complete  the 
drawing  of  the  old  mill  on  page  391,  for  heavy  clouds  were  gathering.  The  twilight  was 
brief,  and  darkness  was  upon  us  when  we  arrived  at  Hoosick  Four  Corners. 

There  was  an  insurrectionary  movement  among  the  militia  in  this  vicinity  in  1781.  Sit- 
uated above  the  north  line  of  Massachusetts,  the  country  was  within  the  claimed  jurisdiction 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Grants.  The  animosities  between  the  state  government  of  New  York 
and  the  people  of  the  Grants,  which  the  active  Revolutionary  operations  in  that  quarter  had, 
for  a  time,  quieted,  now  that  those  operations  had  ceased,  were  renewed  in  all  their  former 
vigor.  So  warm  became  the  controversy,  that,  on  the  1st  of  December,  an  insurrec- 
tion broke  out  in  the  regiments  of  Colonels  John  and  Henry  K.  Van  Rensselaer.  The 
regiment  of  Colonel  Peter  Yates  also  became  disaffected,  and,  indeed,  a  large  portion  of  the 
militia  between  the  Batten  Kill  and  the  Hoosick  seemed  disposed  to  take  sides  with  the  law- 
less people  of  the  Grants,  who  disregarded  the  urgent  demands  of  patriotism  at  that  juncture. 
These  disturbances  arose  in  "  Scaghticoke,  St.  Coych,'  and  parts  adjacent."  The  insurgent 
regiments  belonged  to  General  Gansevoort's  brigade.  He  heard  of  the  defection  on  the  5th, 
and  immediately  directed  Colonels  Yates,  Van  Vechten,  and  Henry  K.  Van  Rensselaer,  whose 
regiments  were  the  least  tainted,  to  collect  such  troops  as  they  could,  and  march  to  St.  Coych, 
to  quell  the  insurrection.  An  express  was  sent  to  Governor  Clinton,  at  Poughkeepsie,  who 
readily  perceived  that  the  movement  had  its  origin  among  the  people  of  the  Grants.  With 
his  usual  promptness,  he  ordered  the  brigade  of  General  Robert  Van  Rensselaer  to  the  as- 
sistance of  Gansevoort,  and  gave  the  latter  all  necessary  latitude  in  raising  trocps  for  the  exi- 
gency. Gansevoort  repaired  to  Saratoga,  and  solicited  troops  and  a  field  piece  from  General 
Stark,  who  was  stationed  there.  The  latter  declined  compliance,  on  the  plea  that  his  troops 
were  too  poorly  clad  to  leave  their  quarters  at  that  season,  and  also  that  he  thought  it  im- 

'  This  place  was  Van  Schaick's  Mill,  now  North  Hoopick.     The  name  was  variously  w-ritten  by  the  early 
historians — St.  Coych,  Sancoix,  Saintcoix,  &c. 


iOO  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Stark  and  Governor  Chittenden.        End  of  the  Insurrection.  Eide  to  Troy.  The  Housatonic  Valley.  Danbury 

proper  to  interfere  without  an  order  from  General  Heath,  his  superior.  Governor  Chitten- 
den, of  the  Grants,  had  just  addressed  a  letter  to  Stark,  requesting  him  not  to  interfere  ;  and, 
as  his  sympathies  were  with  the  Vermonters,  that  was  doubtless  the  true  cause  of  his  with- 
holding aid  from  Gansevoort.  The  latter,  with  what  volunteers  he  could  raise,  pushed  on 
to  St.  Coych,  Mdiere  he  discovered  a  motley  force  of  about  five  hundred  men,  advancing  to 
sustain  the  insurgent  militia.  Having  only  eighty  men  with  him,  Gansevoort  retired  about 
five  miles,  and  attempted  to  open  a  correspondence  with  the  leaders  of  the  rebellion.  He 
was  unsuccessful,  and  the  rebels  remained  undisturbed.      Early  in  January  followintj, 

1782.  .  J  J  o' 

Washington  wrote  a  calm  and  powerful  letter  to  Governor  Chittenden,  which  had  great 
efiect  in  quelling  disturbances  there,  and  no  serious  consequences  grew  out  of  the  movement. 
September,         -"■  ^^^^  Hoosick  at  nine  on  the  morning  of  the  28th,  on  the  Bennington  mail-coach, 

1848.  for  Troy.  It  was  full  inside,  and  the  driver  was  flanked  by  a  couple  of  passen- 
gers. The  only  vacant  seat  was  one  covered  by  a  sheep-skin,  upon  the  coach-roof — a  de- 
lightful place  on  a  jDleasant  morning,  but  now  the  lowering  clouds  betokened  a  storm.  It 
was  "  Hobson's  choice,"  however,  and,  mounting  the  perch,  I  had  a  fine  view  of  a  portion 
of  the  Hoosick  Valley.  The  high  hills  that  border  it  are  cultivated  to  their  summits,  and 
on  every  side  large  flocks  of  Saxony  sheep  were  grazing.'  As  we  moved  slowly  up  the  ra- 
vine, the  clouds  broke,  the  wind  changed,  and,  when  we  reached  the  high  rolling  table-land 
west  of  the  valley,  a  bleak  nor'wester  came  sweeping  over  the  hills  from  the  distant  peaks 
of  the  Adirondack  and  other  lofty  ranges  near  the  sources  of  the  Hudson.  Detained  on  the 
road  by  the  cracking  of  an  axle,  it  was  nearly  sunset  when  we  reached  Troy.  I  had  intend- 
ed to  start  for  Connecticut  that  evening,  but,  as  the  cars  had  left,  I  rode  to  Albany,  and  de- 
parted in  the  early  morning  train  for  the  Housatonic  Valley  and  Danbury. 

The  country  from  Albany  to  the  State  Line,^  where  the  Housatonic  and  Western  Rail-roads 
unite,  is  quite  broken,  but  generally  fertile.  Sweeping  down  the  valley  at  the  rate  of  twenty 
miles  an  hour,  stopping  for  a  few  minutes  only  to  take  in  "wood  and  water,  the  traveler  has 
very  little  opportunity  to  estimate  the  character  of  the  region  through  which  he  is  passing. 
The  picture  in  my  memory  represents  a  narrow,  tortuous  valley,  sometimes  dwindling  to  a 
rocky  ravine  a  few  rods  wide,  and  then  expanding  into  cultivated  flats  half  a  mile  in  breadth, 
with  a  rapid  stream,  broken  into  rifles  and  small  cascades,  running  parallel  with  our  course, 
and  the  whole  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  lofty  hills,  densely  wooded  with  maples,  oaks,  hick- 
ories, and  chestnuts.  At  New  Milford  the  narrow  valley  spreads  out  into  a  broad  and  beau- 
tiful plain,  whereon  the  charming  village  stands.  Thence  to  Hawleyville  the  country  is 
again  very  broken,  but  more  generally  redeemed  from  barrenness  by  cultivation. 

At  Hawleyville  I  left  the  rail-road,  and  took  the  mail-coach  for  Danbury,  seven  and  a  half 
miles  westward,  where  we  arrived  at  two  o'clock.  This  village,  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state, 
is  pleasantly  situated  upon  a  plain  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream,  about  twenty  miles  north 
from  Long  Island  Sound.  Its  Indian  name  was  Paliquioque,  and  the  first  eight  families 
that  settled  there,  in  1685,  purchased  the  land  from  the  aboriginal  proprietors.^  There  is 
nothing  remarkable  in  its  early  history,  aside  from  the  struggles,  privations,  and  alarms  in- 
cident to  a  new  Christian  settlement  in  the  midst  of  pagans.  In  truth,  it  seems  to  have 
enjoyed  more  than  ordinary  prosperity  and  repose  through  the  colonial  period,  but  a  terrible 
blight  fell  upon  it  during  our  war  for  independence. 

'  Wool  is  the  staple  production  of  this  region.  The  first  flock  of  Saxony  sheep  in  Hoosick  was  introduced 
by  a  German  named  H.  De  Grove,  about  1820.  The  price  at  which  these  sheep  were  then  held  was  enor- 
mous, some  bucks  having  been  sold  as  high  as  five  hundred  dollars.  But  the  great  losses  incurred  in  spec- 
ulations in  merino  sheep,  a  few  years  previous,  made  people  cautious,  and  the  Saxony  sheep  soon  command- 
ed only  their  fair  value.  In  1845  the  number  of  sheep  of  this  fine  breed  in  the  town  of  Hoosick  was  fifty- 
six  thousand. 

^  The  State  Line  station  is  upon  the  boundary  between  New  York  and  Massachusetts,  thirty-eight  miles 
from  Albany  and  eleven  from  Pittsfield. 

^  Their  names  were  Taylor,  Bushnell,  Barnum,  Hoyt,  two  Benedicts,  Beebe,  and  Gregory.  They  were  all 
from  Norwalk,  on  the  Sound,  except  Beebe,  who  came  from  Stratford  — See  Robbins's  Century  Sermon^  1801- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


40  1 


Tryrn'g  Expedition  to  Danbury. 


Tnimbull'8  •'  M'Finsal.' 


Life  of  the  Author. 


CHAPTER  XVIIl. 

"  When  Yankees,  skill'd  in  martial  rule, 
First  put  the  British  troops  to  school  j 
Instructed  them  in  warlike  trade. 
And  new  maneuvers  of  parade  ; 
The  true  war-dance  of  Yankee  reels. 
And  7>ianual  exercise  of  heels  ; 
Made  them  give  up,  like  saints  complete. 
The  arm  of  flesh  and  trust  the  feet, 
And  work,  like  Christians  undissembling. 
Salvation  out  with  fear  and  treniblinp." 

Trumbull. 


HE  expedition  to  Danbury,  in  the  spring  of  1777,  conducted  by  Gov- 
ernor Tryon,  of  New  York,  in  person,  was,  in  its  inception,  progress, 
and  result,  disgraceful  to  the  British  character,  no  less  on  account  of 
the  barbarity  and  savageisra  displayed  than  of  the  arrant  cowardice 
that  marked  all  the  movements  of  the  marauders.  Sir  William  Howe 
did  well  for  his  own  character,  in  disclaiming  any  approval  of  the  acts 
of  Tryon  on  that  occasion,  and  in  endeavoring  to  excuse  the  leader  of 
the  expedition  by  pleading  the  apparent  necessity  of  such  harsh  meas- 
ures. Every  generous  American  should  be  ready  to  accord  all  the 
honor,  skill,  bravery,  and  humanity  which  often  belonged  to  British  officers  during  the  war, 
for  some  of  them,  despite  the  relation  which  they  held  to  our  people  struggling  for  freedom, 
demand  our  admiration  and  regard.  But  these  very  officers,  guided  by  a  false  philosophy, 
and  the  instructions  of  ministers  grossly  ignorant  of  the  temper  and  character  of  the  colonists, 
planned  and  executed  measures  which  every  true  Briton  then  condemned,  and  which  every 
true  Briton  now  abhors.      The  destruction  of  Danbury,  and,  two  years  later,  of  Norwalk  and 


'  This  is  quoted  from  a  political  poem  in  three  cantos,  by  John  Trumbull,  LL.D.,  called  "M'Fingal," 
which  gained  for  the  author  much  celebrity  in  America  and  Europe.  The  first  part  of  the  poem  was  writ- 
ten in  1775,  and  published  in  Philadelphia,  where  the  Continental  Congress  was  then  in  session.  Numer- 
ous editions  appeared,  and  it  was  republished  in  England.  It  was  not  finished  until  1782,  when  the  whole 
was  printed  at  Hartford,  in  three  cantos.  It  is  in  the  Hudibrastic  strain,  "and,"  says  Griswold,  "is  much 
the  best  imitation  of  the  great  satire  of  Butler  that  has  been  written."  The  author  was  born  in  Waterbury, 
Connecticut,  in  1750.  So  extraordinary  was  the  development  of  his  intellect,  that  he  received  lessons  in 
Greek  and  Latin  before  he  was  six  years  old,  and  was  pronounced  fit  to  enter  Yale  College  at  the  age  of 
seven.  He  entered  college  at  thirteen,  and  went  successfully  through  the  whole  course  of  studies.  In 
1771  he  and  Timothy  Dwight  were  elected  tutors  in  Yale,  and  in  1773  he  was  admitted  to  the  practice 
of  the  law.  He  went  to  Boston,  entered  the  office  of  John  Adams,  and  there,  in  the  focus  of  Rcvolution- 
aiy  politics,  his  republican  principles  had  full  play.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  New  Haven  to- 
ward the  ciose  of  1774,  and  there  he  wrote  his  "  M'Fingal."  He  had  already  acquired  considerable  celeb- 
rity as  a  poet.  He  removed  to  Hartford  in  1782.  Joel  Barlow,  Colonel  David  Humphries,  and  Timothy 
Dwight  were  among  his  most  intimate  literary  friends.  He  was  one  of  the  "  four  bards  with  Scripture 
names"  whom  a  London  satirist  noticed,  in  some  verses  commencing, 

"  David  and  Jonathan,  Joel  and  Timothy, 
Over  the  water  set  up  the  hymn  of  the,"  &c. 

In  1800  Trumbull  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and,  the  year  following,  a  Judge  of  the  Su- 
perior Court.  He  was  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Errors  from  1808  to  1819.  His  poems  were  col- 
lected and  published  in  1820,  and  in  1825  he  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  died  in  1831,  in  the  81st  ycai 
of  his  age. 

Cc 


402 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


lyanding  of  the  British  at  Compo. 


Object  of  the  Expedition. 


Rising  of  the  Militia. 


Character  of  the  Peopio. 


Fairfield  ;  the  massacre  of  Baylor's  corps  at  Tappan  and  Wayne's  detachment  at  Paoli,  are 
among  the  records  which  Britons  would  gladly  blot  out.  Aside  from  the  cold-blooded  mur- 
der and  incendiarism  involved,  there  was  cowardice  displayed  of  the  most  abject  kind.  In 
each  case,  when  their  work  of  destruction  was  effected,  the  troops  displayed  the 

"  Manual  exercise  of  heels" 

when  fleeing  back  to  their  respective  camps. 

On  Friday,  the  25th  of  April,  1777,  twenty-six  sail  of  British  vessels  appeared  off  Nor- 
walk  Islands,  standing  in  for  Cedar  Point.  It  was  a  mild,  sunny  afternoon.  The  inhabit- 
ants of  Norwalk  and  Fairfield,  aware  of  their  approach,  took  measures  for  the  defense  of 
their  respective  towns.  But  both  villages  were,  at  that  time,  spared.  A  little  before  sun- 
set abaut  two  thousand  well-armed  troops  landed  upon  the  long  beach  at  the  foot  of  the  beau- 
tiful hill  of  Cornpo,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Saugatuck  River,  and  near  its  mouth.      They 


Distant  View  of  Compo.' 

were  commanded  by  Governor  William  Tryon,  assisted  by  Generals  Agnew  and  Sir  William 
Erskine.  The  expedition  had  been  fitted  out  by  Sir  William  Howe  at  New  York,  its  os- 
tensible object  being  the  destruction  of  American  military  stores  at  Danbury.  The  force 
marched  about  seven  miles  into  the  country  that  evening,  where  they  rested  until  toward 
daylight.  Clouds  had  gathered  during  the  night,  and  rain  began  to  fall.  Resuming  their 
march,  they  reached  Reading,  eight  miles  southeast  of  Danbury,  at  eight  in  the  morning, 
where  they  halted  and  breakfasted. 

General  Silliman,  who  was  attached  to  the  Connecticut  militia,  was  at  his  residence  at 
Fairfield  when  the  enemy  landed.  He  immediately  sent  out  expresses  to  alarm  the  country 
and  collect  the  militia.  The  call  was  responded  to,^  and  early  the  next  morning  he  started 
in  pursuit.  He  reached  Pi-eading  about  noon,  where  his  force  amounted  to  five  hundred 
men.  He  was  there  joined  by  Generals  Wooster  and  Arnold,  with  a  small  number  of  mili- 
tia. These  officers,  who  were  at  New  Haven,  on  hearing  of  the  invasion,  started  immedi- 
ately to  the  aid  of  SilUman.  The  Americans  continued  the  pursuit  as  far  as  Bethel,  within 
four  miles  of  Danbury.  They  did  not  reach  Bethel  until  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  owing  to 
a  heavy  rain.  There  they  determined  to  halt  and  postpone  their  attack  upon  the  enemy 
until  he  should  attempt  to  return  to  his  shipping. 

April  26  '^^^  British,  piloted  by  two  young  men  of  Danbury — Stephen  Jarvis  and  Eh 

1777.       Benedict — reached  the  village  between  one  and  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.      They 


*  This  view  is  from  the  top  of  a  high  hill  northeast  of  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Ebenezer  Smith,  near  Norwalk. 
Its  long  sand-bar  is  seen  stretching  into  the  Sound  on  the  right,  and  over  the  lowest  extremity  of  the  point 
the  shade  trees  of  Fairfield  are  visible.  The  water  on  the  left  is  the  mouth  of  the  Saugatuck  River,  and 
that  in  the  distance,  on  the  right,  is  Long  Island  Sound. 

^  The  people  of  this  region  were  extremely  patriotic,  and  never  hesitated  a  moment  when  their  country 
called.  Before  actual  hostilities  commenced  (March,  1775),  a  company  of  one  hundred  men  was  enlisted 
in  Danbury,  for  the  colonial  service,  and  joined  a  regiment  of  Connecticut  troops,  under  Colonel  Waterbury 
They  were  engaged  in  active  service  until  Montgomery  reached  Montreal,  in  December,  when  they  return- 
ed home  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man.  The  last  sui-vivor,  David  Weed,  died  in  Danbury,  June  13th, 
1842,  aged  ninety-four  years.  When  this  little  band  of  one  hundred  men  left  for  Lake  Champlain,  their 
friends  regarded  them  as  lost.  When  they  all  returned,  many  of  those  very  friends  were  in  their  graves, 
swept  away  by  a  prevalent  dysentery. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


403 


Enemy's  Maich  to  Danbury.        Entrance  into  the  Village.        Anecdotes  of  Holcomb  and  Hamilton.       Officers'  Headquarters 

proceeded  through  Weston,  by  Reading  Church,  over  Hoyt's  Hill  and  through  Bethel ;'  and 
so  expeditious  was  their  march,  that  the  people  of  Danbury  were  not  warned  of  their  ap- 
proach until  they  were  within  eight  miles  of  the  town.  Then  all  was  confusion  and  alarm 
Although  the  chief  object  of  the  invaders — the  capture  or  destruction  of  the  military  stores 
— was  understood,  the  Revolutionary  party  felt  a  presentiment  that  the  expedition  was  fraught 
with  cruelty  and  woes.  Some  fled,  with  the  women  and  children  and  a  few  movable  effects, 
to  the  woods  and  adjacent  towns,  while  others  remained  to  watch  and  guard  the  sick  and 
aged  who  could  not  depart.      There  was  a  small  militia  force  of  only  one  hundred  and  fifty 

in  the  town,  under  the  Colonels  Cook  and  Dimon,  when  the  enemy  approached' too  few 

to  attempt  resistance.  When  Try- 
on  entered  the  village  at  the  south 
end,  Dimon  and  his  troops,  who 
were  mostly  without  arms,  retired 
across  the  Still  River  at  the  north, 
and,  making  a  circuitous  march  un- 
der cover  of  night,  joined  the  Amer- 
icans at  Bethel.' 

Tryon  established  his  head-quar- 
ters at  the  house  of  a  Loyalist  nam- 
ed Dibble,  at  the  south  end  of  the 
village,  and  near  the  public  stores. 
Generals  Agnew  and  Erskine  made 
their  head-quarters  in  a  house  near 
the  bridge,  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
main  street,  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Knapp.  All  the  other  houses  in 
the  village  were  filled  with  British 
troops  at  night. 

As  soon  as  the  enemy  entered  the  town  they  began  to  insult  and  abuse  the  people,  but  com- 


HEAD-QUAilTEKS  OF  AONEW  AND  ErSKINE.* 


'  At  this  place  the  enemy  was  brought  to  a  halt  by  a  single  resolute  American  named  Luther  Holcomb. 
Wishing  to  give  the  people  of  Danbury  as  much  time  as  possible  to  escape,  or  prepare  for  resistance,  he 
rode  to  the  brow  of  a  hill  over  which  the  invaders  were  about  to  march,  and,  waving  his  hat,  and  turnins, 
as  if  to  address  an  army  behind  him,  exclaimed,  "  Halt  the  whole  universe  !  break  off  into  kingdoms  !"  It 
was  a  mighty  host  whose  obedience  he  evoked.  Tryon  was  alarmed.  He  caused  his  army  to  halt,  and, 
arranging  his  cannon  so  as  to  bear  upon  the  supposed  opponents,  sent  out  flanking  parties  to  reconnoiter. 
Finding  himself  in  danger  of  being  surrounded,  Holcomb  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  retreated  to  Danbury. 

'^  On  hearing  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  Colonel  Cook  sent  to  General  Silliman  for  arms  and  ammu- 
nition. The  messenger  was  Lambert  Lockwood,  who,  coming  suddenly  upon  the  British  troops  near  Read- 
ing Church,  was  made  a  prisoner.  Tryon  recognized  him  as  a  young  man  who  had  given  him  aid  when 
his  carriage  broke  down  while  passing  through  Norwalk.  On  that  account  ho  took  Lockwood  under  his 
protection,  but,  in  his  hasty  retreat  from  Danbury,  left  him  to  take  care  of  himself.  Tryon  was  writing  a 
protection  for  him  when  he  was  informed  that  the  Americans  were  coming.  The  governor  dropped  his  pen 
and  seized  his  sword,  and  the  protection  remained  unwritten. 

•*  When  the  British  approached,  a  citizen  named  Hamilton  resolved  to  save  a  piece  of  cloth  which  was  at 
a  clothier's  at  the  lower  end  of  the  village.  He  had  just  mounted  his  horse  with  the  cloth,  and  fastened  one 
end  to  the  saddle,  when  the  British  advanced  guard  appeared.  Three  light  horsemen  started  in  pursuit  of 
Hamilton,  whose  horse  was  less  fleet  than  theirs.  Drawing  near  to  him,  one  of  the  troopers  exclaimed, 
"  Stop,  old  daddy,  stop !  We'll  have  you."  "  Not  yet,"  said  Hamilton,  and  at  that  moment  his  roll  of 
cloth  unfurled,  and,  fluttering  like  a  streamer  behind  him,  so  frightened  the  troopers'  horses  that  the  old 
man  got  several  rods  the  start.  The  chase  continued  through  the  town  to  the  bridge  at  the  upper  end. 
Several  times  the  troopers  would  attempt  to  strike,  but  the  cloth  was  always  in  the  way.  The  pursuit  was 
finally  abandoned,  and  the  old  man  escaped. 

■*  This  house  is  on  the  south  bank  of  Still  River,  at  the  north  end  of  the  main  street.  It  was  built  by  Ben- 
jamin Knapp,  in  1770,  and  was  owned  by  him  at  the  time  of  the  invasion.  His  birth-place  is  also  stand- 
ing, on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  They  were  among  the  few  houses  not  burned.  At  the  bridge  seen  on 
the  right  the  British  planted  a  cannon,  and  kept  a  strong  guard  there  until  their  departure.  This  house  L« 
now  (1848)  owned  by  Noah  Knapp. 


404  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Imprudence  of  some  Citizens.  Retaliation  of  the  British.  Destruction  of  Stores  and  of  the  Village 

mitted  no  great  excesses.  Had  the  inhabitants  who  remained  kept  quiet,  the  town  might 
have  been  saved  from  conflagration  ;  but  four  men/  whose  feelings  were  wrought  to  the  high- 
est pitch  by  the  free  use  of  liquor,  madly  placed  themselves  in  a  large  and  valuable  dwell- 
ing near  the  court-house,  belonging  to  Major  Starr,  and,  as  the  van  of  the  British  army  ap- 
proached, fired  upon  them  several  times  from  the  windows,  without  effect.  The  exasperated 
troops  rushed  into  the  house,  seized  the  men,  thrust  them  into  the  cellar,  and  burned  the 
building  over  their  heads.  The  unhappy  men  perished  in  the  flames,  victims  of  most  egre- 
gious folly. 

The  public  stores  were  now  attacked.      The  Episcopal  Church  was  filled  with  barrels  ot 
pork  and  flour  as  high  as  the  galleries,  and  two  other  buildings  were  also  filled  with  pro- 
visions.     One  of  them,  the  barn  of  Mr.  Dibble,  is  still  stand- 
ing, on  the  southwest  side  of  Main  Street,  at  the  lower  ead  ^  ^i   ^ 
of  the  town.      The  American  commissioners  made  use  of  it  with- 
out his  consent.      Being  a  Tory,  his  barn  was  spared,  and  all  the 
stores  in  it  were  saved.      Those  in  the  church  were  taken  into 
the  street  and  destroyed.      The  liquors  were  freely  used  by  the 
soldiery,  and  they  passed  the  night  in  drinking  and  carousing. 

As  yet,  the  torch  had  not  been  applied.      The  sky  was  cloudy 
and  the  night  was  intensely  dark.      Having  marched  a  greater  n     ~"'  r 

portion  of  the  preceding  night,  the  troops  were  much  exhausted 

by  fatigue  and  want  of  sleep.  Those  who  remained  awake  were  intoxicated,  except  a  few 
sentinels.  The  force  of  two  thousand  men  that  landed  at  Compo  was  reduced,  in  reality, 
to  three  hundred  ;  and  could  the  American  generals  at  Bethel  have  known  the  exact  state 
of  things  in  the  hostile  camp,  they  might  have  annihilated  the  invaders.  Tryon  was  on  the 
alert,  and  slept  but  little.  He  was  apprised  by  a  Tory  scout  of  the  gathering  of  the  militia 
at  Bethel.  Knowing  the  present  weakness  of  his  army,  he  resolved  on  flight,  and  accord- 
Aprii  27,  ^^S^Y>  before  daylight  on  Sunday  morning,  his  troops  were  put  in  marching  order. 
1777.  Fire-brands  were  applied  to  every  house  in  the  village,  except  those  belonging  to 
Tories.  These  had  been  marked  with  a  conspicuous  cross  the  previous  evening.  At  the 
dawn  of  day  the  enemy  marched  toward  F^idgeway,  while  for  miles  around  the  country  was 
iUumined  by  the  burning  village. * 

"  Through  solid  curls  of  smoke  the  bursting  fires 
Climb  in  tall  pyramids  above  the  spires, 
Concentering  all  the  winds,  whose  forces,  driven 
With  equal  rage  from  every  point  of  heaven, 
Wheel  into  conflict,  round  the  scantling  pour 
The  twisting  flames,  and  through  the  rafters  roar ; 
Suck  up  the  cinders,  send  them  sailing  far, 
To  warn  the  nations  of  the  raging  war." 

Joel  Barlow.' 


'■  Joshua  Porter,  Eleazer  Starr, Adams,  and  a  negro. 

■^  Robbins's  Century  Sermon. 

^  This  is  quoted  from  the  Columbiad,  a  long  epic — the  American  Revolution  its  theme.  The  author  was 
one  of  the  poets  of  the  Revolution  whose  writings  have  outlived  them.  Dwight,  Trumbull,  Humphries, 
Hopkins,  and  a  few  other  men  of  literary  reputation  in  Connecticut,  were  his  friends  and  associates.  He 
was  a  native  of  Reading,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  born  in  1755.  He  was  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
ten.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1778.  He  recited  an  original  poem  on  taking  his  bachelor's  degree, 
but  it  possesses  little  merit.  Four  of  his  brothers  were  in  the  Continental  army,  and  during  his  collegiate 
vacation  he  went  to  the  field  as  chaplain.  He  was  in  the  battle  at  White  Plains,  and  displayed  good  cour- 
age in  several  minor  engagements.  He  married  the  sister  of  the  Hon.  Abraham  Baldwin,  of  New  Ha- 
ven, and  in  1783  removed  to  Westford,  where  he  commenced  the  publication  of  the  "Mercury."  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1785,  and  the  same  year,  at  the  request  of  several  Congregational  ministers,  pre 
pared  and  published  an  enlarged  and  improved  edition  of  Watts's  version  of  the  Psalms,  and  added  to  them 
a  collection  of  hymns,  several  of  them  his  omti.  His  "  Vision  of  Columbus'''  was  published  in  1787.  It 
was  dedicated  to  the  unfortunate  Louis  XVI.  In  London  and  Paris  it  was  reprinted,  and  received  consid- 
erable applause.     He  was  engaged,  with  the  literary  friends  just  named,  in  publishing  a  satirical  poem  called 


OF  THE    REVOLUTION. 


405 


Estimated  Damage. 


Revolutionary  Men. 


Levi  Osbom. 


The  Sandcmanians. 


Nineteen  dwellings,  the  meeting-house  of  the  New  Danbury  Society,  and  twenty-two  stores 
and  barns,  with  all  their  contents,  were  consumed.  The  exact  amount  of  military  stores 
that  were  iestroyed  is  not  known,  but,  from  the  best  information  that  could  be  obtained, 
there  were  about  three  thousand  barrels  of  pork,  more  than  one  thousand  barrels  of  flour, 
four  hundred  barrels  of  beef,  one  thousand  six  hundred  tents,  and  two  thousand  bushels  of 
grain,  besides  many  other  articles,  such  as  rum,  wine,  rice,  army  carriages,  &c.  A  com 
mittee  appointed  to  appraise  the  private  losses  estimated  the  whole  amount  at  nearly  eighty 
thousand  dollars. 

On  inquiring  for  men  of  the  Revolution  in  Danbury,  I  was  referred  to  three,  all  of  whom  1 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing.  I  first  called  upon  the  venerable  Levi  Osborn,  then  a  geptomber, 
eighty-six  years  of  age. ^      He  resided  in  Danbury  when  the  village  was  burned,  ^^'^'^■ 

and  remained,  amid  the  jeers  of  Tories  and  the  insults  of  the  invaders,  to  protect  an  aged  and 
sick  parent.  He  is  a  leader  of  the  sect  of  Sandemanians,  of  the  division  known  as  "  Os- 
bornites."'  His  naturally  strong  mind  Avas  yielding  to  the  pressure  of  bodily  infirmities,  yet 
he  still  lives,  an  honored  representative  of  the  men  of  1776. 

After  sketching  Knapp's  house,  printed  on  page  403,  I  walked  down  to  the  old  burial- 
ground,  toward  the  lower  part  of  the  village,  where  the  remains  of  many  of  the  men  of  the 


the  Jlnarchiad,  ■which  had  considerable  influence 
Privileged  Orders,^^  and,  the  fol- 
lowing year,  The  Conspiracy  of 
the  Kings.  He  had  some  corre- 
spondence with  the  French  Na- 
tional Assembly,  and,  on  going 
to  Paris,  was  honored  by  the  gift 
of  citizenship,  and  made  France 
his  home.  His  time  was  devot- 
ed chiefly  to  commercial  pur- 
suits, by  which  he  amassed  a 
fortune.  He  traveled  some  on 
the  Continent,  and  in  Piedmont 
wTote  a  poem  called  ''Hasty 
Pudding,"  the  most  popular  of 
his  'WTitings.  Returning  to  Par 
is  in  1795,  he  was  appointed  b}' 
Washington  consul  at  Algiers, 
with  power  to  negotiate  a  treaty 
of  commerce  with  the  dey,  and 
with  Tunis  and  Tripoli.  After 
an  absence  of  seventeen  years, 
he  returned  to  the  United  States, 
and  built  a  splendid  mansion  on 
the  bank  of  the  Potomac,  neai 


In  1791  he  published  in  London  his  "Advice  to  the 
Washington,  known  afterward 
as  "  Kalorama."  The  Colum- 
biad,  the  original  Visio7i  of  Co- 
lumbus greatly  altered,  was  pub- 
lished in  1 808,  in  a  splendid  quar- 
to, richly  illustrated.  Its  merits 
have  been  variously  estimated, 
some  regarding  it  as  a  fit  com- 
panion of  the  Iliad,  ^ncid,  and 
Paradise  Lost,  and  others  allow- 
ing it  only  a  small  share  of  mer- 
it. JMr.  Barlow  had  prepared 
to  write  a  history  of  the  L^nited 
States,  in  1811,  when  the  design 
was  frustrated  by  his  being  ap- 
pointed minister  plenipotentiary 
to  the  French  government.  In 
the  autumn  of  1812  he  was  in- 
vited by  the  Duke  of  Bassano  to 
a  conference  with  Napoleon  at 
Wilna,  in  Poland.  He  traveled 
thitherward  without  halting  to 
rest.  The  fatigue  and  exposure 
brouffht  on  an  inflammation  of 


the  lungs,  which  caused  his  death,  at  an  obscure  village  near  Cracow  named  Zarnowica,  on  the  2d  of  Decem- 
ber, in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  He  has  been  charged  with  abjuration  of  Christianity,  but  the  accu- 
sation rests  solely  upon  inferences.  In  private  life  he  was  pure  and  greatly  beloved,  and  his  public  career 
was  without  spot  or  blemish. — Allen'' s  Biographical  Dictionary  ;  Grisii-oWs  American  Poets. 

*  This  small  sect  derives  its  name  from  its  founder,  Robert  Sandeman,  a  native  of  Perth,  in  Scotland. 
He  came  to  America  in  1764,  and  in  Boston  and  Danbury  organized  societies  in  accordance  with  his  pecul- 
iar religious  notions.  His  doctrines  were  similar  to  those  of  Calvin,  and  his  distinguishing  tenet  was,  that 
"faith  was  a  mere  intellectual  belief — a  bare  belief  of  the  bare  truth."  Like  other  founders  of  sects,  he 
claimed  to  belong  to  the  only  true  Church.  His  followers  meet  on  the  Sabbath  and  Thursday  afternoons  of 
each  week,  and,  seated  around  a  large  circular  table,  each  with  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures,  the  men  read  and 
comment  on  them  as  they  are  moved  by  desire.  The  females  are  silent.  The  attending  congregation  not 
members  are  mere  spectators,  and  the  worshipers  seem  not  to  notice  their  presence.  They  have  prayer 
and  sinking,  after  which  they  go  to  the  house  of  one  of  the  members,  and  partake  of  a  feast  of  love.  Their 
morals  are  of  the  purest  kind,  and  their  influence  in  society  is  exceedingly  salutary.  The  two  divisions  are 
known  as  the  Baptist  Sandemanians  and  the  Osbornites.  The  former  practice  baptism,  the  latter  do  not. 
Of  late  years  none  have  joined  them,  and  death  is  reducing  their  number.  There  are  a  few  in  Enpland. 
Mr.  Sandeman  died  at  Danbury  in  1771,  aged  fifty-three  years.  His  grave  is  marked  by  a  handsome  mar 
ble  slab,  bearing  his  name  and  an  epitaph 


406 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Obscurity  of  Wooster's  Grave. 


Resolves  of  Congress.  A  centenarian  Loyalist 


Treatment  by  hia  Neighbors 


Revolution  rest,  and  among  them  those  of  the  brave  General  Wooster,  who  fell,  as  we  shall 
presently  observe,  while  gallantly  opposing  Tryon  and  his  marauders  on  their  retreat  from 
Danbury.  Not  even  a  rough  stone  of  the  field  marked  his  grave,  a7id  no  perso/i  could 
Uien  identify  it !  The  fact  is  a  disgrace  to  the  people,  past  and  present,  among  whom  he 
fell  in  battle  ;  and  the  government,  whose  representatives,  with  grateful  appreciation  of  his 
services,  long  ago  voted  money  to  erect  a  monument  to  his  memory,'  is  guilty  of  positive  in- 
gratitude in  so  long  withholding  the  paltry  sum,  while  the  long  grass  is  weaving  a  web  of 
utter  obscurity  over  his  dust. 

From  the  cemetery  I  strolled  down  the  winding  road  along  which  Tryon  entered  Dan- 
bury,  and,  returning,  called  to  see  the  venerable  Joseph  Dibble,  then  in  his  hundredth  year. 

He  lives  with  a  nephew,  near  the  same 
spot  where  he  resided  when  Danbury 
was  burned.  He  is  the  Loyalist  who, 
with  his  father,  entertained  Governor 
Tryon  while  he  remained  at  Danbury. 
He  was  a  Loyalist  in  principle,  and  ad- 
hered to  the  royal  cause  in  accordance 
with  his  convictions  of  right  as  an  order- 
loving,  law-obeying  citizen.  He  was 
not  armed  against  his  Whig  neighbors, 
and  took  no  part  in  the  cruelties  which 
his  guest  sanctioned,  but  simply  gave 
"  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemy"  while 
there.  But  the  outrages  committed  by 
the  men  whom  he  sheltered  and  fed  drew 
upon  himself  much  of  the  odium  that  be- 
longed to  them,  and  for  many  years  he 
was  greatly  despised  by  the  sufierers. 
One  night  he  was  taken  from  his  bed  by 
some  of  his  neighbors  in  disguise,  to  a 
deep  place  in  the  little  river  near  the 
village,  where  they  ducked  him  several 
times  during  the  darkness.  He  expect- 
ed that  they  would  leave  him  under  wa- 
ter with  the  fishes  at  the  last  immersion, 
but  there  was  as  much  funny  mischief 


^^l^^lffl  2)iM^ 


as  serious  malice  in  his  tormentors,  and,  to  his  great  joy,  they  released  him  on  dry  land  just 
as  the  first  hue  of  light  in  the  east  appeared.      Time  softened  the  asperities  of  feeling,  and 


'  On  the  17th  of  June,  1777,  the  Continental  Congress  adopted  a  resolution,  "That  a  monument  be  erect- 
ed to  the  memory  of  General  Wooster,  -with  the  following  inscription :  '  In  honor  of  David  Wooster,  briga- 
dier general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States.  ■  In  defending  the  liberties  of  America,  and  bravely  repelling 
an  inroad  of  the  British  forces  to  Danbury,  in  Connecticut,  he  received  a  mortal  wound  on  the  27th  day  of 
April,  1777,  and  died  on  the  2d  day  of  May  following.  The  Congress  of  the  United  States,  as  an  acknowl- 
edgment of  his  merit  and  services,  have  caused  this  monument  to  be  erected.'  "  Resolved,  "  That  the  ex- 
ecutive power  of  the  state  of  Connecticut  be  requested  to  carry  the  foregoing  resolution  into  execution,  and 
that  five  hundred  dollars  be  allowed  for  that  purpose." — Journals  of  Congress,  iii.,  197. 

It  has  been  erroneously  asserted  that  the  money  was  subsequently  put  into  the  hands  of  General  Wooster's 
son,  and  that  it  was  squandered.  This  is  not  true,  as  the  Journals  of  Congress  will  show.  A  bill  for  the 
purpose  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1822,  but,  in  consequence  of  the  numerous  similar  petitions 
that  were  presented  after  the  passage  of  the  resolution  by  the  Lower  House,  the  Senate  did  not  concur. 
Ezra  Foote,  Esq.,  a  citizen  of  Danbury,  aged  eighty-four  years,  informed  me  that  he  could  so  nearly  iden- 
tify  the  grave  of  Wooster  as  to  pronounce  it  with  certainty  to  be  one  of  two  graves,  situated,  as  I  ascertained 
by  measurement,  twenty  feet  northeast  of  the  grave  of  Sandeman.  General  Wooster  was  not  in  the  Conti- 
nental service  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Conceiving  himself  neglected,  he  had  resigned,  and  was  appointed 
the  first  major  general  of  militia  in  his  native  state.-  See  note  l,page  408. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


407 


Tory  Guides.  Night  Bide  toward  Ridgefield.  Return  to  Danbury.  Eidgefield.  Military  Movements. 

for  half  a  century  he  ha*  lived  among  his  old  neighbors  and  their  descendants,  a  worthy  and 
respected  citizen.  The  two  guides  who  piloted  the  army  to  Daubury  did  not  fare  so  well . 
they  were  obliged  to  flee.  After  the  war,  Benedict  returned  to  Danbury  for  the  purpose  of 
residing  there,  but  the  people  at  once  prepared  to  ride  him  out  of  the  town  upon  a  rail,  and 
he  fled.  Jarvis  went  to  reside  in  Nova  Scotia.  Many  years  afterward  he  returned  pri- 
vately to  Danbury,  to  visit  his  relations.  His  presence  being  known,  some  citizens  prepared 
tar  and  feathers  for  him.  They  surrounded  his  father's  house,  and  demanded  his  person. 
His  sister  concealed  him  in  an  ash-oven,  where  he  lay  until  the  search  was  over  and  the 
party  gone,  when  he  left  the  town,  and  never  returned. 

Mr.  Dibble  was  too  nearly  a  wreck  to  give  me  any  clear  account  of  Revolutionary  matters 
in  that  vicinity,  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that  he  could  be  made  to  understand  mv 
object  in  wishing  to  sketch  his  portrait  and  obtain  his  autograph.  He  was  a  bachelor,  and 
assured  me  seriously  that  he  intended  to  remain  one  all  the  days  of  his  life.  He  lived  almosf 
three  years  longer,  and  died  in  the  Summer  of  1851. 

I  also  called  upon  Ezra  Foote,  Esq.,  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the  village.  Although  eighty- 
four  years  of  age,  his  erect  figure,  firm  voice,  and  clear,  intelligent  eye  gave  him  the  appear- 
ance of  a  man  of  sixty.  After  half  an  hour's  pleasant  and  profitable  conversation  with  him, 
on  Revolutionary  topics  connected  with  the  locality,  I  returned  to  the  hotel,  and  prepared 
to  depart  for  Ridgefield,  nine  miles  distant,  after  supper.  For  two  or  three  hours  a  strong 
southeast  wind  had  been  piling  the  driving  scud  from  the  ocean  in  huge  cumulous  masses 
along  the  northwestern  horizon,  and,  when  darkness  came,  it  was  intense.  I  had  hired  a 
conveyance,  and  a  young  man  to  accompany  me  from  Danbury  to  Norwalk,  by  the  way  of 
Ridgefield,  and,  in  the  midst  of  the  gloom  and  the  rain  that  began  to  fall,  Ave  left  the  vil- 
lage. For  a  little  while  the  beaten  road  was  visible,  but,  when  the  light  dust  became  wet 
with  showers,  not  a  trace  of  the  track  could  be  seen.  The  young  man  became  alarmed,  and 
urged  me  to  turn  back.  I  was  too  anxious  to  reach.  New  Haven  by  Sunday  to  be  easily 
persuaded,  and,  borrowing  a  tin  lantern  from  a  farmer  whom  he  knew,  we  endeavored  to 
grope  our  way.  The  perforations  of  the  lantern  were  "  like  angels'  visits,  few  and  far  be- 
tween," and  the  light  that  stole  through  them  was  just  enough  to  make  "  darkness  visible." 
After  tilting  half  over  by  the  road  side  once  or  twice,  and  being  assured  by  my  companion 
that  there  was  a  '•  dreadful  ugly  place  in  Sugar  Hollow,  a  mile  or  two  beyond,"  I  consent- 
ed to  turn  back,  on  condition  that  he  would  be  ready  to  start  at  peep  of  day.  He  promised, 
and  at  nine  in  the  evening  we  were  again  in  Danbury.  At  dawn  we  started  for  Ridge- 
field. The  rain  had  ceased,  and  the  clouds  were  dispersing.  We  had  a  delightful  ride  over 
the  broken,  but  fertile  country,  and  before  ten  o'clock  I  had  visited  the  place  where  Wooster 
fell,  and  where  Arnold  made  his  escape,  and  made  sketches  of  the  localities.  Let  us  for  a 
moment  follow  the  British  on  their  departure  from  Danbury,  and  the  Americans  in  their  op- 
posing maneuvers. 

Tryon,  doubtless  fearing  that  he  might  be  cut  ofi'on  his  retreat  directly  back  to  his  ship- 
ping at  Compo,  marched  toward  Ridgeway,  a  parish  in  the  town  of  Pvidgefield,  and  north  of 
that  village.  This  movement  was  probably  made  to  deceive  the  Americans  into  the  belief 
that  he  intended  to  return  by  land  through  West  Chester,  and  then,  by  a  sudden  turn,  push 
for  the  shipping  along  the  least  guarded  route.  When  this  movement  was  made  known  to 
the  American  generals,  they  divided  their  forces  into  two  parts.  The  largest  division,  con- 
sisting of  about  four  hundred  men,  under  Silliman  and  Arnold,  proceeded  to  take  post  in 
front  of  the  enemy,  while  Wooster,  with  the  other  division  of  two  hundred,  was  left  to  hanj; 
upon  and  annoy  their  rear. 

After  proceeding  to  Ridgeway,  the  enemy  turned  southward  toward  Ridgefield,'  their  routt 
from  Danbury  thus  forming  the  two  sides  of  a  scalene  triangle,  of  which  the  present  direct 

'  The  tract  of  land  called  Ridsefield  was  named  by  the  Indians  Candatoica,  which  sijrnifies.A?gA  ground 
On  some  of  the  hills  near  the  villatje  Lon£r  Island  and  the  Sound  may  be  seen  for  a  distance  of  forty  milex. 
Twenty-five  of  the  inhabitants  of  Norwalk  purchased  the  ground  of  Catoonah,  the  chief  sachem,  in  l~i)H, 
and  the  first  settlement  was  made  the  following  year. 


4  0  8 


riCTCRIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  British  attacked  by  VVooster.  Return  Fire.  Death  ofWooster.  Sketch  of  his  Life.  Approach  of  Arnold. 

April  ■'"7     ^°^^  from  village  to  village  is  the  hypotenuse.      This  change  of  direction  was  made 
i'''^''-      known  to  Wooster  about  nine  in  the  morning,  and,  hastening  forward,  he  came  up 


to  them  when  within  a  few  miles  of  Ridgefield. 
a  little  skirmishing,  took 
Ibrty  prisoners.  Thus  he 
harassed  them,  and  kept 
them  in  partial  check,  un- 
til they  arrived  within  two 
miles  of  Ridgefield  meet- 
ing-house, when  another 
smart  skirmish  ensued. 
The  ground  is  very  bro- 
ken, and  well  adapted  for 
such  a  sort  of  guerrilla 
warfare  as  the  American 
militia  kept  up.  While 
the  enemy  were  hidden 
by  a  hill,  near  the  present 
road  from  Ridgefield  to 
Salem,  Wooster  encour- 
aged his  undisciplined  ar- 
my to  push  forward   and 


He  attacked  the  rear-guard,  and,  after 
attack  them  on  the  flank. 
The  British  made  sever- 
al discharges  of  artillery, 
which  caused  the  Amer- 
ican column  to  break  and 
give  way.  Wooster  en- 
deavored to  rally  them., 
exclaiming,  "  Come  on, 
my  boys  !  Never  mind 
such  random  shots  I" 
While  thus  in  the  van, 
urging  his  troops,  a  mus- 
ket-ball took  him  oblique- 
ly in  the  side  and  broke 
his  back-bone.  He  fell 
from  his  horse,  and  was 
removed  from  the  field  to 
D anbury,  at  which  place 
he  died.' 


General  Arnold,  informed  of  the  change  in  the  route  of  the  enemy,  made  a  forced  march 
across  the  country  to  R-idgefield  village,  where  he  arrived  at  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  with  his  force  increased  to  about  five  hundred  men.  Across  the  upper  end  of  the 
main  street  he  cast  up  a  barricade  of  carts,  logs,  stones,  and  earth,  which  was  flanked  on  the 
right  by  a  house  and  barn,  and  on  the  left  by  a  ledge  of  rocks.  Behind  this  barricade  he 
formed  his  men  in  battle  order,  and  awaited  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  As  soon  as  Tryon 
discovered  Arnold,  he  ordered  General  Agnew  to  advance  with  the  main  body  in  solid  col- 


^  David  Wooster  was  born  in  Stratford,  Connecticut,  on  the  2d  of  March,  1710.  He  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  1738,  and  the  following  year,  when  the  Spanish  war  broke  out,  was  made  a  lieutenant,  and  soon 
afterward  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  of  the  vessel  built  and  armed  by  the  colony  as  a  guarda  casta,  or 
coast  guard,  in  1740  he  married  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas  Clapp,  president  of  Yale  College.  He  was 
a  captain  in  Colonel  Burr's  regiment,  which  went  on  the  expedition  to  Louisburg  in  1745,  from  which  place 
he  went  to  Europe,  in  command  of  a  cartel  ship.  He  was  not  permitted  to  land  in  France,  but  in  England 
he  was  received  with  distinguished  honor.  He  was  presented  to  the  king,  and  became  a  favorite  at  court. 
He  was  made  a  captain  in  the  regular  service,  under  Sir  William  Pepperel,  and  his  likeness  (from  which 
our  engraving  was  copied)  was  published  in  the  periodical  magazines  of  that  day.  He  was  first  a  colonel 
and  then  a  brigadier  in  the  French  and  Indian  or  Seven  Years'  War  that  ended  in  1763.  He  espoused  th 
patriot  cause,  and  was  one  of  the  principal  conspirators  against  Ticonderoga  in  1775,  which  resulted  in  its 
capture  by  the  provincials  under  Allen  and  Arnold.  When  the  Continental  army  was  organized,  Wooster 
was  appointed  one  of  the  eight  brigadiers,  third  in  rank.  He  was  in  Canada  in  1776,  where  he  had  the 
chief  command  for  a  while.  Returning  to  Connecticut,  he  was  appointed  the  first  major  general  of  the  mili- 
tia of  his  state.  In  that  capacity  he  was  actively  employed  when  Tryon's  invasion  occurred.  He  hastened 
to  the  field,  was  fatally  wounded,  carried  to  Danbury,  and  expired  on  the  2d  of  May,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years.  On  the  27th  of  April,  1854,  the  corner-stone  of  a  monument  to  be  erected  over  the  obscure 
grave  of  the  long-neglected  Wooster  was  laid.  When  search  was  made  for  his  grave,  it  was  identified  by 
unmistakable  evidences.  With  a  skeleton  was  found  some  matted  wire  (the  remains  of  epaulets),  a  portion 
of  a  plume,  and  a  leaden  bullet.  The  latter  was  a  smooth,  English  bullet,  larger  than  those  used  by  the 
Americans.  These  were  satisfactory  evidence  that  the  right  grave  had  been  opened.  That  bullet  undoubt- 
edly gave  the  death-wound  to  the  patriot.*  The  bones  were  re-interred,  with  imposing  ceremonies.  The 
Honorable  Henry  C.  Deming  was  the  Orator  on  the  occasion. 

*  Colonel  David  Diiiiou,  one  of  Wooster's  subordinate  officers  at  that  time  (mentioned  on  page  403),  was  a  nulive  oi  Fair- 
field, Connecticut,  and  was  a  brave  and  useful  soldier.  He  was  one  of  the  volunteers  who  captured  British  stores  at  Turtle 
Bay,  New  York,  and  one  of  Montgomery's  staff  in  the  expedition  to  Canada  in  1775.  He  was  active  in  the  capture  of  St.  John 
on  the  Sorel,  and  Fort  Chambly,  after  which  he  returned  to  Connecticut  on  public  business,  and  was  not  with  the  army  in  its 
acleat  at  Quebec.  Colonel  Dimon  continued  in  acti\e  service  until  after  Tryon's  expedition  to  Danbury.  He  had  the  command 
at  the  barricades  in  Ridgefield,  and  pursued  the  British  to  Compo.  A  fever,  produced  by  exposure  in  the  service,  caused  hi 
death  in  September  following,  when  in  the  36th  year  of  his  age 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


409 


Barricade  at  Ridgefield. 


Bravery  of  Arnold. 


Narrow  Escape. 


March  to  Compo. 


Skirmishes. 


Place  oy  the  Barhicade,  Ridgkfield.' 


umn,  while  detachments  were  sent  to  outflank  him  and  fall  upon  his  rear.      With  only  about 

two  hundred  men,  Ar- 
nold .  confronted  nearly 
two  thousand,  who  ad 
vanced,  and  delivered  and 
received  several  fires.  In 
this  way  the  action  con- 
tinued nearly  a  quarter 
of  an  hour.  Agnew  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  the 
ledge  of  rocks.  From 
that  position  a  whole  pla- 
toon of  British  infantry 
fired,  with  deliberate  aim, 
at  Arnold,  who  was  not 
more  than  thirty  yards 
distant.  Not  a  bullet  hit 
him,  but  his  horse  was 
pierced,  and  foil  dead  under  him.  Seeing  their  leader  prostrate,  the  Americans  fled.  For 
a  moment  Arnold  could  not  extricate  his  feet  from  the  stirrups.  Perceiving  this,  a  Tory 
named  Coon,  from  New  Fairfield,  rushed  toward  the  general  with  his  bayonet,  to  seize  him. 
"  Surrender  I  you  are  my  prisoner  I"  shouted  the  Tory.  "  Not  yet,"  exclaimed  Arnold,  as, 
springing  to  his  feet,  he  drew  his  pistol,  shot  the  Tory  dead,  and  bounded  toward  a  thick 
swamp  near  by,  followed  by  a  shower  of  bullets,  and  escaped.  The  number  of  Americans 
killed  in  this  skirmish  was  between  forty  and  fifty  ;  of  the  enemy's  loss  no  account  was  given. 
Colonel  Gould,  of  Fairfield,  was  among  the  slain.  He  fell  about  eighty  rods  east  of  the 
house  of  Mr.  Stebbins,  seen  in  the  engraving,  and  his  body  was  carried  to  Fairfield. 

Having  repulsed  the  Americans,  Tryon's  army  encamped  upon  high  ground  about  a  mile 
south  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Ridgefield,  until  daylight  the  next  morning,  ^^,  23 
when  they  resumed  their  march  toward  Norwalk  and  Compo,  through  Wilton.  ^^'"''• 
Four  dwellings  were  burned  in  Ridgefield,  and  other  private  property  was  destroyed  when 
the  marauders  struck  their  tents.  As  they  approached  Norwalk,  Tryon  learned  that  Arnold 
was  again  in  the  saddle,  and  was  rallying  the  scattered  militia  upon  the  road  leading  to  Sau- 
gatuck  Bridge.  He  filed  ofi'  eastward,  and  forded  the  Saugatuck  some  distance  above  the 
bridge,  where  about  five  hundred  Americans,  under  Colonel  Huntingdon,  were  posted  to  op- 
pose his  passage.  Small  detachments  of  militia  annoyed  the  British  all  the  way  from  Wil- 
ton to  the  Saugatuck  ;  and  while  the  latter  were  pushing  forward  toward  Compo  and  their 
shipping,  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek,  the  former  kept  upon  the  west  side,  and  galled  them 
with  cannon-shot  and  musket-balls.  A  small  detachment  of  Americans  forded  the  stream, 
picked  off'  many  of  the  rear-guard  of  the  enemy,  and  returned  without  losing  a  man. 

At  the  bridge  was  the  battalion  of  the  New  York  artillery,  under  Colonel  John  Lamb, 
with  three  field  pieces,  under  Lieutenant-colonel  Oswald.  Perceiving  the  formidable  force 
there  collected,  Tryon  urged  forward  his  men  as  fast  as  they  could  run,  and  they  succeeded 
in  passing  by  the  bridge  before  the  main  body  of  the  Americans  could  get  over.  Exposed  to 
an  enfilading  fire,  the  enemy  were  partially  checked,  and  for  about  fifteen  minutes  there  was 
a  sharp  engagem,ent  at  the  bridge.*      The  Americans  pushed  across  and  followed  the  flying 


'  This  view  is  at  the  north  end  of  the  main  street.  It  wa.s  taken  from  the  spot  where,  tradition  asserts, 
Arnolds  horse  was  killed,  which  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  near  a  maple-tree,  about  one  hundred 
yards  southwest  of  the  house  of  Samuel  Stebbins,  Esq.,  seen  on  the  rifjht  in  the  picture.  While  makinT 
this  sketch  an  old  man  (whose  name  1  forgot  to  ask)  came  along,  and  informed  me  that  on  the  day  after  the 
battle  himself  and  some  other  boys  skinned  Arnold's  horse,  and  discovered  nine  bullet-holes  in  his  hide.  The 
escape  of  the  rider  seemed  miraculous. 

*  The  bridge  where  the  engagement  took  place  was  at  the  head  of  navigation  in  the  Saugatuck,  nearly 


410 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Erskine's  Maneuver.  The  Connecticut  Militia.  Action  of  Congress  concerning  Arnold.  Place  where  Wooster  felL 


enemy  to  Compo,  gaining  the  right  flank  of  their  rear  in  an  advantageous  position.  Here 
another  hot  sliirmish  ensued,  and,  but  for  a  successful  maneuver  of  Sir  Wilham  Erskine,  the 
exhausted  Britons  must  all  have  been  captured.  That  officer  landed  some  marines  from  the 
vessels,  who  furiously  attacked  the  fatigued  Americans  in  front,  and  drove  them  back  some 
distance.  While  this  conflict  was  going  on,  thp  main  body  of  the  enemy  embarked,  amid  a 
sailing  fire  from  Lamb's  artillery.  The  marines,  by  a  sudden  retrograde  movement,  took  to 
their  boats  and  reached  their  vessels.      At  about  sunset  the  fleet  weighed  anchor. 

A  large  number  of  the  Connecticut  militia  had  collected  at  Compo,  besides  those  actually 
enrolled  in  the  special  service  on  that  day.  Many  of  them  were  without  arms,  others  were 
insubordinate,  and  a  good  proportion  of  the  new-comers  behaved  in  the  most  cowardly  man- 
ner. Had  they  possessed  a  tithe  of  the  courage  of  their  leader,  who  was  seen  urging  his  men 
at  points  of  most  imminent  danger,  the  exhausted  troops  of  Tryon  might  have  been  made 
prisoners  or  destroyed.  Arnold  knew  this,  and,  unmindful  of  danger,  urged  on  the  militia 
by  voice  and  example,  until  his  horse  was  wounded  in  the  neck  and  disabled.  The  oppor- 
tunity was  not  courageously  improved,  and  the  enemy  escaped. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  during  the  invasion  was  about  one  hundred  men ;  the  enemy 
lost,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  about  three  hundred.  Tryon  was  slightly  wounded. 
Colonel  Lamb,  while  gallantly  leading  his  men  at  Compo,  received  a  violent  contusion  from 
a  grape-shot.  Arnold  was  untouched,  though  a  bullet  wounded  his  horse,  and  another  passed 
through  the  collar  of  his  coat.  Congress,  impressed  with  the  brilliancy  of  his  achievements, 
May  30  directed  the  quartermaster  general^  to  "  procure  a  horse  and  present  the  same,  prop- 
i''^'^-  erly  caparisoned,  to  Major-general  Arnold,  as  a  token  of  their  approbation  of  his 
gallant  conduct  in  the  action  against  the  enemy  in  the  late  enterprise  to  Danbury.'" 

It  was  a  little  after  sunrise  when  we  reached  Ptidgefield,^  and,  after  sketching  the  place 
of  the  barricade  in  the  village,  we  rode  to  the  spot  where  General  Wooster  fell.      It  is  about 

a  mile  north  of  Mr.  Stebbins's,  at  the  forks  of  the 
road,  one  of  which  is  the  way  from  Ridgefield  to 
North  Salem.  For  a  long  time  tradition  pointed 
to  a  large  chestnut-tree  as  the  place  where  the  brave 
soldier  was  wounded.  The  tree  has  been  converted 
into  rails,  and  the  stump,  almost  decayed  into  dust, 
is  flanked  by  the  two  thrifty  sugar  maples  seen  to- 
ward the  left  of  the  picture.  The  taller  tree  is  a 
locust.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  monument  will 
be  reared  to  mark  the  spot,  before  these  mature  and 
decay  by  age.  The  owner  of  the  land  pointed  out 
the  locality  to  us,  and  expressed  the  patriotic  opin- 
ion that  "  Congress  ought  to  do  something."  He 
had  long  contemplated  the  erection  of  a  chestnut 
post  at  his  own  expense,  but,  having  done  that,  the 
public  would  expect  hira  "  to  paint  some  lettering 
on  t,"  and  he  was  not  disposed  to  bear  the  whole  burden  himself.  Clearly  right ;  it  would 
be  asking  too  much  of  a  single  citizen. 

Returning  to  the  village,  we  breakfasted  at  ten  at  the  tavern  of  Mr.  Resseque,  whose  wife 
IS  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Keeler,  the  owner  of  the  dwelling  at  the  time  of  the  invasion.  It  is 
ibout  half  a  mile  south  of  the  Congregational  Church,  where  the  British  planted  a  cannon 

chree  miles  from  the  sea.  There  is  now  a  bridge  upon  the  site,  within  the  pleasant  village  of  Westport 
(formerly  called  Saugatuck),  which,  at  the  time  of  the  battle,  contained  only  five  houses.  Seven  or  eight 
men  were  killed  near  the  present  Congregational  Church  in  Westport.  The  smooth  and  really  beautiful 
elevation  of  Compo  is  about  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the  village,  and  commands  a  fine  view  of  the 
Sound  and  of  the  distant  shores  of  Long  Island. 

^  Journals  of  Congress,  iii.,  158. 

'  Ridgefield  is  situated  upon  a  high,  rolling  plain,  and  contains  about  sixty  houses,  on  one  street,  within 
&  mile.     Like  Danbury,  it  is  beautifully  shaded  with  elms  and  sycamores. 


Place  whebe  Woostee  Feli.. 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  411 


Relic  of  the  Revolution.  Reading.  Threatened  Mutiny  there.  Putnam'a  Speech.  Putnam  at  Greenwich. 

after  driving  the  Arrxericans  from  the  barricade.  Near  the  northeast  corner  of  the  house  is 
a  four  pound  cannon-ball,  lodged  in  one  of  the  posts,  where  it  has  remained  ever  since  the 
Revolution.  Some  Americans  near  the  house  were  the  objects  at  which  some  balls  were 
discharged.  One  passed  into  the  building,  just  over  the  north  door,  and,  crossing  a  stair- 
case, hit  a  chimney  and  fell  to  the  floor.  A  man  was  just  ascending  the  stairs  when  the 
ball  entered,  with  a  terrible  crash,  and  passed  between  his  legs.  Unhurt,  but  greatly  fright- 
ened, he  fell  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  exclaiming,  "  I'm  killed  I  I'm  a  dead  man  I"  and  for 
some  time  he  insisted  that  his  legs  were  shot  off.  As  soon  as  he  was  undeceived,  he  put 
them  in  requisition,  and  fled,  as  fast  as  they  could  carry  him,  toward  Wilton.  The  house 
was  set  on  fire,  but  the  flames  were  extinguished  by  a  Tory  brother  of  Mr.  Keeler,  whose 
own  property  was  endangered. 

A  few  miles  northeast  from  Ridgefield  is  the  village  of  Reading,'  distinguished  as  being 
the  head-quarters  of  General  Putnam  in  the  winter  of  1779.  He  occupied  that  position 
with  General  Poor's  brigade  of  New  Hampshire,  two  Connecticut  brigades,  Hazen's  infantry 
corps,  and  a  corps  of  cavalry  under  Shelden,  for  the  purpose  of  covering  the  country  from  the 
British  lines  in  New  York,  eastward  along  the  Sound.  Like  many  of  the  New  England  vil- 
lages, it  is  scattered,  and  beautifully  shaded  with  elms,  maples,  and  sycamores.  Putnam's 
quarters  were  at  a  house  situated  on  the  Norwalk  and  Danbury  Road, 
about  three  miles  westward  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  Reading.  ^-'      - 

During  the  winter  a  mutinous  spirit  pervaded  the  Connecticut  troops. 
They  were  badly  fed  and  clothed,  and  worse  paid,  for  their  small  pittance, 
when  received,  consisted  of  the  rapidly-depreciating  Continental  bills. 
Brooding  over  their  hard  lot,  the  Connecticut  brigades  finally  resolved  to 
march  to  Hartford  and  demand  of  the  Assembly  a  redress  of  grievances. 
The  second  brigade  had  assembled  under  arms  for  that  purpose,  when  in- 
formation of  the  movement  reached  Putnam.  He  immediately  galloped  . 
to  the  encampment,  and,  in  his  uncouth,  but  earnest  manner,  thus  ad-  Putnam's  Quabtebs 
dressed  them  :  "  My  brave  lads,  where  are  you  going  ?  Do  you  intend 
to  desert  your  officers,  and  to  invite  the  enemy  to  follow  you  into  the  country  ?  Whose  cause 
have  you  been  fighting  and  suffering  so  long  in  ?  Is  it  not  your  own  ?  Have  you  no  prop- 
erty, no  parents,  wives,  or  children  ?  You  have  behaved  like  men  so  far ;  all  the  world  is 
full  of  your  praise,  and  posterity  will  stand  astonished  at  your  deeds,  but  not  if  you  spoil  all 
at  last.  Don't  you  consider  how  much  the  country  is  distressed  by  the  war,  and  that  your 
officers  have  not  been  better  paid  than  yourselves  ?  But  we  all  expect  better  times,  and  that 
the  country  will  do  us  ample  justice.  Let  us  all  stand  by  one  another,  then,  and  fight  it 
out  like  brave  soldiers.  Think  what  a  shame  it  would  be  for  Connecticut  men  to  run  away 
from  their  officers  !"  If  this  speech  did  not  display  the  polished  eloquence  of  Demosthenes, 
who  made  the  Athenians  cry  out  with  one  voice,  "  Let  us  go  and  fight  Philip,"  it  possessed 
the  same  spirit  and  produced  a  similar  result.  When  Putnam  concluded  his  short  address, 
a  loud  cheer  burst  from  the  discontented  regiments,  and  they  returned  to  their  quarters  in 
good  humor,  resolved  to  suffer  and  fight  still  longer  in  the  cause  of  liberty. 

It  was  during  Putnam's  encampment  at  Pteading,  in  1779,  that  the  famous  event  occur- 
red at  West  Greenwich,  or  Horseneck,  in  which  the  general  was  the  principal  actor.  He 
was  visiting  his  outposts  at  West  Greenwich,  and  tarrying  at  the  house  of  the  late  General 
Ebenezer  Mead.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  March,  while  standing  before 
a  looking-glass,  ehaving,  he  saw  the  reflection  of  a  body  of  "  red-coats"  marching  up 
the  road  from  the  westward.  He  dropped  his  razor,  buckled  on  his  sword,  and,  half  shaven, 
mounted  his  horse  and  hastened  to  prepare  his  handful  of  men  to  oppose  the  approaching 
enemy.  They  were  a  body  of  nearly  fifteen  hundred  British  regulars  and  Hessians,  under 
Governor  Tryon,  who  had  marched  from  their  lines  in  West  Chester  county,  near  King's 

'  The  township  derived  its  name  from  Colonel  John  Read,  one  of  its  most  prominent  settlers.  His  mon- 
nment  is  in  a  small  burying-ground  a  little  west  of  the  town-hoiiso.  He  died  in  1786,  aged  eighty-five 
years. — Barber's  Historical  Collections  of  Connecticut. 


412 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Tryon'B  Expedition  to  Horseneck. 


Skirmish  at  Greenwich. 


Defeat  of  the  Americans. 


Escape  of  Putnam 


Bridge,  the  previous  evening,  with  the  intention  of  surprising  the  troops  and  destroying  the 
salt-works  at  Horseneck  Landing.  A  scout  of  thirty  men,  under  Captain  Watson,  who  had 
been  sent  out  by  Putnam,  discovered  the  enemy  in  the  night  at  New  Rochelle.  At  day- 
light they  had  advanced  to  Rye  Neck,  and  there  a  slight  skirmish  ensued  between  the  Brit- 
ish advanced  guards  and  Putnam's  scouts.  The  latter  retreated  to  Sawpits,  on  the  Byram 
River,  and  thence  to  Horseneck,  pursued  by  the  enemy.* 

Putnam  arranged  his  men  (only  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  number)  upon  the  brow  of  the 
hill,  by  the  Congregational  Church  in  the  village.  There  he  planted  a  battery  composed 
of  two  old  iron  field  pieces,  and  awaited  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  They  moved  up  the 
road  in  solid  column  until  almost  vi'ithin  musket-shot,  when  detachments  broke  off  and  at- 
tempted to  gain  Putnam's  flanks.  At  the  same  moment  the  British  dragoons  and  some  in- 
fantry prepared  to  charge.  Perceiving  this,  and  discovering  the  overwhelming  numbers  of 
the  enemy,  Putnam  ordered  a  retreat,  after  a  few  discharges  of  the  field  pieces  and  some  vol- 
leys of  musketry.  So  near  was  the  enemy,  that  the  retreat  of  the  Americans  became  a  rout. 
The  soldiers  broke  and  fled  singly  to  the  adjacent  swamps,  while  the  general,  putting  spurs 


"  Putnam's  Hill." 

to  his  horse,  sped  toward  Stamford,  pursued  by  several  of  the  dragoons.  A  quarter  of  a  mile 
eastward  of  the  Congregational  Church  is  a  steep  declivity,  on  the  brow  of  which  the  road 
turned  northward,  and  passed,  in  a  broad  sweep,  around  the  hill.  Putnam  perceived  that 
his  pursuers  were  gaining  upon  him,  and,  with  the  daring  of  desperation,  left  the  road  and 
wheeled  his  horse,  while  on  a  gallop,  down  the  rocky  height,  making  a  zigzag  course  to  the 
bottom,  and  reaching  the  road  again  in  safety.  The  dragoons  dared  not  follow,  and,  dis- 
charging their  pistols  at  Putnam,  without  eflect,  rode  back  to  the  main  army,  and  the  gen- 
eral reached  Stamford,  five  miles  eastward,  in  safety. 

Tryon  plundered  the  inhabitants  of  every  thing  valuable,  and,  having  destroyed  a  few  salt 
a  March  26      works,  a  Small  sloop  and  store,  and  damaged  the  houses  of  the  Whigs,  retreated  to 

1779.  Rye  the  same  evening, a  and  the  next  day  reached  King's  Bridge.  As  soon  as 
Putnam  arrived  at  Stamford,  he  collected  some  militia  and  a  few  of  his  fugitives,  and  return- 
ed to  attack  the  enemy  on  his  retreat.  He  succeeded  in  taking  thirty-eight  prisoners  and  in 
recapturing  a  portion  of  the  plunder,  which  he  restored  to  the  inhabitants.  There  were  about 
twenty  Americans  killed.      The  loss  of  the  British  in  killed  is  not  recorded. 

I  visited  the  scene  of  Putnam's  exploit  in  June,  previous  to  my  journey  to  Danbury 
and  Ridgefield,  and  made  the  accompanying  sketch  of  "  Putnam's  Hill,"  as  it  is  called. 
It  is  about  five  miles  west  from  Stamford,  on  the  main  road  to  New  York  from  Horseneck' 


1348. 


'  This  name  was  given  to  the  peninsula  extending  into  the  Sound  at  Greenwich,  from  the  circumstance 
that  many  horses  used  to  be  pastured  upon  it. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  413 

I'utaam's  Hill.  Ita  present  Appearance.  Norwalk.  Fitch'a  Point 

Landing.  This  sketch  is  taken  from  the  road  near  the  residence  of  the  late  General  Ebe- 
nezer  Mead,  looking  westward.  The  aspect  of  the  place  has  materially  changed  since  the 
Revolution.  The  old  road,  as  I  have  mentioned,  made  a  circuit  northward  around  the  hill. 
The  present  road,  seen  in  the  engraving,  passes  directly  over  the  hill,  being  a  causeway  part 
of  the  distance,  and  a  deep  cut  through  the  rocks  on  the  brow  of  the  eminence.  On  the  hill, 
just  south  of  the  road,  and  in  a  line  with  the  tall  tree  by  the  causeway,  stood  the  old  Epis- 
copal Church  ;  and  it  was  for  the  accommodation  of  worshipers  there,  who  lived  eastward 
of  the  hill,  that  a  flight  of  seventy  rude  stone  steps  was  made.  These  are  the  steps  so  eel-  . 
ebrated  in  the  popular  accounts  of  Putnam's  exploit.  They  are  now  quite  covered  with 
earth  and  shrubbery,  but  their  site  is  distinctly  marked.  I  have  given  them  more  promi- 
nence than  they  really  have,  exhibiting  them  as  they  probably  appeared  when  Putnam  made 
his  escape.  Between  the  trees  is  seen  the  spire  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Greenwich, 
standing  upon  the  site  of  the  one  near  which  Putnam  planted  his  battery.  General  Mead 
and  others  saw  the  descent  of  Putnam.  He  wheeled  his  horse  from  the  road  near  the  house 
of  Dr.  Mead,  seen  on  the  extreme  right,  and  did  not  go  down  the  steps  at  all  (as  popular  tra- 
dition avers),  except  four  or  five  of  them  near  the  bottom.  As  he  hastened  by  toward  Stam- 
ford, General  Mead  distinctly  heard  him  cursing  the  British  whom  he  had  left  behind.  The 
feat  was  perilous,  but,  under  the  circumstances,  not  very  extraordinary.  I  was  told  that  in 
1825  several  of  the  dragoons  in  the  escort  of  La  Fayette  to  this  place  performed  the  same 
Let  us  resume  our  journey. 

The  ride  from  Ridgefield  to  Norwalk  was  very  pleasant.  The  clouds  were  dispersed,  and 
the  air  was  almost  sultry.  The  country  was  rough  until  we  entered  the  valley  of  the  Nor- 
walk Pwiver,  a  region  of  great  beauty  and  fertility.  Our  road  lay  along  that  winding  stream, 
and,  as  we  approached  Norwalk,  the  transition  from  the  open  country  to  the  populous  town 
was  almost  imperceptible.  Venerable  elms  and  sycamores,  planted  by  the  early  settlers, 
shaded  handsome  mansions  thickly  strewn  along  the  winding  road.  These,  the  tolling  of  a 
bell,  and  the  whistle  of  steam  betokened  a  village  near,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  reined  uj) 
at  the  principal  hotel  in  the  compact  street  of  a  busy  mart.  We  are  again  upon  Revolu- 
tionary ground,  the  scene  of  another  of  Governor  Tryon's  marauding  expeditions.' 

After  laying  Fairfield  in  ashes.  Governor  Tryon  and  Brigadier-general  Garth,  with  their 
troops,  retreated  to  their  vessels  and  crossed  the  Sound  to  Huntington  Bay,  Long  Island, 
whence  they  sailed  over  to  Norwalk  on  the  nitrht  of  the  11th  of  July,  1779.      The  mam 


FrrcH's  Point,  the  Landing-place  of  the  Bbitisii.- 

body  landed  at  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  "  in  the  '  Cow  Pasture,'  a  peninsula  on  the 

'  Nor^'alk  is  situated  near  Long  Island  Sound,  not  far  fronn  the  mouth  of  the  Norwalk  River  (a  small 
stream),  and  about  forty-eight  miles  northeast  from  New  York.  It  was  among  the  earliest  settlements  in 
Connecticut,  having  been  purchased  of  the  natives  in  1640.  The  bounds  of  the  east  tract,  sold  to  Roger 
Ludlow,  as  described  in  the  ancient  records,  were  "  from  Norwalk  River  to  Sawhatuc  [Saugatuck]  River, 
from  sea,  Indian  one  day  walk  in  the  country" — that  is,  one  day's  north  walk  into  the  country;  hence  the 
name  of  Norwalk.  The  articles  given  to  the  Indians  for  the  tract  were  "  eij^ht  fathoms  wampum,  six  coats, 
ten  hatchets,  ten  hoes,  ten  knives,  ten  scizers,  ten  juseharps,  ten  fathom  tobaco,  three  kettles  of  six  hands 
about,  and  ten  looking-glasses."  The  articles  given  for  the  tract  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  between  it 
and  Five  Mile  River,  sold  to  Captain  Patrick,  were  "  of  wampum  ten  fathoms,  hatchets  three,  howes  three, 
when  ships  come ;  six  glasses,  twelve  tobacke  pipes,  three  knives,  ten  drills,  ten  needles." — Barber's  His- 
torical Collections  ;  Hall's  Historical  Records  of  Norwalk. 

•  This  view  is  from  the  west  side  of  Gregory's  Point,  looking  north-northwest.  The  promontory  toward 
the  left,  covered  with  dark  trees,  is  called  Fort  Point.     There  was  an  Indian  fortification  when  the  first  set- 


414 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Landing  of  Tryon  at  Norwalk.  Destruction  of  the  Village.  Conduct  of  Tryon.  Scenes  at  Darien  Church. 

east  side  of  the  harbor,  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  bridge."'  They  lay  on  their  arms 
all  night,  awaiting  the  expected  arrival  of  a  company  of  Loyalists.  At  dawn  they  marched 
toward  the  town,  and  were  met  by  a  company  of  about  fifty  Continental  soldiers,  under  Cap- 
tain Stephen  Betts,  who  were  posted  upon  an  eminence  known  as  GrumarCs  Hill,  a  little 
east  of  the  road.  A  skirmish  ensued,  but  the  little  band  of  patriots  were  soon  obliged  to  flee 
before  overwhelming  numbers,  leaving  four  of  their  party  dead.  The  people,  greatly  alarm- 
ed, fled  to  Belden's  Hill,  five  miles  distant,  during  the  night.  The  Continentals  and  a  few 
of  the  militia  took  post  within  "  random  cannon-shot  upon  the  hills  on  the  north,"  whence 
they  annoyed  the  enemy  exceedingly.  Tryon  halted  upon  Gruman's  Hill  untill  the  other 
division  landed  at  Old  Well,^  on  the  west  side  of  the  stream.  The  two  divisions  joined,  and 
soon  drove  nearly  every  Whig  inhabitant  from  the  village,  dispersed  the  troops  collected  upon 
the  hills,  and  seized  one  of  their  cannon.  The  destruction  of  property  then  commenced. 
Governor  Tryon  thus  coolly  related  the  circumstances  in  his  official  dispatch  to  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  :  "  After  many  salt-pans  were  destroyed,  whale-boats  carried  on  board  the  fleet,  and 
the  magazines,  stores,  and  vessels  set  in  flames,  with  the  greater  part  of  the  dwelling-houses, 
the  advanced  corps  were  drawn  back,  and  the  troops  retired  in  two  columns  to  the  place  of 
our  first  debarkation,  and,  unassaulted,  took  ship,  and  returned  to  Huntington  Bay." 

While  the  village  was  burning,  Tryon  sat  in  a  rocking-chair  upon  Gruman's  Hill,  and 
viewed  the  scene  with  apparent  pleasure — a  puny  imitator  of  Nero,  who  fiddled  while  Rome 
was  blazing.  It  was  a  cruel  and  wanton  destruction  of  property,  and  none  but  a  small 
mind  and  spiteful  heart  could  have  conceived  and  consummated  so  foul  an  act.  Two  houses 
of  worship  (Episcopal  and  Congregational),  eighty  dwellings,  eighty-seven  barns,  twenty-two 
stores,  seventeen  shops,  four  mills,  and  five  vessels  were  laid  in  ashes  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours,  and  hundreds  of  women  and  children  were  driven  to  the  woods  for  shelter.  Only  six 
houses  were  spared.  One  of  them,  now  (1848)  occupied  by  Ex-governor  Bissell,  was  saved 
through  the  exertions  of  a  maiden  lady  living  with  Mr.  Belden,  the  then  owner.  Governor 
Tryon  had  been  Belden's  guest  one  night,  several  years  previous,  and  the  lady  went  up  to 
Gruman's  Hill  reminded  him  of  the  fact,  and  asked  for  and  received  a  protection  for  the 
house.  Tryon  sent  a  file  of  soldiers  with  her  to  guard  it.  When  the  British  left,  most  of 
the  resident  Tories  went  with  them.  Among  them  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leamington,  the  Epis- 
copalian minister.  He  had  continued  praying  for  the  "  king  and  all  others  in  au- 
thority," according  to  the  Liturgy  of  his  Church,  until  the  people  forbade  him  and  |^^^ 
threatened  him  with  violence.  :  tk^ 

About  five  miles  westward  of  Norwalk,  on  the  main  road  to  Stamford,  is  a  Con- 
gregational Church  more  than  one  hundred  years  old.      Its  pastor  in  1781  was  the 
Rev.  Moses  Mather.      On  Sunday,  the  2  2d  of  July,  the  church  was  surround- 
ed by  a  party  of  Tories,  under  Captain  Frost,  just  as  the  congregation  were 
singing  the  first  tune.      Dr,  Mather  and  the  men  of  the  congregation  were  tak- 
en to  the  banks  of  the  Sound,  thrust  into  boats,  and  conveyed  across  to  Lloyd's 
Neck,  on  Long  Island,  whence  they  were  carried  to  New  York  and  placed 
in  the  Provost  Jail.      Some  died  there.      Nineteen  of  the  twenty-five  prison-     dakien  Chubch. 
ers  were  exchanged  and  returned  to  their  families.      Peter  St.  John,  one  of 
the  prisoners,  wrote  an  account  of  the  affair  in  doggerel  verse.     Of  the  Provost  he  says 

"  I  must  conclude  that  in  this  place 
We  found  the  worst  of  Adam's  race ; 

tiers  arrived  at  Norwalk.  Further  to  the  left,  on  the  extreme  edge  of  the  picture,  is  seen  one  end  of  the 
rail-road  bridge,  which  crosses  Norwalk  River.  The  New  York  and  New  Haveg  Rail-road  was  then  in 
progress  of  construction.  The  point  derives  its  name  from  its  former  proprietor,  Governor  Thomas  Fitch, 
whose  residence  was  Norwalk.  He  was  Governor  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  and  his  name  is  among  the 
beloved  of  his  generation.     He  died  July  18t,h,  1774,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

^  Tryon's  official  dispatch. 

^  This  place  is  situated  a  little  more  than  a  mile  from  the  center  of  the  village  of  Norwalk.  It  received 
Its  name  from  an  old  well  from  which,  in  ancient  times,  vessels  engaged  in  the  West  Indian  trade  took  their 
supplies  of  water. — Barber 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  415 


Visit  to  Gregory's  Point.  The  Cow  PBSture.  Ancient  Regfulations.  Grummon's  Hill.  Nathaniel  Raymond. 

Thieves,  murderers,  and  pickpockets  too, 
And  every  thing  that's  bad  they'd  do  : 
One  of  our  men  found,  to  his  cost, 
Three  pounds  York  money  he  had  lost ; 
His  pockets  picked,  I  guess  before 
We  had  been  there  one  single  hour." 

Dr.  Mather  was  cruelly  treated  in  the  Provost,  until  his  situation  was  made  known  to  Mrs. 
Irving,  mother  of  our  distinguished  writer,  Washington  Irving,  who  obtained  permission  to 
send  him  food  and  clothing.      He  was  released  at  the  close  of  the  year. 

The  Rev.  Edwin  Hall,  of  the  First  Congregational  Church,  whose  historical  researches 
have  made  him  familiar  with  localities  of  interest  about  Norwalk,  kindly  accompanied  me 
as  cicerone.  We  rode  down  to  Gregory's  Point,  from  which  I  sketched  Tryon's  landing- 
place,  pictured  on  page  413.  On  the  beautiful  plain  near  by  stood  the  ancient  village,  the 
first  settlers  having  chosen  the  sea-washed  level  for  their  residences,  in  preference  to  the 
higher  and  rougher  ground  at  the  head  of  navigation,  on  which  the  present  town  is  situated. 
The  old  village  had  gone  into  decay,  and  the  new  town  was  just  beginning  to  flourish,  when 
Tryon  laid  it  in  ruins.  A  little  further  seaward,  upon  a  neck  of  land  comprising  Fitch's 
Point  and  an  extensive  salt  meadow,  is  the  Coio  Pasture,  so  called  from  the  circumstance 
that  the  cows  belonging  to  the  settlers  were  pastured  there,  under  the  direction  of  the  town 
authorities.^ 

From  Gregory's  Point  we  rode  over  the  hills  to  the  estate  of  Mr.  Ebenezer  Smith,  and 
from  a  high  hill  near  his  house  I  sketched  the  distant  view  of  Compo,  on  page  402.  From 
that  eminence  we  obtained  one  of  the  most  beautiful  prospects  of  land  and  water  imaginable. 
Southward  was  the  broad  mouth  of  the  Norwalk  River,  with  its  beautiful  green  islands,  and 
beyond  was  the  heaving  Sound,  dotted  with  sails,  and  bounded  by  the  wooded  shores  of  Long 
Island  in  the  distance.      On  the  right  were  clustered  the  white  houses  of  Norwalk,  and  on 

the  left  swelling  Compo  was  stretched  out, 
-__^-     .^^^tt  scarcely  concealing  the  noble  shade  trees  of 

Fairfield  beyond. 

Returning  along  East  Avenue  to  the  vil- 
lage, I  stopped  near  the  residence  of  Mr.  Hall, 
and  made  the  accompanying  sketch  of  Grum- 
.  an's    Hill.     It   is    a   high  elevation,  a  little 

J" ''  east  of  the  avenue,  partly  covered  by  an  or- 

chard, and  commanding  a  fine  pro.?pect  of  the 
-.,^,^,    --      village,  harbor,  and  Sound.      Tryon  sat  upon 
'-..,,_        the  summit  of  the  hill,  where  the  five  Lom- 
"  hardy  poplars  are  seen.      The  venerable  Na- 

'"    '   ""   -----:  thaniel  Raymond,   still  living,  when  I  was 

Gkuman's  Hill.  ,  „  .     >  ■,       ^t  ■,  %-.t  h  iit 

there  (1848),  near  the  Old  Well,  or  West 
Norwalk  Wharf  (where  he  had  dwelt  from  his  birth,  ninety-five  years),  remembers  the  hill 
being  "  red  with  the  British."  He  was  a  corporal  of  the  guard  at  the  time,  and,  after  se- 
curing his  most  valuable  efiects,  and  carrying  his  aged  parents  to  a  place  of  safety  three  miles 

*  The  old  records  of  the  town,  quoted  by  Mr.  Hall,  exhibit  many  curious  features  in  the  municipal  regu- 
lations adopted  by  the  early  settlers.  In  1665  it  is  recorded  that  "  Walter  Hait  has  undertaken  to  beat  the 
dmmm  for  meeting  when  all  occasions  required,  for  which  he  is  to  have  10s.  Also,  Thomas  Benedict  has 
undertaken  to  have  the  meeting-house  swept  for  the  yeere  ensuing  ;  he  is  to  have  20s."  Again  :  "  At  a 
town  meeting  in  Norwalk,  March  the  20th,  1667,  it  was  voted  and  ordered  that  it  shall  be  left  to  the  towns- 
men from  yere  to  yere  to  appoint  a  time  or  day,  at  or  before  the  10th  day  of  March,  for  the  securing  of  the 
fences  on  both  sides,  and  that  they  shall  give  notis  to  all  the  inhabitants  the  night  before,  and  the  drumb  to 
be  beten  in  the  morning,  which  shall  bo  accounted  a  sufficient  warning  for  every  man  to  secure  his  fence, 
or  else  to  bear  his  own  damajres."  Again  :  "  At  the  same  meeting  (October  17th,  1667),  voted  and  order- 
ed that,  after  the  field  is  cleared,  the  townsmen  shall  hier  Steven  Beckwith,  or  some  other  man,  to  fetch  the 
cows  out  of  the  neck  [the  Cow  Pasture] ;  and  he  that  shall  be  hiered  shall  give  warning  by  sounding  a  homo 
about  twelve  of  the  clock,  that  he  that  is  to  accompany  him  is  to  repaire  to  him." 


41  6 


PICIORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Time  of  Tryon's  Landing.  Departure  from  Norwalk.  New  England  Villages.  The  Green  at  Fairfield.         Pequots 


distant,  shouldered  his  musket,  and  was  with  the  few  soldiers  whom  Tryon  boasted  of  having 
driven  from  the  hills  north  of  the  town.  He  says  it  was  Saturday  night  when  Tryon  landed, 
and,  like  Daiibury,  the  town  was  burned  on  Sunday.  Mr.  Raymond  was  quite  vigorous  in 
body  and  mind,  and  Time  seemed  to  have  used  him  gently.  I  desired  to  visit  two  other  an- 
cient inhabitants,  but  the  hour  for  the  arrival  of  the  mail-coach  for  New  Haven  was  near, 
and  I  hastened  back  to  the  hotel,  whence  I  left  for  the  east  between  three  and  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon. 

The  coach,  a  sort  of  tin-peddler's  wagon  in  form,  was  full,  and,  quite  in  accordance  with 
my  inclination,  I  took  a  seat  with  the  driver.  It  was  a  genial  afternoon,  and  all  things  in 
nature  and  art  combined  to  please  and  edify.  We  reached  Bridgeport,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Housatonic  E-iver,  fourteen  miles  east  of  Norwalk,  at  sunset,  and  a  more  pleasing  variety  of 
beautiful  scenery  can  nowhere  be  found  than  charmed  us  during  that  short  journey.  We 
passed  through  Westport  (old  Saugatuck),  Southport,  and  Fairfield,  lovely  villages  lying  upon 
estuaries  of  Long  Island  Sound,  and  all  replete  with  historic  interest.  Unlike  most  modern 
villages,  with  their  rectangular  streets,  and  exhibiting  an  ambitious  imitation  of  large  cities, 
the  neat  houses,  embowered  in  shrubbery,  are  thinly  scattered  along  winding  avenues  shaded 
by  venerable  trees,  the  ground  on  either  side  left  undulating  as  the  hand  of  Nature  fashioned 
it.  Herein  consists  the  great  beauty  of  the  New  England  villages,  a  beauty  quite  too  often 
overlooked  in  other  states  in  the  process  of  laying  out  towns.  Nature  and  art  have  here 
wrought  in  harmony,  and  village  and  country  are  beautifully  and  healthfully  blended. 

I  was  informed,  before  leaving  Norwalk,  that  the  "  Buckly  House,"  the  last  relic  of  the 
Pvevolution  in  Fairfield,  had  fallen  under  the  stroke  of  public  improvement,  and  also  that  no 
living  witness  of  the  cruelty  of  Governor  Tryon  was  there.  I  therefore  concluded  to  go  di- 
rectly through  to  New  Haven  that  evening.  During  a  detention  of  the  coach  for  half  an 
hour  at  the  post-office,  in  Fairfield,  I  made  a  rough  sketch  of  the  annexed  view  of  the  vil- 
lage Green,  which  I  subsequently  corrected  by  a 
picture  in  Barber's  Historical  Collections  of  Con- 
necticut. The  view  is  from  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Green,  near  the  spacious  new  hotel  that  fronts 
upon  it.  The  jail  on  the  left,  the  court-house  in 
the  center,  and  the  church  on  the  right  were  erect- 
ed upon  the  foundations  of  those  that  were  burn- 
ed by  the  British  in  1779,  aiid  in  the  same  style 
of  architecture.  ,  Such  being  the  fact,  the  Green, 
from  our  point  of  view,  doubtless  has  the  same 
general  aspect  that  it  presented  before  the  ma- 
rauder desolated  it.  As  the  destruction  of  Fair- 
field was  subsequent  to  the  incursion  of  the  enemy  into  New  Haven,  I  shall  give  the  record 
of  its  hard  fate  after  noticing  the  movements  of  Tryon  and  his  associates  at  the  latter  place 
Immediately  back  of  Fairfield  village  is  the  celebrated  swamp  where  the  warlike  Pequots 
made  their  last  stand  against  the  English,  in  July,  1637.'      There  they  were  overthrown 


The  Green,  Fairfield. 


^  The  Pequots,  or  Pequods,  were  a  formidable  tribe  of  Indians,  having  at  least  seven  hundred  warriors. 
Their  principal  settlements  were  on  a  hill  in  Groton,  Connecticut.  They  were  a  terror  to  other  tribes,  and 
became  a  great  annoyance  to  the  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  settlements.  Governor  Endicott,  of  the 
former  province,  had  tried  to  treat  with  them,  but  in  vain,  and  their  bold  defiance  of  the  whites  increased 
Early  in  1637  they  attacked  the  small  English  fort  at  Saybrook,  murdered  several  women  of  Weathersfield. 
and  carried  away  two  girls  into  captivity.  The  colonists  mustered  all  their  able  men,  and,  being  joined  by 
portions  of  the  Mohegans,  Narragansets,  and  Niantic  tribes,  fell  upon  the  Pequots  in  their  retreat  upon  the 
Mystic  River.  A  warm  battle  ensued,  and  the  Pequots  were  beaten.  They  fought  desperately,  but  were 
finally  driven  westward,  and  took  shelter  in  the  swamp  near  Fairfield.  Sassacus,  their  chief,  escaped  to 
the  Mohawks,  by  whom  he  was  afterward  murdered.  The  Indian  name  of  Fairfield  was  Unguowa.  Mr. 
Ludlow,  who  accompanied  the  English  troops,  and  was  afterward  Deputy-governor  of  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut, pleased  with  the  country  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Saseo  Swamp,  began,  with  others,  a  planta- 
tion there,  and  called  it  l\iG\x  fair  field.     Hence  its  name. 


OFTHERE  VOLUTION.  417 


Destruction  of  the  Pequots.  Greenlield  Hill.  Dwight's  Poem.  Journey  to  New  Haven.  A  StioU  to  East  Rock. 

and  annihilated,  and  the  place  has  ever  since  been  called  the  Pequot  Swamp.  They  might 
have  escaped  had  not  one  of"  their  number,  who  loitered  behind,  been  captured  by  Captain 
Mason,  and  compelled  to  disclose  the  retreat  of  his  comrades.  One  hundred  were  made 
prisoners,  the  residue  were  destroyed.  The  fort  at  Mystic  had  previously  been  demolished, 
and  they  took  refuge  in  this  swamp. 

We  passed  in  sight  of  Greenfield  Ilill,  near  the  village,  renowned  for  its  academy  and 
church,  wherein  President  Dwight,  of  Yale  College,  oflficiated  as  tutor  and  pastor  for  twelve 
years.  The  view  from  the  hill  is  said  to  be  exceedingly  fine,  and  from  the  belfry  of  the 
?hurch  no  less  than  seventeen  houses  of  worship  may  be  seen,  in  Fairfield  and  the  adjacent 
villages.  Dr.  Dwight,  while  minister  of  Greenfield,  wrote  a  poem  called  "  Greenfield  Hill." 
Referring  to  the  view  from  the  belfry,  he  exclaims, 

"  Heavens,  what  a  matchless  group  of  beauties  rare 
Southward  expands !  where,  crown'd  with  yon  tall  oak, 
Round  Hill  the  circhng-  land  and  sea  o'orlooks ; 
Or,  smoothly  slopintr,  Grover's  beauteou.s  rise, 
Spreads  its  green  sides  and  lifts  its  single  tree, 
Glad  mark  for  seamen ;  or,  with  ruder  face, 
Orchards,  and  fields,  and  groves,  and  houses  rare, 
And  scatter'd  cedars,  Mill  Hill  meets  the  eye ; 
Or  where,  beyond,  with  every  beauty  clad. 
More  distant  heights  in  vernal  pride  ascend. 
On  either  side  a  long,  continued  range. 
In  all  the  charms  of  rural  nature  dress'd. 
Slopes  gently  to  the  main.     Ere  Trijon  sunk 
To  infamy  unfathom'd,  through  yon  groves 
Once  glisten'd  Norwalk's  white  ascending  spires. 
And  soon,  if  Heaven  permit,  shall  shine  again. 
Here,  sky-encircled,  Stratford's  churches  beam  ; 
And  Stratfield's  turrets  greet  the  roving  eye. 
In  clear,  full  view,  with  every  varied  charm 
That  forms  the  finish'd  landscape,  blending  soft 

In  matchless  union,  Fairfield  and  Green's  Farms  • 

Give  luster  to  the  day.     Here,  crown'd  with  pines 
And  skirting  groves,  with  creeks  and  havens  fair 
Embellish'd,  fed  with  many  a  beauteous  stream, 
Prince  of  the  waves,  and  ocean's  favorite  child, 
Far  westwai-d  fading,  in  confusion  blue, 
And  eastward  stretch'd  beyond  the  human  ken. 
And  mingled  with  the  sky  ;  there  Longa's  Sound 
Glorious  expands." 

The  c!^rening  closed  in,  mild  and  balmy,  before  we  reached  Stratford,  three  miles  eastward 
of  Bridgeport,  and  the  beautiful  country  through  which  we  were  passing  was  hidden  from 
view.  We  crossed  several  small  estuaries,  and  the  vapor  that  arose  from  the  grassy  salt 
marshes  was  grateful  to  the  nostrils.  The  warm  land-breeze  ceased  at  eight  o'clock,  and  a 
strong  wind  from  the  ocean  brought  a  chilling  fog  upon  its  wings,  which  veiled  the  stars, 
and  made  us  welcome  the  sparkling  lights  of  New  Haven  as  we  descended  Milford  llill  and 
crossed  the  broad  salt  marsh  that  skirts  the  western  suburbs  of  the  town.  We  arrived  at 
the  Tonti?ie  a  little  after  nine,  and  supped  with  a  keen  appetite,  for  I  had  fasted  since  break- 
last  at  Ridgefield  at  ten  in  the  morning.  It  was  Saturday  night,  and  the  weary  journeys 
of  the  week  made  the  privileges  of  the  approaching  day  of  rest  appear  peculiarly  valuable. 

"  The  morning  dawn'd  with  tokens  of  a  storm — 
A  ruddy  cloud  athwart  the  eastern  sky 
Glow'd  with  the  omens  of  a  tempest  near  ;' 

yet  I  ventured  to  stroll  out  to  East  Pi^ock,  two  miles  east-northeast  of  the  city.  Crossing 
the  bridge  at  the  factory  owned  by  the  late  Eli  Whitney,  inventor  of  the  cotton  gin  that 
bears  his  name,  I  toiled  up  the  steep  slope  through  the  woods  to  the  summit  of  the  nek, 

D  u 


418  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

East  Rock.  View  from  its  Summit.  Qulnnipiack.  Settlement  of  New  Haven. 


nearly  four  hundred  feet  above  the  plain  below.  This  rock  is  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
Mount  Tonn  range  of  hills.  It  lies  contiguous  to  a  similar  amorphous  mass  called  West 
Rock,  and  both  are  composed  principally  of  hornblende  and  feldspar,  interspersed  vv^ith  quartz 
and  iron.  The  oxyd  of  iron,  by  the  action  of  rains,  covers  their  bare  and  almost  perpendic- 
ular fronts,  and  gives  them  their  red  appearance,  vi^hich  caused  the  Dutch  anciently  to  des- 
ignate the  site  of  New  Haven  by  the  name  o^Red  Rock.  The  fronts  of  these  rocks  are  com- 
posed of  assemblages  of  vast  irregular  columns,  similar  in  appearance  to  the  Palisades  of  the 
Hudson,  and,  like  them,  having  great  beds  oi  debris  at  their  bases.  A  view  from  either  will 
repay  the  traveler  for  his  labor  in  reaching  the  summit.  That  from  the  East  Rock  is  par- 
ticularly attractive,  for  it  embraces  the  harbor,  city,  plain,  and  almost  every  point  of  histor- 
ical interest  connected  with  New  Haven,  or  Quinnipiack,  as  the  Indians  called  it 

"  I  stood  -upon  the  cliff's  extremest  edge, 

And  downward  far  beneath  me  could  I  see 
Complaining  brooks  that  played  with  meadow  sedge, 
Then  brightly  wandered  on  their  journey  free." 

Willis  Gaylord  Clarke. 

Winding  through  the  plain  were  Mill  River  and  the  Quinnipiack,  spanned  by  noble  bridges 
near  the  city  that  lay  stretched  along  the  beautiful  bay  ;   and 

"  Beyond 
The  distant  temple  spires  that  lift  their  points 
In  harmony  above  the  leaf-clad  town — 
Beyond  the  calm  bay  and  the  restless  Sound 
Was  the  blue  island  stretching  like  a  cloud 
Where  the  sky  stoops  to  earth :  the  Rock  was  smooth, 
And  there  upon  the  table-stone  sad  youths 
Had  carved,  unheeded,  names,  to  weave  for  them 
That  insect's  immortality  that  lies 
In  stone,  for  ages,  on  a  showman's  shelf." 

L.  M.  N. 

li^ast  and  West  Haven,  where  the  two  divisions  of  the  British  invading  force  landed  in  1779  , 
Fort  Hale,  whence  they  departed  ;  Neck  Bridge,  across  Mill  River,  under  which  the  fugitive 
judges  of  King  Charles  I.  were  concealed  ;  and  West  Rock,  where  they  "  raised  their  Eb- 
enezer"  and  dwelt  in  seclusion  for  some  time,  were  all  in  full  view.  With  a  spirit  fraught 
with  reverence  for  the  past,  and  with  scenery  hallowed  by  the  presence  of  "  young  antiquity' 
spread  out  before  us,  let  us  sit  down  a  moment  and  listen  to  the  teachings  of  the  chronicler 

In  the  summer  of  1637  several  wealthy  and  influential  English  gentlemen  arrived  at  Bos 
ton,  preparatory  to  making  a  permanent  location  in  wilderness  America.  The  young  colony 
of  Massachusetts  Bay  regarded  them  with  great  favor,  and  various  settlements  coveted  the 
honor  of  numbering  them  among  their  proprietors.  But  they  determined  to  plant  a  distinct 
colony,  and,  having  heard  of  the  beautiful  country  along  the  Sound,  from  Saybrook  to  the 
Saugatuck,  discovered  by  the  English  in  their  pursuit  of  the  Pequots,  they  projected  a  settle- 
ment in  that  part  of  the  land.  In  the  autumn  a  portion  of  them  made  a  journey  to  Connec- 
ticut, to  explore  the  harbors  and  lands  along  the  coasts,  who  finally  decided  upon  the  beau- 
tiful plain  on  the  Quinnipiack  for  settlement,  and  built  a  log  hut  there.' 

In  the  spring  of  1638  the  principal  men  of  the  new  emigration  to  the  colony — Rev.  Mr. 
Davenport,  Mr.  Pruden,  and  Samuel  and  Theophilus  Eaton — with  the  people  of  their  com- 
pany, sailed  from  Boston  for  Quinnipiack.  They  reached  the  haven  in  about  a  fortnight, 
and  their  first  Sabbath  there  was  the  18th  of  April,  1638.  The  people  assembled  under  a 
large  oak,  that  stood  where  George  and  College  Streets  intersect ;  and  under  its  venerable 
branches  the  New  Haven  and  Milford  Churches  were  afterward  formed.  Designing  to  make 
a  large  and  flourishing  settlement,  founded  on  strict  justice,  they  purchased  the  land  of  Mau- 

^  This  was  upon  the  corner  of  the  present  Church  and  George  Streets,  New  Haven. — Barber. 


(3  F'  T  H  E   R  E  V  0  L  U  T I O  N.  4  19 

Organic  Law  of  the  New  Haven  Colony.    The  '•  Regicidea."     The  Concealment     Friendship  of  Darenport     Narrow  Escape. 

maguin,  the  chief  sachem  of  that  region,  on  honorable  terms,  and  entered  into  what  they  call- 
ed a  plantation  covenant  with  each  other.  They  laid  out  their  town-plat  in  squares,  design- 
ing it  for  an  elegant  city.  They  prospered  for  more  than  a  year  without  any  fixed  laws,  and 
in  1639  proceeded  to  lay  the  foundation  of  their  civil  and  religious  polity.  Theophilus  Eaton 
was  chosen  governor,  and  Mr.  Davenport  gave  him  a'  serious  charge  before  all  the  people,  from 
Deut.,  i.,  16,  17.  It  was  decreed  by  the  freemen  that  there  should  be  a  general  court  an- 
nually in  the  plantation,  on  the  last  week  in  October.  This  was  ordained  a  court  of  elec- 
tion, in  which  all  the  officers  of  the  colony  Avere  to  be  chosen.  This  court  determined  that 
the  Word  of  God  should  be  the  only  rule  for  ordering  the  aflairs  of  government  in  that  com- 
monwealth. 

This  was  the  original  fundamental  Constitution  of  New  Haven,  brief  in  words,  but  pow- 
erful in  principle,  for  the  Bible  was  the  statute  book.  It  exhibited  the  same  general  relig- 
ious aspect  in  its  external  affairs  as  that  of  the  Massachusetts  colony.  Seven  pillars  of  the 
Church  were  chosen,  and  all  government  was  originally  in  the  Church.  The  members  of 
the  Church  (none  others  being  possessed  of  the  elective  franchise)  elected  the  governor,  mag- 
istrates, and  all  other  officers.  The  magistrates  were  merely  the  assistants  of  the  governor.' 
Thus  the  new  colony,  having  its  foundation  laid  upon  divine  laws  and  strong  faith  in  man, 
began  a  glorious  career  ;  and  the  little  settlement,  ambitious  of  excellence,  has  grown  to  be, 
if  not  the  largest,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  in  the  Western  World.  From 'the  time  of 
its  foundation  until  the  Revolution  broke  out,  its  history,  like  that  of  the  other  New  England 
settlements,  exhibits  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the  tide  of  prosperity,  under  the  influences  of 
the  laws  of  the  supreme  government  and  the  pressure  of  Indian  hostilities  ;  sometimes  bur- 
dened and  cast  down  by  the  injustice  of  the  former,  and  menaced  with  overthrow  and  ruin 
by  the  latter. 

New  Haven  became  famous  as  the  "  city  of  refuge"  for  three  of  the  English  regicides,  or 
judges  who  condemned  King  Charles  I.  to  death.  They  were  Generals  Goffe  and  Whal- 
ley,  and  Colonel  Dixwell.  Whalley  was  descended  from  a  very  ancient  family,  and  was  a 
relative  of  Oliver  Cromwell.  Goffe  was  the  son  of  a  Puritan  divine,  and  married  a  daughter 
of  Whalley.  Dixwell  was  a  wealthy  country  gentleman  of  Kent,  and  was  a  member  of 
Parliament  in  1654.  On  the  restoration  of  Charles  II.  to  the  throne  of  his  father,  many 
of  the  judges  were  arrested  ;  thirty  were  condemned  to  death,  and  ten  were  executed.  The 
three  above  named  escaped  to  New  England.  Gofl'e  and  Whalley  arrived  at  Boston  in  July, 
1660,  and  took  up  their  residence  in  Cambridge.  Feeling  insecure  there,  they  removed  to 
New  Haven,  where  their  unaffected  piety  won  for  them  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
people,  and  particularly  of  the  minister,  Mr.  Davenport.  Their  apparent  freedom  from  dan- 
ger lasted  but  a  few  days.  The  proclamation  of  Charles,  offering  a  large  reward  for  their 
apprehension,  and  the  news  that  pursuers  were  on  the  scent,  reached  them  at  the  same  time, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  flee.  They  took  shelter  in  a  rocky  cavern,  on  the  top  of  West 
Rock,  where  they  were  supplied  daily  with  food  by  their  friends.  They  shifted  their  place 
of  abode  from  time  to  time,  calling  each  locality  Ebe7iezer,  and  occasionally  appeared  pub- 
licly in  New  Haven.  On  one  occasion  they  sat  under  the  Neck  Bridge,  upon  Mill  River, 
when  their  pursuers  passed  over  ;  and  several  times  they  came  near  falling  into  their  hands. 
The  people  generally  favored  their  escape,  and  for  their  lives  they  owed  much  to  Mr.  Dav- 
enport.^ 

'  Trumbull's  History  of  Connecticut ;  Barber's  History  of  New  Haven. 

'  About  the  time  when  the  pursuers  were  expected  at  New  Haven,  Mr.  Davenport  preached  publicly  from 
the  text,  "  Take  counsel,  execute  judcment ;  make  thy  shadow  as  the  ni<jht  in  the  midst  of  the  noon-day  ; 
hide  the  outcasts  ;  betray  not  him  that  wandereth.  Let  mine  outcasts  dwell  with  thee,  iSIoab  ;  be  thou  a  cov- 
ert to  them  from  the  face  of  the  spoilers."  Isaiah,  xvi.,  3,  4.  The  sermon  had  the  effect  to  put  the  whole 
town  upon  their  guard,  and  made  the  people  resolve  on  concealment  of  the  "  outcasts."  The  following  an- 
ecdote is  related  of  Goffe,  while  he  was  in  Boston  :  A  feneing-master  erected  a  stage,  and  upon  it  he  walked 
several  days,  defying  any  one  to  a  combat  with  swords.  Goffe  wrapped  a  hujro  cheese  in  a  napkin  for  a 
shield,  and,  arming  himself  with  a  mop  filled  with  dirty  water  from  a  pool,  mounted  the  stage  and  accepted 
the  challenge.     The  fencing-master  attempted  to  drive  him  ofi^  but  Goffe  skillfiUly  received  the  thrusts  of 


420  PICTORIAL   FIELDBOOK 

Goffe  at  Hadlcy.  Colonel  Dixwell.  Tomb-atones  of  the  Regicides.  Stamp  Act  Proceedings. 

Jn  the  autumn  they  left  New  Haven  and  went  to  Hadley.  While  there,  eleven 
years  afterward,  King  PhilijJS  War  took  place.  While  the  people  of  the  town  were 
m  their  meeting-house,  observing  a  fast,  a  body  of  Indians  surrounded  them.  The  continual 
expectation  of  such  an  event  made  the  inhabitants  always  go  armed  to  worship.  They  were 
so  armed  on  this  occasion,  and  sallied  out  to  drive  off  the  savages.  At  that  moment  there 
appeared  in  their  midst  a  man  of  venerable  aspect  and  singular  costume,  who  placed  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  people,  and,  by  causing  them  to  observe  strict  military  tactics,  enabled 
them  to  disperse  the  assailants.  The  stranger  then  disappeared.  The  people  believed  an 
angel  had  been  sent  to  lead  them  and  effect  a  victory.      The  angel  was  General  Goffe. 

Colonel  Dixwell  was  with  Goffe  and  Whalley  much  of  the  time  of  their  long  exile.  Plis 
latter  years  were  passed  in  New  Haven,  where  he  called  himself  James  Davids,  Esq.  He 
acknowledged  his  name  and  character  before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1688,  about  a 
month  previous  to  the  arrest  of  Governor  Andros  in  Boston.  The  governor  was  hated  by 
the  colonists,  and  when  the  news  of  the  revolution  in  England,  which  Dixwell  had  predict- 
ed, reached  Boston,  the  people  seized  the  obnoxious  chief  magistrate  and  thrust  him  into  prison.' 
Goffe  and  Whalley  died  at  Hadley,  and  it  is  supposed  that  their  bodies  were  afterward 
secretly  conveyed  to  New  Haven.  In  the  old  burying-ground  in  that  city,  in  the  rear  of 
the  Center  Church,  are  stones  which  bear  the  initials  of  the  regicides.      They  are  standing 

separate  ;  I  have  grouped  them  for  convenience.  The 
two  marked  E.  W.  are  the  head  and  foot  stones  of  Whal- 
ley's  grave ;  and  the  date,  by  an  extension  below  the  five, 
may  read  1658  or  1678.  He  died  about  1678.  These 
stones  are  about  two  feet  wide  and  high,  and  eight  inches 
thick.  Goffe's,  marked  80  and  M.  G.,  is  only  ten  inches 
high.  The  M,  it  is  supposed,  is  an  inverted  W.  Dix- 
well's  stone,  seen  in  front,  is  two  and  a  half  feet  high 
and  broad.  It  is  a  red  stone  ;  the  others  are  a  sort  of 
dark  blue  stone.  The  reason  given  for  inscribing  only 
their  initials  on  their  stones  is,  a  fear  that  some  sycophant 
of  royalty,  "clothed  with  a  little  brief  authority"  in  New 
England,  might  disturb  their  remains.^ 
New  Haven  was  greatly  agitated  by  proceedings  growing  out  of  the  Stamp  Act.  It  was 
among  the  earliest  of  the  New  England  towns  that  echoed  the  voice  of  opposition  raised  by 
Boston  against  the  oppression  of  the  mother  country,  and  the  people  were  generally  zealous 
in  maintaining  the  liberty  of  action  professed  to  be  secured  to  them  by  disannulled  charters. 
When  Ingersoll,  who  was  appointed  stamp-master  (or  the  agent  of  government  to  sell  "  stamp- 
ed paper"),  announced  the  reception  of  the  objectionable  articles.  New  Haven  soon  became 
in  a  state  of  actual  rebellion.  Ingersoll  was  menaced  with  every  indignity,  and  even  his 
life  was  proclaimed  forfeit  by  some,  if  he  persisted  in  exercising  his  new  vocation.  Finding 
September  19  ^^^^  '^^^^  town  too  Warm  for  him,  he  proceeded  toward  Hartford.  He  was  met 
1765.  near  Weathersfield  by  a  deputation  of  about  five  hundred  men,  and,  when  in  the 

toMTi,  they  demanded  his  resignation  of  the  office.      He  refused  acquiescence,  on  the  reason- 
able plea  that  he  awaited  the  action  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut,  whose  com- 


his  sword  into  the  cheese.  At  the  third  lunge  of  his  antagonist,  Goffe  held  the  sword  fast  in  his  soft  shield 
long  enough  to  smear  the  face  of  the  fencing-master  with  the  filthy  mop.  Enraged,  the  challenger  caught 
up  a  broad-sword,  when  Goffe  exclaimed,  with  a  firm  voice,  "  Stop,  sir  ;  hitherto,  you  see,  I  have  only  played 
with  you,  and  not  attempted  to  harm  you ;  but  if  you  come  at  me  now  with  the  broad-sword,  know  that  I 
will  certainly  take  your  life."  Goffe's  firmness  alarmed  the  fencing-master,  who  exclaimed,  "  Who  can  you 
be?     You  must  be  either  Goffe,  Whalley,  or  the  devil,  for  there  was  no  other  man  in  England  could  beat  me." 

'  Stiles's  History  of  the  Regicides  ;   Barber's  History  of  New  Haven. 

*  A  lineal  descendant  of  Colonel  Dixwell  asked  and  received  permission  of  the  authorities  of  New  Haven 
to  disinter  the  remains  of  his  ancestor,  and  bury  them  beneath  a  monument  which  he  proposed  to  erect  to  his 
j.iemory,  on  (College  Green,  in  the  rear  of  the  Center  Church.  They  were  accordingly  removed  in  Novem- 
ber   1849,  and  a  neat  monument,  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing,  is  erceted  there. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


421 


lYeatment  of  the  Stamp-master.       Joy  on  the  Repeal  of  the  Act       Patriotism  of  the  People.       Boldness  of  Benedict  Arnold. 

mands  in  the  premises  he  should  implicitly  obey.  But  the  people  would  listen  to  no  legal 
excuses,  and  he,  "  thinking  the  cause  not  worth  dying  for,"  yielded  to  the  menaces  of  the 
people,  and  signed  a  paper  declaring  his  resignation  of  the  office.  He  was  then  forced  to 
stand  up  and  read  it  to  the  people.  Not  content  with  this,  they  made  him  throw  up  his 
hat,  cry  out  "Liberty  and  property,"  and  give  three  cheers.  After  dining,  he  was  conduct- 
ed to  Hartford  by  a  cavalcade  of  about  one  thousand,  who  surrounded  the  court-house,  and 
caused  him  to  read  his  resignation  in  the  presence  of  the  members  of  the  Assembly. 

The  people  were  quite  as  much  excited  by  joy  when  the  news  of  the  repeal  of  the  noxious 
act  reached  them,  in  May,  1700.  The  fact  was  thus  announced  on  the  23d  of  May,  by  a 
New  Haven  newspaper  :  "  Last  Monday  morning,  early,  an  express  arrived  here  with  the 
charming  news,  soon  after  which  many  of  the  inhabitants  were  awakened  with  the  noise  of 
small  arms  from  different  quarters  of  the  town  ;  all  the  bells  were  rung,  and  cannon  roared 
the  glad  tidings.  In  the  afternoon  the  clergy  publicly  returned  thanks  for  the  blessing,  and 
a  company  of  militia  were  collected,  under  the  principal  direction  of  Colonel  [afterward  Gen- 
eral] Wooster.  In  the  evening  were  illuminations,  bonfires,  and  dances,  all  without  any  re- 
markable indecency  or  disorder.  The  arrival  of  the  regular  post  from  Boston  last  night  has 
completed  our  joy  for  the  wise  and  interesting  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  Business  will  soon 
be  transacted  as  usual  in  this  loyal  colony.  In  short,  every  thing  in  nature  seems  to  wear 
a  more  cheerful  aspect  than  usual — to  a  great  majority." 

In  all  subsequent  proceedings,  in  opposition  to  the  unjust  acts  of  the  British  government 
toward  the  colonies.  New  Haven  was  famed  for  its  zeal  and  firmness  ;  and  the  people  of 
Boston  received  its  warmest  sympathies  and  support  in  all  the  trials  through  which  they  had 

to  pass,  under  the  royal  displeasure,  from  1768   until 
-=.g=-^-.  1776,  when  that  city  was  purged  of  the  enemies  of  free- 

"^^-^s***^^*^'*^  dom  by  the  Continental  army,  imder  Washington. 

New  Haven  was  among  the  first  of  the  New  En- 
gland towns  that  sent  soldiers  to  the  fields  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  news  of  the  skirmish  at  Lexington  reached 
New  Haven  at  about  noon  the  next  day.  Ben-  ^p^j,  oq_ 
edict  Arnold  was  then  the  captain  of  the  Gov-  i''^^- 
ernor's  Guards.  He  summoned  his  corps,  and  proposed 
starting  immediately  for  Lexington.  About  forty  of  them 
consented  to  go.'  Arnold  requested  the  town  authorities 
to  furnish  the  company  with  ammunition.  They  refused, 
and  the  hot  patriot  marched  his  men  to  the  house  where 
the  select-men  were  in  session,  formed  a  line  in  front,  and  sent  in  word  that,  if  the  keys  of  the 


'  Among  the  members  of  the  company  who  went  with  Arnold  were  Mr.  Earl,  a  portrait  painter,  and  Amos 
DooHttle,  an  engraver.  Mr.  Earl  made  four  drawings  of  Lexington  and  Concord,  which  were  afterward  en- 
ffraved  by  ]Mr.  Doolittle.  The  plates  were  twelve  by  eighteen  inches  in  size,  and  were  executed  with  great 
dispatch,  for  in  the  Connecticut  Journal  of  December  13th,  1775,  is  the  following  advertisement : 

"  This  day  published, 
"  And  to  be  sold  at  the  store  of  Mr.  James  Lockwood,  near  the  college  in  New  Haven,  four  dilTerent  views 
of  the  battles  of  Lexington,  Concord,  &c.,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775. 
"  Plate  I.,  the  battle  of  Lexington. 

"  Plate  II.,  a  view  of  the  town  of  Concord,  with  the  ministerial  troops  destroying  the  stores. 
"  Plate  III.,  the  battle  at  the  North  Bridge,  in  Concord. 

"  Plate  IV.,  the  south  part  of  Lexington,  when  the  first  detachment  was  Joined  by  Lord  Percy. 
"  The  above  four  plates  are  neatly  engraven  on  copper,  from  original  paintings  taken  on  the  spot. 
"  Price,  six  shillings  per  set  for  plain  ones,  or  eight  shillings  colored." 

The  engraving  of  the  first  of  the  above-named  plates  was  Mr.  Doolittle's  earliest  cffirt  in  that  branch  ol 
art ;  and  it  is  not  a  little  singular  that  his  last  days  labor  with  the  burin  was  bestowed  upon  a  reduced  copy 
of  the  same  picUire,  for  Barber's  History  of  New  Haven,  executed  in  1832.  A  copy  of  this  print  will  be 
found  on  page  524. 

*  Arnold  lived  in  Water  Street,  near  the  ship-yard.  The  house  is  still  standing  (1848),  on  the  left  side 
if  the  street  going  toward  the  water      It  is  a  handsome  frame  building,  embowered  in  shrubbery.     In  the 


422  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

March  of  Arnold  and  his  Company  to  Cambridge.  Expedition  under  Tryon.  Landing  of  the  Troops  near  New  Haven. 

powder-house  were  not  delivered  to  him  within  five  minutes,  he  would  order  his  company  to 
break  it  open  and  help  themselves.  The  keys  were  given  up,  the  powder  was  procured,  and 
soon  the  volunteers  were  on  their  march  through  Wethersfield  and  Pomfret,  for  Cambridge. 
At  Pomfret  they  were  joined  by  General  Putnam,  who  left  his  plow  in  the  furrow,  and,  on 
arriving  at  Cambridge,  they  took  possession  of  the  elegant  mansion  of  Governor  Oliver,  who 
had  fled  from  the  vicinity.  Arnold's  corps  made  a  fine  appearance,  and  so  correct  was  their 
discipline,  that  they  were  chosen  to  deliver  to  Governor  Gage  the  body  of  a  British  officer 
who  had  died  from  wounds  received  at  Lexington. 

New  Haven  suffered  equally  with  its  sister  towns  of  the  sea-board  during  the  whole  war 
for  independence,  but  the  severest  trial  it  endured  was  an  invasion  by  a  British  force,  under 
Governor  Tryon  of  New  York,  and  Brigadier-general  Garth,  in  the  summer  of  1779.  For 
some  time  the  idea  of  a  predatory  war  against  the  Americans  had  occupied  the  British  com- 
manders here.  They  finally  decided  upon  the  measure,  and  submitted  their  plans  to  the 
ministry  at  home.  Wearied  by  fruitless  endeavors  to  quell  the  rebellion,  the  king  and  his 
advisers  readily  consented  to  the  prosecution  of  any  scheme  that  promised  success.  Arthur 
Lee,  the  political  spy  abroad  upon  the  movements  of  the  British  ministry,  immediately  for- 
warded to  Governor  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  and  the  Committee  for  Foreign  Affairs,  in- 
formation of  the  intended  change  in  military  operations.  Under  date  of  Paris,  April  6th, 
1779,  he  says,  "  I  have  received  intelligence  that  it  is  determined  in  the  British  cabinet  to 
send  over  immediate  orders  to  New  York  for  an  expedition  through  the  Sound,  up  Connec- 
ticut Pk,iver.  The  enemy  are  to  land  at  Wethersfield,  and  proceed  by  land  to  New  Haven 
Bay,  where' they  are  to  re-embark,  after  having  plundered,  burned,  and  destroyed  all  in  their 
way."  Adverse  winds,  and  the  capture  of  some  of  the  papers  sent  by  Lee,  prevented  the 
Americans  from  receiving  timely  warning. 

Having  received  the  ministerial  instructions.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  proceeded  to  execute  his 
orders.  Governor  Tryon  was  considered  a  very  proper  instrument  to  perform  the  nefarious 
service,  and  a  force  of  twenty-six  hundred  men  was  put  under  his  command,  with  Brigadier- 
general  Garth  as  his  lieutenant.  These  were  placed  upon 
two  ships  of  war  (the  Camilla  and  Scorpion),  with  transports 
and  tenders,  forty-eight  in  number,  commanded  by  Commodore 
Sir  George  Collier,  and  toward  evening  of  the  3d  of  July  they 
passed  through  Hell  Gate  into  the  Sound.  On  the  4th,  while 
the  patriots  on  land  were  celebrating  the  adoption  of  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence,  the  two  commanders  joined  in  drawing 
up  a  proclamation  and  an  address  to  the  inhabitants  of  Connec- 
ticut, inviting  and  urging  them  to  return  to  their  allegiance,  and 
promising  ample  protection  in  person  and  property  to  those  v/ho  should  remam 
peaceably  in  their  dwellings,  excepting  the  civil  and  military  officers  of  the  rebel 
government.  This  address  was  sent  on  shore  and  distributed,  but,  before  the  in- 
habitants had  time  to  consult  upon  the  public  good,  the  enemy  was  among  them,  savin's  Rock.- 
j„iy^  Collier's  fleet  sailed  up  New  Haven  Bay  on  the  night  of  the  4th,  and 
1779.  early  the  next  (Monday)  morning  landed  in  two  divisions,  those  under  Tryon  at  East 
Haven,  and  those  under  Garth  at  West  Haven.      The  latter  landed  about  sunrise,  and  ira- 

garret  of  the  house  the  sign  was  found  recently  which  hung  over  the  door  of  Arnold's  store,  in  Water  Street. 
Tt  was  black,  with  white  letters,  and  painted  precisely  alike  on  both  sides.     It  was  lettered 

B,  Arnold,  Druggist, 

Bookseller,  S^c, 

FROM  LONDON. 

Sibi  Totique. 

The  Latin  motto  may  be  rendered,  For  himself  and  for  the  whole,  or  for  all.  A»nold  combined  the  selling 
of  drugs  and  books  in  New  Haven  from  1763  to  1767. 

'  This  is  a  view  of  the  spot  where  Garth  landed,  in  Orange,  formerly  West  Haven.  It  is  between  three 
and  four  miles  below  New  Haven,  on  the  western  side  of  the  harbor  entrance,  and  is  a  place  of  considerable 
resort  in  summer  for  the  people  of  the  city. 


I 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


45^3 


Alarm  in  New  Haven. 


Bravery  of  the  Militia. 


Buttle  on  Milford  Hill. 


WcBt  Bridge. 


Death  of  CampbelL 


mediately  prepared  to  march  upon  the  town.  Information  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy 
having  reached  New  Haven  the  previous  evening,  preparations  had  been  made  for  defense. 
All,  however,  was  confusion  and  alarm,  and  the  care  of  families  and  property  occupied  those 
who  otherwise  might  have  made  a  successful  stand  against  the  invaders.  Many  of  the  In- 
habitants took  refuge  upon  East  Rock,  where  they  remained  until  the  departure  of  the  enemy. 
The  first  opposition  to  the  invaders  was  made  by  twenty-five  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town  (some  of  whom  were  students  of  Yale  College),  under  Captain  Hillhouse,  who  met  an 
advanced  party  of  the  enemy  on  Milford  Hill.      Already  the  West  Bridge  on  the  Milford 


i^^l^^^W-^^"^ 


West  Bbidge  and  MiLFoaD  Hill. 


iioad  had  been  destroyed,  some  field  pieces  taken  thither,  and  slight  breast-works  thrown  up 
Although  there  was  but  a  handful  of  Americans,  they  were  animated  by  such  spirit,  when 
they  saw  their  homes  and  families  in  peril,  that  they  drove  the  advancing  enemy  nearly  back 
to  their  landing-place,  and  took  one  prisoner.  The  whole  body  of  the  invaders  now  moved 
forward,  with  strong  flanking  parties  and  two  field  pieces.  The  cannons  of  the  Americans 
at  West  Bridge  kept  up  such  a  brisk  fire  that  the  enemy 
dared  not  venture  further  upon  that  road,  but  moved  along 
Milford  Hill,  northward  to  the  Derby  Pvoad,  to  enter  the 
town  by  that  avenue.  This  movement  required  a  circui- 
tous march  of  several  miles.  The  first  attacking  party 
of  the  Americans,  continually  augmenting,  soon  swelled  to 
a  hundred  and  fifty,  and  a  sharp  conflict  ensued  with  the 
enemy's  left  flank,  near  the  Milford  Pwoad.  In  this  skirm- 
ish Major  Campbell,  the  British  adjutant,  was  killed.  He 
was  singled  out  by  a  militia-man  concealed  behind  a  rock,  and  fell,  pierced  by  a  musket-ball 


:"    i/7,70' 

Campbell's  Monument.' 


'  This  view  is  from  the  Milford  Road,  ecustward  of  West  Bridge.  The  high  ground  in  the  distance  is 
Milford  Hill,  on  which  is  seen  the  road,  directly  over  the  umbrella.  A  little  to  the  right  of  the  road  is  the 
spot  where  Major  Campbell  was  buried.  West  Bridge  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  central  part  of 
New  Haven. 

*  This  rude  memorial  was  erected  in  1831,  by  J.  W.  Barber,  Esq.,  of  New  Haven,  the  historian  of  that 
city,  and  author  of  the  Historical  Collections  of  Connfcticut,  as  a  tribute  of  respect  for  a  meritorious  officer, 
[t  is  about  a  foot  and  a  half  high.  The  site  of  Campbell's  grave  was  pointed  out  to  Mr.  Barber  by  the  late 
Chauncy  Ailing,  who  saw  him  buried.  Several  Americans,  who  were  killed  at  the  same  time,  were  buried 
near.     Their  remains  were  afterward  removed.     Th'se  of  Adjutant  Campt)ell  rest  undisturbed 


4?4 


I^ICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Campbell's  Grave. 


Entrance  of  tbo  Enemy  into  New  Haven. 


Dr.  Daggett  and  his  Treatment 


Landing  of  Tryon. 


near  his  heart.  He  was  wrapped  in  a  blanket,  and  carried  upon  a  sheep-htter  to  a  house 
near  by,  where  he  expired.  He  was  buried  in  a  shallow  grave  not  far  from  the  spot  where 
he  fell,  on  the  summit  of  the  high  ground  near  the  intersection  of  the  Milford  and  West 
Haven  Roads,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  a  field  known  as  Cam'phelVs  Lot. 

After  the  skirmish,  the  British  pressed  onward  toward  the  Derby  Road.  Eye-witnesses 
described  their  appearance  from  points  near  the  city  as  very  brilliant ;  Milford  Hill  seemed 
all  in  a  blaze,  from  the  mingled  effects  upon  the  eye  of  scarlet  uniforms  and  glittering  arms. 
The  Americans  annoyed  them  exceedingly  all  the  way  to  Thompson's  Bridge  (now  West- 
ville),  on  the  Derby  Road,  and  the  small  force  at  West  Bridge,  under  Captain  Phineas  Brad- 
ley, hastened  to  that  point  to  oppose  their  passage.  Bradley  was  too  late  ;  Garth  had  pos- 
session of  the  bridge  and  the  fording-places  of  the  stream,  and,  after  a  sharp  skirmish  of  ten 
minutes,  he  drove  the  militia  before  him,  and  marched  triumphantly  into  the  town  between 
twelve  and  one  o'clock.  He  had  been  piloted  all  the  way  from  the  landing-place  by  a  young 
Tory  named  William  Chandler,  who,  with  his  father  and  family,  left  New  Haven  when  the 
enemy  departed. 

Among  those  who  went  out  to  the  West  Bridge  and  beyond,  to  oppose  the  enemy,  was  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Daggett,'  then  late  President  of  Yale  College,  and  a  warm  republican.  Armed  with 
a  musket,  he  joined  his  friends  to  oppose  the  common  enemy.  Near  the  West  Bridge  he 
was  wounded  and  made  a  prisoner,  and,  but  for  the  interference  of  young  Chandler,  the  Tory 
guide,  who  had  been  a  student  in  the  college,  he  would  doubtless  have  been  murdered.  He 
was  cruelly  injured  with  bayonets,  and  by  a  severe  blow  across  the  bowels  with  the  butt  of 
a  musket,  after  he  had  surrendered  and  begged  for  quarters.^  Yet  his  firmness  did  not  for- 
sake him.  While  abused  and  cursed,  he  was  asked  whether,  if  released,  he  would  again 
take  up  arms  against  them,  and  replied,  "  I  rather  believe  I  shall  if  I  get  an  opportunity." 
As  soon  as  the  boats  that  conveyed  the  first  division  of  the  enemy  to  shore  returned,  the 

second  division,  under  Tryon,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  Hessians  and 
Tories,  landed,  with  two  pieces 
of  cannon,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
harbor,  where  the  light-house  now 
stands.  They  marched  up  and 
attacked  the  little  fort  on  Black 
Rock  (now  Fort  Hale),  which  was 
defended  by  a  feeble  garrison  of 
only  nineteen  men,  with  three 
pieces  of  artillery.  After  a  slight 
skirmish,  the  Americans  were 
driven  from  the  post.  The  ene- 
my then  pushed  toward  the  town,  while  their  shipping  drew  nearer  and  menaced  the  inhab- 


LANDING  PLACE  OF  GeNKBAL  TllVON. 


^  Naphtali  Daggett  was  a  native  of  Attleborough,  Massachusetts.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1748, 
and  in  1756  was  appointed  professor  of  divinity  in  that  institution,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death.  He 
officiated  as  president  of  the  college  from  1766  until  1777,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Stiles.  He  died 
November  25th,  1780,  aged  about  sixty  years. 

^  "  I  was  insulted,"  says  the  doctor,  in  his  account  preserved  in  MS.  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State, 
at  Hartford,  "  in  the  most  shocking  manner  by  the  ruffian  soldiers,  many  of  which  came  at  me  with  fixed 
bayonets,  and  swore  they  would  kill  me  on  the  spot.  They  drove  me  with  the  main  body  a  hasty  march 
of  five  miles  or  more.  They  damned  me,  those  that  took  me,  because  they  spared  my  life.  Thus,  amid  a 
thousand  insults,  my  infernal  drivers  hastened  me  along,  faster  than  my  strength  would  admit  in  the  extreme 
heat  of  the  day,  weakened  as  I  was  by  my  wounds  and  the  loss  of  blood,  which,  at  a  moderate  computation, 
could  not  be  less  than  one  quart.  And  when  I  failed,  in  some  degree,  through  faintness,  he  would  strike 
me  on  the  back  with  a  heavy  walking-staff,  and  kick  me  behind  with  his  foot.  At  length,  by  the  support- 
ing power  of  God,  I  arrived  at  the  Green,  New  Haven.  But  my  life  was  almost  spent,  the  world  around 
me  several  times  appearing  as  dark  as  midnight.  I  obtained  leave  of  an  officer  to  be  carried  into  the  Widow 
Lyman's  and  laid  upon  a  bed,  where  I  lay  the  rest  of  the  day  and  succeeding  night,  in  such  acute  and  ex- 
cruciating pain  as  I  never  felt  before." 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  42, 


Conduct  of  the  Enemy.  People  on  East  Rock.  Evacuation  by  the  British.  Destruction  of  Fairticld. 

itants  with  bombardment.  At  the  bridge  over  Neck  Creek  (Tomlinson's  Bridge)  the  Amer- 
icans made  some  resistance  with  a  field  piece,  but  were  soon  obliged  to  yield  to  superior 
numbers  and  discipline.  Before  night  the  town  was  completely  possessed  by  the  invaders. 
Throughout  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  night  the  soldiery  committed  many  excesses  and 
crimes,  plundering  deserted  houses,  ravishing  unprotected  women,  and  murdering  several 
citizens,  among  whom  were  the  venerable  Mr.  Beers,  and  an  aged  and  helpless  man  named 
English. 

The  general  movements  of  the  enemy  through  the  day  could  be  seen  by  the  fugitive  in- 
habitants on  East  Pvock,  and  gloomy  indeed  was  the  night  they  passed  there.  Families 
were  separated,  for  the  men  were  generally  mustering  from  all  parts  of  the  adjacent  country 
to  expel  the  enemy.  Anxiously  their  hearts  beat  for  kindred  then  in  peril,  and  eagerly  their 
eyes  were  turned  toward  their  homes,  in  momentary  expectation  of  beholding  them  in  flames. 

It  was  Garth's  intention  to  burn  the  town.  He  declared,  in  a  note  to  Tryon,  that  the 
"  conflagration  it  so  richly  deserved  should  commence  as  soon  as  he  should  secure  the  Neck 
Bridge."  But  during  the  night  he  changed  his  mind.  Early  on  Sunday  morning.^  „  j^jy  7_ 
perceiving  the  militia  collecting  in  large  numbers,  he  called  in  his  guards,  and  re-  ^^^''• 
treated  to  his  boats.  Part  of  his  troops  went  on  board  the  ships,  and  part  crossed  over  to 
East  Haven,  where  they  joined  Tryon's  division.  Toward  that  point  the  militia  now  di- 
rected their  attention.  In  the  afternoon,  finding  himself  hard  pressed  by  the  citizen  soldiers 
that  were  flocking  to  New  Haven  from  the  adjacent  country,  Tryon  ordered  a  retreat  to  the 
shipping.  Several  buildings  and  some  vessels  and  stores  were  set  on  fire  at  East  Haven 
when  they  left.  At  five  o'clock  the  fleet  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  westward,  carrying 
away  about  forty  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town. 

The  appetite  of  Tryon  and  his  troops  for  pillage  and  murder  was  not  sated  when,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  7th,  they  embarked  from  Fort  Rock,  now  Fort  Hale.'  Sailing  down  the 
Sound,  they  anchored  off  the  village  of  Fairfield  on  the  morning  of  the  8th.  After  a  fog 
that  lay  upon  the  waters  had  cleared  away,  they  landed  a  little  eastward  of  Kensie's  Point, 
at  a  place  called  the  Pines,  and  marched  immediately  to  the  village.  Dr.  Tirnothy  Dwight 
has  given  a  graphic  description  of  the  destruction  of  the  town.  "  On  the  7th  of  July,  1779," 
he  says,  "  Governor  Tryon,  with  the  army  I  have  already  mentioned,  sailed  from  New  Haven 
to  Fairfield,  and  the  next  morning  disembarked  upon  the  beach.  A  few  militia  assembled 
to  oppose  them,  and,  in  a  desultory,  scattered  manner,  fought  with  great  intrepidity  through 
most  of  the  day.  They  killed  some,  took  several  prisoners,  and  wounded  more.  But  the 
expedition  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected,  that  eflbrts  made  in  this  manner  were  necessarily 
fruitless.  The  town  was  plundered  ;  a  great  part  of  the  houses,  together  with  two  churches, 
the  court-house,  jail,  and  school-houses,  were  burned.  The  barns  had  just  been  filled  with 
wheat  and  other  produce.  The  inhabitants,  therefore,  were  turned  out  into  the  world  al- 
most literally  destitute. 

"  Mrs.  Burr,  the  wife  of  Thaddeus  Burr,  Esq.,  high  sheriff  of  the  county,  resolved  to  con 
tinue  in  the  mansion-house  of  the  flimily,  and  make  an  attempt  to  save  it  from  conflagration 
The  house  stood  at  a  suflScient  distance  from  other  buildings.  Mrs.  Burr  was  adorned  with 
all  the  qualities  which  give  distinction  to  her  sex  ;  possessed  of  fine  accomplishments,  and  a 
dignity  of  character  scarcely  rivaled  ;  and  probably  had  never  known  what  it  was  to  be 
treated  with  disrespect,  or  even  with  inattention.  She  made  a  personal  application  to  Gov- 
ernor Tryon,  in  terms  which,  from  a  lady  of  her  high  respectability,  could  hardly  have  failed 
of  a  satisfactory  answer  from  any  person  who  claimed  the  title  of  a  gentleman.  The  answer 
which  she  actually  received  was,  however,  rude  and  brutal,  and  spoke  the  vi'ant.  not  only 
of  politeness  and  humanity,  but  even  of  vulgar  civility.  The  house  was  sentenced  to  the 
flames,  and  was  speedily  set  on  fire.      An  attempt  was  made  in  the  mean  time,  by  some 

'  Fort  Hale  is  situated  upon  an  insulated  rock,  two  miles  from  the  end  of  Long  Wharf,  New  Haven.  1; 
was  named  in  honor  of  Captain  Nathan  Hale,  one  of  the  early  Revolutionary  martyrs.  The  Americans  had 
a  battery  of  three  guns  upon  this  point,  which  greatly  annoyed  the  enemy  when  landing 


426  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Dwight's  Account  of  the  Destruction  of  Fairfield.         Tryon's  Apology.         Extent  of  the  Destruction.         The  Buckley  House. 

of  the  soldiery,  to  rob  her  of  a  valuable  watch,  with  rich  furniture  ;  for  Governor  Tryon  re- 
fused to  protect  her,  as  well  as  to  preserve  the  house.  The  watch  had  been  already  con- 
veyed out  of  their  reach  ;  but  the  house,  filled  with  every  thing  which  contributes  either  to 
comfort  or  elegance  of  living,  was  laid  in  ashes. 

"  While  the  town  was  in  flames  a  thunder-storm  overspread  the  heavens,  just  as  night 
came  on.  The  conflagration  of  near  two  hundred  houses  illumined  the  earth,  the  skirts  of 
the  clouds,  and  the  waves  of  the  Sound  with  a  union  of  gloom  and  grandeur  at  once  inex- 
pressibly awful  and  magnificent.  The  sky  speedily  was  hung  with  the  deepest  darkness 
wherever  the  clouds  were  not  tinged  by  the  melancholy  luster  of  the  flames.  The  thunder 
rolled  above.  Beneath,  the  roaring  of  the  fires  filled  up  the  intervals  with  a  deep  and  hol- 
low sound,  which  seemed  to  be  the  protracted  murmur  of  the  thunder  reverberated  from  one 
end  of  heaven  to  the  other.  Add  to  this  convulsion  of  the  elements,  and  these  dreadful  ef 
fects  of  vindictive  and  wanton  devastation,  the  trembling  of  the  earth,  the  sharp  sound  of 
muskets  occasionally  discharged,  the  groans  here  and  there  of  the  wounded  and  dying,  and 
the  shouts  of  triumph  ;  then  place  before  your  eyes  crowds  of  the  miserable  sufierers,  min- 
gled with  bodies  of  the  militia,  and  from  the  neighboring  hills  taking  a  farewell  prospect  of 
their  property  and  their  dwellings,  their  happiness  and  their  hopes,  and  you  will  form  a  just, 
but  imperfect,  picture  of  the  burning  of  Fairfield.  It  needed  no  great  effort  of  imagination 
to  believe  that  the  final  day  had  arrived,  and  that,  amid  this  funereal  darkness,  the  morning 
would  speedily  dawn  to  which  no  night  would  ever  succeed  ;  the  graves  yield  up  their  in- 
habitants ;   and  the  trial  commence,  at  which  was  to  be  finally  settled  the  destiny  of  man. 

"The  apology  made  by  Governor  Tryon  for  this  Indian  effort  was  conveyed  in  the  follow- 
ing sentence  :  '  The  village  was  burned,  to  resent  the  fire  of  the  rebels  from  their  houses,  and 
to  mask  our  retreat.'  This  declaration  unequivocally  proves  that  the  rebels  were  trouble- 
some to  their  invaders,  and  at  the  same  time  is  to  be  considered  as  the  best  apology  which 
they  are  able  to  make.  But  it  contains  a  palpable  falsehood,  intended  to  justify  conduct 
which  admits  of  no  excuse,  and  rejects  with  disdain  every  attempt  at  palliation.  Why  did 
this  body  of  men  land  at  Fairfield  at  all  ?  There  were  here  no  stores,  no  fortress,  no  ene- 
my, except  such  as  were  to  be  found  in  every  village  throughout  the  United  States.  It  was 
undoubtedly  the  original  object  of  the  expedition  to  set  fire  to  this  town,  and  the  apology  was 
created  after  the  work  was  done.  It  was  perfectly  unnecessary  to  mask  the  retreat.  The 
townsmen,  and  the  little  collection  of  farmers  assembled  to  aid  them,  had  no  power  to  dis- 
turb it.  No  British  officer,  no  British  soldier  would  confess  that,  in  these  circumstances,  he 
felt  the  least  anxiety  concerning  any  molestation  ^.-.3E=a^ 

from  such  opposers.      The  next  morning  the  troops  -i^  ~  ~~"^"°^  "'        r 

re-embarked,  and,  proceeding  to  Green's  Farms,  set  ^^^j^         ^ 

fire  to  the  church  and  consumed  it,  together  with 
fifteen  dwelling-houses,  eleven  barns,  and  several 
stores."' 

The  Hessians  who  accompanied  Tryon  were  his 
incendiaries.  To  them  he  intrusted  the  wielding 
of  the  torch,  and  faithfully  they  obeyed  their  master. 
When  the  people  fled  from  the  town,  not  expecting 
that  their  houses  would  be  burned,  thev  left  most  .„     ~ 

.  ,    ,  .     .         _,,  .  ''  The  Buckley  Hcusk.-* 

01  their  furniture  behind.  The  distress  was  conse- 
quently great,  for  many  lost  every  earthly  possession.      Among  the  buildings  saved  was  that 

*  Dwight's  Travels  in  New  England,  iii.,  512.  According  to  a  document  in  the  ofRce  of  the  Secretary 
of  State  of  Connecticut,  the  number  of  buildings  desti'oyed  was  ninety-seven  dwellings,  sixty-seven  barns, 
forty-eight  stores,  two  school-houses,  one  county-house,  two  meeting-houses,  and  one  Episcopal  Church. 

^  This  building  stood  upon  the  eastern  side  of  the  Green,  fronting  the  church.  It  was  demolished  three 
or  four  years  ago,  having  stood  more  than  a  century  and  a  half.  The  engraving  is  a  copy,  by  permission 
of  the  author,  from  Barber's  Historical  Collectio7is  of  Connecticut,  page  353.  Tryon  lodged  in  the  upper 
room  on  the  right  of  the  main  building. 


I 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  427 


Treatment  of  Mrs.  Buckley.  Interference  of  General  Silliman.  Humphreys's  Elegy  on  the  Burning  of  Fairtield 

of  Mr.  Buckley,  pictured  in  the  engraving.  Tryon  made  it  his  head-quarters.  The  navai 
officer  who  had  charge  of  the  British  ships,  and  piloted  them  to  Fairfield,  was  Mrs.  Buckley's 
brother,  and  he  had  requested  Tryon  to  spare  the  house  of  his  sister.  Tryon  acquiesced,  and, 
feeling  his  indebtedness  to  her  brother,  the  general  informed  Mrs.  Buckley  that  if  there  was 
any  other  house  she  wished  to  save  she  should  be  gratified.  After  the  enemy  left,  the  en- 
raged militia,  under  Captain  Sturges,  placed  a  field  piece  in  front  of  the  dwelling,  and  then 
sent  Mrs  Buckley  word  that  she  might  have  two  hours  to  clear  the  house,  and  leave  it,  or 
they  would  blow  her  to  atoms.  She  found  means  to  communicate  a  notice  of  her  situation 
to  General  Silliman,  who  was  about  two  miles  distant.  lie  immediately  went  to  the  town, 
and  found  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  at  the  cannon.  By  threats  and  persuasion  he  induced 
them  to  withdi-aw.  The  next  day  Colonel  Benjamin  Tallmadge,  with  his  regiment,  ar- 
rived from  White  Plains,  and,  encamping  on  the  smoking  ruins,  made  Tryon's  quarters 
his  own.' 

The  cruelties  committed  upon  helpless  women  and  children,  and  the  wanton  destruction 
of  property,  at  Fairfield,  were  worthy  only  of  savages,  and  made  the  name  of  Tryon  a  syn- 
onym for  every  thing  infernal.  The  passions  of  the  soldiery  were  excited  by  strong  drink, 
and  murder,  pillage,  and  brutal  violence  to  women  were  their  employment  throughout  the 
night.  Like  similar  outrages  elsewhere,  these  awakened  the  strongest  feelings  of  hatred  and 
revenge  against  the  common  enemy,  and  the  pen,  the  pulpit,  and  the  forum  sent  forth  their 
righteous  denunciations.  Colonel  David  Humphreys,  the  soldier-poet  of  the  Revolution, 
visited  the  scene  of  destruction  soon  after  the  event,  and  wrote  the  following  elegy  while  on 
the  spot • 

"  Ye  smoking  ruins,  marks  of  hostile  ire, 

Ye  ashes  warm,  which  drink  the  tears  that  flow, 
Ye  desolated  plains,  my  voice  inspire, 

And  give  soft  music  to  the  song  of  woe. 
How  pleasant,  Fairfield,  on  the  enraptured  sight 

Rose  thy  tall  spires  and  oped  thy  social  halls ! 
How  oft  my  bosom  beat  with  pure  delight 

At  yonder  spot  where  stand  thy  darken'd  walls  ! 
But  thei'e  the  voice  of  mirth  resounds  no  more. 

A  silent  sadness  through  the  streets  prevails ; 
The  distant  main  alone  is  heard  to  roar, 

The  hollow  chimneys  hum  with  sudden  gales — 
Save  where  scorch'd  elms  the  untimely  foliage  shed, 

Which,  rustling,  hovers  round  the  faded  green — 
Save  where,  at  twilight,  mourners  frequent  tread, 

Mid  recent  graves,  o'er  desolation's  scene. 
How  changed  the  blissful  prospect  when  compared, 

These  glooms  funereal,  with  thy  former  bloom. 
Thy  hospitable  rights  when  Tryon  shared, 

Long  ere  he  seal'd  thy  melancholy  doom. 
That  impious  wretch  with  coward  voice  decreed 

Defenseless  domes  and  hallow'd  fanes  to  dust ; 
Beheld,  with  sneering  smile,  the  wounded  bleed, 

And  spurr'd  his  bands  to  rapine,  blood,  and  lusl. 
Vain  was  the  widow's,  vain  the  orphan's  cry, 

To  touch  his  feelings  or  to  soothe  his  rage — 
Vain  the  fair  drop  that  roU'd  from  beauty's  eye, 

Vain  the  dumb  grief  of  supplicating  age. 
Could  Tryon  hope  to  quench  the  patriot  flame, 

Or  make  his  deeds  survive  in  glory's  page  ? 
Could  Britons  seek  of  savages  the  same, 

Or  deem  it  conquest  thus  the  war  to  wage  ? 

'  Mrs.  Buckley  was  not  a  friend  of  the  enemy.  According  to  her  testimony,  under  oath,  she  was  badJT 
treated  by  the  soldiery,  notwithstanding  she  had  a  protection  from  General  Garth,  the  second  in  command. 
They  plundered  her  house,  stripped  her  buckles  from  her  shoes,  tore  a  ring  from  her  finger,  and  fired  the 
house  five  times  before  leaving  it. — See  Hinman's  Historical  Collections,  p.  620. 


428  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Tryon"8  Retreat  from  Fail-field.        Journey  resumed.         Return  to  New  Haven.         Visit  to  West  Bridge  and  other  Localities 

Yes.  Britons  scorn  the  councils  of  the  ski<is, 

Extend  wide  havoc,  spurn  the  insulted  foes ; 
The  insulted  foes  to  ten-fold  vengeance  rise, 

Resistance  growing  as  the  danger  grows. 
Red  in  their  wounds,  and  pointing  to  the  pla.in^ 

The  visionary  shapes  before  nie  stand ; 
The  thunder  bursts,  the  battle  burns  again, 

And  kindling  fires  encrimson  all  the  strand. 
Long,  dusky  wreaths  of  smoke,  reluctant  driven, 

In  black'ning  volumes  o'er  the  landscape  bend  : 
Here  the  broad  splendor  blazes  high  to  heaven. 

There  umber'd  streams  in  purple  pomp  ascend. 
In  fiery  eddies  round  the  tott'ring  walls, 

Emitting  sparks,  the  lighter  fragments  fly , 
V  uh  frightful  crash  the  burning  mansion  falls, 

The  works  of  years  in  glowing  embers  lie. 
Tryon,  behold  thy  sanguine  flames  aspire. 

Clouds  tinged  with  dies  intolerably  bright : 
Behold,  well  pleased,  the  village  wrapp'd  in  fire, 

Let  one  wide  ruin  glut  thy  ravish'd  sight ! 
Ere  fades  the  grateful  scene,  indulge  thine  e)''es. 

See  age  and  sickness  tremulously  slow 
Creep  from  the  flames.     See  babes  in  torture  die, 

And  mothers  swoon  in  agonies  of  woe. 
Go,  gaze  enraptured  with  the  mother's  tear. 

The  infant's  terror,  and  the  captive's  pain ; 
Where  no  bold  bands  can  check  thy  cursed  career, 

Mix  fire  with  blood  on  each  unguarded  plain ! 
These  be  thy  triumphs,  this  thy  boasted  fame  ! 

Daughters  of  mem'ry,  raise  the  deathless  song, 
Repeat  through  endless  3'ears  his  hated  name. 

Embalm  his  crimes,  and  teach  the  world  our  wrong." 

Large  numbers  of  militia  had  collected  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fairfield  on  the  morning  of 
the  9th,  and  at  eight  o'clock  Tryon  sounded  a  retreat  to  the  shipping.  His  troops  were 
galled  very  much  by  the  militia,  and  it  was  noon  before  all  were  embarked.  At  three  in 
the  afternoon  they  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  over  to  Huntington,  Long  Island,  whence 
ihey  made  a  descent  upon,  and  destroyed,  Norwalk. 

We  will  close  the  record  and  hasten  from  the  mountain,  for 

"  'Tis  Sabbath  morn,  and  lingering  on  the  gale 
The  mellow'd  peals  of  the  sweet  bells  arise. 
Floating  where'er  the  restless  winds  prevail. 
Laden  with  incense  and  with  harmonies," 

and  inviting  me  back  to  the  city  and  the  open  sanctuary.  I  arrived  in  time  for  a  luncheon 
breakfast,  and  to  listen  to  an  eloquent  sermon  in  Trinity  Church  on  the  College  Green,  from 
a  stripling  deacon  who  had  just  taken  orders.  The  afternoon  was  warm  and  lowery,  the 
rain  came  pattering  down  in  the  evening,  and  the  next  morning  a  nor'easter  was  piping  its 
melancholy  notes  among  the  stately  elms  of  the  city,'  while  the  rain  poured  as  if  Aquarius 
had  overturned  his  water-jar. 

There  was  a  lull  in  the  storm  about  nine  o'clock,  and,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Barber,  the 
artist-author,  in  a  covered  wagon,  I  visited  some  of  the  points  of  interest  about  the  city.  We 
first  rode  to  the  West  Bridge  on  West  River,  near  which  the  Americans  made  their  first 
stand  against  General  Garth,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  dash  of  rain  made  the  sketch  on 
page  423.  Returning  to  the  city,  we  visited  the  dwelling  of  Arnold,  Neck  Bridge,  and  the 
Cemetery.  In  the  latter,  a  large  and  beautiful  "  city  of  the  dead,"  lie  many  illustrious 
remains,  among  which  are  those  of  Colonel  David  Humphreys,  one  of  Washington's  aids. 

'  The  fine  elms  which  shade  the  public  square  and  vicinity  were  planted  by  the  Rev.  David  Austin  and 
Hon.  James  Hillhouse.  They  are  the  pride  of  New  Haven,  and  have  conferred  upon  it  the  title  of  The  city 
of  Ehiis. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


429 


The  Cemetery.  Humphreys's  Monument.  The  Grave  of  Arnold's  Wife.  Her  Character.  Culoncl  Humphreys. 

They  lie  near  the  southwestern  part  of  the  Cemetery,  and  over  them  stands  a  fine  monument 
consistingof  a  granite  obehsk  and  pedestal,  about  twelve  feet  in  height. 
Upon  two  tablets  of  copper,  inserted  in  the  pedestal,  is  the  following 
inscription,  written  by  his  friend,  the  author  of  M-Fingal  :  "  Divvid 
Humphreys,  LL.D.,  Acad.  Scient.  Philad.,  Mass.,  et  Connect.,  et  in 
Anglia  Aquae  Solis,  et  Regia3  Societat.  Socius.  Patriic  et  libertatis 
amore  ac  census,  juvenis  vitam  reipub.  integram  consecravit.  Patri- 
am  armis  tuebatur,  consiliis  auxit,  Uteris  exornavit,  apud  exteras  gen- 
tes  Concordia  stabilivit.  In  bello  gerendo  maximi  ducis  Washington 
administer  et  adjutor  ;  in  exercitu  patrio  Chiliarchus  ;  in  republica 
Connecticutensi,  militum  evocatorum  impcrator  ;  ad  aulam  Lusitan. 
et  Hispan.  legatus.  Iberia  reversus  natale  solum  vellere  vere  aureo 
ditavit.  In  Historia  et  Poesi  scriptor  eximius  ;  in  artibus  et  scien- 
tiis  excolendis,  quae  vel  decori  vel  usui  inserviunt,  optimus  ipse  et 
patronus  et  exemplar.  Omnibus  demum  officiis  expletis,  cursuq  ; 
vitae  fehciter  peracto,  fato  cessit.  Die  x.xi.  Februar.,  Anno  Domini 


UUSfPHIUfys'S  MONUMJS.VT. 


MDCCcxvm. ;   cum    annos 
vixisset  Lxv."' 

In  the  northeast  sec- 
tion of  the  Cemetery  is  a 
dark  stone,  neatly  carved 
with  an  ornamental  bor- 
der, sacred  to  the  memory 
of  Margaret,  the  first  wife 
of  Benedict  Arnold,  who 
died  on  the  19th  of  June, 
1775,  while  her  husband 
was  upon  Lake  Chara- 
piain.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Mansfield,  and  by 
her  Arnold  had 
three  sons.  She 
was  thirty-one 
years  old  when 
she   died.      She 


is  represented  as  a  woman 
of  the  most  fervent  piety, 
exalted  patriotism,  gen 
tleness  of  manners,  and 
sweetness  of  disposition. 
These  qualities  are  pow- 
erful checks  upon  unru- 
ly passions,  particularly 
when  exerted  in  the  inti- 
mate relation  of  husband 
and  wife.  Had  she  lived 
until  the  close  of  the 
Pwevolution,  far  different 
might  have  been  the  fate 
of  her  husband, 
for  there  is  lit- 
tle doubt  that 
his  resentments 
aorainst        Con- 


gress and  the  managers  of  military  affairs  for  two  years  previous  to  his  treason  were  fostered 


'  Mr.  Barber  gives  the  following  translation  :  "  David  Humphreys,  doctor  of  laws,  member  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  Massachusetts,  and  Connecticut,  of  the  Bath  [Agricultural  Society]  and  of 
the  Royal  Society  of  London.  Fired  with  the  love  of  country  and  of  liberty,  he  consecrated  his  youth  wholly 
to  the  service  of  the  republic,  which  he  defended  by  his  arms,  aided  by  his  counsels,  adorned  by  his  learning, 
and  preserved  in  harmony  with  foreign  nations.  In  the  field  he  was  the  companion  and  aid  of  the  great 
Washington,  a  colonel  in  the  array  of  his  country,  and  commander  of  the  veteran  volunteers  of  Connecticut. 
He  went  embassador  to  the  courts  of  Portugal  and  Spain,  and,  returning,  enriched  his  native  land  with  the 
true  golden  fleece.*  He  was  a  distinguished  historian  and  poet ;  a  model  and  a  patron  of  science,  and  of 
the  ornamental  and  useful  arts.  After  a  full  discharge  of  every  duty,  and  a  life  well  spent,  he  died  on  the 
21st  day  of  FcbruaVy,  1818,  aged  sixty-five  years."  To  complete  the  brief  biography  jriven  in  this  inscriji- 
tion,  I  will  add  that  Colonel  Humphreys  was  born  in  Derby,  Connecticut,  in  1753,  and  jrradiiated  at  Yale 
College  in  1771.  He  soon  afterward  went  to  reside  with  Colonel  Phillips,  of  Phillips's  ISIanor,  Xcw  York. 
He  joined  the  Continental  army,  and  in  1778  was  one  of  General  Putnam's  aids,  with  the  rank  of  maior. 
Woishington  appointed  him  his  aid  in  1780,  and  he  remained  in  the  military  family  of  the  chief  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  For  his  valor  at  Yorktown,  Congress  honored  hina  with  a  sword.  He  accompanied  Jeflerson 
to  Paris,  as  secretary  of  legation,  in  1784.  Kosciusko  accompanied  them.  Ho  was  a  member  of  the  Leg- 
islature of  Connecticut  in  1786,  and  about  that  time  he,  Barlow,  and  Hopkins  wrote  the  Anarchiad.     From 


•  Thi3  U  in  allusion  to  the  fact  that  Colonel  Humphreys  was  the  man  who  introJurcd  mrriiw  ihtep  into  the  United  States. 
K-nt  over  from  Spain  4  fleck  of  ane  hundred  in  leOL 


430 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Arnold's  Disaffection. 


Dr.  Eneas  Munson. 


Death  of  Colonel  Scammell. 


Hia  Epitaph  by  Humphreys. 


by  his  intercourse  with  the  Tory  friends  of  his  second  wife,  Margaret  Shippen,  of  Philadel 
phia.  Indeed,  the  LoyaUsts  claimed  him  for  a  friend  as  early  as  December,  1778.  Charles 
Stewart,  writing  to  Joseph  Galloway,  said,  "  General  Arnold  is  in  Philadelphia.      It  is  sai(? 


that  he  will  be 
discharged,  being 
thought  a  pert  To- 
ry. Certain  it  is 
that  he  associates 
mostly  with  these 
people." 

On   leaving   the 
Cemetery,  we  call- 
ed upon  the  venera- 
ble Eneas  Munson, 
M.D.,    a    vigorous 
relic  of  the  Revo- 
lution.     He  lived 
until  August,  1852, 
when     more    than 
eighty-nine  yeais  ol 
age.      He  was  Dr. 
Thacher's  assistant 
in  the  Continental 
army,  and  was  pres- 
ent at  the  siege  of 
Yorktown  and  the 
surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis,   in  October, 
1781.       He     was 
then   a  surgeon  in 
Colonel  Scammell's 
regiment,  which,  in 
that  action,  was  at- 
tached to   General 
Hamilton's  brigade. 
During    the    siege 
Colonel  Scammell  wa& 
shot  by  a  Hessian  cavalry 
officer,  while  reconnoitering 
a  small  redoubt  on  a  point 
of  land  which  had  been  al- 
ternately in  possession  of  the 
Americans  and  British.      It 
was  just   at  twilight,   and, 
while  making  careful  observ- 


ations, two  Hes- 
sian horsemen  came 
suddenly  upon  him, 
and  presented  their 
pistols.  Perceiving 
that  there  was  no 
chance  for  escape, 
he  surrendered,  say- 
ing, "  Gentlemen,  I 
am  your  prisoner." 
Either  because  they 
did  not  understand 
his  words,  or  actu- 
ated by  that  want 
of  humanity  which 
generally  charac- 
terized those  merce^ 
naries,  one  of  them 
fired,  and  wounded 
the  colonel  mortal- 
ly. He  was  car- 
ried to  Williams- 
burg, and  Dr.  Mun- 
son was  the  first 
surgeon  in  attend- 
ance upon  him. 
He  died  there  on 
the  6th  of  Octo- 
ber. Colonel  Hum- 
phreys (to  whose 
regiment  Dr.  Mun- 
son was  attached 
after  the  death  of 
Scammell)  wrote 
the  following  poetic  epi- 
/  taph  for  the  tomb  of  his 
friend.  I  do  not  know 
whether  the  lines  were  ever 
inscribed  upon  marble,  or  re- 
corded by  the  pen  of  history. 


.r'<^. 


by  Dr.  Munson,  and  I  give 
them  as  a  memorial  of  a  brave  and  accomplished  officer  of  the  Revolution. 

1788  until  he  was  appointed  minister  to  Portutral,  in  1790,  he  resided  with  Washington  at  Mount  "Vernon. 
He  was  appointed  minister  plenipotentiary  to  Spain  in  1794;  married  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  English 
gentleman  at  Lisbon  in  1797  ;  returned  in  1801,  and  for  ten  years  devoted  his  time  to  agriculture.  In  1812 
lie  took  the  command  of  the  militia  of  Connecticut.  His  death  was  sudden,  caused  by  an  organic  disease 
ol  the  heart.  His  literary  attainments  were  considerable.  Besides  several  poems,  he  wrote  some  political 
pamphlets ;  and  in  1788,  while  at  Mount  Vernon,  completed  a  life  of  Putnam,  a  large  portion  of  the  mate- 
rial of  which  he  received  from  the  lips  of  the  veteran. 

'  This  ponrait  is  from  a  Daguerreotype  kindly  lent  me  by  Dr.  Munson,  with  pel-mission  to  copy  it 


i 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  431 


Nathan  Beera.  Vale  College.  Ita  political  Character  in  the  Revolution.  A  Tory  Student 

"What  though  no  friend  could  ward  thine  earlv  fall, 
Nor  guardian  angels  turn  the  treacherous  hall ; 
Bless'd  shade,  be  soothed  !      Thy  virtues  all  are  known — 
Thy  fame  shall  last  beyond  this  mouldering  stone, 
Which  coniiuering  arniits,  from  their  toils  return, 
Read  to  thy  glory  while  thy  fate  they  mourn." 

A  drawing  of  the  place  where  Scammell  was  killed,  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  that  o/H- 
cer,  are  given  in  the  notice  of  my  visit  to  Yorktown.     Dr.  Muusoii  died  in  Octoljor,  18.12. 

A  few  doors  from  Dr.  Munson,  in  the  same  street,  lived  the  almost  centenarian,  Nathan 
Beers,  who  was  paymaster  in  Scammell's  regiment  at  Yorktown.  He  was  ninety-si.x  years 
old,  and  completely  demented ;   second  childhood,  with  all  its  trials  for  the  subject  and  his 

friends,  was  his  lot ;  yet  did  I  look  with  rev- 

/y- "yo  ^  erence  upon  that  thin  visage  and  "  lack-luster 

///  -YyT^  /jA  jf  p^yy^    '^Ve,"  where  once  were  indices  of  a  noble  mind 

\y  1/  CU/ih^ryr^      ^^  '^  4yc^      y,\W-{xx,.      A  truer  patriot  never  drew  blade  for 

„„    —  his  country,  and,  above  all,  he  was  "  an  honest 

SiGNATUitE  or  Nathan  Beers  at  90.  1 

man,  the  noblest  work  of  God."  For  years 
he  struggled  with  the  misfortunes  of  life,  and  became  involved  in  debt.  At  length  Congress 
made  a  decision  in  his  favor  respecting  a  claim  for  a  pension  as  paymaster  in  the  Continental 
army,  and  arrearages  amounting  to  some  thousands  of  dollars  were  awarded  him.  There 
was  enough  to  give  him  a  competence  in  his  old  age,  but  even  this  reward  for  public  serv- 
ices he  handed  over  to  his  creditors.  He  has  since  gone  to  receive  the  final  recompense  of 
the  patriot  and  Christian.      He  died  on  the  10th.  of  February,  1849,  aged  almost  98. 

After  a  short  visit  to  the  Trumbull  Gallery  of  Paintings  and  the  Libraiy  of  Yale  College,'  I 
returned  to  my  lodgings,  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  departed  in  the  cars  for  Hartford. 

'  Yale  College,  aside  from  its  intrinsic  worth  as  a  seminary  of  learning,  i*  remarkable  for  the  great  num- 
ber of  the  leading  men  of  the  Revolution  who  were  educated  within  its  walls.  That  warm  and  consistent 
patriot,  President  Daggett,  gave  a  political  tone  to  the  establishment  favorable  to  the  republican  cause,  and 
it  was  regarded  as  the  nursery  of  Whig  principles  during  the  Revolution.  When  New  Haven  was  invaded 
by  Tryon,  Yale  College  was  marked  for  special  vengeance,  but,  as  we  have  seen,  the  invaders  retreated  hast- 
ily without  burning  the  town.  There  were  very  few  among  the  students,  during  our  war  for  independence, 
who  were  imbued  with  Tory  principles,  and  they  were  generally,  if  known,  rather  harshly  dealt  with. 

One  instance  may  suffice  to  show  the  spirit  of  the  times.  In  June,  1775,  a  student  named  Abiather  Camp 
was  reported  unfriendly  to  Congress.  A  committee  of  investigation  was  appointed,  who  wrote  a  very  polite 
note  to  the  young  gentleman,  setting  forth  the  charges  made  against  him,  and  demanding  an  explicit  denial, 
if  the  report  was  untrue.     The  young  scape-grace  returned  the  following  answer  : 

"New  Haven,  June  13,  1775. 
"  To  the  Honorable  and  Respectable  Gentlemen  of  the  Committee  now  residing  in  Yale  College  : 
"  May  it  please  your  honors,  ham — ham — ham. 


"  Finis  cumsistula,  popularum  gig — 
A  man  without  a  head  has  no  need  of  a  wig. 


"  Abiather  Camp.' 


The  insulted  committee  resolved  to  advertise  Camp  as  an  enemy  to  his  country,  and  to  treat  him  with  all 
possible  scorn  and  neglect.  Such  advertisement  was  posted  upon  the  hall  door.  He  braved  public  opinion 
until  October,  when  he  recanted,  and  publicly  asked  pardon  for  his  olTenses. 

Yale  College  was  founded  by  ten  principal  ministers  in  the  colony,  who  met  for  the  purpose,  at  New  Ha- 
ven, in  1700.  Each  brought  a  number  of  books  at  their  next  meeting  in  1701,  and,  presenting  them  to  the 
society,  said,  "  I  give  these  books  for  the  founding  of  a  college  in  the  colony."  A  proposition  to  found  a  col- 
lege had  been  named  fifty  years  before.  The  first  commencement  was  held  at  Saybrook,  in  1702.  In  1717 
the  first  college  building  was  erected  in  New  Haven.  It  was  seventy  feet  long  and  twenty-two  wide.  From 
time  to  time  several  liberal  endowments  have  been  made  to  the  institution,  the  earliest  and  most  munificent 
of  which  was  from  Elihu  Yale,  in  whose  honor  the  eoU'ege  was  named.  Among  its  distinguished  benefactors 
were  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Dean  Berkley,  Bishop  Burnet,  Halley,  Edwards,  &c.  The  present  imposing  pile 
was  commenced  in  1750.  Additions  have  been  made  at  diflbrent  times,  and  it  now  consists  of  four  spacious 
edifices,  each  four  stories  high,  one  hundred  and  four  by  forty  feet  on  the  ground ;  a  chapel,  lyceuin,  athe 
neum,  chemical  laboratory,  dining-hall,  and  a  dwelling-house  for  the  president. 


^32  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


New  England  and  its  Associations.  Arrival  at  Hartford.  Continuation  of  the  Storio. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

"  Land  of  the  forest  and  the  rock — 

Of  dark  blue  lake  and  mijrhty  river — 
Of  mountains  rear'd  aloft  to  mock 
The  storm's  career,  the  lightning's  shock : 

My  own  green  land  forever. 

Oh  !  never  may  a  son  of  thine, 
Where'er  his  wandering  steps  incline, 
Forget  the  sky  which  bent  above 
His  childhood  like  a  dream  of  love — 
The  stream  beneath  the  green  hill  flowing — 
The  broad-armed  trees  above  it  growing — 
The  clear  breeze  through  the  foliage  blowing , 
Or  hear,  unmoved,  the  taunt  of  scorn 
Breathed  o'er  the  brave  New  England  born." 

Whittier. 


'^ 


LTIlOtJGH  much  of  the  soil  of  New  England  is  rough  and  sterile,  and  labor 
— hard  and  unceasing  labor — is  necessary  to  procure  subsistence  for  its 
teeming  population,  in  no  part  of  our  republic  can  be  found  stronger  birth- 
''^  ■ '       place  attachments.      It  is  no  sentiment  of  recent  growth,  springing  up 
^>  under  the  influence  of  the  genial  warmth  of  our  free  institutions,  but 

ante-dates  our  Revolution,  and  was  prominently  manifest  in  colonial 
times.  This  sentiment,  strong  and  vigorous,  gave  birth  to  that  zealous  patriot- 
ism which  distinguished  the  people  of  the  Eastern  States  during  the  ten  years 
preceding  the  war  for  independence,  and  the  seven  years  of  that  contest.  Repub- 
licanism seemed  to  be  indigenous  to  the  soil,  and  the  people  appeared  to  inhale  the 
air  of  freedom  at  every  breath.  Every  where  upon  the  Connecticut,  and  eastward, 
loyalty  to  the  sovereign — a  commendable  virtue  in  a  people  governed  by  a  right- 
eous prince — was  changed  by  kingly  oppression  into  loyalty  to  a  high  and  holy  prin- 
ciple, and  hallowed,  for  all  time,  the  region  where  it  flourished.  To  a  pilgrim  on  an  errand 
like  mine  the  rough  hills  and  smiling  valleys  of  New  England  are  sanctuaries  for  patriot  wor- 
ship ;  and  as  our  long  train  swept  over  the  sandy  plain  of  New  Haven,  and  coursed  among 
the  hills  of  Wallingford  and  Meriden,  an  emotion  stirred  the  breast  akin  to  that  of  the  Jew 
of  old  when  going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  the  Great  Feast.  A  day's  journey  before  me  was 
Boston — the  city  of  the  pilgrims,  the  nursery  of  liberty  cradled  in  the  May  Flower,  the  first 
altar-place  of  freedom  in  the  Western  World. 

The  storm,  which  had  abated  for  a  few  hours  at  mid-day,  came  do^vn  with  increased  vio- 
lence, and  the  wind-eddies  wrapped  the  cars  in  such  wreaths  of  smoke  from  the  engine,  that 
only  an  occasional  glimpse  of  the  country  could  be  obtained.  It  was  almost  dark  when  we 
October  2  reached  Hartford,  upon  the  Connecticut  River,  thirty-six  miles  northward  of  New 
1848.  Haven  ;  where,  sick  and  weary  from  the  effects  of  exposure  and  fatigue  during  the 
morning,  a  glowing  grate  and  an  "  old  arm-chair"  in  a  snug  room  a,t  the  "  United  States" 
were,  under  the  circumstances,  comforts  which  a  prince  might  covet.  Let  us  close  the  shut- 
ters against  the  impotent  gusts,  and  pass  the  evening  with  the  chroniclers  of  Hartford  and 
its  vicinage. 

Hartford  (Suckiag),  and  Wethersfield,  four  miles  distant,  were  the  earliest  settlements  in 
Connecticut.      In  1633  the  Dutch  fronrs  Nieu  Amsterdam  went  up  the  Connecticut  River, 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


I'irst  Settlement  at  Hartford.    First  Meeting-house  in  Connecticut     Government  organized.     Union  of  New  England  Colonit-a. 

and  established  a  trading-house  and  built  a  small  fort  on  the  south  side  of  the  Mill  River, 
at  its  junction  with  the  Connecticut,  near  the  site  of  Hartford.  The  place  is  still  known  as 
Dutch  Point.  About  the  same  time  William  Holmes  and  others  of  the  Plymouth  colony 
sailed  up  the  Connecticut,  in  a  vessel  having  the  frame  of  a  dwelling  on  board,  and,  landino- 
on  the  west  side,  near  the  present  Windsor,  erected  the  first  house  built  in  Connecticut.  The 
Dutch  threatened  to  fire  on  tlicrn,  but  they  were  allowed  to  pass  by.  In  lG;j'5,  John  Steele 
and  others,  under  the  auspices  of  Pvev.  Thomas  Hooker,  of  Cambridge,  reached  Holmes's  res- 
idence, and  began  a  settlement  near.  Hooker  and  his  wife,  with  about  one  hundred  men, 
women,  and  children  of  his  flock,  left  Cambridge  the  following  year,  and  marched 
through  the  wilderness  westward  to  the  pioneer  settlement,  subsisting,  on  the  journey,  ^^^^ 
upon  the  milk  of  a  herd  of  cows  which  they  drove  before  them.  Over  hills  and  mountains, 
through  thickets  and  marshes,  they  made  their  way,  with  no  guide  but  a  compass,  no  shel- 
ter but  the  heavens  and  the  trees,  no  bed  save  the  bare  earth,  relying  upon  Divine  Provi- 
dence and  their  own  indomitable  perseverance  for  success.  Tiie  first 
house  of  worship  was  erected  the  previous  year,  and  on  the  9lh  of 
July,  1636,  Mr.  Hooker  first  preached,  and  administered  the  holy 
communion  there. 

The  Dutch  looked  upon  the  new-comers  as  intruders,  while  the 
English  settlers  in  turn  regarded  the  Dutch  in  that  light,  because  the 
whole  country  north  of  40°  belonged,  by  chartered  rights,  to  the  Plym- 
outh and  Massachusetts  Companies.      Much  animosity  existed  for  sev- 

1  xi-      T-i    i   1         r     ■        M  1.      -x  J      .Li       1  r  11         1  First  Meeting-house. I 

eral  years,  the  Dutch  retusuig  to  submit  to  the  laws  iramed  by  the 

English  colony,  and  often  threatening  hostilities  against  them.      Finally,  in  1654,  an  order 

arrived  from  Parliament  requiring  the  English  colony  to  regard  the  Dutch,  in  all  respects, 

as  enemies.      In  conformity  to  this  order,  the  Dutch  trading-house,  fort,  and  all  their  lands 

were  sequestered  for  the  benefit  of  the  commonvi'ealth.      The  Dutch  then  withdrew. 

The  first  court,  or  regularly  organized  government,  in  Connecticut,  was  held  at  Hartford 
in  the  spring  of  1636.  The  people  were  under  the  general  government  of  Massachusetts, 
but  M'ere  allowed  to  have  minor  courts  of  their  own,  empowered  to  make  war  or  peace,  and 
form  alliances  with  the  natives  within  the  colony.  The  English  settlement  was  not  fairly 
seated,  before  the  Pequots,  already  mentioned,  disturbed  it  with  menaces  of  destruction. 
The  Pequot  war  ensued  in  1  637,  and,  although  it  involved  the  colony  in  debt,  and  caused  a 
present  scarcity  of  provisions,  it  established  peace  for  many  years,  and  was  ultimately  beneficial. 

In  January,  1639,  a  convention  of  the  free  planters  of  Connecticut  was  held  at  Hartford, 
and  a  distinct  commonwealth  was  formed.  They  adopted  a  constitution  of  civil  government, 
which  was  organized  in  April  following,  by  the  election  of  John  Haynes  governor,  and  six 
magistrates.  In  1642  their  criminal  code,  founded  upon  Jewish  laws  as  developed  in 
the  Scripture,  was  completed  and  entered  on  record.  By  this  code  the  death  penalty  was 
incurred  by  those  guilty  of  worshiping  any  but  the  one  triune  God  ;  of  witchcraft ;  blasphe- 
my ;  willful  murder,  except  in  defense  of  life  ;  man-stealing  ;  false  swearing,  by  which  a 
man's  life  might  be  forfeited  ;  unchastity  of  various  grades  ;  cursing  or  smiting  of  parents 
by  a  child  over  sixteen  years  of  age,  except  when  it  could  be  shown  that  the  child's  training 
had  been  neglected  or  the  parents  were  guilty  of  cruel  treatment ;  and  of  a  stubborn  diso- 
bedience of  parents  by  a  son  over  sixteen  years  of  age. 

The  following  year  the  colonies  of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  Connecticut  (as  Hart- 
ford was  called),  and  New  Haven  confederated  for  their  mutual  safety  and  welfare, 
and  called  themselves  the  United  Colonies  of  New  Englartd.''     Each  colony  was  author- 


'  This  picture  of  the  first  house  for  Christian  worship  erected  in  Connecticut  is  copied  from  Barber's  Hit- 
torical  Collections.     He  obtained  the  drawing  from  an  antiquary  of  Hartford,  and  believes  it  correct. 

'  The  term  New  England  was  first  applied  by  Captain  .Tohn  Smith,  according  to  the  dedicatory  epistle  to 
the  "  First  Sermon  preached  in  New  England"  by  Robert  Cushman.  "  It  was  so  called,"  says  the  address. 
"  because  of  the  resemblance  that  is  in  it  of  England,  the  native  soil  of  Englishmen.  It  being  much  what 
the  same  for  heat  and  cold  in  summer  and  winter,  it  being  champaign  ground,  but  no  high  mountains,  some- 

Ee 


4  34 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Conjunction  ot  New  Haven  and  Connecticut  Colonies.    James  II.     Quo  Warranto.     Governor  Andross.     The  "Charter  Oak.' 


ized  to  send  two  commissioners  to  meet  annually  in  September,  first  at  Boston,  and  then  at 
Hartford,  New  Haven,  and  Plymouth,  with  power  to  make  war  and  peace,  and  enact  fed- 
eral laws  for  the  general  good.  This  union  was  productive  of  great  benefit,  for  it  made  the 
united  settlements  formidable  in  opposition  to  their  enemies,  the  Dutch  and  Indians. 

In  1662,  Charles  II.  granted  a  charter  to  the  Connecticut  colony,  by  which  the  New 
Haven  colony  was  included  within  that  of  the  former.  At  first  there  was  much  dissatisfac- 
tion, but  in  1655  the  two  colonies  joined  in  an  amicable  election  of  officers,  and  chose  John 
Winthrop  for  governor. 

Charles  was  succeeded  by  his  brother  James,  a  bigoted,  narrow-minded,  and  unjust  prince. 
Many  of  his  advisers  were  ambitious  and  unprincipled  men,  scheming  for  the  consolidation 
of  power  in  the  person  of  the  king.  Immediately  on  the  accession  of  James,  they  arranged 
a  plan  for  procuring  a  surrender  of  all  the  patents  of  the  New  England  colonies,  and  form- 
ing the  whole  northern  part  of  America  into  twelve  provinces,  with  a  governor  general  over 
^jy]  the  whole.  Writs  of  quo  warranto  were  accordingly  issued,  a-  requiring  the  several 
1685.  colonies  to  appear,  by  representalives,  before  his  majesty's  council,  to  show  by  what 
right  they  exercised  certain  powers  and  privileges.^  The  colony  of  Connecticut  sent  an  agent 
to  England  with  a  petition  and  remonstrances  to  the  king.  The  mission  was  vain,  for  al- 
ready the  decree  had  gone  forth  for  annulling  the  charters.  Sir  Edmund  Andross  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  governor  general,  and  arrived  at  Boston  in  December,  1686.  He  immedi- 
ately demanded  the  surrender  of  the  charter  of  Connecticut,  and  it  was  refused.      Nearly  a 

year  elapsed,  and  meanwhile  Andross  began  to 
play  the  tyrant.  His  first  fair  promises  to  the 
people  were  broken,  and,  supported  by  royal  au- 
thority, he  assumed  a  dignity  and  importance  al- 
most equal  to  his  master's,  thoroughly  disgusting 
the  colonists. 

In  October,  1687,  he  went  to  Hartford  with 
a  company  of  soldiers  while  the  Assembly  was  in 
session,  and  demanded  an  immediate  surrender  of 
their  charter.  Sir  Edmund  was  received  with 
apparent  respect  by  the  members,  and  in  his  pres- 
ence the  subject  of  his  demand  was  calmly  debat- 
ed until  evening.  The  charter  was  then  brought 
forth  and  placed  upon  the  table  around  which  the 
members  were  sitting.  Andross  was  about  to 
seize  it,  when  the  lights  were  suddenly  extinguish- 
ed.     A  large  concourse  of  people  had  assembled  without,  and  the  moment  the  lights  disap- 

what  like  the  soil  in  Kent  and  Es.sex ;  full  of  dales  and  meadow  grounds,  full  of  rivers  and  sweet  springs, 
as  England  is.  But  principally,  so  far  as  we  can  yet  find,  it  is  an  island,  and  near  about  the  quantity  of 
England,  cut  out  from  the  main  land  in  America,  as  England  is  from  Europe,  by  a  great  arm  of  the  sea, 
which  entereth  in  40°,  and  runneth  up  north  and  west  by  west,  and  goeth  out  either  into  the  South  Sea  or 
else  into  the  Bay  of  Canada.  The  certainty  whereof  and  secrets  of  which  we  have  not  yet  so  found  as  that 
as  eye-witnesses  we  can  make  narration  thereof;  but,  if  God  give  time  and  means,  we  shall,  ere  long,  dis- 
cover both  the  extent  of  that  river,  together  with  the  secrets  thereof,  and  so  try  what  territories,  habitations, 
or  commodities  may  be  found  either  in  it  or  about  it."  This  address  was  written,  and  the  sermon  preached 
at  Plymouth,  in  December,  1621.  By  the  Bay  of  Canada  is  meant  the  St.  Lajvrence,  and  by  the  "great 
arm  of  the  sea."  the  Hudson  River.  The  explorations  of  Hendrick  Hudson  in  1609  seem  not  to  have  been 
known  to  the  worthy  divine,  and  he  imagined  a  connection  between  the  Hudson  and  St.  Lawrence,  by  which 
New  England  was  made  an  island. 

'  A  writ  of  quo  warranto  issues  against  any  person  or  corporation  that  usurps  any  franchise  or  liberty 
against  the  king  without  good  title,  and  is  brought  against  the  usurpers  to  show  by  what  right  and  title 
they  hold  and  claim  such  franchise  and  liberty. — Laio  Dictionary. 

'^  This  venerable  relic  is  still  vigorous,  and  is  a  "  gnarled  oak"  indeed.     It  stands  upon  the  northern  .slope 

Df  the  Wyllys  Hill,  a  beautiful  elevation  on  the  south  side  of  Charter  Street,  a  few  rods  east  of  Main  Street. 

This  engraving  is  from  a  sketch  which  I  made  of  the  tree  from  Charter  Street,  on  the  3d  of  October,  1848. 

omitted  the  picket  fence  in  front,  in  order  to  show  the  appearance  of  the  whole  trunk.     The  opening  of 


U'he  Chabter  Oak.2 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  43^ 


Concealment  of  the  Charter.       Expulsion  of  Andross.      Accident  at  Hartford.      Wasbiogton's  Conference  with  Rochambeau. 

peared  they  raised  a  loud  huzza,  and  several  entered  the  chamber.  Captain  Wadsworth,  of 
Hartford,  seized  the  charter,  and,  unobserved,  carried  it  off  and  deposited  it  in  the  hollow 
trunk  of  a  large  oak-tree  fronting  the  house  of  Hon.  Samuel  Wyllys,  then  one  of  the  magis- 
trates of  that  colony.  The  candles  were  relighted,  quiet  was  restored,  and  Andross  eagerly 
sought  the  coveted  parchment.  It  was  gone,  and  none  could,  or  would,  reveal  its  hidiu"-- 
place.  Sir  Edmund  stormed  for  a  time,  and  threatened  the  colony  with  royal  displeasure  ; 
then  quietly  taking  possession  of  the  government,  he  closed  the  records  of  the  court,  October  3l 
or  Assembly,  with  a  simple  annunciation  of  the  fact.  ^^'■ 

The  administration  of  Andross  was  short.  His  royal  master  was  driven  from  his 
throne  and  country  the  next  year,  and  his  minion  in  America  was  arrested,  and  con-  ''^^ 
fined  in  the  Castle,  near  Boston,  until  February,  1689,  when  he  was  sent  to  England  for 
trial.  Able  jurists  in  England  having  decided  that,  as  Connecticut  had  never  given  up  her 
charter,  it  remained  in  full  force,  the  former  government  was  re-established.  From  that  time 
until  the  Revolution  no  important  events  of  general  interest  occurred  at  Hartford.  A  mel- 
ancholy accident  occurred  there  in  May,  176G,  on  the  occasion  of  rejoicings, because  of  the 
repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  The  day  had  been  spent  in  hilarity.  Bells,  cannons,  and  huz- 
zas had  testified  the  general  and  excessive  joy,  and  great  preparations  were  making  for  bon- 
fires, fire-works,  and  a  general  illumination.  In  the  chamber  of  a  brick  school-house  that 
stood  where  the  Hartford  Hotel  was  afterward  built,  a  number  of  young  men  were  preparing 
fire-works  in  the  evening.  Under  the  house  was  a  quantity  of  gunpowder,  from  "which  the 
militia  had  received  supplies  during  the  day.  The  powder  had  been  scattered  from  the  build- 
ing to  the  street.  Some  boys  accidentally  set  it  on  fire,  and  immediately  the  building  was 
reduced  to  a  ruin  ;   several  of  the  inmates  were  killed,  and  many  badly  wounded. 

The  most  important  occurrences  of  general  interest  at  Hartford,  during  the  Revolution, 
were  the  two  conferences  between  Washington  and  the  Count  de  Rochambeau,  the  com- 
mander of  the  French  army  in  America.  The  first  interview  was  on  the  2 1  st  of  Septem- 
ber, 1780,  the  second  on  the  23d  of  May,  1781.  The  French  fleet,  under  the  command 
of  the  Chevalier  de  Ternay,  conveying  the  troops  sent  to  our  shores  by  Louis  XVI.  of  Franco 
to  aid  us,  arrived  at  Newport  in  July,  1780  ;  and  the  conference  of  Washington  with  Ro- 
chambeau and  Ternay,  in  September  following,  was  to  consult  upon  future  operations.'  This 
interview  resulted  in  the  conclusion  that  the  season  was  too  far  advanced  for  the  allies  to  per- 
form any  thing  of  importance,  and,  after  making  some  general  arrangements  for  the  next  cam- 
paign, Washington  returned  to  his  camp  at  West  Point,  in  the  Hudson  Highlands.  It  was 
during  his  absence  at  Hartford  that  Arnold  attempted  to  surrender  West  Point  and  its  s'lb- 
ordinate  posts  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  second  conference  between  Washington  and  Rochambeau  was  at  Wethersfield,  four 
miles  below  Hartford.      Rochambeau  and  General  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  with 
their  suites,  arrived  at  Harfford  on  the  21st  of  May,  where  they  were  met  by  Wash- 

the  cavity  wherein  the  charter  was  concealed  is  seen  near  the  roots.  The  heavy  wind  that  had  been  blow- 
ing for  thirty  hours  had  stripped  the  tree  of  a  large  portion  of  its  autumnal  leaves,  and  strewn  the  ground 
with  acorns.  The  trunk,  near  the  roots,  is  twenty-five  feet  in  circumference.  A  daughter  of  Secretary 
Wyll3-s,  -WTiting  to  Dr.  Holmes  about  the  year  1800,  says  of  this  oak,  "The  first  inhabitant  of  that  name 
[Wyllys]  found  it  standing  in  the  height  of  its  glory.  Age  seems  to  have  curtailed  its  branches,  yet  it  is 
not  exceeded  in  the  height  of  its  coloring  or  richness  of  its  foliage The  cavity,  which  was  the  asy- 
lum of  our  charter,  was  near  the  roots,  and  large  enough  to  admit  a  child.  Within  the  space  of  eight  years 
that  cavity  has  closed,  as  if  it  had  fulfilled  the  divine  purpose  for  which  it  had  been  reared."  The  cavity 
within  remains  as  larfje  as  anciently,  but  the  orifice  will  hardly  admit  a  hand. 

'  At  that  time  the  French  fleet  was  blockaded  in  Narraganset  Bay  by  a  superior  Engli.sh  squadron.  Ter- 
nay was  quite  dissatisfied  with  his  situation,  and  wrote  very  discouraging  letters  to  the  Count  de  Vergeniies, 
the  French  premier.  In  one  (written  September  10th,  1780),  from  Newport,  he  said,  "Wo  are  actually 
compelled  to  remain  on  a  very  strict  defensive.  The  English  squadron  is  superior  in  number  and  in  every 
other  respect.  The  fate  of  North  America  is  yet  very  uncertain,  and  the  Revolution  is  not  so  far  advanced 
as  it  has  been  believed  in  Europe."  An  account  of  the  negotiations  and  other  circumstances  connected  with 
the  sending  of  troops  from  France  to  aid  in  the  Revolution  will  be  given  in  a  future  chapter,  devoted  to  iho 
subject  of  the  diplomacy  of  the  United  States  during  the  war  for  independence. 


436  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Conference  at  the  Webb  House.  Its  Object.  Junction  of  the  allied  Armies.  Attempt  on  New  York.  Windsor. 

ino'ton,  and  Generals  Knox  and  Du  Portail,  and  their  suites.      The  meeting  was  celebrated 
by  discharges  of  cannon  ;   and,  after  partaking  of  refreshments,  the  officers,  with  several  pri- 
vate gentlemen  as  an  escort,  rode  to  Wethersficld.      Washington  lodged  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
^  Joseph  Webb,'  in  Wethersficld,  and  there  the 

conference  was  held.  The  object  of  the  inter- 
view was  to  concert  a  plan  of  operations  for  the 
ensuing  campaign.  The  minutes  of  the  confer- 
ence are  in  the  form  of  queries  by  Pwochambeau, 
which  were  answered  by  Washington.  The 
conclusion  of  the  matter  was  an  arrangement 
for  the  French  army  to  march  as  speedily  as  pos- 
sible to  the  Hudson  River,  and  form  a  junction 
with  the  American  army  encamped  there,  for 
the  purpose  of  making  a  demonstration  upon  the 
city  of  New  York,  if  practicable.  An  expedi- 
tion southward  seems  to  have  been  proposed  by 
„     ,„      „  the  French  officers,  but  this  idea  was  abandon- 

The  Webb  Housk.^  r>    ,       ,  p    ,  , 

ed  on  account  ol  the  lateness  oi  the  season,  and 

the  danger  to  which  northern  troops  would  be  exposed  in  the  Southern  States  in  summer. 
It  was  also  agreed  to  send  to  the  West  Indies  for  the  squadron,  under  Count  de  Grasse,  to 
.■tail  immediately  to  Sandy  Hook,  and,  forming  a  junction  with  the  fleet  under  Count  de  Bar- 
ras.  confine  Admiral  Arbuthnot  to  New  York  Bay,  and  act  in  concert  with  the  combined 
armies  in  besieging  the  city,  then  the  strong-hold  of  the  enemy.  The  French  troops  con- 
sisted of  about  four  thousand  men,  exclusive  of  two  hundred  that  were  to  be  left  in  charge 
of  stores  at  Providence.  A  circular  letter  was  sent  by  Washington  to  the  Eastern  Legisla- 
tures, and  to  that  of  New  Jersey,  requesting  them  to  supply  as  large  a  quota  of  Continental 
troops  as  possible.  Such  a  force  as  he  felt  sure  could  be  mustered,  Washington  deemed  ade- 
quate to  undertake  the  siege  of  New  York  ;  and,  on  his  return  from  Wethersficld,  he  began 
his  arrangements  for  the  enterprise.  The  two  armies  formed  a  junction  near  Dobbs's  Ferry, 
at  the  beginning  of  July.  After  several  ineffectual  attempts  upon  the  upper  end  of  York 
Island,  circumstances  caused  Washington  to  abandon  the  enterprise.  The  arrival  of  a  re- 
enforcement  for  Clinton  in  New  York,  the  expressed  determination  of  De  Grasse  to  sail  for 
the  Chesapeake,  and  the  peculiar  situation  of  afiliirs  in  Virginia,  where  Cornwallis  and  La 
Fayette  were  operating  against  each  other,  induced  Washington  to  march  south  with  the 
combined  armies.      The  result  wa^  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  capture  of  Cornwallis. 

The  storm  was  raging  as  furiously  as  ever  on  the  morning  after  my  arrival  in  Hartford, 
and  I  abandoned  the  idea  of  visiting  Wethersficld  and  Windsor.^  W^ith  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Pwobbins,  the  librarian  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  I  vis- 

'  ''May  18th.  Set  out  this  day  for  the  interview  at  Wethersficld  with  the  Count  de  Rochambeau  and  Ad- 
miral Barras.  Reached  Morgan's  Tavern,  forty-three  miles  from  Fishkill  Landing,  after  dining  at  Colonel 
Vanderburg's.  19th.  Breakfasted  at  Litchfield,  dined  at  Farmington,  and  lodged  at  Wethersficld.  at  the 
bouse  of  Mr.  Joseph  Webb." — Washington's  Diary.  The  Count  Barras  was  prevented  from  attending  the 
meeting  by  the  appearance  of  a  large  British  fleet,  under  Admiral  Arbuthnot,  off"  Block  Island.  The  resi- 
dence of  Colonel  Vanderburg,  where  Washington  dined,  was  at  Poughquag,  in  Beekman,  Dutchess  county. 

-  This  house  is  still  standing  (1848),  in  the  central  part  of  Wethersfield,  a  few  rods  south  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church.  * 

^  Windsor  is  situated  upon  the  Connecticut,  a  little  above  Hartford,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Farmington  River. 
Here  was  planted  the  first  English  settlement  in  Connecticut,  for  here  the  first  house  was  built.  It  was  the 
egg  from  which  sprang  Hartford  and  the  Connecticut  colon)\  East  Windsor,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Con- 
necticut, has  a  notoriety  in  our  Revolutionary  annals,  on  account  of  its  being,  for  a  short  time,  the  quarters 
of  a  portion  of  the  British  and  Hessian  troops  of  Burgoyne's  captured  army,  on  their  way  to  Boston  ;  also 
as  the  quarters  of  Governor  Franklin,  of  New  Jersey,  and  General  Prescott,  captured  on  Rhode  Island,  while 
prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  The  events  connected  with  the  capture  of  these  two  persons  will 
be  noticed  elsewhere.  They  were  confined,  under  a  strong  guard,  in  the  house  of  Captain  Ebenezer  Grant, 
which,  I  was  told,  is  still  standing,  a  few  rods  south  of  the  Theological  Seminary. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION'. 


437 


Connecticut  Historical  Society.     Dr.  Robbina**  Library.     Brewcter'*  ChesL     The  Pikjrim  Corenant.     Kunes  of  the  Pilgriinf. 

5  ~ 

ited  the  room  of  that  institution,  situated  in  a  fine  edifice  called  the  Wadsicorth  Atheneum. 
This  building  stands  upon  the  site  of  the  old  Wadsworth  Mansion,  the  place  of  Washinsrton's 
first  conference  with  Rochambeau.  The  cordial  welcome  with  which  I  was  received  by  Dr. 
Robbins  was  a  prelude  to  many  kind  courtesies  bestowed  by  him  during  a  visit  of  three  hours. 
He  is  a  venerable  bachelor  of  seventy-two  years,  and,  habited  in  the  style  of  a  gentleman 
fifty  years  ago,  his  appearance  carried  the  mind  back  to  the  time  of  Washington.  The  li- 
brary of  the  society,  valued  at  ten  thousand  dollars,  is  its  property  only  in  prospective  ;  it 
belongs  to  Dr.  Robbins,  who  has,  by  will,  bequeathed  it  to  the  institution  at  his  death.  It 
contains  many  exceedingly  rare  books  and  MSS.,  collected  by  its  intelligent  owner  during  a 
long  life  devoted  to  the  two-fold  pursuits  of  a  Christian  pastor  and  a  man  of  letters.  There 
are  many  historical  curiosities  in  the  librarj'-room,  a  few  of  which  I  sketched.  The  one  in- 
vested with  the  greatest  interest  was  the  chest  of  Elder 
Brewster,  of  the  ilay  Flower,  brought  from  Holland 
in  that  Pilgrim  ship.  Near  it  stood  a  heav)-  iron  pot 
that  belonged  to  Miles  Standish,  the  "  hero  of  New 
England,"  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  Pilgrim 
passengers.  The  chest  is  of  yellow  Norway  pine, 
stained  with  a  color  resembling  London  brown.  Its 
dimensions  are  four  feet  two  inches  long,  one  foot  eight 
inches  broad,  and  two  feet  six  inches  high.  The 
key,  in  size,  has  more  the  appearance  of  one  be- 
longing to  a  prison  than  to  a  clothing  receptacle.  The  chest  is  a  relic  of  much  inter- 
est per  se,  but  a  fact  connected  with  its  historj-  makes  it  an  object  almost  worthy  of 
reverence  to  a  New  Englander,  and,  indeed,  to  every  American.  Well-established 
tradition  asserts  that  the  solemn  wTitten  compact  made  by  the  passengers  of  the  May 
Flower  pre\*ious  to  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  was  drawn  up  and  signed  upon  the 
lid  of  this  chest,  it  being  the  most  convenient  article  at  hand  for  the  purpose.  That 
compact,  brief  and  general,  may  be  regarded  as  the  foundation  of  civil  and  religious  liberty 
in  the  Western  World,  and  was  the  first  instrument  of  civil  government  ever  subscribed  as 
th^  act  of  ths  whole  pc-ople.*     It  was  concoived  in  the  following  terms  : 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  We  whose  names  are  under  written,  the  Loyal  Subjects 
of  our  dread  Sovereign  Lord  King  James,  by  the  Grace  of  God  of  Great  Britain,  France,  and 
Ireland,  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  Sec.  Having  undertaken,  for  the  Glory  of  God  and  the 
advancement  of  the  Christian  Faith,  and  Honor  of  our  King  and  countrj',  a  Voyage  to  plant 

'  The  harbor  (Cape  Cod)  in  which  the  May  Flower  anchored  was  ascertained  to  be  north  of  the  fortieth 
decree  of  latitude,  consequently  the  proposed  landing-place  and  settlement  would  be  beyond  the  jurisdiclioo 
of  the  South  Virjiinia  Corapanv,  from  whom  these  emisrants  had  received  their  charter.  That  instrument 
was,  therefore,  useless.  Some  of  those  who  embarked  from  England  had  intimated  that  they  would  be  un- 
der no  law  when  ashore.  The  majority  of  the  emigrants,  concerned  on  account  of  this  appearance  of  (ac- 
tion, thoueht  proper  to  have  recourse  to  natural  law,  and  resolved  that,  before  disembarkation,  they  should 
enter  into  an  association,  and  bind  themselves  in  a  political  body,  to  be  governed  by  the  majority.  This 
w£is  the  origin  of  the  compact.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  signatures  to  the  instrument :  John  Carver, 
William  Bradford,  Edward  Winslow,  William  Brewster,  Isaac  Allerton,  Miles  Standish.  John  Alden,  Samuel 
Fuller,  Christopher  Martin,  William  MuUins,  William  White,*  Richard  Warren,  John  Rowland.  Stephen 
Hopkins,  Edward  Tilley,  John  Tilley,  Francis  Cook,  Thomas  Rogers,  Thomas  Tinker,  John  Ridgedale,  Ed- 
ward Fuller,  John  Turiier,  Francis  Eaton,  James  Chilton,  John  Crackston.  John  Billington,  Moses  Fletcher. 
John  Goodman,  Degorv  Priest,  Thomas  Williams,  Gilbert  Winslow,  Edward  Margeson,  Peter  Brown,  Rich- 
ard Britteridge,  George  Soule,  Richard  Clarke,  Richard  Gardiner,  John  Allerton,  Thomas  English,  Edward 
Ltoty,  Edward  Leister.  There  were  forty-one  subscribers  to  the  compact,  each  one  placing  opposite  his 
name  the  number  of  his  family.  The  whole  ntunber  of  souls  was  one  hundred  and  one. — See  Moore's  Mem- 
oirs of  American  Governors,  i.,  25. 

•  Just  previous  to  the  landing  of  the  Mgrims,  the  wife  of  William  White  gire  birth  to  •  aon.  the  lint  FngHdi  cUU  born  in 
New  England.  From  the  circumstances  of  hia  birth  he  waa  named  Perezrine.  He  died  at  Manhfield.  July  SSd.  ITOi,  aged  nearly 
eiebty-four  years.  William  White  died  •oon  after  the  aeatin;  of  the  colony,  and  his  widow  married  EUiward  Winslow.  Thi« 
was  the  first  English  marriage  in  New  Elngland.  It  was  a  singular  circumstance  that  Mra.  White  was  the  firat  mother  and  the 
first  bride  in  New  England,  and  mother  of  the  first  natire  governor  of  the  colony,  who  waa  alto  the  aole  bearer  of  the  boeor 
01  conunander-in^hief  of  the  forces  of  the  confederate  colonies. — See  BajUa,  iL,  IS. 


438 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Hand- writing  of  the  Pilgrims. 


Robinson's  short  Sword. 


Ancient  Chair. 


the  first  Colony  in  the  Northern  parts  of  Virginia  ;  Do  by  these  Presents,  solemnly  and  mu- 
tually, in  the  Presence  of"  God,  and  of  one  another,  Covenant  and  Combine  ourselves  togeth- 
er into  a  Civil  body  Politic,  for  our  better  Ordering  and  Preservation,  and  Furtherance  of 
the  ends  aforesaid  ;  and  by  Virtue  hereof,  to  enact,  constitute,  and  frame  just  and  equal  laws, 
ordinances,  Acts,  Constitutions,  and  Offices  from  Time  to  Time,  as  shall  be  thought  most 
meet  and  convenient  for  the  General  Good  of  the  Colony  ;  unto  which  we  Promise  all  due 
Submission  and  Obedience.  In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunder  subscribed  our  Names 
at  Cape  Cod,  the  eleventh  of  November,  in  the  year  of  the  P^eign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord, 
King  James,  of  England,  France,  and  Ireland  the  Eighteenth,  and  of  Scotland  the  Fifty- 
fourth,  Anno  Domini,  1620." 


Hand-writino  of  the  Pilgrims.  I 

Another  curious  relic  of  the  Pilgrims,  preserved  by  Dr.  Robbing,  is  a  mincing-knife,  made 
of  the  sword-blade  that  belonged  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robinson,  the  pastor  of 
the  Pilgrims,  at  Leyden.  Mr.  Robinson  never 
came  to  New  England,  but  remained  at  Ley- 
den till  his  death  in  1625.  His  widow  and 
family  came  over,  bringing  his  efiects,  among 
which  was  his  short  sword,  an  article  then  gen- 
erally worn  by  civilians  as  well  as  military  men. 
His  three  sons  were  desirous  of  possessing  this 
relic.  It  being  impossible  for  each  to  have  it  entire,  it  was  cut  into 
three  pieces,  and  the  sons,  true  to  the  impulses  of  New  England 
thrift,  each  had  his  piece  made  into  the  KSefitl  implement  here  rep- 
resented. 

Another  interesting  relic  is  a  chair  which  was  an  heir-loom  in 
the  family  of  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  New  Haven.  It  is  made 
wholly  of  turned  wood  (except  the  board  bottom),  fastened  together 
by  wooden  pegs,  and  is  similar,  in  appearance,  to  Governor  Carver's 
chair,  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society.      Its 


Anxient  ClIAlU. 


existence  is  traced  back  to  the  thirteenth  century, 
ingenious. 


The  material  is  ash  and  its  construction 


'  These  were  copied  from  Russell's  "  Recollections  of  the  Pilgrims."  He  obtained  them  from  old  deeds 
and  other  documents.  The  writers  were  members  of  the  first  Plymouth  Church,  and  some  of  them  were 
passengers  in  the  May  Flower. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  439 


Putnam's  Tavern  Sign.       Other  interesting  Relics.       The  Connecticut  Charter.       Ride  to  Wethersfield.       Arrival  at  Boston. 

The  tavern  sign  of  General  Putnam,  which  hung  before  his  door  in  Brooklyn,  Connecti 
cut,  about  the  year  1768,  is  also  preserved.'  It  is  made  of  yellow  pine,  painted,  alike  on  both 
sides.  The  device  is  a  full-length  portrait  of  Wolfe,  dressed 
in  scarlet  uniform,  and,  as  a  work  of  art,  possesses  much  merit. 
The  portrait  of  the  young'  hero  is  quite  correct.  The  back- 
ground is  a  faint  miniature  copy  of  West's  picture  of  Tke 
Death  of  Wolfe,  painted  by  that  artist  during  the  first  years 
of  his  residence  in  England.  The  sign-board  is  full  of  small 
punctures  made  by  shot,  the  figure  of  Wolfe  having  been  used 
as  a  target  at  some  time. 

A  drum,  used  to  call  the  people  to  worship  ;  an  ottoman, 
that  belonged  to  Mrs.  Washington  ;  the  vest,  torn  and  blood- 
stained, worn  by  Ledyard  when  massacred  at  Groton,  and  the 
wooden  case  in  which  the  celebrated  charter  of  Connecticut 
was  sent  over  and  kept,  are  in  the  collection.  The  latter  is  1  ;  v^v  li  \  S  ^.JLr-ii  \  \] 
about  three  and  a  half  feet  long  and  four  inches  wide  and  deep,  „  ,  ^  ~  "" 

lined  with  printed  paper,  apparently  waste  leaves  of  a  history 

of  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  In  the  center  is  a  circular  projection  for  the  great  seal,  which 
was  attached.  I  saw  the  charter  itself  in  the  ofRce  of  the  Secretary  of  State.  It  is  writ- 
ten upon  fine  vellum,  and  on  one  corner  is  a  beautifully  drawn  portrait  of  Charles,  executed 
in  India  ink. 

The  storm  abating  a  httle  at  about  noon,  I  rode  down  to  Wethersfield  and  sketched  the 
Webb  Plouse,  returning  in  time  to  make  the  drawing  of  the  Charter  Oak  pictured  on  page 
434,  the  rain  pouring  like  a  summer  shower,  and  my  umbrella,  held  by  a  young  friend,  scarcely 
protecting  my  paper  from  the  deluge.  Pocketing  some  of  the  acorns  from  the  venerable  tree, 
I  hastened  back  to  my  lodgings,  and  at  a  little  past  five  in  the  evening  departed  for  Boston. 
I  passed  the  night  at  Springfield,  ninety-eight  miles  west  of  Boston,  and  reached  the  latter 
place  at  one  o'clock  the  next  day.  The  city  was  enveloped  in  a  cold  mist  that  hung  upon 
the  skirts  of  the  receding  storm  ;  and,  too  ill  to  ramble  for  business  or  pleasure,  even  if  fine 
weather  had  beckoned  me  out,  I  passed  the  afternoon  and  evening  before  a  blazing  fire  at 
the  Blarlborough. 

We  are  now  upon  the  most  interesting  portion  of  the  classic  ground  of  the  Revolution. 
Before  noting  my  visit  to  places  of  interest  in  the  vicinity,  let  us  view  the  wide  field  of  his- 
toric research  here  spread  out,  and  study  some  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  wonderful  ef- 
fect of  dismembering  a  powerful  empire,  and  founding  a  republic,  more  glorious,  because  more 
beneficent,  than  any  tha,t  preceded  it. 

'  The  following  letter,  in  which  Putnam  alludes  to  the  fact  that  he  had  kept  tavern,  I  copied  from  the 
original  in  his  hand-writing,  now  in  possession  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society : 

"  Brooklyn,  Feb'y  18,  1782. 

"  Gentlemen — Being  an  Enemy  to  Idleness,  Dissipation,  and  Intemperance,  I  would  ohject  against  any 
measure  that  may  be  conducive  thereto  ;  and  as  the  multiplying  of  public  houses  where  the  public  good  does 
not  require  it  has  a  direct  tendency  to  ruin  the  morals  of  the  youth,  and  promote  idleness  and  intemperance 
among  all  ranks  of  people,  especially  as  the  grand  object  of  those  candidates  for  license  is  money,  and  where 
that  is  the  case,  men  are  not  apt  to  be  over-tender  of  people's  morals  or  purses.  The  authority  of  this  town, 
I  think,  have  run  into  a  great  error  in  approbating  an  additional  number  of  public  houses,  especially  in  this 
parish.  They  have  approbated  two  houses  in  the  center,  where  there  never  was  custom  (I  mean  traveling 
custom)  enough  for  one.  The  other  custom  (or  domestic),  I  have  been  informed,  has  of  late  years  increased, 
and  the  licensing  of  another  house,  I  fear,  would  increase  it  more.  As  I  kept  a  public  house  here  myself 
a  number  of  years  before  the  war,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  knowing,  and  certainly  do  know,  that  the  travel- 
ing custom  is  too  trifling  for  a  man  to  lay  himself  out  so  as  to  keep  such  a  house  as  travelers  have  a  right  to 
expect ;  therefore  I  hope  your  honors  will  consult  the  good  of  this  parish,  so  as  only  to  license  one  of  the 
two  houses.  I  shall  not  undertake  to  say  which  ought  to  be  licensed ;  your  honors  will  act  according  to 
your  best  information.  I  am,  with  esteem,  your  honors'  humble  servant, 

"IsRASL  Putnam. 

"  To  tke  Hon'ble  County  Court,  to  be  held  at  Windham  on  the  Idth  inst.'" 


440  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

The  May  Flower.        Rise  of  the  Puritans.        Bishops  Hooper  and  Rogers.        Henry  VIII.        Elizabeth.        Puritan  Boldness. 

I  have  just  mentioned  the  May  Flower,  and  the  solemn  compact  for  the  founding  of  a 
commonwealth,  with  a  government  deriving  its  powers  from  the  consent  of  a  majority  of  the 
governed,  which  was  drawn  up  and  signed  in  its  cabin.  That  vessel  was  truly  the  cradle 
of  American  liberty,  rocked  by  the  icy  billows  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  A  glance  at  antece- 
dent events,  in  which  were  involved  the  causes  that  led  to  the  emigration  to  America  of  that 
body  of  Puritans  called  The  Pilgrims,  is  profitable  in  tracing  the  remote  springs  of  our  Rev- 
olutionary movements  in  New  England,  for  they  contain  the  germs  of  our  institutions. 

Just  three  hundred  years  ago,  when  the  exiled  Hooper  was  recalled,  and  appointed 
Bishop  of  Gloucester,  the  Puritans  had  their  birth  as  a  distinct  and  separate  religious 
body.  Henry  VIII.  quarreled  with  Pope  Julius  III.  because  he  would  not  grant  that  licen- 
tious monarch  a  divorce  from  Catharine  of  Aragon,  to  allow  him  to  marry  the  beautiful  Anne 
Boleyn.  Henry  professed  Protestantism,  abolished  the  pope's  authority  in  England,  and  as- 
sumed to  be  himself  the  head  of  the  Church.  He  retained  the  title,  "  Defender  of  the  Faith," 
which  the  pope  had  previously  bestowed  upon  him  in  gratitude  for  his  championship  of  Rome, 
for  he  had  even  written  a  book  against  Luther.  Thus,  in  seeking  the  gratification  of  his  own 
unhallowed  appetites,  that  monster  in  wickedness  planted  the  seeds  of  the  English  Preforma- 
tion. The  accession  of  Edward  VI.,  a  son  of  Henry  by  Jane  Seymour,  one  of  his  six  wives, 
led  the  way  to  the  firm  establishment  of  Protestantism  in  England.  The  purity  of  life  which 
the  disciples  of  both  Luther  and  Calvin  exhibited  won  for  them  the  esteem  of  the  virtuous 
and  good.  Yet  the  followers  of  these  two  reformers  differed  materially  in  the  matter  of  ritu- 
als, and  somewhat  in  doctrine.  Luther  permitted  the  cross  and  taper,  pictures  and  images, 
as  things  of  indifTerence  ;  Calvin  demanded  the  purest  spiritual  worship.  The  reform  hav- 
ing begun  by  decided  opposition  to  the  ceremonials  as  well  as  dogmas  of  the  Papal  Church, 
Calvin  and  his  friends  deemed  it  essential  to  the  full  completion  of  the  work  to  make  no  con- 
cessions to  papacy,  even  in  non-essential  matters.  The  austere  principle  was  announced ; 
and  Puritanism,  which  then  had  birth,  declared  that  not  even  a  ceremony  should  be  allow- 
ed, unless  it  was  enjoined  by  the  Word  of  God.  Hooper,  imbued  with  this  spirit,  refused 
for  a  time  to  be  consecrated  in  the  vestments  required  by  law,  a  and  the  Reformed 
Church  of  England  was  shaken  to  its  center  by  conflicting  views  respecting  ceremo- 
nials. Churchmen,  or  the  Protestants  who  adhered  to  much  of  the  Romish  ceremonials, 
and  the  Puritans  (first  so  called  in  derision)  became  bitter  opponents.  During  the  reign  of 
Mary,  a  violent  and  bigoted  papist,  both  parties  were  involved  in  danger.  The  Pu- 
ritans were  placed  in  the  greatest  peril,  because  they  were  most  opposed  to  papacy, 
and  Hooper  and  Rogers,  both  Puritans,  were  the  first  martyrs  of  Protestant  England. 

Elizabeth,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Henry  VITL,  succeeded  Mary,  and,  though  she  pro- 
fessed Protestantism,  long  endeavored  to  retain  in  the  Church  of  England  the  magnificent 
rituals  of  the  Romish  Liturgy.  She  had  in  her  private  chapel  images,  the  crucifix,  and  ta- 
pers ;  she  offered  prayers  to  the  Virgin ;  insisted  upon  the  celibacy  of  the  clergy  ;  invoked 
the  aid  of  saints,  but  left  the  doctrine  of  the  real  presence  in  the  Eucharist,  which  some  had 
been  burned  for  denying,  and  some  for  asserting,  as  a  question  of  national  indifierence.  With 
such  views,  Elizabeth  regarded  the  Puritans  with  little  favor,  while  they,  having  nothing  to 
fear  from  earthly  power,  valuing,  as  they  did,  their  lives  as  nothing  in  comparison  with  the 
maintenance  of  their  principles,  were  bold  in  the  annunciation  of  their  views.  They  claimed 
the  right  to  worship  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences,  and  denied  the  pre- 
rogative of  the  sovereign  to  interfere  in  matters  of  religious  faith  and  practice.  They  claim- 
ed the  free  exercise  of  private  judgment  in  such  matters  ;  and  the  Puritan  preachers  also 
promulgated  the  doctrine  of  civil  liberty,  that  the  sovereigii  was  amenable  to  the  tribunal 
of  public  opinion,  and  ought  to  conform  in  practice  to  the  expressed  will  of  the  majority  of 
the  people.  By  degrees  their  pulpits  became  the  tribunes  of  the  common  people,  and  their 
discourses  assumed  a  latitude  in  discussion  and  rebuke  which  alarmed  the  queen  and  the 
great  body  of  Churchmen,  who  saw  therein  elements  of  revolution  that  might  overturn  the 
throne  and  bury  the  favored  hierarchy  in  its  ruins.  On  all  occasions  the  Puritan  ministers 
were  the  bold  asserters  of  that  freedom  which  the  American  Revolution  established. 


OFTHEREVOLUTIOM.  441 


Position  of  Elizabeth.  The  Separatista.  Persecutions.  Puritans  in  Parliament  James  I.  Robinson. 

Elizabeth  had  endeavored  firmly  to  seat  the  national  religion  midway  between  the  su- 
premacy of  Rome  and  the  independence  of  Puritanism.  She  thus  lost  the  confidence  of  both, 
and  also  soon  learned  herself  to  look  upon  both  as  enemies.  Roman  Catholic  princes  con- 
spired against  England,  while  Puritan  divines  were  sapping  the  foundations  of  the  royal  pre- 
rogatives, and  questioning  the  divine  right  of  monarchs  to  govern.  A  convocation  of  the 
clergy  was  held;  the  "Thirty-nine  Articles,"  which  constitute  the  rule  of  faith  of  the  En- 
glish Church,  were  formed,  and  other  methods  were  adopted,  to  give  stability  to  the  hie- 
rarchy ;  but  nearly  nine  years  elapsed  before  Parliament  confirmed  the  Articles  by  act,  and 
then  not  without  some  limitations,  which  the  Puritans  regarded  as  concessions  to  them. 

Rigorous  orders  for  conformity  were  now  issued.  The  Puritans,  thoroughly  imbued  with 
an  independent  spirit,  assumed  an  air  of  defiance.  Thirty  London  ministers  refused  sub- 
scription to  the  Articles,  and  some  talked  openly  of  secession.  A  separate  congregation  was 
at  length  actually  formed.  The  government  was  alarmed,  and  several  of  the  leading  men 
and  women  were  imprisoned  for  a  year.  Persecution  begat  zeal,  and  a  party  of  Independ- 
ents, or  Separatists,  appeared,  under  a  zealous  but  shallow  advocate  named  Brown.  The 
great  body  of  the  Puritans  desired  reform,  but  were  unwilling  to  leave  the  Church.  The 
Independents  denounced  the  Church  as  idolatrous,  and  false  to  Christianity  and  truth.  Bit- 
ter enmity  soon  grew  up  between  them,  the  Puritans  reproaching  the  Separatists  with  un- 
wise precipitancy,  and  they  in  return  were  censured  for  cowardice  and  want  of  faith. 

Persecution  now  began  in  earnest.      A  court  of  high  commission  was  established,  for 
the  detection  and  punishment  of  Non-conformists.      Its  powers  were  almost  as  absolute 
as  those  of  the  Inquisition.      Parliament,  particularly  the  House  of  Commons,  in  M-liich  was 
the  leaven  of  Puritanism,  disapproved  of  the  commission,  and  a  feeling  of  general  dissatisfac- 
tion prevailed.      Whitgift,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  a  man  sincerely,  but  bigotedly,  attach- 
ed to  the  English  Reformed  Church,  was  at  the  head  of  the  hierarchy,  and  assumed  to  con- 
trol the  entire  body  of  the  English  Church.      Conventicles  were  prohibited,  yet,  in  a 
few  years,  it  was  asserted  in  Parliament  that  twenty  thousand  persons  in  England  at- 
tended conventicles.      Some  were  banished,  others  imprisoned,  a  few  were  hanged.      The 
Separatists  were  nearly  extinguished,  while  the  more  loyal  branch  of  the  Puritans  still  suf- 
fered contumely  and  pers&iution. 

Elizabeth  died,  and  the  Puritans  hailed  the  accession  of  James  of  Scotland,  where  in- 
dependence  of  thought  and  action  had  taken  deepest  root,  as  a  favorable  event.  It  was 
thought  that  his  education,  the  restraints  from  profligacy  which  the  public  morals  of  Scotland 
imposed,  and  his  apparently  sincere  attachment  to  Protestantism,  would  guaranty  to  them  fair 
toleration,  if  not  actual  power.  But  they  were  in  error.  He  was  thirty-si.x;  years  old  when 
he  ascended  the  throne,  and,  in  the  freedom  of  self-indulgence  which  his  new  position  aflbrd- 
ed,  exulted  in  gluttony,  idleness,  and  licentiousness.  Incapable  of  being  a  statesman,  he 
aimed  to  be  thought  a  scholar,  and  wrote  books  which  courtiers  lauded  greatly,  while  wise 
men  smiled  and  pitied.  Bacon  pronounced  him  incomparable  for  learning  among  kings  ;  and 
Sully  of  France,  who  knew  his  worth,  esteemed  him  "  the  wisest  fool  in  Europe."  A  prof- 
ligate dissembler  and  imbecile  coward,  he  was  governed  entirely  by  self-interest,  vanity,  and 
artful  men.  He  loved  flattery  and  personal  ease,  and  he  had  no  fixed  principles  of  conduct 
or  belief.  Such  was  the  man  upon  whom  the  Puritans,  for  a  moment,  relied  for  countenance  ; 
but  he  had  scarcely  reached  London  before  his  conduct  blighted  their  hopes.  "  No  bishop, 
no  king,"  was  his  favorite  rnaxim  ;  and  in  1  604  he  said  of  the  Puritans,  "  I  will  make  them 
conform,  or  I  will  harrie  them  out  of  the  land,  or  else  worse  ;  only  hang  them,  that's  all." 
During  that  year  three  hundred  Puritan  ministers  were  silenced,  imprisoned,  or  exiled. 

Among  the  exiled  ministers  at  this  period  was  John  Pvobinson.  Eminent  for  piety  and 
courage,  his  congregation  was  greatly  attached  to  him,  and  they  contrived  to  have  secret 
meetings  every  Sunday.  But  the  pressure  of  persecution  finally  determined  them  to  seek  an 
asylum  in  Holland,  "  where,  they  heard,  was  freedom  of  religion  for  all  men."  Thither  Mr. 
Robinson  and  his  little  flock,  among  whom  was  William  Brewster  (who  afterward  became 
a  ruling  elder  in  the  Church),  went  into  voluntary  exile  in  1G08       They  landed  at  Amster- 


4  42 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Character  of  the  Puritan  Pilgrims.         Preparations  to  sail  for  America.         Departure  from  Delfthaven.         The  May  Flower 

dam,  and  then  journeyed  to  Leyden,  feeling  that  they  were  but  Pilgrims,  with  no  particu- 
lar abiding-place  on  earth.  They  were  joined  by  others  who  fled  from  persecution  in  En- 
gland, and  finally  they  established  a  prosperous  church  at  Leyden. 

While  the  Pilgrim  Puritans  were  increasing  in  strength  in  Holland,  and  winning  golden 
opinions  from  the  Dutch  on  account  of  their  purity  of  life  and  lofty  independence  of  thought, 
companies  were  forming  for  settling  the  newly-discovered  portions  of  America,  north  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Delaware.  Toward  the  Western  World  the  eyes  and  hearts  of  the  PilopwIms 
were  turned,  and  John  Carver  and  Robert  Cushman  repaired  to  England,  to  obtain 
the  consent  of  the  Virginia  Company  to  make  a  distinct  settlement  in  the  northern  part 
of  their  territory.  Sandys,  Southampton,  and  other  liberal  members  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, prevailed  upon  the  king  to  wink  at  their  heresy.  A  patent  was  granted  in  1619,  and 
James  promised,  not  to  aid  them,  but  to  let  them  alone.  This  was  all  they  required  of  his 
majesty.  Now  another  difficulty  was  to  be  removed  :  capital  was  needed.  Several  Lon- 
don merchants  advanced  the  necessary  sums.  The  famous  Captain  John  Smith  offered  his 
services,  but  his  religious  views  did  not  suit  them.  His  notions  were  too  aristocratic,  and  he 
complained  of  their  democracy — complained  that  they  were  determined  "  to  be  lords  and 
kings  of  themselves."  They  were,  therefore,  left  "  to  make  trial  of  their  own  follies."  In 
1G20  the  Pilgrims  purchased  two  ships,  the  Speedwell,  of  sixty  tons,  and  the  May  Flower, 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty  tons  ;  and  as  many  of  the  congregation  at  Leyden  as  could  be  ac- 
commodated in  them  left  Delfthaven  for  Southampton,  England.  There  they  were  joined 
Augusts  ^^y  ^  f^w  others,  and,  with  a  fair  wind,  sailed  for  America.  But  the  captain  of 
^*^^^-  the  Speedwell  and  his  company,  becoming  alarmed,  and  pretending  that  the  ship 
was  unseaworthy,  put  back  to  Plymouth,  and  the  May  Flower,  bearing  one  hundred  and 
September  G  ^^^®  men,  Women,  and  children,  the  winnowed  remnants  of  the  passengers  in  the 
i6'^o.  tYvo  vessels,  again  spread  her  sails  to  an  eastern  breeze.      Their  destination  was 

the  country  near  the  Hudson,  but  adverse  winds  drove  them  upon  the  more  northerly  and 
barren  coasts  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  after  a  boisterous  voyage  of  sixty-three  days.  Land 
was  espied  on  the  9th  of  November,  and  two  days  afterward  the  May  Flower  was  safely 
moored  in  Cape  Cod  Bay.  Before  they  landed,  as  we  have  already  noticed,  they  formed 
themselves  into  a  body  politic  by  a  solemn  voluntary  compact.  "  In  the  cabin  of  the  May 
Flower  humanity  recovered  its  rights,  and  instituted  government  on  the  basis  of  '  equal  laws' 
for  the  general  good."  John  Carver  was  chosen  governor  for  the  year.  Democratic  liberty 
and  independent  Christian  worship  were  at  once  established  in  America.' 

The  ocean  now  lay  between  the  Pilgrims  and  the  persecuting  hierarchy,  and  the  land  of 
promise  was  before  them.  Yet  perils  greater  than  they  had  encountered  hovered  around 
that  bleak  shore,  already  white  with  the  snow  of  early  winter.      But 

"  They  sought  not  gold  nor  guilty  ease 

Upon  this  rock-bound  shore — 
They  left  such  prizeless  toys  as  these 

To  minds  that  loved  them  more. 
They  sought  to  breathe  a  freer  air, 

To  worship  God  unchain'd  ; 
They  welcomed  pain  and  danger  here, 

When  rights  like  these  were  gain'd." 

Inspired  with  such  feelings,  the  Pilgrims  prepared  to  land.  The  shallop  was  unshipped, 
but  it  needed  great  repairs.  More  than  a  fortnight  was  employed  by  the  carpenter  in  mak- 
ing it  ready  for  sea.  Standish,  Bradford,  and  others,  impatient  of  the  delay,  determined  to 
go  ashore  and  exploi'e  the  country.  They  encountered  many  difficulties,  and  returned  to  the 
ship.  When  the  shallop  was  ready,  the  most  bold  and  enterprising  set  out  upon  a  cruise 
along  the  shore,  to  find  a  suitable  place  at  which  to  land  the  whole  company.  They  ex- 
plored every  bay  and  inlet,  and  made  some  discoveries  of  buried  Indian  corn,  deserted  wig- 

'  Baem,  Barlow,  Hume,  Hallam,  Bancroft. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  443 


Exploration  of  the  Coast.     Attacked  by  Indians.    First  Sabbnth  of  the  Pilgrims  in  New  England.    Landing  on  Plymouth  Rock. 

warns,  and  an  Indian  cemetery.  The  voyage  was  fruitless  of  good,  and  they  returned  to 
the  May  Flower.  Again  Carver,  Standish,  Bradford,  Winslow,  and  others,  with  eight  or 
ten  seamen,  launched  the  shallop  in  the  surf  The  day  was  very  cold,  and  the  December  6 
spray  froze  upon  them  and  llieir  clothes  like  iron  mail.      They  pa.ssed  tiiat  night  ^''■■^• 

at  Billingsgate  Point,  at  the  bottom  of  Cape  Cod  Bay,  on  the  western  shore  of  Wellflect 
Harboi-.  The  company  divided  next  morning,  but  united  at  evening,  and  encamped  at 
Namskeket,  or  Great  Meadow  Creek.  The  next  morning,  as  they  arose  from  thoir  knees 
in  the  deep  snow,  when  their  matin  devotions  were  ended,  a  flight  of  arrows  and  a  war-whoop 
announced  the  presence  of  savages.  They  were  of  the  Nauset  tribe,  and  regarded  the  white 
people  as  kidnappers.'  But  the  Indians  made  no  further  attacks,  and  the  boat  proceeded 
along  the  coast  a  distance  of  some  ibrty  miles.  Suddenly  a  storm  arose.  Snow  and  rain 
fell  copiously  ;  the  heavy  swells  snapped  the  rudder,  and  with  oars  alone  they  guided  the 
frail  shallop.  Darkness  came  on  and  the  storm  increased.  As  much  sail  as  possible  was 
used  to  reach  the  shore  ;  it  was  too  much  ;  the  mast  broke  in  three  pieces,  and  the  fragments, 
with  the  sail,  fell  overboard.  Breakers  were  just  ahead,  but,  by  diligent  labor  with  the  oars, 
they  passed  safely  through  the  surf  into  a  smooth  harbor,  landed,  and  lighted  a  fire.  At 
dawn  they  discovered  that  they  were  upon  an  island,  in  a  good  harbor.''  There  they  passed 
the  day  in  drying  their  clothes,  cleaning  their  arms,  and  repairing  their  shallop.  Night  ap- 
proached ;  it  was  the  eve  of  the  Christian  Sabbath.  The  storm  had  ceased,  but  snow  nearly 
eighteen  inches  in  depth  lay  upon  the  ground.  They  had  no  tent,  no  shelter  but  the  rock. 
Their  ship  was  more  than  fifteen  leagues  away,  and  winter,  with  all  its  terrors,  had  set  in. 
Every  personal  consideration  demanded  haste.  But  the  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  and  they 
resolved  to  remain  upon  that  bleak  island  and  worship  God,  in  accordance  with  their  faith 
and  obligations  as  Christians.  In  the  deep  snow  they  knelt  in  prayer ;  by  the  cold  rock 
they  read  the  Scriptures  ;  upon  the  keen,  wintery  air  they  poured  forth  their  hymns  of  thanks- 
giving and  praise.      In  what  bold  relief  does  that  single  act  present  the  Puritan  character  ' 

"  And  can  we  deem  it  strange 
That  from  theii-  planting  such  a  branch  should  bloora 
As  nations  envy  ? 

Oh  ye  who  boast 
In  your  free  veins  the  blood  of  sires  like  these, 
Lose  not  their  lineaments.     Should  Mammon  cling 
Too  close  around  your  heart,  or  wealth  beget 
That  bloated  luxury  which  eats  the  core 
From  manly  virtue,  or  the  tempting  world 
Make  faint  the  Christian's  purpose  in  your  soul, 
Turn  ye  to  Plymouth's  beach,  and  on  that  rock 
Kneel  in  their  footprints,  and  renew  the  vow 
They  breathed  to  God." 

Mrs.  Sigourney. 

On  Monday  morning  the  exploring  party  pushed  through  the  surf,  and  landed  December  22, 
upon  a  rock  on  the  main.'      The  neighborhood  seemed  inviting  for  a  settlerfient,  ^'^^• 

and  in  a  few  days  the  May  Flower  was  brought  around  and  moored  in  the  harbor.  The 
whole  company  landed  near  where  the  explorers  stepped  ashore  :   the  spot  was  called  New 

'  The  Indians  of  Cape  Cod  and  the  vicinity  had  experienced  the  treachery  of  the  whites,  for  it  mu.st  be 
remembered  that  the  Pilgrims  were  not  the  discoverers  of  that  region.  Both  French  and  Enj^lish  shiiis  had 
visited  the  coast.  Six  years  before  the  landing  of  the  Piltrrims,  an  Englishman  named  Hunt  had  inveigled 
several  Indians  on  board  a  ship,  and  carried  them  to  England. 

*  This  island,  within  the  entrance  of  Plymouth  Harbor,  has  been  called  Clarke's  Island  ever  since.  It 
was  so  named  from  Clarke,  the  first  man  who  stepped  ashore  from  the  siiallo|i.  The  cove  in  which  they 
were  in  such  danger  lies  between  the  Gurnet  Head  and  Saguish  Point,  at  the  entrance  of  Plymouth  Bay. — 
Moore,  i.,  35.    Tiie  May  Flower  afterward  made  two  voyagrs  from  Eiiirlancl  to  America,  brarinp  Kniijjrants. 

'  A  portion  of  this  rock  was  conveyed  to  a  scjuare  in  the  center  of  the  town  of  Plymouth  in  1774,  where 
it  still  remains,  and  is  known  as  The  Forefathers'  Rock. 


444  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Founding  of  Plymouth.        Destitution  and  Sickness.        Death  of  Carver.        Election  of  Bradford.        Defiance  of  the  Indians 

Plymouth,  in  memory  of  the  hospitahties  which  they  had  received  at  Plymouth,  in  England, 
and  in  a  few  days  they  commenced  the  erection  of  dwellings.  The  exposui'e  of  the  explor- 
ers, and  of  others  who  had  reached  the  shore  by  wading,  had  brought  on  disease,  and  nearly 
one  half  of  the  company  were  sick  when  the  first  blow  of  the  ax  was  struck  in  the  primeval 
forest.  Faith  and  hope  nerved  the  arms  of  the  healthy,  and  they  began  to  build.  "  This 
was  the  origin  of  New  England  ;  it  was  the  planting  of  the  New  England  institutions.  In 
quisitive  historians  have  loved  to  mark  every  vestige  of  the  Pilgrims  ;  poets  of  the  purest 
minds  have  commemorated  their  virtues  ;  the  noblest  genius  has  been  called  into  exercise  to 
display  their  merits  worthily,  and  to  trace  the  consequences  of  their  daring  enterprise.'" 

The  winter  that  succeeded  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  was  terrible  for  the  settlers.  Many 
were  sick  with  colds  and  consumptions,  and  want  and  exposure  rapidly  reduced  the  numbers 
of  the  colony.  Governor  Carver's  son  died  soon  after  landing,  and  himself  and  his  wife  pass- 
ed into  the  grave  the  next  spring.''  William  Bradford  was  elected  to  fill  his  place.  The 
living  were  scarcely  able  to  bury  the  dead,  and  at  one  time  there  were  only  seven  men  capa- 
ble of  rendering  any  assistance.  Forty-six  of  the  one  hundred  died  before  April,  yet  not  a 
murmur  against  Providence  was  heard. 

The  colonists  had  been  apprehensive  of  an  attack  from  the  Indians,  but  not  one  approach- 
ed the  settlement  until  March,  when  a  chief  named  Samoset  boldly  entered  the  rude  town, 
exclaiming,  in  broken  English,  which  he  had  learned  from  fishermen  on  the  coast  of  Maine, 
"  Welcome,  Englishmen  I  welcome,  Englishmen  I"  He  gave  them  much  information,  and 
told  them  of  a  pestilence  that  had  swept  off  the  inhabitants  a  few  years  before.  This  ac- 
counted for  the  deserted  wigwams  seen  by  the  explorers.  Samoset  soon  afterward  visited 
the  colony  with  Squanto,  a  chief  who  had  been  carried  away  by  Hunt  in  1614  ;  and  in  April 
Massasoit,  the  chief  of  the  Wampanoags,  was  induced  to  make  the  English  a  friendly  visit. 
Treaties  of  amity  were  made,  and,  until  the  breaking  out  of  King  Philip's  war,  fifty  years 
afterward,  were  kept  inviolate.  But  Canonicus,  a  powerful  chief  of  the  Narragansets,  who 
lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  Narraganset  Bay,  regarded  the  English  as  intruders,  and  sent 
to  them  the  ominous  token  of  hostility,  a  bundle  of  arrows  wrapped  in  a  rattle-snake's  skin. 
Governor  Bradford'  at  once  sent  the  skin  back  to  Canonicus,  filled  with  powder  and  shot. 
The  chief  understood  the  symbol,  and,  afraid  of  the  deadly  weapon?  in  which  such  materials 
were  used,  sent  them  back  ;  the  Narragansets  were  awed  into  submission.  Massasoit,  who 
lived  at  Warren,  Rhode  Island,  remained  the  fast  friend  of  the  English,  and  his  sons,  Alex- 
ander and  Philip  (the  celebrated  King  Philip),  kept  the  bond  of  friendship  unbroken  until 
1675. 

After  many  difficulties,  and  receiving  some  accessions  from  immigration,  the  settlers  pur- 

'  Bancroft,  i.,  313. 

*  John  Carver  was  among  the  English  emigrants  to  Lcyden.  He  was  chosen  the  first  governor  of  the 
colony,  by  a  majority  of  the  forty-one  male  adults  that  sailed  in  the  May  Flower.  There  were  twelve  other 
candidates  for  the  honor.  On  the  23d  of  March,  1621,  a  few  laws  were  enacted,  and  Carver  was  regularly 
inaugurated  governor  of  the  new  colony.  He  was  taken  suddenly  ill  in  the  fields,  while  laboring,  on  the  3d 
of  April.  A  violent  pain  in  his  head  ensued,  and  in  a  few  hours  he  was  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  senses. 
He  lived  but  a  few  clays,  and  his  wife,  overcome  bj^  grief,  followed  him  to  the  grave  in  about  six  weeks.  He 
was  buried  with  all  the  honors  the  people  could  bestow.  His  broad-sword  is  preserved  in  the  cabinet  of 
the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 

*  William  Bradford,  the  second  Governor  of  Ph'mouth  Colony,  was  born  at  Ansterfield,  in  the  north  of  En- 
gland, in  1588.  The  first  Puritan  principles  were  instilled  into  his  young  mind  by  a  minister  named  Rich- 
ard Clifton,  and  when  he  was  of  legal  age  he  was  denounced  as  a  Separatist.  He  followed  Mr.  Robinson  to 
Holland,  and  came  to  America  in  the  May  Flower.  While  he  was  absent,  with  others,  searching  for  a  spot 
on  which  to  land,  his  wife  fell  into  the  sea  and  was  drowned.  He  was  appointed  governor  on  the  death  of 
Carver,  being  then  only  thirty-three  years  of  age.  His  energy  was  of  great  value  to  the  colony,  and  so  much 
was  he  esteemed,  that  he  was  annually  elected  governor  as  long  as  he  lived,  except  occasionally,  when,  "  by 
importuning,  he  got  off,"  as  Winslow  says,  and  another  took  his  place  pro  tempore.  His  idea  of  public  of- 
fice was,  "  that  if  it  was  of  any  honor  or  benefit,  others  besides  himself  should  enjoy  it ;  if  it  was  a  burden,  oth- 
ers besides  himself  should  help  him  to  bear  it."  Present  politicians  consider  such  doctrine  a  "  barbarous 
relic."  Governor  Bradford  died  in  May,  1657,  having  served  the  colony  as  chief  magistrate  twent^'-five 
years  of  the  thirty  of  his  residence  in  America. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


445 


Coniiition  of  the  Colony.     Further  Kmigration  from  England.     Winslow.     Stimdish.     Settlement  of  Weymouth.     Shawmut. 

chased  the  rights  of  the  Loudon  merchants  who  had  aided  them  with  funds,  for  nine  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  the  colony  thus  severed  the  last  link  of  pecuniary  interest  that  bound  it  to 
Old  England,  beyond  the  claims  of  commercial  transactions.  There  was  one  drawback  upon 
their  prosperity — the  non-existence  of  private  property.  There  was  a  community  of  interest 
in  all  the  land  and  its  products.  Thence  arose,  on  the  part  of  some,  an  unwillingness  to  la- 
bor, and  of  others  the  discontent  wliich  the  industrious  feel  while  viewing  the  idleness  of  the 
lazy,  for  whose  benefit  they  are  toiling.  It  was  now  found  necessary  to  enter  into  an  agree- 
ment that  each  family  should  plant  for  itself,  and  an  acre  of  land  was  accordingly  assigned 
to  each  person  in  fee.  Under  this  stimulus,  the  production  of  corn  became  so  great  that 
from  buyers  the  colonists  became  sellers  to  the  Indians.' 

Civil  government  being  fully  established  to  the  satisfaction  of  all,  and  news  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil  and  the  beauty  of  the  climate  having  reached  England,  in  the  following  autumn 
other  adventurers  prepared  to  come  to  America.  In 
the  mean  while  Edward  Winslow,  one  of  the  most' ac- 
complished of  the  colonists,  made  a  journey  to  the  resi- 
dence of  Massasoit  to  strengthen  the  friendship  that  ex- 
isted, by  presents,  and  by  amicable  agreements  respect- 
ing future  settlers  that  might  come  from  England." 
The  visit  was  fruitful  of  good  results.  Soon  afterward 
Captain  Standish'  marched  against  the  village  of  Cor- 
bitant,  one  of  Massasoit's  sachems,  who  held  an  inter- 
preter in  custody,  and  threatened  the  tribe  with  destruc- 
tion. The  whole  country  was  alarmed  at  this  move- 
ment, and  on  the  1 3  th  of  September,  1621,  ninety  petty 
sachems  came  to  Plymouth  and  signed  a  paper  acknowl- 
edging themselves  loyal  subjects  of  King  James. 

New  settlers  now  began  to  arrive,  and  new  explora- 
tions of  the  coast  were  made.  Sixty  adventurers  fi'om  London,  under  the  auspices  of  a  mer- 
chant named  Weston,  began  a  plantation  in  the  autumn  of  1G22,  at  Weymouth,  twelve 
miles  southeast  from  the  present  city  of  Boston,  and  the  whole  coast  of  Massachusetts  Bay 
was  explored.  They  discovered  a  spacious  harbor,  studded  with  islands,  and  inclosing  a  pen- 
insula remarkable  for  three  hills,  called  by  the  natives  Shawmut  (sweet  water).  This  was 
the  harbor  and  site  of  the  city  of  Boston.* 


The  old  Colonv  Seal. 


'  Hildreth,  i.,  171. 

*  Edward  Winslow  ■wa.s  born  in  Worcestershire,  Enc^land,  in  1594.  While  traveling  on  the  Continent,  he 
became  acquainted  with  Mr.  Robinson  at  Leyden,  joined  his  congregation,  sailed  to  America  in  the  May 
Flower,  and  was  one  of  the  party  that  first  landed  on  Plymouth  Rock.  He  made  Massasoit  a  second  visit, 
and  found  the  sachem  very  sick,  but  by  means  of  medicine  restored  him  to  health.  Grateful  for  his  services,, 
the  chief  revealed  to  Winslow  a  plot  of  some  savages  to  destroy  a  small  English  settlement  at  Weymouth. 
Winslow  went  to  England  that  fall,  and  in  the  spring  brought  over  the  first  cattle  introduced  into  the  colony. 
He  was  appointed  governor  in  1633.  He  was  very  active  in  the  colony,  and  made  several  voyages  to  En- 
gland in  its  behalf.  In  1655  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  superintend  tlie  expedition  against 
the  Spaniards  in  the  West  Indies.  He  died  of  fever  on  his  passage,  between  Jamaica  and  Hispaniola,  May 
8th,  1655,  aged  sixty  years.     His  body  was  cast  into  the  ocean. 

*  Miles  Stairiish  is  called  the  "  Hero  of  New  England."  He  sen-ed  for  .some  time  in  the  Engli.'ih  army 
in  the  Netherlands,  and  settled  with  Robinson's  congregation  at  Leyden.  He  was  not  a  member  of  the 
Church — "  never  entered  the  school  of  Christ,  or  of  John  the  Baptist."  He  came  to  America  in  the  Jlay 
Flower,  and  was  appointed  military  commander-in-chief  at  Plymouth.  His  bold  cnter])rises  spread  terror 
among  the  Indians,  and  secured  peace  to  the  colony.  In  allusion  to  his  exploit  in  killing  Pecksuot,  a  bold 
chief,  with  his  own  hand,  Mr.  Robinson  wrote  to  the  governor,  "  O  that  you  had  converted  some  before  you 
killed  any  !"  Standish  was  one  of  the  magistrates  of  the  colony  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  died  at  Duxbury 
in  1656,  aged  about  seventy-two  years. 

*  The  Peninsula  of  Shawmut  included  between  six  and  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  sparsely  covered  by 
trees,  and  nearly  divided  by  two  creeks  into  three  islands  when  the  creeks  were  filled  by  the  tides.  From 
the  circumstance  of  the  three  hills,  the  English  called  the  peninsula  Tri-mountain,  the  modern  Tremont. 
These  three  eminences  have  since  been  named  Copji's,  Fort,  and  Beacon  Hills.     The  name  of  Tri-mountain 


44  6 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Settlement  of  Endicott  and  others  at  Salem.         Arrival  of  Winthrop.         Founding  of  Boston.         Progress  of  free  Principles 

In  1628  a  company,  under  John  Endicott,  settled  at  Salem  (Na-um-keag),  and  were  join- 
ed by  a  few  emigrants  at  Cape  Ann,  sixteen  miles  northward.      They  received  a  charter  from 

the  king,  and  were 
incorporated  by  the 
name  of  the  "  Govern- 
or and  Company  of  the 
Massachusetts  Bay  in 
New  England."  In 
1  C30  about  three  hun- 
dred Puritan  famihes, 
under  John  Winthrop, 
arrived,  and  joined  the 
Massachusetts  Bay  col- 
ony. They  established 
themselves  at  Dorches- 
ter, Roxbury,  Water- 
town,  and  Cambridge. 
A  spring  of  pure  and 
Avholesome  water  in- 
duced some  families, 
among  whom  was  Mr. 
Winthrop,  to  settle  up- 
on Shawmut.  Win- 
throp was  the  chosen 
Governor  of  the  colony 
of  Massachusetts  Bay ; 
the  whole  government, 
including     Plymouth, 

was  removed  to  the  new  settlement,  and  thenceforth  Boston  became  the  metropolis  of  New 
England. 

I  have  thus  traced,  with  almost  chronological  brevity,  the  rise  of  the  Puritans  in  England, 
their  emigration  to  America,  and  the  progress  of  settlement,  to  the  founding  of  Boston  in  1630, 
It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  work  to  give  a  colonial  history  of  New  England  in  all  its 
important  details,  and  only  so  much  of  it  will  be  developed  as  is  necessary  to  present  the  links 
of  connection  between  the  early  history  and  the  story  of  our  Revolution.  That  Revolution, 
being  a  conflict  of  ^:)rMici/jZe,  had  its  origin  more  remote  even  than  the  planting  of  the  New 
England  colonies.  The  seed  germinated  when  the  sun  of  the  Reformation  warmed  the  cold 
soil  of  society  in  Europe,  over  which  the  clouds  of  ignorance  had  so  long  brooded  ;  and  its 
blossoms  were  unfolded  when  the  Puritans  of  England  and  the  Huguenots  of  France  boldly 
asserted,  in  the  presence  of  kingly  power,  the  grand  postulate  of  freedom — the  social  and 
POLITICAL  EQUALITY-  OF  THE  RACE.  These  two  Sections  of  independent  thinkers  brought  the 
vigorous  plant  to  America — the  Puritans  to  New  England,  the  Huguenots  to  the  Carolinas. 
The  Covenanters  of  Scotland,  and  other  dissenting  communities,  watered  it  during  the  reigns 
of  the  Charleses  and  the  bigot  James  II. ;  and  when  the  tactics  of  British  oppression  had 
changed  from  religious  persecution  to  commercial  and  political  tyranny,  it  had  grown  a  sturdy 
tree,  firmly  rooted  in  a  genial  soil,  and  overshadowing  a  prosperous  people  with  its  beautiful 
foliage.  The  fruit  of  that  tree  was  the  American  Revolution — the  fruit  which  still  forms 
the  nutriment  that  gives  life  and  vigor  to  our  free  institutions. 

was  changed  to  Boston,  as  a  compliment  to  the  Rev.  John  Cotton,  who  emigrated  from  Boston,  in  Lincoln- 
shire, England. 

'  This  is  a  fac-simile  of  a  map  of  Boston  Harbor  and  adjacent  settlements  in  1667,  and  is  believed  to  be 
a  specimen  of  the  first  engraving  executed  in  America.  Instead  of  the  top  of  the  map  being  north,  accord- 
ing to  the  present  method  of  drawing  maps,  the  right  hand  of  this  is  north. 


Ancient  Map  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  447 


The  Puritan  Character.     Witchcraft.    English  Law8  on  the  Subject.    The  Delusion  in  New  England.    EffocU  of  the  Delusion. 

"  The  Pil<rrim  spirit  has  not  fled  ; 

It  walks  in  noon's  broad  lijrht, 
And  it  watclics  the  bed  of  tlic  <rlorious  dead, 

With  their  holy  stars,  by  ni«j;ht. 
It  walclics  the  bed  of  the  brave  who  have  bled, 

And  shall  guard  the  iee-bound  shore, 
Till  the  waves  of  the  bay,  whore  the  I\Iay  Flower  lay, 

Shall  foam  and  freeze  no  more." 

PlERPONT. 

The  persecutions  of  the  Quakers,  the  proceedings  afrainst  persons  accused  of  witchcraft,' 
the  disfranchisement  of  those  who  were  not  church  members,  and  many  other  enactments  in 
their  civil  code,  considered  alone,  mark  the  Puritan  as  bigoted,  superstitious,  intolerant,  un- 
lovely in  every  aspect,  and  practically  evincing  a  spirit  like  that  of  Governor  Dudley,  ex- 
pressed in  some  lines  found  in  his  pocket  after  his  death. 

"Let  men  of  God  in  eonrts  and  ohnrches  watch 
O'er  such  as  do  a  toleration  hatch. 
Lest  that  ill  cix^  bring  forth  a  cocalrice, 
To  poison  all  with  heresy  and  vice. 
If  men  be  left,  and  otherwise  combine, 
IMy  epitaph's,  'I  died  no  libertine  !' '" 

But  when  a  broad  survey  is  taken  of  the  Puritan  character,  these  things  appear  as  mere 
blemishes — spots  upon  the  sun — insects  in  the  otherwise  pure  amber  In  religion  and  mo- 
rality they  were  sincerely  devoted  to  right — "  New  England  was  the  colony  of  conscience."* 
Their  Avorship  was  spiritual,  their  religious  observances  were  few  and  simple.      To  them  the 

'■  A  belief  in  witchcraft,  or  the  direct  agency  of  evil  spirits  through  human  instrumentality,  was  prevalent 
among  all  classes  of  Europe  toward  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  this  superstition  had  a  stronn 
hold  upon  the  metajihysical  Puritans  in  America.  A  statute,  enacted  in  the  reign  of  Henry  YIIL,  made  it 
a  capital  offense  for  a  person  to  practice  the  arts  of  witchcraft.  The  first  James  was  a  firm  believer  m 
witchcraft^  and  sanctioned  some  severe  laws  against  its  practitioners.  Pretenders,  called  Witch-detectors, 
arose,  and,  during  the  commonwealth,  traveled  from  county  to  county,  in  England,  making  accusations,  in 
consequence  of  which  many  persons  suffered  death.  The  "Fundamentals"  of  Massachusetts  contained  a 
capital  law  against  such  ofi'enscs,  founded  upon  the  Scripture  injunction,  "  Thou  shalt  not  suffer  a  witch  to 
live." — Exodus,  xxii.,  18.  Increase  Mather,  father  of  the  celebrated  Cotton  Mather,  in  a  work  called  "  Re- 
markable Providences,"  enumerated  all  the  supposed  cases  of  witchcraft  that  had  occurred  in  New  England. 
The  high  standing  of  the  author  turned  public  attention  to  the  subject,  and  it  was  not  long  before  a  real 
witch  was  discovered  in  the  person  of  an  old  woman  at  Newbury,  whose  house  was  alleged  to  be  haunted. 
This  was  in  1686,  and  from  that  time  until  1G93,  when  King  William's  veto  on  the  Witchcraft  Act  prevented 
any  further  trials,  and  all  accused  persons  were  released,  the  colonics  were  greatly  agitated.  Ciiief-jnstice 
Hale  had  given  the  weight  of  his  opinion  in  England  in  favor  of  the  delusion,  and  the  Mathers,  father  and 
son,  of  Boston,  eminent  for  their  piety  and  learning,  had  %vrittcn,  and  preached,  and  talked,  and  acted  much 
under  the  belief  in  the  reality  of  witchcraft.  Cotton  Mather  published  a  book  in  1692,  called  the  "  Won- 
ders of  the  Invisible  World,"  giving  a  full  account  of  all  the  cases  and  trials,  and  stimulating  the  authorities 
to  further  proceedings.  The  delusion  was  now  at  its  height,  and  no  class  of  society  was  exempt  from  sus- 
picion. The  wife  of  Hale,  minister  of  Beverly,  was  accused,  at  the  very  time  when  he  was  most  active 
against  others,  and  almost  every  ill-favored  old  woman  was  regarded  as  a  servant  of  the  devil.  A  son  of 
Governor  Bradstreet  was  accused,  and  had  to  flee  for  his  life ;  and  even  Lady  Phipps,  the  wife  of  the  Ad- 
miral Sir  William,  the  newly-appointed  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  was  suspecte<l.  When  royal  authority 
broke  the  spell,  practical  witchcraft  ceased  to  act,  and  the  people  of  INfassachusctts  recovered  their  senses. 
Mather,  in  his  "  Magnalia,"  confessed  that  things  were  carried  a  little  too  far  in  Salem,  but  never  positively 
renounced  his  belief  in  the  reality  of  witchcraft.  His  credidity  had  been  thoroughly  exposed  by  a  writer 
named  Calef,  who  addressed  a  scries  of  letters  to  the  Boston  ministers  on  the  subject.  At  first  Mather  sneer- 
ed at  him  a,s  a  "  weaver  who  pretended  to  be  a  merchant ;"  but  Calef  laid  his  truths  and  sarcasms  so  strong- 
ly over  the  shoulders  of  Mather,  that  the  latter  called  him  a  "  coal  from  hell,"  to  blacken  his  character,  and 
afterward  commenced  a  prosecution  against  him  for  slander. 

The  mischief  wrought  by  this  delusion  was  wide-spread  and  terrible.  Society  was  paralyzed  with  alarm  ; 
evil  spirits  were  thought  to  overshadow  the  land  ;  every  nervous  influence,  even  every  ordinary  symptom  of 
disease,  was  ascribed  to  demoniac  power.  When  the  royal  veto  arrived,  twenty  persons  had  been  cxectited. 
among  whom  was  a  minister  of  Danvers  named  George  Burroughs ;  fifty-five  had  been  tortured  or  terrified 
into  ii  confession  of  witchcraft,  one  hundred  and  fifty  were  in  prison,  and  two  hundred  more  had  been  aceiiscd. 

*  John  Quincy  Adams. 


448  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Religious  Character  of  the  Puritans.  Mildness  of  their  Laws.  The  representative  System.  Influx  of  Immi^ants 

elements  remained  but  wine  and  bread  ;  tbey  invoked  no  saints  ;  they  raised  no  altar  ;  they 
adored  no  crucifix  ;  they  kissed  no  book  ;  they  asked  no  absolution  ;  they  paid  no  tithes  ; 
they  saw  in  the  priest  nothing  more  than  a  man  ;  ordination  Avas  no  more  than  an  approba- 
tion of  the  officers,  Avhich  might  be  expressed  by  the  brethren  as  well  as  by  the  ministers  ; 
the  church,  as  a  place  of  worship,  was  to  them  but  a  meeting-house  ;  they  dug  no  grave  in 
consecrated  earth  ;  unlike  their  posterity,  they  married  without  a  minister,  and  buried  their 
dead  without  a  prayer.  Witchcraft  had  not  been  made  the  subject  of  skeptical  considera- 
tion, and,  in  the  years  in  which  Scotland  sacrificed  hecatombs  to  the  delusion,  there  were 
but  three  victims  in  NeAV  England. 

Iligorous  in  their  moral  and  religious  code,  the  Puritans  were  mild  in  their  legislation  upon 
other  subjects.  For  many  crimes  the  death  penalty  was  abolished,  and  the  punishment  for 
theft,  burglary,  and  highway  robbery  was  more  mild  than  our  laws  inflict.  Divorce  from 
bed  and  board  was  recognized  by  their  laws  as  a  barely  possible  event,  but,  during  the  first 
fifty  years  after  the  founding  of  New  England,  no  record  of  such  an  occurrence  is  given.' 
Adultery  was  punished  by  death,  the  wife  and  paramour  both  sufiliring  for  the  crime  ;  while 
the  girl  whom  youth  and  afiection  betrayed  was  censured,  but  pitied  and  forgiven,  and  the 
seducer  was  compelled  to  marry  his  victim.  Domestic  discipline  was  highly  valued,  and  the 
undutiful  child  and  faithless  parent  were  alike  punished.  Honest  men  were  not  imprisoned 
for  debt  until  1654  ;  cruelty  to  animals  was  a  civil  offense,  punishable  by  fine.  The  people, 
united  in  endurance  of  hardships  during  the  first  years  of  settlement,  were  equally  united 
when  prosperity  blessed  them.  They  were  rich  in  affection  for  one  another,  and  all  around 
them  were  objects  of  love.  Their  land  had  become  a  paradise  of  beauty  and  repose,  and, 
even  when  the  fires  of  persecution  went  out  in  England,  none  could  be  tempted  to  return 
thither,  for  they  had  found  a  better  heritage.  Their  morals  were  pure,  and  an  old  writer 
said,  "As  Ireland  will  not  brook  venomous  beasts,  so  will  not  that  land  vile  livers."  Drunk- 
enness was  almost  unknown,  and  universal  health  prevailed.  The  average  duration  of  life 
in  New  England,  as  compared  with  Europe,  was  doubled,  and  no  less  than  four  in  nineteen 
of  all  that  were  born  attained  the  age  of  seventy  years.  Many  lived  beyond  the  aga  of  nine- 
ty, and  a  man  one  hundred  years  old  when  our  Revolution  broke  out  was  not  eonsidei'ed  a 
wonder  of  longevity. 

Such  were  the  people  who  fostered  the  living  principles  of  our  independence — the  parents 
of  nearly  one  third  of  the  present  white  population  of  the  United  States.  Within  the  first 
fifteen  years — and  there  was  never  afterward  any  considerable  increase  from  England — there 
came  over  twenty-one  thousand  two  hundred  souls.  Their  descendants  are  now  not  far  from 
four  millions.  Each  family  has  multiplied,  on  the  average,  to  one  thousand  souls.  To  New 
York  and  Ohio,  where  they  constitute  half  the  population,  they  have  carried  the  Puritan  sys- 
tem of  free  schools,  and  their  example  is  spreading  it  throughout  the  civilized  world. ^ 

In  1634  the  colony  had  become  so  populous  that  it  was  found  inconvenient  for  all  the  free- 
men to  assemble  in  one  place  to  transact  business.  By  the  general  consent  of  the  towns,  the 
representative  system  was  introduced,  and  to  twenty-four  representatives  was  delegated  the 
power  granted  to  the  whole  body  of  freemen  by  charter.  The  appellation  of  general  court 
was  also  applied  to  the  representatives.  It  was  about  this  time  that  Hugh  Peters,  afterward 
Cromwell's  secretary,  and  Henry  Vane,  afterward  Sir  Henry  Vane,  who  was  made  governor, 
came  to  the  colony,  with  a  great  number  of  immigrants.  It  was  about  this  time,  also,  that 
Roger  Williams  occasioned  disturbances,  and  was  banished.  These  circumstances  will  be 
noticed  hereafter. 

In  1637  the  Pequot  war  ensued  ;  and  about  1640,  persecutions  having  ceased  in  England, 
emigration  to  the  colonies  also  ceased.  The  Confederation  was  effected  in  1643.  From 
that  time  the  permanent  prosperity  of  the  colonies  may  be  dated. ^      Their  commerce,  which 

'  Trumbull's  History  of  Connecticut,  i.,  283  ;   Bancroft's  United  States,  i.,  465. 
*  Bancroft,  i.,  467-8. 

'  Captain  Edward  Johnson,  in  his  "Wonder-working  Providence  of  Zion's  Savior  in  New  England,"  writ- 
ing in  1650,  seven  years  after  the  union,  says,  "  Good  white  and  wheaten  bread  is  no  dainty,  but  every  ordinary 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  449 


Trade  of  the  Colony.    First  coined  Money.    Marriage  of  the  Mint-master's  Daughter.    The  Quakers'  Conduct  and  Punishment 

first  extended  only  to  the  Indians,  and  to  traffic  among  themselves,  expanded,  and  consider- 
able trade  was  carried  on  with  the  West  Indies.  Through  this  trade  bullion  was  brought 
into  New  England,  and  "  it  was  thought  necessary,  to 
prevent  fraud  in  money,"  to  establish  a  mint  for  co.  'ing 

shillings,  sixpences,  and  threepences.      On  the  first  coins    /^-.c   ,-•,',■  ■/•    \  .."-  ,   f,'  r-^i-r-^i 
the  only  inscription  on  one  side  was  N.  E.,  and  on  the  oth-   /  ^'  ?.-":.?'.  ''.'.A'CiM-^  ^  '  ■'  /■}■,  ^^1'-. 
er,  XII.,  VI.,  or  III.      In  October,  1651,  the  court  order-    \X\ -J^. // '^ty  %'^\^    '^•^-s^ 
ed  that  all  pieces  of  money  should  have  a  double  ring,  with      \^--''/y'i\>Y      '^'^^^ft^i^'^ 
the  inscription  Massachusetts,  and  a  tree  in  the  center,  on         ^^-l— —  ^*«:.— ■•^^■''^ 

one  side,  and  New  England,  and  the  year  of  our  Lord,  on  '^'"^  •I'ine-teee  SH,LLiNo."i 

the  other.  The  first  money  was  coined  in  1 C52,  and  the  date  was  not  altered  for  thirty  years. 
In  the  year  165G  a  few  fanatics  in  religion,  calling  themselves  Quakers,  began  to  disturb 
the  public  peace,  revile  magistrates,  and  interfere  with  the  public  worship  of  the  people. 
They  assumed  the  name  and  garb  of  Quakers,  but  had  no  more  the  spirit  and  consistency  of 
life  of  that  pure  sect  than  any  monomaniac  that  might  declare  himself  such.  The  Quakers 
have  ever  been  regarded,  from  their  first  appearance,  as  the  most  order-loving,  peaceful  citi- 
zens, cultivating  genuine  practical  piety  among  themselves,  and,  with  few  e::ceptions,  never 
interfering  with  the  faith  and  practice  of  others,  except  by  the  reasonable  eflbrts  of  persua- 
sion. Quite  difTerent  was  the  character  of  some  of  those  who  suffered  from  the  persecution 
of  the  Puritans.  •  They  openly  and  in  harsh  language  reviled  the  authorities  in  Church  and 
State  ;  entered  houses  of  worship,  and  denounced  the  whole  congregation  as  hypocrites  and 
an  "  abomination  to  the  Lord,"  very  much  after  the  fashion  of  the  wall-placarding  and  itin- 
erant prophets  of  our  day ;   and  shocked  public  morals  by  their  indecencies.'     They  were 

man  hath  his  choice,  if  gay  clothing  and  a  liquorish  tooth  after  sack,  sugar,  and  plums  lick  not  away  his  bread 
Uw  fast,  all  ^yhich  are  but  ordinary  among  those  that  were  not  able  to  bring  their  own  person  over  at  their 
first  coming.  There  are  not  many  towns  in  the  country  but  the  poorest  person  in  them  hath  a  house  and 
land  of  his  own,  and  bread  of  his  own  growing,  if  not  some  cattle.  Flesh  is  now  no  rare  food,  beef,  pork, 
and  mutton  being  frequent  in  many  houses ;  so  that  this  poor  wilderness  hath  not  only  equalized  England 
in  food,  but  goes  beyond  it  in  some  places  for  the  great  plenty  of  wine  and  sugar  which  is  ordinarily  used, 
and  apples,  pears,  and  quince  tarts,  instead  of  their  former  pumpkin  pies.  Poultry  they  have  plenty."  At 
that  time  thirty-two  trades  were  carried  on  in  the  colony,  and  shoes  were  manufactured  for  exportation. 

'  This  is  a  fac-simile  of  the  first  money  coined  in  America.  The  mint-master,  who  was  allowed  to  take 
fifteen  pence  out  of  every  twenty  shillings,  for  his  trouble  in  coining,  made  a  large  fortune  by  it.  Henry 
Sewall,  the  founder  of  Newbury,  in  Massachusetts,  married  his  only  daughter,  a  plump  girl  of  eighteen 
years.  When  the  wedding  ceremony  was  ended,  a  large  pair  of  scales  was  brought  out  and  suspended.  In 
one  disk  the  blushing  bride  was  placed,  and  "pine  tree  shillings,"  as  the  coin  was  called,  were  poured  into 
the  other  until  there  was  an  equipoise.  The  money  was  then  handed  to  Mr.  Sewall  as  his  wife's  dowry, 
amounting  to  a  handsome  sum  in  those  days.  There  are  a  few  pieces  of  this  money  still  in  exist- 
ence. One  which  I  saw  in  the  possession  of  a  gentleman  m  New  York  wa-s  not  as  much  worn  as  many  of 
the  Spanish  quarters  now  in  circulation  among  us.     The  silver  appeared  to  be  very  pure. 

'  Hutchinson  mentions  many  instances  of  fanaticism  on  the  part  of  the  so-called  Quakers.  Some  at  Sa- 
lem, Hampton,  Newbury,  and  other  places,  went  into  the  meeting-houses  in  time  of  worship,  called  the  min- 
isters vile  hirelings,  and  the  people  an  abomination.  Thomas  Ncwhouse  went  into  the  meeting-house  at 
Boston  with  two  glass  bottles,  and,  breaking  them  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  congregation,  exclaimed. 
"Thus  will  the  Lord  break  you  in  pieces."  Mary  Brewster  went  into  meeting,  having  her  face  smeared 
with  soot  and  grease ;  another  young  married  woman,  Deborah  Wilson,  went  through  the  streets  of  Sa- 
lem perfectly  naked,  in  emulation  of  the  Prophet  Ezekiel,  as  a  sign  of  the  nakedness  of  the  land.  They 
were  whipped  through  the  streets  at  the  tail  of  a  cart.  Ann  Hartley  declared  herself  a  prophetess,  and  hail 
many  followers  who  seceded  from  the  congregation  of  Boston,  and  zealously  propagated  schism.  A  Quaker 
woman  entered  a  church  in  Boston,  while  the  congregation  were  worshiping,  clothed  in  sackcloth,  with  ashes 
on  her  head,  her  feet  bare,  and  her  face  blackened  so  as  to  personify  small-pox,  the  punishment  with  which 
she  threatened  the  colony. — See  Hutchinson's  History  of  Massachusetts,  i.,  202-4. 

Whipping  was  the  usual  punishment.  Marmaduke  Stephenson,  William  Robinson,  Mary  Dyer,  and  Will 
iam  Leddra  were  hanged.  Mary  Dyer  was  publicly  whipped  through  the  streets  of  Boston.  Dorothy  Wauph 
was  three  times  imprisoned,  three  times  banished,  and  once  whipped,  and  her  clothes  sold.  William  Brand 
was  four  times  imprisoned,  four  times  banished,  twice  whipped,  and  branded.  John  Copcland  was  seven 
times  imprisoned,  seven  times  banished,  three  times  whipped,  and  had  his  ears  cut  off.  Christopher  Holden 
was  tive  times  banished,  five  times  imprisoned,  twice  whipped,  and  had  his  ears  cut  off.  These  four  wer« 
the  leading  characters  who  suffered  in  one  year. — New  England's  Ensignf.  p.  105. 

Ff 


450  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Origin  of  the  Quakers.  Their  Peculiarities.  Sufferings  in  America  of  those  calling  themselves  Quakers, 

first  tenderly  dealt  with  and  kindly  admonished.  Penalties  ensued,  and  life  was  finally  tak- 
en, before  some  of  them  would  cease  interference  with  the  popular  ceremonials  of  religion. 
The  exercise  of  power  to  maintain  subordination  finally  grew  to  persecution,  and  the  benevo- 
lent Puritan  became,  almost  from  nece'^^ity,  a  persecutor.  Enactments  for  the  preservation 
of  good  order  were  necessary,  but  the  sanguinary  laws  against  particular  doctrines  and  tenets 
can  not  be  defended. 

The  Quaker  sect  sprang  up  in  England  about  1650,  under  George  Fox,  and  received  their 
name  from  the  peculiar  shaking  or  quaking  of  their  bodies  and  limbs  while  preaching.  They 
went  further  than  the  straitest  Puritans  in  disregarding  human  authority  when  opposed  to 
the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  yet  they  were  allowed  full  liberty  of  action  during  the  protector- 
ate of  Oliver  Cromwell.  They  denounced  war,  persecution  for  religious  opinions,  and,  above 
all,  the  slavish  idolatry  demanded  by  rulers  in  Church  and  State  of  those  under  their  control. 
They  condemned  all  ordained  and  paid  priesthoods,  refused  to  take  oaths,  and  thus  struck  a 
direct  blow  at  the  hierarchy.  They  differed  from  the  Puritans  in  many  things,  and  became 
noxious  to  them.  They  derived  their  system  of  morals  and  politics  chiefly  from  the  New 
Testament,  while  the  Puritans  took  theirs  from  the  more  sanguinary  and  intolerant  codes  of 
the  old  dispensation.  Laying  aside  the  falsehoods  of  politeness  and  flattery,  they  renounced 
all  titles,  addressed  all  men,  high  or  low,  by  the  plain  title  of  Friend,  used  the  expressions 
yea  and  nay,  and  thee  and  thou ;  and  offices  of  kindness  and  affection  to  their  fellow-creat- 
ures, according  to  the  injunction  of  the  Apostle  James,  constituted  their  practical  religion. 
"  The  Quakers  ihight  be  regarded  as  representing  that  branch  of  the  primitive  Christians 
who  esteemed  Christianity  an  entirely  new  dispensation,  world-wide  in  its  objects  ;  while  the 
Puritans  represented  those  Judaizing  Christians  who  could  not  get  rid  of  the  idea  of  a  pecul- 
iar chosen  people,  to  wit,  themselves.'" 

The  English  Puritans  had  warned  their  brethren  in  America  against  these  "  children  of 
hell,"  and  the  first  appearance  in  the  colony  of  Mary  Fisher  and  Ann  Austin,  who  came 
from  Barbadoes,  and  professed  the  new  doctrine,  greatly  alarmed  the  New  England  theocracy. 
A  special  law  was  enacted,  by  which  to  bring  a  "  known  Quaker"  into  the  colony  was  pun- 
ishable with  a  fine  of  five  hundred  dollars,  and  the  exaction  of  bonds  to  carry  him  back  again. 
The  Quaker  himself  was  to  be  whipped  twenty  stripes,  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction,  and 
kept  there  until  transported.  The  introduction  of  Quaker  books  was  prohibited  ;  defending 
Quaker  opinions  was  punishable  with  fine,  and  finally  banishment ;  and  in  1657  it  was  en- 
acted that  for  every  hour's  entertainment  given  to  a  Quaker  the  entertainer  should  pay  forty 
shillings.  It  was  also  enacted  that  every  male  Quaker  should  lose  an  ear  on  the  first  con- 
viction, and  the  other  on  a  second  ;  and  both  males  and  females,  on  a  third  conviction,  were 
to  have  their  tongues  bored  through  with  a  red-hot  iron.  In  1658  the  death  penalty  was 
enacted.  Under  it  those  who  should  return  to  the  colony  a  second  time,  after  banishment, 
were  to  suffer  death.  From  unwillingness  to  inflict  death,  it  was  provided  by  a  new  law, 
in  1658,  that  any  person  convicted  of  being  a  Quaker  should  be  delivered  to  the  constable 
of  the  town,  "to  be  stripped  naked  from  the  middle  upward,  and  tied  to  a  cart's  tail,  and 
whipped  through  the  town,  and  thence  be  immediately  conveyed  to  the  constable  of  the  next 
town  toward  the  border  of  our  jurisdiction,  and  so  from  constable  to  constable,  to  any  the  out- 
ermost town,  and  so  to  be  whipped  out  of  the  colony.  '  In  case  of  return,  this  was  to  bo 
twice  repeated.  The  fourth  time  the  convict  was  to  be  branded  with  a  letter  Pv.  on  the  left 
shoulder,  and  after  that,  if  incorrigible,  to  incur  the  death  penalty.  Chiefly  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  King  William,  these  penal  laws  against  the  Quakers  were  abrogated  by  royal 
authority,  and  that  sect  became  an  important  element  in  American  society  during  the  eight- 
eenth century.  In  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  the  Quakers 
had  a  strong  controlHng  influence  during  the  Revolution. 

In  1675  King  Philip's  war  commenced,  and  almost  all  the  Indians  in  New  England  were 
involved  in  it.      This  will  be  noticed  when  we  are  considering  my  visit  to  the  neighborhood 

'  Hildreth,  i.,  404. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


4,11 


ArriTiJ  of  Andross.      His  Extortiona.      Revolution  in  England.      Government  of  MassachusettB.      Hostilities  with  the  French. 


of  Mount  Hope,  the  residence  of  the  great  sachem.     Upon  the  heels  of  this  war,  when  the 
colonies  were  much  distressed,  the  ministers  of  the  second  James  conspired,  as  we  have  seen, 
to  destroy  popular  government  in  America,  and  consolidate  power  in  the  throne.      A  decision 
was  procured  in  the  High  Court  of  Chancery,  declaring  the  American  charters  forfeited,  be- 
cause of  the  alleged  exercise  of  powers,  on  the  part  of  the  colonial  governments,  not  recog- 
nized by  those  charters.      Sir  Edmund  Andross,  who  came  with  the  title  of  governor  gen 
eral,  and  empowered  to  take  away  their  charters  from  the  colonists,  made  Boston  his 
head-quarters.      He  came  with  the  fair  mask  of  kindness,  which  was  soon  cast  off.     Fees 
of  all  officers  were  increased  ;   public  thanksgivings  withwit  royal  permission  were  forbidden  , 
the  press  was  restrained  ;  land  titles  were  abrogated,  and  the  people  were  obliged  to  petition 
for  new  patents,  sometimes  at  great  expense  ;   and  in  various  ways  Andross  and  others  man 
aged  to  enrich  themselves  by  oppressing  and  impoverishing  the  inhabitants.      The  free  spirit 
of  Now  England  was  aroused,  and  the  people  became  very  restive 
under  the  tyrant.      Secret  meetings  were  held,  in  which  the  propriety 
of  open  resistance  was  discussed  ;  but  before  the  people  of  Boston,  aft 
erward  so  famous  for  their  bold  opposition  to  imperial  power,  lifted  the 
arm  of  defiance,  the  news  came  that  James  was  an  exile,  and 
that  William  and  Mary  were  firmly  seated  on  the  throne  of  En- 
gland.     Boston  was  in  great  commotion.      People  flocked  in  from  the 
country,  and  cries  of  "  Down  with  all  tyrants"  were  mingled  with  the 
notes  of  joy  rung  out  by  the  church-bells.      Andross,  alarmed,  fled  to 
the  fort,'  but  was  soon  arrested,  imprisoned,  and,  as  already  no- 
ticed,  sent  home  for  trial.     A  new  charter  was  received  in  1692, 
when  the  territories  of  Plymouth,  Maine,  and  Nova  Scotia  were  add- 
ed to  Massachusetts.      By  that  charter  the  governor  was  appointed 
by  the  crown,  and  a  property  qualification  was  necessary  to  procure 
the  privilege  of  the  elective  franchise  in  choosing  the  members  of  the 
General  Court  or  Assembly.      Such  was  the  government  that  existed 
when  the  Revolution  broke  out. 

About  this  time  the  French,  who  had  settled  upon  the  St.  Law- 
rence, began  to  excite  the  Northern  and  Eastern  Indians  against  the 
English  settlements  in  New  England.      Dover  and  Salmon  Falls  in 
New  Hampshire,  Casco  in  Maine,  and  Schenectady  in  New  York 
were  desolated.      The  colony  fitted  out  a  force,  under  General  Win- 
throp,  to  attack  Montreal,  and  a  fleet,  under  Sir  William  Phipps,  to 
besiege  Quebec.      The  expedition  was  a  failure,  and  for  seven  years, 
until  the  treaty  of  peace  between  France  and  England  was  concluded, 
the  frontier  was  scourged  by  savage  cruelties.      During  this  time 
military  operations  exhausted  the  treasury  of  Massachusetts,  and 
the  government  emitted  bills  of  credit,  the  first  pajjer  money  issued  in  the  American  colonies. 
From  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  until  the  treaty  of  Paris,  or,  rather,  of  Fon 
tainbleau,  in  1763,  the  New  England  colonies  were  continually  agitated  by  successive  wars 


^  WW/ 

TuK  Beacon. 


1690. 


'  The  first  fort  was  upon  one  of  the  three  eminences  in  Boston,  called  Cornhill,  from  the  circumstance 
that  the  first  explorers  found  corn  buried  there.  The  fort  was  completed  in  1634.  It  had  complete  com. 
mand  of  the  harbor.  It  is  now  a  green  plat,  two  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  and  called  Washington  Place 
The  eminence  is  called  Fort  Hill. 

Another  of  the  eminences  is  called  Beacon  Hill,  from  the  circumstance  that  on  the  top  of  it  was  a  beacoK 
pole,  with  a  tar  barrel  at  its  apex,  erected  in  1635,  which  was  to  be  fired,  to  give  an  alarm  in  the  country, 
if  Boston  should  be  attacked  by  savages.  Upon  a  crane  was  suspended  a  basket  containing  some  combusti- 
bles for  firing  the  barrel.  This  beacon  was  blown  down  in  1789,  and  the  next  year  a  plain  Doric  column 
of  brick  and  stone,  incrusted  with  cement,  was  erected.  It  was  about  sixty  feet  high,  on  an  eight  feet  ped- 
estal. On  the  tablets  of  the  pedestal  were  inscriptions  commemorating  the  most  important  events  from  the 
passage  of  the  Stamp  Act  until  1790.  This  pedestal  is  preserved  in  the  State  House  of  Boston.  The  mon- 
ument sta)d  a  little  north  of  the  site  of  the  present  State  House.     A  view  of  the  old  beacon  is  given  abovo. 


452 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


First  American  Paper  money.  Prowess  of  Colonial  Troops.         The  French  and  Indian  War.         The  Rerolutionary  Era 

with  the  French  and  Indians,  by  jealousies  concerning  colonial  rights,  which  acts  of  Parlia- 
ment from  time  to  time  seemed  to  menace  with  subversion,  and  by  the  discontents  arising 


THF5  InieutecL  BaLof  Twcm  tr  ^ 

SK'dli/TV  avT  itie  from  iKe  Maflackofetr^ 
Co  Icmy  io  tVcJoHeSo  r  Ifiall  t  ^vn  value^^z^ 
&qua.lio  rT^oaey  SziIkaUt^'acccnrclxrlglY'^ 
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Tr  ea Rx/ory ,  B  olt oru  tru.  N  e w^E  ngl a/rvcU 
Fefcraary  ^etTiLrcL9l6c)0coBy  OrcWof 
tke^  Ce/ne/ral  G=.oii/rt>D:>£^ 


Comiiee 


Fac-simile  of  the  first  American  Paper  Monet. 


from  the  avarice  and  misrule  of  royal  governors  sent  over  from  England.  For  the  wars  they 
furnished  full  supplies  of  men  and  money,  and  it  was  chiefly  by  the  prowess  of  colonial  troopf 
that  French  dominion  in  America  was  destroyed.  During  these  wars  the  colonists  discover- 
ed their  own  strength,  and,  doubtless,  thoughts  of  independence  often  occupied  the  minds  of 
many.  The  capture  of  Louisburg,  the  operations  in  Northern  New  York  and  upon  Lake 
Ontario  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  final  passage  of  Quebec  and  Montreal  into  the  hands 
of  the  English,  have  been  noticed  in  former  chapters.  The  campaign  against  the  French 
posts  on  the  Ohio  and  vicinity,  when  Washington  first  became  distinguished  as  a  military 
leader,  will  receive  our  attention  hereafter. 

We  have  now  reached  the  borders  of  our  Revolutionary  era,  and  Boston,  our  point  of 
view,  where  the  first  bold  voice  was  heard  and  the  first  resolute  arm  uplifted  against  meas- 
ures of  the  British  Parliament  that  tended  to  abridge  the  liberties  of  the  colonists,  is  a  proper 
place  whence  to  take  a  general  survey  of  events  immediately  antecedent  to,  and  connected 
with,  that  successful  and  righteous  rebellion. 


OF   THE   RE  v^OLUTION.  453 


First  Step  toward  Absolutism.    Democratic  Colonies.    Board  of  Trade.    Courts  of  Vice-admiralty.     Commercial  Restrictions. 

We  have  already  observed,  that  after  the  expulsion  of  Andross  a  new  charter  was 
obtained  by  Massachusetts,  but  the  governor  thereafter  was  appointed  by  the  crown. 
This  was  the  first  link  forged  for  the  chain  of  absolutism  with  which  England  for  nearly  a 
century  endeavored  to  enslave  her  American  colonies.  Such  was  the  condition  of  all  the 
colonies,  except  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  whose  original  charters  had  never  been  sur- 
rendered. The  other  chartered  communities  were  governed  by  men  appointed  by  the  king, 
but  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  always  enjoyed  the  democratic  privilege  of  electing  their 
own  chief  magistrates.  These  royal  governors,  by  their  exactions  and  their  haughty  disre- 
•■;ard  of  public  opinion  in  America,  were  greatly  instrumental,  it  will  be  seen,  in  arousing 
the  people  to  rebellion.  Discontents,  however,  arising  from  an  interference  of  the  imperial 
government  with  the  commerce  of  the  colonies,  had  already  begun  to  excite  suspicions  unfa- 
vorable to  the  integrity  of  the  home  government. 

Among  the  first  acts  of  Parliament,  after  the  restoration  of  Charles  II.  in  1660,  was  the 
establishment  of  a  board  of  commissioners,  to  have  the  general  supervision  of  the  commerce 
of  the  American  colonies.  This  commission  was  afterward  remodeled,  and  the  Board 
of  Trade  and  Plantatiojis,  consisting  of  a  president  and  seven  members,  known  as 
Lords  of  Trade,  was  established.  This  board  had  the  general  oversight  of  the  commerce 
of  the  realm  ;  and,  although  its  powers  were  subsequently  somewhat  curtailed,  it  exercised 
great  influence,  particularly  in  America,  down  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  the 
strong  right  arm  of  royalty  here.  It  was  the  legalized  spy  upon  all  the  movements  of  the 
people  ;  it  watched  the  operations  of  the  colonial  assemblies  ;  and  in  every  conceivable  way 
it  upheld  the  royal  governors  and  the  royal  prerogatives.  Under  its  auspices  courts  of  vice- 
admiralty  were  established  throughout  the  colonies,  having  powers  similar  to  those  of  our 
United  States  District  Courts,  in  which  admiralty  and  revenue  cases  were  tried  without  jury. 
These  often  exercised  intolerable  tyranny. 

Previous  to  the  estabUshment  of  the  first  commission,  the  acts  of  trade  had  so  little 
affected  the  colonists  that  they  were  hardly  a  subject  of  controversy  ;  but  after  the  Res- 
toration, the  commercial  restrictions,  from  which  the  New  England  colonies  were  exempt 
(luring  the  time  of  the  commonwealth,  were  imposed  with  increased  rigor.  The  harbors  of 
the  colonies  were  closed  against  all  but  English  vessels ;  such  articles  of  American  produce 
as  were  in  demand  in  England  were  forbidden  to  be  shipped  to  foreign  markets  ;  the  liberty 
of  free  trade  among  the  colonies  themselves  was  taken  away,  and  they  were  forbidden  to 
manufacture  for  their  own  use  or  for  foreign  markets  those  articles  which  would  come  in 
competition  with  English  manufacturers.  In  addition  to  these  oppressive  commercial  acts, 
a  roval  fleet  arrived  at  Boston,  bringing  commissioners,  who  were  instructed  to  hear 

J  .        .  1664. 

and  determine  all  complaints  that  might  exist  in  New  England  ;  and  they  also  had 
full  power  to  take  "  such  measures  as  they  might  deem  expedient  for  settling  the  peace  and 
security  of  the  country  on  a  solid  foundation."  The  people  justly  regarded  this  commission 
as  a  prolific  seed  of  tyranny  planted  among  them.  The  colonists  were  alarmed,  yet  none 
but  Massachusetts  dared  openly  to  complain.  She  alone,  although  professing  the  warmest 
loyalty  to  the  king,  openly  asserted  her  chartered  rights,  and  not  only  refused  to  acknowl- 
edge the  authority  of  the  commissioners,  but  protested  against  the  exercise  of  their  delegated 
powers  within  her  domain.  So  noxious  was  the  commission  to  the  whole  people,  that  it 
was  soon  abolished.  In  this  boldness  Massachusetts  exhibited  the  germ  of  that  opposition 
to  royal  authority  for  which  she  was  afterward  so  conspicuous. 

In  1672  the  British  Parliament  enacted  "  that  if  any  vessel  which,  by  law,  may  trade  in 
the  plantations  shall  take  on  board  any  enumerated  articles  [mentioned  in  the  act  of  1  660], 
and  a  bond  shall  not  have  been  given  with  suflficient  security  to  unlade  them  in  England, 
there  shall  be  rendered  to  his  majesty,  for  sugars,  tobacco,  ginger,  cocoa-nut,  indigo,  logwood, 
fustic,  cotton,  wool,  the  several  duties  mentioned  in  the  law,  to  be  paid  in  such  places  in  the 
plantation,  and  to  such  officers  as  shall  be  appointed  to  collect  the  same  ;  and,  for  their  better 
sollection,  it  is  enacted  that  the  whole  business  shall  be  managed  and  the  imposts  shall  be 
levied  by  officers  appointed  by  the  commissioners  of  imposts  in  England."      This  was  the 


454  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

First  Act  of  Oppresaion.       Colonial  Claims  to  the  Right  of  Representation.       The  Right  acknowledged.       Governor  Burnet 

first  act  that  imposed  customs  on  the  colonies  alone  ;  this  was  the  initial  act  of  a  series  of 
like  tenor,  which  drove  them  to  rebellion.  The  people  justly  complained,  and  as  justly  dis- 
regarded the  law.  They  saw  in  it  a  withering  blight  upon  their  infant  commerce  :  they 
either  openly  disobeyed  its  injunctions,  or  eluded  its  provisions ;  Barbadoes,  Virginia,  and 
Maryland,  in  particular,  trafficked  without  restraint. 

The  colonies  in  general  now  began  to  regard  the  home  government  as  an  oppressor,  and 
acted  with  a  corresponding  degree  of  independence.  Edward  Randolph,  afterward  the  sur- 
veyor general  during  the  reign  of  William  and  Mary,  writing  to  the  commissioners  of  custom 
in  1676,  iterated  the  declarations  of  the  people  that  the  law  "  made  by  Parliament  obligeth 
them  in  nothing  but  what  consists  with  the  interests  of  the  colonies ;  that  the  legislative 
power  is  and  abides  in  them  solely."  Governor  Nicholson,  of  Maryland,  writing 
in  1698,  said,  "  I  have  observed  that  a  great  many  people  in  all  these  colonies  and 
provinces,  especially  those  under  proprietaries,  and  the  two  others  under  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island,  think  that  no  law  of  England  ought  to  be  in  force  and  binding  to  them  with- 
out their  own  consent ;  for  they  foolishly  say  they  have  no  representative  sent  for  themselves 
to  the  Parliaments  of  England;  and  they  look  upon  all  laws  made  in  England,  that  put 
any  restraint  upon  them,  to  be  great  hardships."  Earlier  than  this  the  doctrine  that  the 
colonies  should  not  be  taxed  without  their  consent  was  recognized  by  Lord  Berkley  and  Sir 
George  Cartwright,  and  not  questioned  by  the  king.  These  distinguished  men  purchased 
New  Jersey  of  the  Duke  of  York  (afterward  James  II.),  which  he  had  taken  from  the 
Dutch  by  the  authority  of  his  brother  Charles. 

These  "  lords  proprietors,"  for  the  better  settlement  of  the  pioneers,  stipulated  in  their 
agreement  with  those  who  should  commence  plantations  there  that  they  (the  proprietors) 
were  "  not  to  impose,  or  suffer  to  be  imposed,  any  tax,  custom,  subsidy,  tallage,  assessment, 
or  any  other  duty  whatsoever,  upon  any  color  or  pretense,  upon  the  said  province  or  inhabit- 
ants thereof,  other  than  what  shall  be  imposed  by  the  authority  and  consent  of  the  General 
Assembly."'^  In  1691  the  New  York  General  Assembly  passed  an  act  declaring  "that  no  aid, 
tax,  tallage,  &c.,  whatsoever  shall  be  laid,  assessed,  levied,  or  required  of  or  on  any  of  theii 
majesties'  [William  and  Mary]  subjects  within  the  provinces,  &c.,  or  their  estates,  in  any 
manner  of  color  or  pretense  whatsoever,  but  by  the  act  and  consent  of  the  governor  and  coun- 
cil, and  representatives  of  the  people  in  General  Assembly  met  and  convened."  In  1692 
the  Massachusetts  Legislature  made  a  declaration  in  almost  the  same  language,  and  almost 
all  the  colonies  asserted,  in  some  form,  the  same  doctrine.  Thus  we  see  that,  nearly  one 
hundred  years  before  the  Revolution,  the  fundamental  principle  upon  which  the  righteousness 
of  that  rebellion  relied  for  vindication — taxation  and  representation  are  inseparable — 
was  boldly  asserted  by  the  governed,  and  tacitly  admitted  by  the  supreme  power  as  correct. 

As  early  as  1729  the  conduct  of  Massachusetts  caused  a  suggestion  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons that  it  was  the  design  of  that  colony  "  to  shake  off  its  dependency."  Governor  Bur- 
net, of  New  York,  was  appointed  chief  magistrate  of  the  province  in  1728.  The  display 
that  attended  his  reception  at  Boston,  and  the  appearance  of  general  prosperity  on  every  hand, 
letermined  him  to  demand  a  fixed  and  liberal  salary  from  the  Assembly,  a  demand  which 
had  involved  Shute,  his  predecessor,  in  continual  bickerings  with  that  body.  Burnet  made 
♦he  demand  in  his  inaugural  address,  and  the  Assembly  treated  it  in  such  a  manner  that  im- 
inediately  afterward  the  Council  expressed  their  reprehension  of  the  undutiful  conduct  of  the 
inembers.  So  bold  was  the  Assembly  in  denying  royal  prerogatives  and  refusing  obedience 
to  laws,  that  when  Massachusetts  petitioned  the  House  of  Commons,  praying  that  they 
might  be  heard  by  counsel  on  the  subject  of  grievances,  that  body  resolved  "  That  the 
petition  was  frivolous  and  groundless,  a  high  insult  upon  his  majesty's  [George  I.]  govern- 
ment, and  tending  to  shake  off  the  dependency  of  the  said  colony  wpon  this  kingdotn,  to 
which,  in  law  and  right,  they  ought  to  be  subject. ^'^ 

In  1739  a  proposition  was  made  to  Sir  Robert  Walpole  to  tax  the  American  colonies,  but 


1  Smith's  History  of  New  Jersey,  p.  517.  *  Smith's  History  of  New  York,  p.  75. 


I 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  455 


WUdom  of  Robert  Walpole.         Ilefltraining  Acta.         Loyalty  and  Patriotism  of  the  Colooics.         Heavy  voluntary  Taxation 

that  statesman  took  an  enlightened  and  liberal  view,  and  said,  smiling,  "  I  will  leave  that  to 
some  of  my  successors  who  have  more  courage  than  I  have,  and  are  less  friends  to  commerce 
than  I  am.  It  has  been  a  maxim  with  me,  during  my  administration,  to  encourage  the  trade 
of  the  American  colonies  in  the  utmost  latitude  ;  nay,  it  has  been  necessary  to  pass  over  some 
irregularities  in  their  trade  with  Europe  ;  for,  by  encouraging  them  to  an  extensive  growing 
commerce,  if  they  gain  five  hundred  thousand  pounds,  I  am  convinced  that  in  two  years  aft- 
erward full  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  their  gains  will  be  in  his  majesty's  ex- 
chequer, by  the  labor  and  produce  of  this  kingdom,  as  immense  quantities  of  every  kind  of 
our  manufactories  go  thither  ;  and  as  they  increase  in  their  foreign  American  trade,  more  of 
our  produce  will  be  wanted.  This  is  taxing  them  more  agreeably  to  their  own  Constitution 
and  ours."  Had  these  views  continued  to  prevail  in  the  British  cabinet,  George  III.  might 
not  have  "  lost  the  brightest  jewel  in  his  crown  ;"  had  Walpole  yielded,  the  republic  of  the 
United  States  might  have  existed  almost  half  a  century  earlier. 

Walpole's  successors  were  "  more  courageous"  than  he,  and  "  less  friends  to  commerce," 
for  in  1750  an  act  was  passed,  declaring  "  That  from  and  after  the  2'lth  of  June,  1750,  no 
mill  or  other  engine  for  slitting  or  rolling  of  iron,  or  any  platting  forge  to  work  with  a  tilt- 
hammer,  or  any  furnace  for  making  steel,  shall  be  erected,  or,  after  such  erection,  continued, 
in  any  of  his  majesty's  colonies  in  America."  The  Navigation  Act  of  1C60  was  retained  in 
full  force.  Hatters  were  forbidden  to  have,  at  one  time,  more  than  two  apprentices  ;  the 
importation  of  sugar,  rum,  and  molasses  was  not  allowed  without  the  payment  of  consider- 
able duties  ;  and  the  felling  of  pitch-pine-trees  not  within  inclosures  was  prohibited.  True, 
these  revenue  laws  were  administered  with  much  laxity,  as  Walpole  acknowledged,  and  the 
colonies  were  not  much  oppressed  by  them,  yet  they  practically  asserted  the  right  to  tax  the 
Americans — a  right  that  was  strenuously  denied.  These  things  were,  therefore,  real  giiev 
ances,  for  they  foreshadowed  those  intentions  to  enslave  America  which  were  afterward 
more  boldly  avowed. 

I  have  noticed  the  Colonial  Congress  (page  303)  held  at  Albany  in  1754,  when  Dr.  Frank- 
lin submitted  a  plan  for  the  union  of  the  colonies  for  the  general  good,  and  when  Massachu- 
setts, ever  jealous  of  her  rights,  instructed  her  representatives  to  oppose  any  scheme  for  tax- 
ing them.  The  war  that  had  then  just  commenced  (the  Seven  Years'  War)  soon  diverted 
the  attention  of  the  colonists  from  the  commercial  grievances  of  which  they  complained,  and 
as  the  common  dangers  multiplied,  loyalty  increased.  Cheerfully  did  they  tax  themselves, 
and  contribute  men,  money,  and  provisions,  for  that  contest.  They  lost  by  the  war  twenty- 
five  thousand  of  their  robust  young  men,  exclusive  of  sailors.  Upon  application  of  Admiral 
Saunders,  the  squadron  employed  against  Louisburg  and  Quebec  was  supplied  with  five  hund- 
red seamen  from  Massachusetts,  besides  many  who  were  impressed  out  of  vessels  on  the  fish- 
ing banks.  During  the  whole  war  Massachusetts  contributed  its  full  quota  of  troops  annu- 
ally, and  also,  at  times,  furnished  garrisons  for  Louisburg  and  Nova  Scotia  in  addition.  That 
colony  alone  contributed  more  than  five  millions  of  dollars,  in  M-hich  sum  is  not  included  the 
expense  of  forts  and  garrisons  on  the  frontiers.  Besides  these  public  expenditures,  there  must 
have  been  almost  an  equal  amount  drawn  from  the  people  by  extra  private  expenses  and  per- 
sonal services.  The  taxes  imposed  to  meet  the  pressing  demands  upon  all  sides  were  enor- 
mous,' and  men  of  wealth  gave  freely  toward  encouraging  the  raising  of  new  levies.  This, 
it  must  be  remembered,  was  the  heavy  burden  laid  upon  one  colony.  Other  provinces  con- 
tributed largely,  yet  not  so  munificently  as  Massachusetts.  Probably  the  Seven  Years'  War 
cost  the  aggregate  colonies  twenty  millions  of  dollars,  besides  the  flower  of  their  youth  ;  and 
in  return  Parliament  granted  them,  during  the  contest,  at  difierent  periods,  about  five  mill- 

'  Such  was  the  assessment  in  Boston  one  year  during  the  war,  that,  if  a  man's  income  was  three  hundred 
dollars,  he  had  to  pay  two  thirds,  or  two  hundred  dollars,  and  in  that  proportion.  If  his  house  wa.s  valued 
at  one  thousand  dollars,  he  was  obliged  to  pay  three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars.  He  bad  also  to  pay  a  poll 
tax  for  himself,  and  for  every  male  member  of  his  family  over  sixteen  years  of  ago,  at  the  rate  of  nearly 
four  dollars  each.  In  addition  to  all  this,  he  paid  his  proportion  of  excise  on  tea,  cotrec,  rum,  and  wine,  if 
he  used  them. — Gordon. 


15  6 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Designs  of  the  British  Ministry.       Expenditures  of  the  British  Government  on  Account  of  America.      Accession  of  George  III. 

ions  four  hundred  and  nine  thousand  dollars.*  Yet  the  British  ministry,  in  1760,  while  the 
colonies  were  so  generously  supporting  the  power  and  dignity  of  the  realm,  regarded  their 
services  as  the  mere  exercise  of  a  duty,  and  declared  that,  notwithstanding  grants  of  money 
had  been  made  to  them,  they  expected  to  get  it  all  back,  by  imposing  a  tax  upon  them  after 
the  war,  in  order  to  raise  a  revenue.  Such  was  the  language  of  Mr.  Pitt  in  a  letter  to  Lieu- 
tenant-governor Fauquier,  of  Virginia.  The  war  ended  favorably  to  Great  Britain,  and  Mas 
sachusetts  and  other  colonies  looked  forward  with  the  full  hope  of  uninterrupted  prosperity. 
New  men  were  at  the  helm  of  State.  The  old  king  was  dead,  and  his  grandson,  the  eldest 
October  26  ^^"^  ^^  ^^^  deceased  Frederic,  prince  of  Wales,  had  ascended  the  throne  with  the 
I'^^^o.  title  of  George  III.  This  was  the  prince  who  ruled  Great  Britain  sixty  years,  in 
which  time  was  included  our  war  for  independence. 


*  Parliament  subsequently  voted  one  million  of  dollars  to  the  colonies,  but,  on  account  of  the  troubles  aris- 
ing from  the  Stamp  Act  and  kindred  measures,  ministers  withheld  the  sum. — Pictorial  History  of  the  Reign 
of  George  III.,  i.,  36. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  "  The  grants  in  Parliament  for  Rewards,  Encouragement,  and  Indemnification 
to  the  Provinces  in  North  America,  for  their  Services  and  Expenses  during  the  last  [seven  j^ears]  War: 

"  On  the  3d  of  February,  1756,  as  a  free  gift  and  reward  to  the  colonies  of  New  England,  New  York, 
and  Jersey,  for  their  past  services,  and  as  an  encouragement  to  continue  to  exert  themselves  with  vigor, 
voted  $575,000. 

"May  19th,  1757.  For  the  use  and  relief  of  the  provinces  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  and  Virginia, 
in  recompense  for  sei"vices  performed  and  to  be  performed,  $250,000. 

"June  1st,  1758.  To  reimburse  the  province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  their  expenses  in  furnishing  pro- 
visions and  stores  to  the  troops  raised  by  them  in  1756,  $136,900.  To  reimburse  the  province  of  Connec 
ticut  their  expenses  for  ditto,  $68,680. 

"April  30th,  1759.  As  a  compensation  to  the  respective  colonies  for  the  expenses  of  clothing,  pay  oJ 
troops,  &c.,  $1,000,000. 

"  March  31st,  1760.  For  the  same,  $1,000,000.  For  the  colony  of  New  York,  to  reimburse  their  ex 
penses  in  furnishing  provisions  and  stores  to  the  troops  in  1756,  $14,885. 

"January  20th,  1761.  As  a  compensation  to  the  respective  colonies  for  clothing,  pay  of  troops,  &c  , 
$1,000,000. 

"January  26th,  1762.     Ditto,  $666,666. 

"March  15ih,  1763.     Ditto,  $666,666. 

"  April  22d,  1770.  To  reimburse  the  province  of  New  Hampshire  their  expenses  in  furnishing  provi 
sions  and  stores  to  the  troops  in  the  campaign  of  1756,  $30,045.     Total,  $5,408,842." 

In  a  pamphlet  entitled  The  Rights  of  Britain  and  Claims  of  America,  an  answer  to  the  Declaration  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  setting  forth  the  causes  and  the  necessity  of  their  taking  up  arms,  printed  in  1776, 
I  find  a  table  showing  the  annual  expenditures  of  the  British  government  in  support  of  the  civil  and  military 
powers  of  the  American  colonies,  from  the  accession  of  the  family  of  Hanover,  in  1714,  until  1775.  The 
expression  of  the  writer  is,  "  Employed  in  the  defense  of  America."  This  is  incorrect,  for  the  wars  with 
the  French  on  this  contment,  which  cost  the  greatest  amount  of  money,  were  wars  for  conquest  and  terri- 
tory, though  ostensibly  for  the  defense  of  the  Anglo-American  colonies  against  the  encroachments  of  their 
Gallic  neighbors.  During  the  period  alluded  to  (lixty  years)  the  sums  granted  for  the  army  amounted  to 
$43,899,625;  for  the  navy,  $50,000,000;  money  laid  put  in  Indian  presents,  in  holding  Congresses,  and 
purchasing  cessions  of  land,  $30,500,000  ;  making  a  total  of  $123,899,625.  Within  that  period  the  fol- 
lowing bounties  on  American  commodities  were  paid  :  On  indigo,  $725,110  ;  on  hemp  and  flax,  $27,800  ; 
on  naval  stores  imported  in  Great  Britain  from  America,  $7,293,810  ;  making  the  total  sum  paid  on  account 
of  bounties  $8,047,320.  The  total  amount  of  money  expended  in  sixty  years  on  account  of  America 
$131,946,945. 


Great  Seal  of  George  III    the  Purse,  and  Chancellor's  Macs 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


457 


Death  of  George  II.  announced  to  his  IJeir. 


Intluence  of  the  Earl  of  Bute. 


Cool  Treatment  of  Mr.  Pitt. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


iiiirht. 


"  In  a  chariot  of  light  from  the  regions  of  day 

The  goddess  of  Liberty  came, 
Ten  thousand  celestials  directed  the  way, 

And  hither  conducted  the  dame. 
A  fair  budding  branch  from  the  garden  above, 

Where  millions  with  millions  agree. 
She  brought  in  her  hand  as  a  pledge  of  her  love, 

And  the  plant  she  named  Liberty  Tree. 

"  The  celestial  exotic  struck  deep  in  the  ground. 

Like  a  native  it  flourish'd  and  bore  ; 
The  fame  of  its  fruit  drew  the  nations  around, 

To  seek  out  this  peaceable  shore. 
Unmindful  of  names  or  distinction  they  came,  « 

For  freemen,  like  brothers,  agree  ; 
With  one  spirit  indued,  they  one  friendship  pursued, 

And  their  temple  was  Liberty  Tree. 

"  But  hear,  0  ye  swains  ('tis  a  tale  most  profane). 
How  all  the  tyrannical  powers. 
Kings,  Commons,  and  Lords,  are  uniting  amain 

To  cut  down  this  guardian  of  ours. 
From  the  east  to  the  west  blow  the  trumpet  to  arms. 
Through  the  land  let  the  sound  of  it  flee  ; 
^^       Let  the  far  and  the  near  all  unite  with  a  cheer 
.  In  defense  of  our  Liberty  TreeJ'' 

Thomas  Paine. 

HE  intelligence  of  the  death  of  his  grandfather  was  communicated  to  George, 
the  heir  apparent,  on  the  morning  of  the  2oth  of  October,  while  he  was  riding 
on  horseback,  near  Kew  Palace,  with  his  inseparable  companion,  the  Earl  of 
Bute.  William  Pitt,  afterward  Earl  of  Chat- 
ham, was  the  prime  minister  of  the  deceased 
king.  He  immediately  repaired  to  Kew,  where 
the  young  sovereign  (then  in  his  twenty- 
third  year)  remained  during  the  day  and 
On  the  26th  George'  went  to  St.  James's,  where  Pitt 


waited  upon  him,  and  presented  a  sketch  of  an  address  to  be 
pronounced  by  the  monarch  at  a  meeting  of  the  Privy  Council. 
The  minister  was  politely  informed  that  a  speech  was  already 
prepared,  and  that  every  preliminary  was  arranged.  He  at 
once  perceived  that  the  courtier,  Bute,  the  favorite  of  the  king's 
mother,  and  his  majesty's  tutor  and  abiding  personal  friend,  had 
made  these  arrangements,  and  that  he  would  doubtless  occupy 
a  conspicuous  station  in  the  new  administration. 

Bute  was  originally  a  poor  Scottish  nobleman,  possessed  of 
very  little  general  talent,  narrow  in  his  political  views,  but  fa- 
vored with  a  fine  perspn  and  natural  grace  of  manners.  He 
was  a  favorite  of  George's  father,  and  continued  to  be  an  inti- 


Grorok  III. 
AT  TiiR  Time  of  his  Accession. 

From  an  anonymous  prtuL 


»  George  the  Third  was  the  son  of  Frederic,  prince  of  Wales.     His  mother  was  the  beautiful  Princess 
AufTUSta,  of  Saxe  Gotha.     He  was  bom  in  London  on  the  24th  of  May,  1738      He  was  mariicd  iii 


458 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Character  of  Bute. 


His  Influence  over  the  King. 


Discontents. 


Resignation  of  Pill 


mate  friend  of  the  king's  mother  after  Prince  Frederic's  death.  Indeed,  scandal  uttered 
some  unpleasant  suggestions  respecting  this  intimacy,  even  after  the  accession  of  George. 
«'  Not  contented  with  being  wise,"  said  Earl  Waldegrave,  "  he  would  be  thought  a  polite 
scholar  and  a  man  of  great  erudition,  but  has  the  misfortune  never  to  succeed,  except  with 

those  who  are  exceedingly  ignorant ;  for  his  historical 
knowledge  is  chiefly  taken  from  tragedies,  wherein  he 
is  very  deeply  read,  and  his  classical  learning  extends 
no  further  than  a  French  translation."'  Such  was 
the  man  whom  the  young  monarch  unfortunately  chose 
for  his  counselor  and  guide,  instead  of  the  wise  and  sa- 
gacious Pitt,  who  had  contributed,  by  his  talents  and 
energy,  so  much  to  the  glory  of  England  during  the 
latter  years  of  the  reign  of  George  II.  Like  Reho- 
boam,  George  "  forsook  the  counsel  which  the  old  men 
gave  him,  and  took  counsel  with  the  young  men  that 
were  brought  up  with  him,  that  stood  before  him." 
It  was  a  sad  mistake,  and  clouds  of  distrust  gathered  in 
the  morning  sky  of  his  reign.  The  opinion  got  abroad 
that  he  would  be  ruled  by  the  queen  dowager  and  Bute, 
and  that  the  countrymen  of  the  earl,  whom  the  English 
disliked,  would  be. subjects  of  special  favor.  Murmurs 
were  heard  in  many  quarters,  and  somebody  had  the 
boldness  to  put  up  a  placard  on  the  Royal  Exchange, 
with  these  words  :  "  No  petticoat  government — no 
Scotch  minister — no  Lord  George  Sackville." 

Thus,  at  the  very  outset  of  his  reign,  the  king  had 
opponents  in  his  own  capital.  0A  general  feeling  of 
discontent  pervaded  the  people  as  soon  as  it  was  per- 
ceived that  Pitt,  their  favorite,  was  likely  to  become 
secondary  among  the  counselors  of  the  king,  or,  which 
seemed  more  certain,  would  leave  the  cabinet  altogether.  The  latter  event  soon  followed. 
Disgusted  by  the  assurance  and  ignorance  of  Bute,  and  the  apathetic  submission  of  George 
to  the  control  of  the  Scotch  earl,  and  perceiving  that  all  his  plans,  the  execution  of  which 
was  pressing  his  country  forward  in  a  career  of  glory  and  prosperity,  were  thwarted  by  the 


Usual  Appearance  of  the  Kino  about  1776. 

From  a  eketch  by  Gear. 


September,  1761,  nearly  a  year  after  his  accession,  to  the  Princess  Charlotte,  of  Mecklenberg  Strelitz,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  duke  of  that  principality.  Her  character  resembled  that  of  her 
husband.  Like  him,  she  was  domestic  in  her  tastes  and  habits,  decorous,  rigid 
in  the  observance  of  moral  duties,  and  benevolent  in  thought  and  action.  George 
was  remarkable  for  the  purity  of  his  morals ;  even  while  a  young  man,  in  the 
midst  of  the  licentious  court  of  his  grandfather,  and  through  life,  he  was  a  good 
pattern  of  a  husband  and  father.  He  possessed  no  brilliancy  of  talents,  but 
common  sense  was  a  prime  element  in  his  intellectual  character.  He  was  ten- 
der and  benevolent,  although  he  loved  money ;  and  his  resentments  against  those 
who  willfully  offended  him  were  lasting.  He  was  always  reliable  ;  honest  in 
his  principles  and  faithful  to  his  promises,  no  man  distrusted  him.  Their  maj- 
esties were  crowned  on  the  22d  of  September,  1761,  soon  after  their  marriage, 
and  a  reform  in  the  ro3'al  household  at  once  commenced.  Their  example  con- 
tributed to  produce  a  great  change  in  manners.  "  Before  their  time,"  says 
M'Farland,  "  the  Court  of  St.  James  had  much  of  the  licentiousness  of  the  Court 
of  Versailles,  without  its  polish ;  during  their  time  it  became  decent  and  cor- 
rect, and  its  example  gradually  extended  to  the  upper  classes  of  society,  where 
it  was  most  wanted." 

For  two  years,  from  1787  to  1789,  his  majesty  was  afflicted  with  insanity. 
The  malady  returned  in  1801,  and  terminated  his  political  life.     He  died  on 
the  29th  of  January,  1820,  aged  nearly  eighty-two  years,  this  being  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  reign.     His  queer 
died  in  1818.  *  W a\desra.\Q^s  Memoirs 


Queen  Charlotte. 

From  a  print  by  Worlidge 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  459 


Secret  Agents  sent  to  America.         Writa  of  Assistance.         Opposition.         James  Otis.         Episcopacy  designed  for  America 

supple  tools  of  the  favorite,  he  resigned  his  office.  The  regrets  of  the  whole  nation  followed 
him  into  retirement,  while  George,  really  esteeming  him  more  highly  than  any  other  states- 
man in  his  realm,  in  testimony  of  his  appreciation  of  his  services,  granted  a  peerage  to  his 
lady,  and  a  pension  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 

Greater  discontents  were  produced  in  the  colonies  by  the  measures  which  the  new  admin- 
istration adopted  in  relation  to  them.  By  the  advice  of  Bute,  who  was  the  real  head  of  the 
government,  George  set  about  "  a  reformation  of  the  American  charters."  Secret  agents 
were  sent  to  travel  in  the  different  colonies,  to  procure  access  to  the  leading  men,  and  to  col- 
lect such  information  respecting  the  character  and  temper  of  the  people  as  would  enable  min- 
isters to  judge  what  regulations  and  alterations  could  be  safely  made  in  the  police  and  gov- 
ernment of  the  colonies,  in  order  to  their  being  brought  more  efrectually  under  the  control  of 
Parliament.  The  business  of  these  agents  was  also  to  conciliate  men  of  capital  and  station, 
hoping  thereby  to  enlist  a  large  number  of  dependents  ;  but  herein  they  erred.  Unlike  men 
in  a  similar  condition  in  England,  the  man  of  wealth  here  could  influence  very  few  ;  and  in 
New  England  such  was  the  general  independence  of  the  people,  that  such  agency  was  of  no 
avail.  The  object  of  the  agents  was  too  apparent  to  admit  of  doubt ;  the  proposed  reform 
was  but  another  name  for  despotism,  and  the  gossamer  covering  of  deceit  could  not  hide  the 
intention  of  the  ministry. 

The  first  reform  measure  which  aroused  the  colonies  to  a  lively  sense  of  their  danger 
was  the  issuing  of  Writs  of  Assistance.  These  were  warrants  to  custom-house  offi- 
cers, giving  them  and  their  deputies  a  general  power  to  enter  houses  or  stores  where  it  might 
be  suspected  that  contraband  goods  were  concealed.  The  idea  of  such  latitude  being  given 
to  the  "  meanest  deputy  of  a  deputy's  deputy"  created  general  indignation  and  alarm.  It 
might  cover  the  grossest  abuses,  and  no  man's  privacy  would  be  free  from  the  invasion  of 
these  ministerial  hirelings.  Open  resistance  was  resolved  upon.  In  Boston  public  meetings 
were  held,  and  the  voice  of  the  fearless  James  Otis  the  younger  called  boldly  upon  the  people 
to  breast  any  storm  of  ministerial  vengeance  that  might  be  aroused  by  opposition  here.  The 
Assembly  sided  with  the  people,  and  even  Governor  Bernard  was  opposed  to  the  measure. 
Respectful  remonstrances  to  Parliament  and  petitions  to  the  king  were  sent,  but  without  ef- 
fect. That  short-sighted  financier,  George  Grenville,  was  Bute's  Chancellor  of  the  Excheq- 
uer. An  exhausted  treasury  needed  replenishing,  and  ministers  determined  to  derive  a  rev- 
enue from  the  colonies,  either  by  direct  taxation  or  by  impost  duties,  rigorously  levied  and  col- 
lected. They  had  also  determined  in  council  upon  bringing  about  an  entire  subservience  of 
the  colonies,  politically,  religiously,  and  commercially,  to  the  will  of  the  king  and  Parliament.' 

'  Dr.  Gordon  says  he  was  informed  by  Dr.  Langdon,  of  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  that  as  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Whitfield  was  about  leaving  that  place,  he  said  to  Dr.  Langdon,  and  INIr.  Haven,  the  Congregational  min- 
ister, "  I  can't,  in  conscience,  leave  this  town  without  acquainting  you  with  a  secret.  My  heart  bleeds  for 
America.  0  poor  New  England  !  There  is  a  deep-laid  plot  against  both  your  civil  and  religious  liberties, 
and  they  will  be  lost.  Your  golden  days  are  at  an  end.  You  have  nothing  but  trouble  before  you.  My 
information  comes  from  the  best  authority  in  Great  Britain.  I  was  allowed  to  speak  of  the  alTair  in  general, 
but  enjoined  not  to  mention  particulars.  Your  liberties  will  be  lost." — Gordon,  i.,  102.  It  was  known  that, 
among  other  reforms,  the  Puritan,  or  dissenting,  influence  in  religious  matters  was  to  be  curtailed,  if  not  de- 
stroyed, by  the  establishment  of  Episcopacy  in  the  colonies.  The  throne  and  the  hierarchy  were,  in  a  meas- 
ure, mutually  dependent.  In  1748  Dr.  Seeker,  the  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  had  prop<ised  the  establish- 
ment of  Episcopacy  in  America,  and  overtures  were  made  to  some  Puritan  divines  to  accept  the  miter,  bul 
without  effect.  The  colonists,  viewing  Episcopacy  in  its  worst  light,  as  exhibited  in  the  early  days  of  the 
American  settlements,  had  been  taught  to  fear  such  power,  if  it  should  happen  to  bo  wielded  by  the  hand 
of  a  crafty  politician,  more  than  the  arm  of  civil  government.  They  knew  that  if  Parliament  could  create 
dioceses  and  appoint  bishops,  it  would  introduce  tithes  and  crush  heresy.  For  years  controversy  ran  high 
upon  this  subject,  much  acrimony  appeared  on  both  sides,  and  art  was  brought  in  requisition  to  enforce  ar- 
guments. In  the  Political  Register  for  1769  is  a  picture  entitled  "./Jn  Jttempt  to  land  a  Bishop  itj  Jlmcr- 
tea."  A  portion  of  a  vessel  is  seen,  on  the  side  of  which  is  inscribed  The  Hillsborough.*  She  is  lying  be- 
side a  wharf,  on  which  is  a  crowd  of  earnest  people,  some  with  poles  pushing  the  vessel  from  her  moorings. 
One  holds  up  a  book  inscribed  Sidney  on  Government ;  another  has  a  volume  of  Locke' t  Essays ;  a  third,  in 
the  garb  of  a  Quaker,  holds  an  open  volume  inscribed  Barclay^s  Apology  ;  and  from  the  mouth  of  a  fourth 

*  Lord  Hillsborongh  was  then  the  Colonial  Secretary,  and  it  was  presumed  to  be  a  plan  of  his  to  send  a  bishop  to  the  colonict 


460 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOR 


Euforcement  of  Revenue  Laws. 


Resignation  of  Bute. 


GrenviHe  Prime  Minister. 


Opposition  to  Episcopacy 


UlCOUGB  GttEPfVIl.LK.3 


The  idea  of  colonial  subserviency  was,  indeed,  general  in  England,  and,  according  to  Pitt, 
"  even  the  chimney-sweepers  of  the  streets  talked  boastingly  of  their  subjects  in  America."' 
The  admiralty  undertook  the  labor  of  enforcing  the  laws,  in  strict  accordance  with  the  letter, 

and  intrusted  the  execution  thereof  to  the  com- 
manders of  vessels,  whose  authoritative  habits 
made  them  most  unfit  agents  for  such  a  service 
against  such  a  people.  Vessels  engaged  in  con- 
traband trade  were  seized  and  confiscated,  and 
the  colonial  commerce  with  the  West  Indies 
was  nearly  annihilated. 

From  causes  never  clearly  understood,  Lord 
Bute  resigned  the  premiership  on  the  8th  of 
April,  1763,  and  was  succeeded  by  George 
Grenville,  who,  for  a  time,  had  fought  shoulder 
to  shoulder  with  Pitt,  but  had  deserted  him  to 
take  office  under  the  Scotch  earl.  Grenville  is 
represented  as  an  honest  statesman,  of  great  po- 
litical knowledge  and  indefatigable  application  ; 
but  his  mind,  according  to  Burke,  could  not  ex- 
tend beyond  the  circle  of  official  routine,  and 
was  unable  to  estimate  the  result  of  untried 
measures.  He  proved  an  unprofitable  counsel- 
or for  the  king,  for  he  began  a  political  warfare 
against  the  celebrated  journalist,  John  Wilkes, 
which  resulted  in  the  most  serious  partisan  agi- 
tation throughout  the  kingdom ;  and  he  originated  the  Stamp  Act,  by  which  Great  Britain 
lost  her  American  colonies. 

is  a  scroll  inscribed  No  lords,  spiritual  or  temporal,  in  New  England.  Half  way  up  the  shrouds  of  the  ves- 
sel is  a  bishop  in  his  robes,  his  miter  falling,  and  a  volume  of  Calvin'' s  works,  hurled  by  one  on  shore,  about 
to  strike  his  head ;  from  his  mouth  issues  a  scroll  inscribed,  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace.^'  In  the  foregi'ound  is  a  paper  inscribed,  "  Shall  they  be  obliged  to  maintain  bishops  that  can  not  main- 
tain themselves?"  and  near  it  is  a  monkey  in  the  act  of  throwing  a  stone  at  the  bishop.  This  print  well  il- 
lustrates the  spirit  of  the  times. 

William  Livingston,  afterward  governor  of  New  Jersey,'  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  eminent  writ- 
ers against  Episcopacy,  and  Dr.  Chandler  and  Samuel  Seabury  (afterwai'd  bishop)  were  among  its  chief 
supporters.  An  anonymous  writer,  whose  alias  was  Timothy  Tickle,  Esq.,  wrote  a  series  of  powerful  ar- 
ticles in  favor  of  Episcopacy,  in  Hugh  Gaines's  New  York  Mercury,  in  1768,  supposed  by  some  to  be  Dr. 
Auchmuty,  of  Trinity  Church.  The  Synod  of  Connecticut  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Livingston  for  his  es- 
says, while  in  Gaines's  paper  he  was  lampooned  by  a  shrewd  wi'iter  in  a  poem  of  nearly  two  hundred  lines. 
Livingston  wrote  anonymously,  and  the  poet  thus  refers  to  the  author : 

"Some  tiiink  him  a  Tindall,  some  think  him  a  Chubb, 
Some  think  him  a  Ranter  that  spouts  from  his  Tub  -, 
Some  think  him  a  Newton,  some  think  him  a  Locke, 
Some  think  him  a  Stone,  some  think  him  a  Stock — 
But  a  Stock  he  at  least  may  thank  Nature  for  giving, 
And  if  he's  a  Stone,  I  pronounce  it  a  Living." 

Episcopacy  was  mtroduced  into  America,  took  root,  and  flourished ;  and  when  the  Revolution  broke  out, 
seven  or  eight  years  afterward,  there  were  many  of  its  adherents  found  on  the  side  of  liberty,  though,  gen- 
erally, so  intimate  was  its  relation,  through  the  Mother  Church,  to  the  throne,  its  loyalty  became  a  subject 
of  reproach  and  suspicion,  for  the  Episcopal  clergy,  as  a  body,  were  active  or  passive  Loyalists. 

'  Parliamentary  Debates,  iii.,  210. 

*  George  Grenville  was  born  in  1722,  and  in  1750  became  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons,  where 
he  was  "distinguished  for  his  eloquence  and  general  knowledge.  He  was  made  Treasurer  of  the  Navy  in 
1754,  and  in  1760  was  appointed  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.  He  became  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury, 
or  prime  minister,  in  1763,  and  the  next  year  originated  the  famous  Stamp  Act.  He  resigned  his  office  to 
Rockingham  in  1765,  and  died  on  the  13th  of  November,  1770,  aged  fifty-eight  years.  He  married  the 
daughter  of  Sir  William  Wyndham.  The  late  Marquis  of  Buckingham,  who  inherited  the  family  estate? 
in  Buckinghamshire,  was  his  eldest  son. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  451 


The  Stamp  Act  proposed.         Right  to  tax  the  Americans  asserted.         Stamp  Act  not  now.         Po8t]ionemcnt  of  Action  on  it 


Grenville  found  an  empty  treasury,  and  the  national  debt  increased,  in  consequence  of  re- 
cent wars,  to  nearly  seven  hundred  miUions  of  dollars.  To  meet  the  current  expenses  of 
government,  heavy  taxation  was  necessary,  and  the  English  people  were  loudly  complaining 
of  the  burden.  Grenville  feared  to  increase  the  weight,  and  looked  to  the  American  colonies 
for  relief  He  conceived  the  right^  to  draw  a  revenue  from  them  to  be  undoubted,  and,  know- 
ing their  ability  to  pay,  he  formed  a  plan  to  tax  them  indirectly  by  levying  new  duties  upon 
foreign  articles  imported  by  the  Americans.  A  bill  for  levying  these  duties  passed  the  House 
of  Commons  in  March,  1764,  without  much  notice,  except  from  General  Conway,  who  saw 
in  it  the  seeds  of  further  encroachments  upon  the  liberties  of  the  colonists.  The  Assembly 
of  Massachusetts,  acting  in  accordance  with  instructions  given  to  the  Boston  representatives, 
had  already  denied  the  right  to  impose  duties.  Mr.  Otis  had  published  a  pamphlet  called 
"  The  Rights  of  the  British  Colonists  asserted,"  which  was  highly  approved  here,  and  a  copy 
was  sent  to  the  Massachusetts  agent  in  England.  In  that  pamphlet  Mr.  Otis  used  the 
strong  language,  "  If  we  are  not  represented  we  are  slaves  I" 

Thatcher,  of  Boston,  also  published  a  tract  against  Parliamentary  taxation,  and  similai 
publications  were  made  by  Dulaney,  the  secretary  of  the  province  of  Maryland,  by  Bland, 
a  leading  member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia,  and  "  by  authority"  in  Rhode  Island. 

On  the  5th  of  May  Mr.  Grenville  submitted  to  the  House  of  Commons  an  act  pro- 
posing a  stamp  duty,^  at  the  same  time  assuring  the  colonial  agents,  with  whom  he  had 
conferred,  that  he  should  not  press  its  adoption  that  session,  but  would  leave  the  scheme  open 
for  consideration.  He  required  the  colonies  to  pay  into  the  treasury  a  miUion  of  dollars  per 
annum,  and  he  would  leave  it  to  them  to  devise  a  better  plan,  if  possible,  than  the  proposed 
stamp  duty.  The  idea  was  not  original  with  Mr.  Grenville.  It  had  been  held  out  as  early 
as  1739,  by  a  club  of  American  merchants,  at  the  head  of  whom  were  Sir  William  Keith, 
governor  of  Pennsylvania,  Joshua  Gee,  and  others.  In  the  colonial  Congress  at  Albany,  in 
1754,  a  stamp  act  was  talked  of,  and  at  that  time  Dr.  Franklin  thought  it  a  just  plan  for 
taxing  the  colonies,  conceiving  that  its  operations  would  affect  the  several  governments  fairly 
and  equally.  Early  in  January  (1764)  Mr.  Huske,  a  native  of  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire, who  had  obtained  a  seat  in  Parliament,  desirous  of  displaying  his  excessive  loyalty,  al- 
luded to  the  proposition  of  a  stamp  duty  made  at  the  Albany  Convention,  and  delighted  the 
House  by  asserting  the  ability  of  the  colonists  to  pay  a  liberal  tiix,  and  recommending  the 
levying  of  one  that  should  amount  annually  to  two  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars.'  With 
these  precedents,  and  the  present  assurance  of  Huske,  Grenville  brought  forward  his  bill.  It 
was  received,  and,  on  motion  of  the  mover,  its  consideration  was  postponed  until  the  next  session. 
When  the  new  impost  law  (which  was,  in  fact,  a  continuation  of  former  similar  acts)  and 
the  proposed  Stamp  Act  reached  America,  discontent  was  every  where  visible.  Instead  of 
being  in  a  condition  to  pay  taxes,  the  colonies  had  scarcely  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the 
late  war ;   and  the  more  unjust  appeared  the  Stamp  Act,  when  the  previous  act  was  about 

*  Early  in  March,  1764,  it  was  debated  in  the  House  of  Commons  whether  they  had  a  right  to  tax  the 
Americans,  they  not  being  represented,  and  it  was  determined  unanimously  in  the  atnrmative.  Of  this  vote, 
and  the  evident  determination  of  ministers  to  tax  the  colonies,  Mr.  Mauduit,  the  agent  of  Massachusetts, 
informed  the  Assembly,  and  that  body  immediately  resolved,  "  That  the  sole  rlRht  of  giving  and  grantinj; 
the  money  of  the  people  of  that  province  was  vested  in  them  as  the  legal  representatives ;  and  that  the  im- 
position of  taxes  and  duties  by  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain,  upon  a  people  who  arc  not  rcprcscnlcd  in 
the  House  of  Commons,  is  absolutely  irreconcilable  with  their  rights — That  no  man  can  justly  take  the  prop- 
erty  of  another  without  his  consent;  upon  which  original  principle  the  right  of  representation  in  the  same 
body  which  exercises  the  power  of  making  laws  for  levying  taxes,  one  of  the  main  pillars  of  the  British  Con 
stitution,  is  evidently  founded." 

»  It  provided  that  every  skin,  or  piece  of  vellum,  or  parchment,  or  sheet,  or  piece  of  paper  tised  for  legal 
purposes,  such  as  bills,  bonds,  notes,  leases,  policies  of  insurance,  marriajre  licenses,  and  a  great  many  other 
documents,  in  order  to  be  held  valid  in  courts  of  law,  was  to  be  stamped,  and  sold  by  public  oiTiccrs  appointed 
for  that  purpose,  at  prices  which  levied  a  stated  tax  on  every  such  document.  The  Dutch  had  used  stamped 
paper  for  a  long  time,  and  it  was  familiar  to  English  merchants  and  companies,  but  in  America  it  \*as  al 
most  wholly  unknown. 

'  Gordon,  i.,  HO  ;  Jackson's  letter  to  Lieutenant-governor  Hutchinson,  December  26th,  1765. 


462  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Opposition  to  Taxation  by  the  Colonies.    Instructions  to  their  Agents.    The  Stamp  Act  introduced  in  Pai-liament.    Townshend 

to  intercept  their  profitable  trade  with  the  Spanish  main  and  the  West  Indies,  whence  they 
derived  much  of  their  means  to  pay  a  tax.  The  right  to  tax  them  was  also  "strenuously  de- 
nied, and  all  the  colonial  Assemblies,  wherever  the  subject  was  brought  up,  asserted  their 
sole  right  to  tax  themselves.  New  England  passed  strong  resolutions  of  remonstrance,  and 
forwarded  earnest  petitions  to  the  king  to  pause  ;  and  Virginia  and  New  York  adopted  the 
same  course,  using  firm,  but  respectful,  language.  They  demonstrated,  by  fair  argument, 
that  the  colonies  were  neither  actually  nor  virtually  represented  in  the  British  Parliament ; 
they  declared  that  they  had  hitherto  supposed  the  pecuniary  assistance  which  Great  Britain 
had  given  them  (the  Parliamentary  grants  during  the  war)  offered  from  motives  of  human- 
ity, and  not  as  the  price  of  their  liberty  ;  and  if  she  now  wished  a  remuneration,  she  must 
make  allowance  for  all  the  assistance  she  had  received  from  the  colonies  during  the  late  war, 
and  for  the  oppressive  restrictions  she  had  imposed  upon  American  commerce.  They  plain- 
ly told  Great  Britain  that,  as  for  her  protection,  they  had  full  confidence  in  their  own  abil- 
ity to  protect  themselves  against  any  foreign  enemy. 

Pvemonstrances  and  petitions  were  sent  by  the  colonies  to  their  agents  in  London  (some 
of  whom  had  not  opposed  the  Stamp  Act),  with  explicit  instructions  to  prevent,  as  far  as 
they  had  power  to  act,  the  adoption  of  any  scheme  for  taxing  Americans.  At  this  crisis 
Franklin  was  appointed  agent  for  Pennsylvania  ;  and  other  colonies,  relying  upon  his  skill 
and  wisdom  in  diplomacy,  his  thorough  acquaintance  with  government  affairs,  his  personal 
influence  in  England,  and,  above  all,  his  fearlessness,  also  intrusted  him  with  the  manage- 
ment of  their  affairs  abroad.  When  he  arrived  in  London,  Grenville  and  other  politicians 
waited  upon  him,  and  consulted  him  respecting  the  proposed  Stamp  Act.  He  told  them 
explicitly  that  it  was  an  unwise  measure ;  that  Americans  would  never  submit  to  be  taxed 
without  their  consent,  and  that  such  an  act,  if  attempted  to  be  enforced,  would  endanger  the 
unity  of  the  empire.  Pitt,  though  living  in  retirement  at  his  country  seat  at  Hayes,  was 
not  an  indifferent  spectator,  and  he  also  consulted  Franklin  upon  the  important  subject. 

No  doubt  the  expressed  opinion  of  Franklin  delayed,  for  a  while,  the  introduction  of  the 
Stamp  Act  into  the  House  of  Commons,  for  it  was  not  submitted  until  the  7th  of  Feb- 
ruary following.  In  the  mean  while  respectful  petitions  and  remonstrances  were  re- 
ceived from  America,  indicating  a  feeling  of  general  opposition  to  ministers,  and  a  determina- 
tion not  to  be  sheared  by  the  "  Gentle  Shepherd.'"  The  king,  in  his  speech  on  the  opening 
January  10     °^  Parliament,  alluded  to  American  taxation,  and  the  manifest  discontent  in  the 

1765.  colonies  ;  yet,  regardless  of  the  visible  portents  of  a  storm,  recommended  the  adop- 
tion of  Grenville's  scheme,  and  assured  Parliament  that  he  should  use  every  endeavor  to  en- 
February?,     ^^^^^^  obedience  in  America.      The  bill,  containing  fifty -five  resolutions,  was  brought 

^''^^^  in,  and  Mr.  Charles  Townshend,  the  most  eloquent  man  in  the  Commons,  in  the 
absence  of  Pitt,  spoke  in  its  favor,  concluding  with  the  following  peroration  :  "  And  now  will 
these  Americans,  children  planted  by  our  care,  nourished  up  by  our  indulgence  until  they 
are  grown  to  a  degree  of  strength  and  opulence,  and  protected  by  our  arms,  will  they  grudge 
to  contribute  their  mite  to  relieve  us  from  the  heavy  weight  of  that  burden  which  we  lie  un- 
der ?"  Colonel  Barre  arose,  and,  echoing  Townshend's  words,  thus  commented:  "  They 
planted  by  your  care!  No,  your  oppressio7is  planted  them  in  America.  They  fled  from 
your  tyranny,  to  a  then  uncultivated  and  inhospitable  country,  where  they  exposed  themselves 
to  almost  all  the  hardships  to  which  human  nature  is  liable,  and,  among  others,  to  the  cru- 
elties of  a  savage  foe,  the  most  subtle,  and  I  will  take  upon  me  to  say,  the  most  formidable 
of  any  people  upon  the  face  of  God's  earth ;  yet,  actuated  by  principles  of  true  English  lib- 
erty, they  met  all  hardships  with  pleasure  compared  with  those  they  suffered  in  their  own 

^  In  the  course  of  a  debate  on  the  subject  of  taxation,  in  1762,  Mr.  Grenville  contended  that  the  money 
was  wanted,  that  government  did  not  know  where  to  lay  another  tax ;  and,  addressing  Mr.  Pitt,  he  said, 
"Why  does  he  not  tell  us  where  we  can  levy  another  tax?"  repeating,  with  emphasis,  "Let  him  tell  me 
where — only  tell  me  where !"  Pitt,  though  not  much  given  to  joking,  hummed  in  the  words  of  a  popular 
Bong,  "  Gentle  shepherd,  tell  me  where  !"  The  House  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter,  and  christened  George 
GrenviUe  The  Gentle  Shepherd. — Pictorial  History  of  the  Reign  of  George  III.,  i.,  34. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


40d 


Barr6's  Speech  rebuking  Townsbend.        Uia  Defense  of  the  Americana.        Effect  of  bis  Speech.        Passage  of  the  Stamp  Act 


country,  from  the  hands  of  those  who  should  have  been  their  friends.      TJicy  noiiruhcd  up 
by  your  indulgence  '     They  grew  by  your  neglect  of  them.      As  soon  as  you  began  to  care 

about  them,  that  care  was  exercised  in  sending 
persons  to  rule  them  in  one  department  and  an- 
other, who  were,  perhaps,  the  deputies  of  depu- 
ties to  some  members  of  this  House,  sent  to  spy 
out  their  liberties,  to  misrepresent  their  actions, 
and  to  prey  upon  them — men  whose  behavior 
on  many  occasions  has  caused  the  blood  of  those 
SONS  OF  liberty'  to  rccoil  within  them — men 
promoted  to  the  highest  seats  of  justice  ;  some 
who,  to  my  knowledge,  were  glad,  by  going  to  a 
foreign  country,  to  escape  being  brought  to  the 
bar  of  public  justice  in  their  own.  TJicy  pro- 
_;_>^  ^^L  i"    l.i^*¥i5'-'\     tected  by  yoiir  arms  I     They  have  nobly  taken 

i>--^  ■      ^^^^  ,  -W^^  '        up  arms  in  your  defense  ;  have  exerted  a  valor, 

amid  their  constant  and  laborious  industry,  for 
the  defense  of  a  country  whose  frontier  was 
drenched  in  blood,  while  its  interior  parts  yielded 
all  its  little  savings  to  your  emoluments.  And 
believe  me — remember  I  this  day  told  you  so — 
that  same  spirit  of  freedom  which  actuated  that 
people  at  first  will  accompany  them  still ;  but 
prudence  forbids  me  to  explain  myself  further.  God  knows  I  do  not  at  this  time  speak  from 
motives  of  party  heat ;  what  I  deliver  are  the  genuine  sentiments  of  my  heart.  However 
superior  to  me,  in  general  knowledge  and  experience,  the  respectable  body  of  this  House  may 
be,  I  claim  to  know  more  of  America  than  most  of  you,  having  seen  and  been  conversant  in 
that  country.  The  people,  I  believe,  are  as  truly  loyal  as  any  subjects  the  king  has  ;  but  a 
people  jealous  of  their  liberties,  and  who  will  vindicate  them  if  ever  they  should  be  violated. 
But  the  subject  is  too  delicate  ;  I  will  say  no  more."  For  a  moment  after  the  utterance  of 
these  solemn  truths  the  House  remained  in  silent  amazement ;  but  the  utter  ignorance  of 
American  affairs,  and  the  fatal  delusion  wrought  by  ideas  of  royal  power  and  colonial  weakness, 
which  prevailed  in  that  assembly,  soon  composed  their  minds.'  Very  little  debate  was  had 
upon  the  bill,  and  it  passed  the  House  after  a  single  division,  by  a  majority  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  to  fifty.  In  the  Lords  it  received  scarcely  any  opposition.  On  the  22d  of  March  the 
king  cheerfully  gave  his  assent,  and  the  famous  Stamp  Act — the  entering  wedge  for  the  dis- 
memberment of  the  British  empire — ^became  a  law.  The  protests  of  colonial  agents,  the 
remonstrances  of  London  merchants  trading  with  America,  and  the  wise  suggestions  of  men 
acquainted  with  the  temper  and  resources  of  Americans  were  set  at  naught,  and  the  infatu- 
ated ministry  openly  declared  "  that  it  was  intended  to  establish  the  power  of  Great  Britain 
to  tax  the  colonies."     "  The  sun  of  liberty  is  set,"  wrote  Dr.  Franklin  to  Charles  Thom- 


COLONEI,  BaKBE.3 


'  This  was  the  origin  of  the  name  which  the  associated  patriots  in  America  assumed  when  the  speech  of 
Barre  reached  the  colonies,  and  organized  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act  was  commenced. 

'  Isaac  Barre  was  born  in  1727.  His  early  years  were  devoted  to  study  and  military  pursuits,  and  he 
attained  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  British  army.  Through  the  influence  of  the  Marquis  of  Landsdowne  he 
obtained  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Commons,  where  he  was  ever  the  champion  of  American  freedom.  For 
several  years  previous  to  his  death  he  was  afflicted  with  blindness.  He  died  July  1st,  1802,  aged  seventy- 
five  years.  Some  have  attributed  the  authorship  of  the  celebrated  Letters  of  Junius  to  Colonel  Barre,  the 
Marquis  of  Landsdowne,  and  Counselor  Dunning,  jointly,  but  the  conjecture  is  unsupported  by  any  argument. 

*  The  apathy  that  prevailed  in  the  British  Parliament  at  that  time  respecting  American  allairs  was  a.s- 
tonishing,  considering  the  interests  at  issue.  Burke,  in  his  Annual  Register,  termed  it  the  "most  languid 
debate"  he  had  ever  heard ;  and  so  trifling  did  the  intelligent  Horace  Walpole  consider  the  subject,  that,  in 
reporting  every  thing  of  moment  to  the  Earl  of  Hertford,  he  devoted  but  a  single  paragraph  of  a  few  lines  to 
the  debate  that  day  on  America.     Indeed,  Walpole  honestly  confessed  his  total  ignorance  of  American  affairs. 


4  6  4 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Excitement  in  America.  A  Congress  proposed.  The  Circular  Letter  of  Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Mercy  Warren 

son'  the  very  night  that  the  act  was  passed  ;  "  the  Americans  must  light  the  lamps  of  in- 
dustry and  economy." 

When  intelligence  of  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act  reached  America,  it  set  the  whole 
country  in  a  blaze  of  resentment.  Massachusetts  and  Virginia — the  head  and  the  heart  of 
the  Pvevolution — were  foremost  and  loudest  in  their  denunciations,  while  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania  were  not  much  behind  them  in  boldness  and  zeal.  All  the  colonies  were  shak- 
en, and  from  Maine  to  Georgia  there  was  a  spontaneous  expression  of  determined  resistance. 

In  October,  1764,  the  New  York  Assembly  appointed  a  committee  to  correspond  with 
their  agent  in  Great  Britain,  and  with  the  several  colonial  Assemblies,  on  the  subject  of  op- 
position to  the  Stamp  Act  and  other  oppressive  measures  of  Parliament.*  In  the  course  of 
their  correspondence,  early  in  1765,  this  committee  urged  upon  the  colonial  Assemblies  the 
necessity  of  holding  a  convention  of  delegates  to  remonstrate  and  protest  against  the  contin- 
ued violation  of  their  rights  and  liberties.  Massachusetts  was  the  first  to  act  upon  this  sug- 
gestion. That  action  originated  with  James  Otis,  Jr.,  and  his  father,  while  visiting  a  sister 
of  the  former  one  evening  at  Plymouth.'  The  recommendation  of  the  New  York  commit- 
tee was  the  subject  of  conversation.  It  was  agreed  to  propose  action  on  the  subject  in  the 
General  Assembly,  and  on  the  6th  of  June  the  younger  Mr.  Otis,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature,  made  a  motion  in  the  House,  which  was  adopted,  that  "  It  is  highly  expedient 
there  should  be  a  meeting,  as  soon  as  may  be,  of  committees  from  the  Houses  of  Pvepresent- 
atives,  or  burgesses,  in  the  several  colonies,  to  consult  on  the  present  circumstances  of  the  col- 
onies, and  the  difficulties  to  which  they  are,  and  must  be,  reduced,  and  to  consider  of  a  gen- 
eral address — to  be  held  at  New  York  the  first  Tuesday  in  October."  The  following  cir- 
cular letter  was  also  adopted  by  the  Assembly,  and  a  copy  ordered  to  be  sent  to  the  Speaker 
of  each  of  the  colonial  Assemblies  in  America  : 

"  Boston,  June,  1765. 

"  Sir — The  House  of  Representatives  of  this  province,  in  the  present  session  of  general 
court,  have  unanimously  agreed  to  propose  a  meeting,  as  soon  as  may  be,  of  committees  from 
the  Houses  of  Representatives,  or  burgesses,  of  the  several  British  colonies  on  this  continent, 
to  consult  together  on  the  present  circumstances  of  the  colonies,  and  the  difficulties  to  which 
they  are,  and  must  be,  reduced  by  the  operation  of  the  acts  of  Parliament  for  levying  duties 
and  taxes  on  the  colonies  ;  and  to  consider  of  a  general  and  united,  dutiful,  loyal,  and  hum- 
ble representation  of  their  condition  to  his  majesty  and  to  the  Parliament,  and  to  implorf 
relief 

"  The  House  of  Representatives  of  this  province  have  also  voted  to  propose  that  such  meet- 
ing be  at  the  city  of  New  York,  in  the  province  of  New  York,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  Octo- 
ber next,  and  have  appointed  a  committee  of  three  of  their  members  to  attend  that  service, 
with  such  as  the  other  Houses  of  Representatives,  or  burgesses,  in  the  several  colonies,  may 
think  fit  to  appoint  to  meet  them ;  and  the  committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
this  province  are  directed  to  repair  to  the  said  New  York,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  October 
next,  accordingly  ;  if,  therefore,  your  honorable  House  should  agree  to  this  proposal,  it  would 

'  Mr.  Thompson  was  afterward  the  Secretary  of  the  Continental  Congress.  In  reply  to  Franklin's  letter 
he  said,  "  Be  assured,  we  shall  light  torches  of  another  sort,"  predicting  the  convulsions  that  soon  followed. 

^  This  committee  consisted  of  Robert  R.  Livingston,  John  Cruger,  Philip  Livingston,  William  Bayard,  and 
Leonard  Lispenard.     Mr.  Cruger  was  then  mayor  of  the  city  and  Speaker  of  the  Assembly. 

^  This  sister  was  Mrs.  Mercy  Warren,  wife  of  James  Warren,  Esq.,  of  Plymouth,  one  of  the  members  of 
the  General  Court.  She  wrote  an  excellent  history  of  our  Revolution,  which  was  published  in  three  vol- 
umes in  1805.  She  was  born  September  5th,  1728,  at  Barnstable,  Massachusetts.  Her  youth  was  passed 
in  the  retirement  of  a  quiet  home,  and  reading,  drawing,  and  needle-work  composed  the  bulk  of  her  recrea- 
tions. She  married  Mr.  Warren  at  the  age  of  twenty-six.  The  family  connections  of  both  were  extensive 
and  highly  respectable,  and  she  not  only  became  intimately  acquainted  with  the  leading  men  of  the  Revolu- 
tion in  Massachusetts,  but  was  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  republican  spirit.  Her  correspondence  was 
quite  extensive,  and,  as  she  herself  remarks  of  her  home,  '"by  the  Plymouth  fireside  were  many  politica". 
plans  originated,  discussed,  and  digested."  She  kept  a  faithful  record  of  passing  events,  out  of  which  grew 
her  excellent  history.  She  wrote  several  dramas  and  minor  poems,  all  of  which  glow  with  the  spirit  of  the 
times.     Mrs.  Warren  died  on  the  19th  of  October,  1814,  in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of  her  age. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  465 


AMcmbling  of  a  Colonial  CoDgreas  in  New  York.        Defection  of  Rugglea  and  Ogden.       The  Proceedings.       Stampmoitcrs. 

be  acceptable  that  as  early  notice  of  it  as  possible  might  be  transmitted  to  the  Speaker  of 
ihe  House  of  Representatives  of  this  province." 

This  letter  was  favorably  received  by  the  other  colonies,  and  delegates  to  the  proposed  Con- 
October?,     gress  were  appointed.      They  met  in  the  city  of  New  York  on  the  first  Monday  in 

1765.  October.  The  time  was  earlier  than  the  meeting  of  several  of  the  colonial  Assem- 
blies, and,  consequently,  some  of  them  were  denied  the  privilege  of  ai)pointing  delegates.  The 
Governors  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  Georgia  refused  to  call  the  Assemblies  together 
for  the  purpose.  It  was,  therefore,  agreed  that  committees  irom  any  of  the  colonies  should 
have  seats  as  delegates,  and  under  this  rule  New  York  was  represented  by  its  corresponding 
committee.  Nine  of  the  thirteen  colonies  were  represented,  and  the  Assemblies  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  Georgia  wrote  that  they  would  agree  to  whatever  was 
done  by  the  Congress.' 

The  Convention  was  organized  by  the  election,  by  ballot,  of  Timothy  Ruggles,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, as  chairman,  and  the  appointment  of  John  Gotten  clerk.  It  continued  in  session 
fourteen  consecutive  days,  and  adopted  a  Declaration  of  Rights,  a  Petition  to  the  Ki/ia,  and 
B.  Memorial  to  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  in  all  of  which  the  principles  that  governed  the 
leaders  of  the  soon-following  Revolution  were  clearly  set  forth.  These  documents,  so  full  of 
the  spirit  of  men  determined  to  be  free,  and  so  replete  with  enlightened  political  wisdom,  are 
still  regarded  as  model  state  papers.^ 

All  the  delegates  affixed  their  signatures  of  approval  to  the  proceedings,  except  Mr.  Rug- 
gles, the  president,  and  Mr.  Ogden,  of  New  Jersey,  both  of  whom  thus  early  manifested  their 
defection  from  a  cause  which  they  afterward  openly  opposed.  The  conduct  of  the  former 
drew  down  upon  him  a  vote  of  censure  from  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives, 
and  he  was  reprimanded,  in  his  place,  by  the  Speaker.  He  and  Otis  were  the  leaders  of  the 
opposite  parties,  and  as  the  Revolution  advanced  Ruggles  became  a  bitter  Tory.'  Ogden 
was  also  publicly  censured  for  his  conduct  on  that  occasion,  was  burned  in  effigy,  and  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  Assembly  of  New  Jersey  was  dismissed  from  the  Speaker's  chair,  which 
honorable  post  he  held  at  the  time  of  the  Congress.  The  deputies  of  three  of  the  colonies 
not  having  been  authorized  by  their  respective  Assemblies  to  address  the  king  and  Parlia- 
ment, did  not  sign  the  petition  and  memorial.  All  the  colonies,  by  the  votes  of  their  respect- 
ive Assemblies,  when  they  convened  subsequently,  approved  the  measures  adopted  by  the 
Congress  ;  and  before  the  day  on  which  the  noxious  act  was  to  take  effect,  Amer-  November  i 
ica  spoke  with  one  voice  to  the  king  and  his  ministers,  denouncing  the  measure,  ^^'^■ 

and  imploring  them  to  be  just.  . 

On  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act  officers  were  appointed  in  the  several  colonies,  to  re- 
ceive and  distribute  the  stamped  parchments  and  papers.  The  colonial  agents  in  England 
were  consulted,  and  those  whom  they  recommended  as  discreet  and  proper  persons  were  ap- 
pointed. The  agents  generally  had  opposed  the  measure,  but,  now  that  it  had  become  a 
law,  they  were  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  it.      Mr.  IngersoU,  whom  I  have  mentioned  in 

'  The  following  delegates  were  present  at  the  organization  of  the  Convention : 

Massachusetts. — James  Otis,  Oliver  Partridge,  Timothy  Ruggles. 

New  York. — Robert  R.  Livingston,  John  Cruger,  Philip  Livingston,  William  Bayard,  Leonard  Lispcnard 

New  Jersey. — Robert  Offden,  Hendrick  Fisher,  Joseph  Borden. 

Rhode  Island. — Metcalf  Bowler,  Henry  Ward. 

Pennsylvania. — John  Dickenson,  John  Morton,  George  Bryan. 

Delaware. — Thomas  IVrKean,  Caesar  Rodney. 

Connecticut. — Eliphalet  Dyer,  David  Rowland,  William  S.  Johnson. 

Maryland. — William  Murdock,  Edward  Tilghman,  Thomas  Rimrtrold. 

South  Carolina. — Thomas  Lynch,  Christopher  Gadsden,  John  Rutledgo. 

'  The  Declaration  of  Rights  was  written  by  John  Cruder ;  the  Petition  to  the  King,  by  Robert  R.  Living- 
•ton;  and  the  Memorial  to  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  by  James  Otis. 

^  In  Mrs.  Warren's  drama  called  The  Group,  Ruggles  figures  in  the  character  of  Brigadier  Hate-All.  He 
fon^ht  asrainst  the  Americans,  at  the  head  of  a  corps  of  Loyalists,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  settled  in  Nova 
Scotia,  where  he  has  numerous  descendants. 

Go 


4  66 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Franklin's  Advice  to  Ingeraoll.  Arrival  of  the  Stamps. 


Patrick  Henry's  Resolutions. 


'  Liberty  Tree.' 


Effigies. 


a  former  chapter  as  stamp-master  in  Connecticut,  was  in  England  at  the  time.  Franklin 
advised  him  to  accept  the  office,  adding,  "Go  home  and  tell  your  countrymen  to  get  children 
as  fast  as  they  can" — thereby  intimating  that  the  colonists  were  too  feeble,  at  that  moment, 
to  resist  the  government  successfully,  but  ought  to  gain  strength  as  fast  as  possible,  in  order 
to  shake  off  the  oppressions  which,  he  foresaw,  were  about  to  be  laid  upon  them.  But  lit- 
tle did  he  and  other  agents  suspect  that  the  stamp-masters  would  be  held  in  such  utter  de- 
testation as  they  were,  or  that  such  disturbances  would  occur  as  followed,  or  they  would  not 
have  procured  the  appointments  for  their  friends.  The  ministry,  however,  seem  to  have  an- 
ticipated trouble,  for  a  clause  was  inserted  in  the  annual  Mutiny  Act,  authorizing  as  many 
troops  to  be  sent  to  America  as  ministers  saw  fit,  and  making  it  obligatory  upon  the  people 
to  find  quarters  for  them. 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  the  public  mind  was  greatly  disturbed  by  the  arrival  of 
vessels  bringing  the  stamps,  and  the  first  of  November  was  looked  forward  to  with  intense 
interest — by  some  with  fear,  but  by  more  with  firm  resolution  to  resist  the  operations  of  the 
May  30  Oppressive  act.  Virginia  rang  the  alarum  bell,  by  a  series  of  resolutions  drawn  up 
1765.  ]3y  Patrick  Henry,  sustained  by  his  powerful  oratory,  and  adopted  by  the  House  of 
Burgesses.  Of  these  resolutions,  and  of  Henry's  eloquence  on  that  occasion,  I  shall  hereafter 
write.  So  much  did  the  notes  of  that  alarum  sound  like  the  voice  of  treason,  that  a  manu- 
script copy  which  was  sent  to  Philadelphia,  and  another  to  New  York,  were  handed  about 
with  great  privacy.  In  the  latter  city  no  one  was  found  bold  enough  to  print  the  resolu- 
tions, but  in  Boston  they  soon  appeared  in  the  Gazette  of  Edes  and  Gill,  and  their  senti- 
ments, uttered  in  the  Assembly,  were  echoed  back  from  every  inhabited  hill  and  valley  in 
New  England. 

Before  any  stamps  had  arrived  in  America  symptoms  of  an  outbreak  appeared  in  Boston. 

A  large  elm-tree,  which  stood  at  the  corner  of  the  present 
Washington  and  Essex  Streets,  opposite  the  Boylston 
Market,  received  the  appellation  of  "  Liberty  Tree," 
from  the  circumstance  that  under  it  the  as.sociation  call- 
ed Sons  of  Liber.ty  held  meetings  during  the  summer  of 
1765.  From  a  limb  of  this  tree  several  of  the  Sons  of 
Liberty'  suspended  two  effigies  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  14th  of  August.  One  represented  An- 
drew Oliver,  secretary  of  the  colony,  and  just  appointed 
stamp  distributor  for  Massachusetts  ;  the  other  was  a 
large  boot,  intended  to  represent  Lord  Bute,  with  a  head 
and  horns,  to  personify  the  devil  peeping  out  of  the  top. 
A  great  number  of  peojde  were  attracted  to  these  effi- 
pfies  in  the  course  of  the  day,  the  authorities  in  the  mean 
while  taking  no  public  notice  of  the  insult,  for  fear  of 
serious  consequences.  Indeed,  Sir  Francis  Bernard,  the 
royal  governor,  had  thus  far  been  almost  non-committal 
on  the  subjects  that  were  agitating  the  colonies,  although 
he  was  strongly  suspected  of  secretly  encouraging  the 
jjassage  of  the  Stamp  Act  and  kindred  measures.      In  the  evening  the  effigies  were  cut  down 


'  LlBEBTy  Tbee."2 


'  John  Avery,  Jr.,  Tlioma.s  Crafts,  John  Smith,  Henry  Wills,  Thomas  Chace,  Stephen  Cleverly,  Henry  Ross, 
and  Benjamui  Edes. 

'^  I  am  indebted  to  the  Hon.  David  Sears,  of  Boston,  for  this  sketch  of  the  "  Liberty  Tree,"  as  it  appeared 
just  previous  to  its  destruction  by  the  British  troops  and  Tories,  during  the  siege  of  Boston  in  August,  1775* 
Mr.  Sears  has  erected  a  row  of  fine  buildings  upon  the  site  of  the  old  grove  of  elms,  of  which  this  tree  was 
one  ;  and  within  a  niche,  on  the  front  of  one  of  them,  and  exactly  over  the  spot  where  the  Liberty  Tree  stood, 
he  has  placed  a  sculptured  representation  of  it,  as  seen  in  the  picture.  From  the  time  of  the  Stamp  Act  ex- 
citement until  the  armed  possession  of  Boston  by  General  Gage  and  his  troops  in  1774,  that  tree  had  been 
the  rallying-place  for  the  patriots,  and  had  fallen,  in  consequence,  much  in  disfavor  with  the  friends  of  gov- 
ernment.    It  was  inscribed  "  Liberty  Tree."  and  the  crronnd  under  it  was  called  "  Liberty  H\ll."      The 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  467 

Uiut  in  Boston.  Destruction  of  private  Property.  Attack  on  Hutchinson's  House.  Destruction  of  "  Liberty  Tree." 

and  carried  in  procession,  the  populace  shoutinfr,  "  Liberty  and  property  forever !  No  stamps  I 
No  taxation  without  our  consent  I"  They  then  proceeded  to  Kilby  Street,  and  pulling  down 
a  small  building  just  erected  by  Oliver,  to  be  used,  as  they  suspected,  for  selling  stamps,  they 
took  a  portion  of  it  to  Fort  Hill  and  made  a  bonfire  of  it.  The  mob  then  rushed  toward 
Oliver's  house,  beheaded  his  effigy  before  it,  and  broke  all  the  front  windows.  His  effigy 
was  then  taken  to  Fort  Hill  and  burned.  Returning  to  his  house,  they  hurst  open  the  door, 
declaring  their  intention  to  kill  him,  and  in  brutal  wantonness  destroyed  his  furniture,  trees, 
ionces,  and  garden.  Mr.  Oliver  had  escaped  by  a  rear  passage,  and  the  next  morn-  sAu-niBti." 
ing,a  considering  his  life  in  danger,  he  resigned  his  office.  Four  months  afterward  i"*'^- 
he  was  compelled  by  the  populace  to  go  under  Liberty  Tree,  and  there  publicly  read  his  res- 
ignation. In  the  evening  the  mob  again  assembled,  and  besieged  the  house  of  the  late  Chief- 
justice  Hutchinson,  now  lieutenant  governor  of  the  province.  They  did  but  little  damage, 
and  finished  their  evening's  orgies  by  a  bonfire  on  the  Common. 

On  the  2oth  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Mahew,  minister  of  the  West  Church  in  Boston,  preached 
a  powerful  sermon  against  the  Stamp  Act,  taking  for  his  text,  "  I  would  they  were  even  cut 
off  which  trouble  you.  For,  brethren,  ye  have  been  called  unto  liberty  :  only  use  not  liberty 
for  an  occasion  to  the  flesh,  but  by  love  serve  one  another."'  On  Monday  evening  following 
a  mob  collected  in  King  Street,  and,  proceeding  to  the  residence  of  Paxton,  the  marshal  of 
the  Court  of  Admiralty,  menaced  it.  The  owner  assured  them  that  the  officer  was  not  there, 
and,  conciliating  the  populace  by  a  present  of  a  barrel  of  punch  at  a  tavern  near  by,  saved 
his  premises  from  injury.  Maddened  with  liquor,  they  rushed  to  the  house  of  Story,  regis- 
trar of  the  Admiralty,  and  destroyed  not  only  the  public  documents,  but  his  private  papers. 
They  next  plundered  the  house  of  Hallowell,  the  controller  of  customs  ;  and,  their  numbers 
being  considerably  augmented  and  their  excitement  increased,  they  hurried  to  the  mansion 
of  Lieutenant-governor  Hutchinson,^  on  North  Square.      Hutchinson  and  his  family  escaped 

Essex  Gazette  of  August  31st,  1775,  in  describing  the  destruction  of  the  tree,  says,  "  They  made  a  furious 
attack  upon  it.  After  a  long  spell  of  laughing  and  grinning,  sweating,  swearing,  and  foaming  with  malice 
iliabolical,  they  cut  down  the  tree  because  it  bore  the  name  of  liberty.  A  soldier  was  killed  by  falling  from 
one  of  its  branches  during  the  operation."  In  a  tract  entitled  "A  Voyage  to  Boston,"  published  in  1775 
the  wTiter  thus  alludes  to  the  scene  : 

"  Now  shined  the  gay-faced  sun  with  morning  light. 
All  nature  gazed,  exulting  at  the  sight, 
When  swift.as  wind,  to  vent  their basebom  rage, 
The  Tory  Williams  and  the  Butcher  Gage 
Rush'd  to  the  tree,  a  nameless  number  near, 
Tories  and  negroes  following  in  the  rear ; 
Each,  axe  in  hand,  attack'd  the  honor'd  tree. 
Swearing  eternal  war  with  Liberty  ; 
Nor  ceased  his  stroke  till  each  repeating  wound 
Tumbled  its  honors  headlong  to  the  ground  ; 
But  ere  it  fell,  not  mindless  of  its  wrong, 
Avenged,  it  took  one  destined  head  along. 
A  Tory  soldier  on  its  topmost  limb ; 
The  genius  of  the  Shade  look'd  stem  at  him, 
And  mark'd  him  out  that  self-same  hour  to  dine 
Where  un.snuft"'d  lamps  bum  low  at  Pluto's  shrine , 
Then  tripp'd  his  feet  from  off  their  cautious  stand ; 
Pale  tum'd  the  wretch — he  spread  each  helpless  hand, 
But  spread  in  vain — with  headlong  force  he  fell, 
Nor  stopp'd  descending  till  he  stopp'd  in  hell." 

'  Gaiatians,  v.,  12,  13. 

'  Thomas  Hutchinson  was  born  in  1711,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1727.  He  studied  En- 
glish constitutional  law,  with  a  view  to  public  employment.  For  ten  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  of  Massachusetts,  and  three  years  its  Speaker.  He  succeeded  his  uncle  Edward  as  Judge 
of  Probate  in  1752  ;  was  a  member  of  the  Council  from  1749  until  1756,  and  lieutenant  governor  from  1758 
to  1771.  He  held  the  office  of  chief  justice  after  the  death  of  Sewall,  in  1760.  This  ofTice  had  been  prom- 
ised by  Shirley  to  the  elder  Otis,  and  the  appointment  greatly  displeased  that  influential  family.  Several 
acts  of  Hutchinson  had  made  him  unpopular  with  certain  of  the  people.  In  1748,  the  paper  currency  of  the 
colony  having  depreciated  to  about  an  eighth  of  its  original  value,  Hutchinson  projected,  and  carried  through 
the  House,  a  bill  for  abolishing  it.  and  substituting  gold  and  silver.     It  was  a  proper  measure,  but  displeased 


468 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Destruction  of  Governor  HutchinBon's  Property. 


Character  of  the  Rioters  in  Boston. 


"  Constitutional  Courant" 


All  over  the  land  the  pub- 


in  time  to  save  their  lives,  for  the  mob  were  prepared,  by  liquor  and  other  excitement,  for 
any  deed.  It  was  now  midnight.  With  yells  and  curses  they  entered,  and  by  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning  "  one  of  the  best  finished  houses  in  the  colony 
had  nothing  remaining  but  the  bare  walls  and  floors."  Ev- 
ery thing  but  the  kitchen  furniture  was  taken  from  the  dwell- 
ing or  utterly  destroyed.  The  rioters  carried  ofi'  between  four 
and  five  thousand  dollars  in  money,  a  large  quantity  of  plate, 
family  pictures,  and  clothing,  and  destroyed  the  fine  library  of 
the  lieutenant  governor,  containing  a  large  collection  of  manu- 
scripts relating  to  the  history  of  the  colony,  which  he  had  been 
thirty  years  collecting.  This  loss  was  irreparable.  The  street 
in  front  of  the  house  was  next  morning  strewed  with  plate, 
rings,  and  money — destruction,  not  plunder,  being  the  aim  of 
the  mob. 

These  proceedings  were  disgraceful  in  the  extreme,  and  mar 
the  sublime  beauty  of  the  picture  exhibited  by  the  steady  and 
dignified  progress  of  the  Revolution.  While  no  apology  for 
mob  rioters  should  be  attempted,  extenuating  circumstances 
ought  to  have  their  due  weight  in  the  balance  of  just  judgment, 
lie  mind  was  excited  against  ministers  and  their  abettors,  and  leading  men  in  the  colonies  did 
not  hesitate  to  recommend  forcible  resistance,  if  necessary,  to  the  oppressions  of  the  mother 
country.  The  principles  underlying  the  violent  movement  in  Boston  were  righteous,  but  the 
mass  were  too  impatient  for  their  vindication  to  await  the  effects  of  remonstrance  and  petition, 
argument  and  menace,  employed  by  the  educated  and  orderly  patriots.  As  is  commonly  the 
fact,  the  immediate  actors  in  these  scenes  were  the  dregs  of  the  population.  Yet  it  was  evi- 
dent that  they  had,  in  a  degree,  the  sympathy  of,  and  were  controlled  by,  the  great  mass  oi' 
the  more  intelligent  citizens.  The  morning  after  the  destruction  of  Hutchinson's  house,  a 
public  meeting  of  leading  men  was  held  ;  expressions  of  abhorrence  for  the  act  were  adopted, 
and  the  lieutenant  governor  received  a  pledge  from  the  meeting  that  all  violence  should  cease, 
if  he  would  agree  not  to  commence  legal  proceedings.      He  acquiesced,  and  order  was  restored. 

The  disturbances  thus  begun  in  Boston  were  imitated  elsewhere  during  the  summer  and 
autumn.  These  will  be  hereafter  considered.  It  may  properly  be  mentioned  here  that  the 
opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act  was  not  confined  to  the  continental  colonies.  The  people  of 
the  West  India  plantations  were  generally  opposed  to  it,  and  at  St.  Kitts  the  stamp-master 
was  obliged  to  resign.  Canada  and  Halifax,  on  the  continent,  submitted,  and  remained  loyal 
through  the  Hevolution  that  followed. 

Boston,  our  present  point  of  view,  kept  up  the  spirit  of  liberty,  but  avoided  acts  of  violence. 
A  newspaper  appeared  under  the  significant  title  of  "  The  Constitutional  Courant,  con- 
taining matters  instructing  to  liberty,  and  no  ways  repugnant  to  loyalty ;  printed  by  Andreto 
Marvel,  at  the  sign  of  the  Bribe  Refused,  on  Constitution  Hill,  North  America."  Its  head- 
piece was  a  snake  cut  into  eight  pieces  (see  page  508),  the  head  part  having  N.  E.,  the  in- 


)nany.  He  also  favored  the  law  granting  Writs  of  Assistance  ;  and  on  the  bench,  in  the  Council,  and  in  the 
Assembly  he  was  always  found  on  the  side  of  the  ministry.  These  facts  account  for  the  violent  feelings  of 
the  mob  against  him.  In  1768  he  was  an  active  coadjutor  of  Governor  Bernard  in  bringing  troops  to  Boston, 
which  made  him  still  more  unpopular.  When  Bernard  left  the  province,  in  1769,  the  government  devolved 
wholly  upon  Hutchinson.  In  1770  the  Boston  massacre  occurred,  and  much  of  the  responsibility  of  that  out- 
rage was  laid  upon  him.  He  was  appointed  governor  in  1771,  and  from  that  time  until  he  left  for  England, 
in  1774,  he  was  in  continual  trouble  with  the  Assembly.  The  popular  feeling  against  him  was  greatly  in- 
creased by  the  publicity  given  to  certain  letters  of  his  sent  to  ministers,  in  which  he  recommended  stringent 
measures  against  the  colonies.  Toward  the  close  of  1773  the  destruction  of  tea  in  Boston  Harbor  was  ac- 
complished. The  Sons  of  Liberty  had  then  paralyzed  the  government,  and  there  was  not  a  judge  or  sheriff 
who  dared  to  exercise  the  duties  of  his  office  against  the  wishes  of  the  inflamed  people.  Hutchinson  then 
resigned  his  office,  and  sailed  for  England  in  the  spring  of  1774.  He  died  at  Brompton,  England,  June 
3rd,  1780,  aged  sixty-nine  years. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  45^) 


Proceedings  in  Boston  in  Relation  to  the  Stamp  Act    Effigies  burned.    E£fect  of  the  Stamp  Act    Non-importation  Associations. 

itials  of  New  England,  inscribed  upon  it,  and  the  other  pieces  the  initials  of  the  other  colo- 
nies.     Accompanying  the  device  was  the  motto,  Join  or  die. 

The  morning  of  the  1st  of  November,  the  day  appointed  for  the  Stamp  Act  to  take  effect 
in  America,  was  ushered  in  at  Boston  by  the  tolling  of  muflled  bells,  and  the  vessels  in  the 
harbor  displaying  their  flags  at  half  mast,  as  on  the  occasion  of  a  funeral  solemnity.  On 
Liberty  Tree  were  suspended  two  effigies,  representing  George  Grenville  and  John  Huske  ; 
the  latter  the  American  member  of  Parliament  whom  I  have  mentioned  as  suggesting  a 
heavy  tax  upon  the  colonies  before  the  Stamp  Act  was  proposed.  A  label,  with  a  poetic  in- 
scription, was  affixed  to  the  breast  of  each.'  The  figures  remained  suspended  until  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  they  were  cut  down  in  the  presence  of  several  thousand 
people  of  all  ranks,  who  testified  their  approbation  by  loud  huzzas.  The  effigies  were  placed 
in  a  cart,  and  taken  to  the  court-house,  where  the  Assembly  were  sitting,  followed  by  a  vast 
concourse  in  regular  procession  ;  thence  the  people  proceeded  to  the  Neck,  and  hung  the  fig- 
ures upon  a  gallows  erected  there.  Speeches  were  made  at  the  place  of  execution,  and,  after 
the  lapse  of  an  hour,  they  were  taken  down,  torn  in  pieces,  and  the  limbs  thrown  in  the  air. 
The  people  were  now  desired,  by  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  pageant,  to  go  quietly  home.  They 
acquiesced,  and  Boston  that  night  was  remarkably  tranquil. 

The  Stamp  Act  had  now  become  a  law.  As  none  but  stamped  paper  was  legal,  and  as 
the  people  were  determined  not  to  use  it,  business  was  suspended.  The  courts  were  closed, 
marriages  ceased,  vessels  were  delayed  in  the  harbors,  and  the  social  and  commercial  opera- 
tions of  America  were  suddenly  paralyzed.  Few  dared  to  think  of  positive  rebellion  ;  the 
strong  arm  of  government  held  the  sword  of  power  above  them,  and  a  general  gloom  over- 
spread the  colonies.  Yet  hope  was  not  extinct,  and  it  pointed  out  a  peaceable,  but  power- 
ful, plan  for  effecting  a  repeal  of  the  noxious  act.  The  commerce  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  colonies  had  become  very  important,  and  any  measure  that  might  interrupt  its  course 
would  be  felt  by  a  large  and  powerful  class  in  England,  whose  influence  was  felt  in  Parlia- 
ment. The  expediency  of  striking  a  blow  at  the  trade  occurred  to  some  New  York  mer- 
chants, and,  accordingly,  on  the  31st  of  October,  the  day  before  the  act  went  into  op- 
eration, a  meeting  was  held,  and  an  agreement  entered  into  not  to  import  from  England 
certain  enumerated  articles  after  the  first  day  of  January  ensuing.'     The  merchants  of  Phil- 

'  The  following  are  copies  of  the  labels.     On  that  representing  Grenville,  holding  out  a  Stamp  Act  in 
nis  left  hand : 

"  YOUR  Servant,  Sirs  ;  do  you  like  my  Figure  ? 
YOU've  seen  one  Rogue,  but  here's  a  bigger. 
Father  of  Mischief !  how  I  soar 
Where  many  a  Rogue  has  gone  before. 
Take  heed,  my  Brother  Rogues,  take  heed. 
In  me  your  honest  Portion  read : 
Dear  cousin  Peteb,  no  Excuse, 
Come  dance  with  me  without  your  shoRS , 

'Tis  G le  calls,  and  sink  or  swim, 

You'd  go  to  h 1  to  follow  him." 

On  the  figure  representing  John  Huske  : 

Quest.  "  What,  Brother  H ske  ?  why,  this  is  bad  I 

An*.        Ah,  indeed !  but  I'm  a  wicked  Lad ; 

My  Mother  always  thought  me  wild ; 

'The  Gallows  is  thy  Portion,  Child,' 

She  often  said :  behold,  'tis  true, 

And  now  the  Dog  must  have  his  due. 

For  idle  Gewgaws,  wretched  Pelfi 

I  sold  my  Country,  d        d  myself; 

And  for  my  great  unequal'd  Crime 

The  D 1  takes  H ske  before  his  time. 

But  if  some  Brethren  I  could  name. 

Who  shared  the  Crime,  should  share  the  shame. 

This  glorious  tree,  though  big  and  tall. 

Indeed  would  never  hold  'em  all !" 

*  The  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  George  Burns,  inn-keeper.     As  the  agreement  entered  into  ihert 
is  a  type  of  those  adopted  by  the  merchants  and  people  of  other  colonies,  I  copy  from  the  New  York  Mer- 


170 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  Nonimportation  Agreements.        Rockingham  made  Prime  Minister.       Apathy  m  ParUament       Domestic  Manufacturea 

adelphia  readily  responded  to  the  measure,  and  on  the  9th  of  December  those  of  Boston  en- 
tered into  a  similar  agreement.      Nor  were  the  pledges  confined  to  merchants  alone,  but  the 
people  in  general  ceased  using  foreign  luxuries  ;   articles  of  domestic  manufacture  came  into 
general  use,  and  the  trade  with  Great  Britain  Avas  almost  entirely  suspended.' 
^.jgg  In  July  the  Marquis  of  Rockingham,  an  honorable  and  enlightened  statesman,  suc- 

ceeded Grenville  in  the  premiership.  His 
cabinet  was  composed  chiefly  of  the  friends  of 
America,  and,  for  a  while,  the  colonists  hoped 
for  justice.  General  Conway,  who  had  raised 
the  first  voice  of  opposition  to  ministers  in  their 
relations  to  the  colonies,  was  made  one  of  the 
Secretaries  of  State,  and  Edmund  Burke,  one 
of  the  earliest  friends  of  America,  was  Rocking- 
ham's private  secretary.  But  the  new  minis- 
try, against  the  determined  will  of  the  king  and 
the  influence  of  a  strong  power  behind  the  throne, 
Ibund  it  difiicult  to  depart  from  the  line  of  policy 
toward  the  colonies  adopted  by  Grenville,  and 
the  hopes  of  the  Americans  faded  in  an  hour. 

A  strange  apathy  concerning  American  af-    ^^ 
fairs  seemed  still  to  prevail  in  England,  not- 
withstanding every  vessel  from  America  carried  / 
tidings  of  the  excited  state  of  the  people  there.    ' 
Parliament  met  in  December.    The 


December  17. 


king,  in  his  speech,  mentioned  that 


Chasles,  Marquis  of  Rockingham. 

From  an  English  print. 


cury  of  November,  1765,  the  portion  of  the  proceeduigs  of  the  meeting  containing  the  resolutions.  These 
were,  "  First,  That  in  all  orders  they  send  out  to  Great  Britain  for  goods  or  merchandise  of  any  nature,  kind, 
or  quality  whatsoever  usually  imported  from  Great  Britain,  they  will  direct  their  correspondents  not  to  ship 
them,  unless  the  Stamp  Act  be  repealed.  It  is,  nevertheless,  agreed  that  all  such  merchants  as  are  owners 
of,  and  have,  vessels  already  gone,  and  now  cleared  out  for  Great  Britain,  shall  be  at  liberty  to  bring  back 
m  them,  on  their  own  aceoimts,  crates  and  casks  of  earthen- ware,  grindstones,  and  pipes,  and  such  other  bulky 
articles  as  owners  usually  fill  up  their  vessels  with.  Secondly,  It  is  further  unanimously  agreed  that  all  or- 
ders already  sent  home  shall  be  countermanded  by  the  very  first  conveyance ;  and  the  goods  and  merchan- 
dise thereby  ordered  not  to  be  sent,  except  upon  the  condition  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  resolution.  Third- 
ly, It  is  further  unanimously  agreed  that  no  merchant  will  vend  drj--goods  or  merchandise  sent  upon  commis- 
sion from  Great  Britain,  that  shall  be  shipped  from  thence  after  the  first  day  of  January  next,  unless  upon  the 
condition  mentioned  in  the  first  resolution.  Fourthly,  It  is  further  unanimously  agreed  that  the  foregoing 
resolutions  shall  be  binding  until  the  same  are  abrogated  at  a  general  meeting  hereafter  to  be  held  for  that 
purpose.  In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  respectively  subscribed  our  names."  [Here  followed  tho 
names  of  more  than  two  hundred  of  the  principal  merchants.]  In  consequence  of  the  foregoing  resolutions, 
the  retail  merchants  of  the  city  entered  into  an  agreement  not  to  buy  or  sell  any  goods  shipped  from  England 
after  the  1  st  of  January. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  that  system  of  non-importation  agreements  which  hurled  back  upon  England, 
with  such  force,  the  commercial  miseries  she  had  inflicted  upon  the  colonies. 

^  The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  written  b)^  a  gentleman  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  to  Hugh  Gaine, 
the  editor  of  the  New  York  INIercury,  and  published  in  that  paper  early  Ln  1768,  will  give  the  reader  an  idea 
of  the  industry  of  the  colonists  at  that  time  :  "  Within  eighteen  months  past  four  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
yards  of  cloth  and  thirtv-six  pairs  of  stockings  have  been  spun  and  knit  in  the  family  of  James  Nixon  of  this 
town.  Another  family,  within  four  years  past,  hath  manufactured  nine  hundred  and  eighty  yards  of  woolen 
cloth,  besides  two  coverlids,  and  two  bed-ticks,  and  all  the  stocking  yarn  for  the  family.  Not  a  skein  was 
put  out  of  the  house  to  be  spun,  but  the  whole  performed  in  the  family.  We  are  credibly  informed  that  many 
families  in  this  colony,  within  the  year  past,  have  each  manufactured  upward  of  seven  hundred  yards  of  cloth 
of  different  kinds." 

Another  letter,  dated  at  Newport,  1765,  says,  "The  spirit  of  patriotism  is  not  confined  to  the  sons  of 
America,  but  glows  with  equal  fervor  in  the  benevolent  breasts  of  her  daughters  ;  one  instance  of  which  wo 
think  is  worthy  of  notice.  A  lady  of  this  town,  though  in  the  bloom  of  youth,  and  possessed  of  virtues  and 
accomplishments,  engagins,  and  sufficient  to  excite  the  most  pleasing  expectations  of  happiness  in  the  mar- 
ried state,  has  declared  that  she  should  rather  be  an  old  maid  than  that  the  operation  of  the  Stamp  Act  should 
commence  in  these  colonies.'' 


OFTHEREVOLUTION  471 

Meeting  of  Pai-liaraent.  Speechea  of.Pitt  and  Grcnvillo.  Boldness  of  Pitt  Proposition  to  repeal  the  Stamp  Act 

something  had  occurred  in  America  which  might  demand  the  serious  .attention  of  the  Leg- 
islature ;  but  that  body  almost  immediately  adjourned  until  alter  the  Christmas  holidays, 
and  it  was  the  14th  of  January  before  thev  reassembled.  The  king  alluded  to  the  dis- 
turbances  in  America,  and  assured  the  Houses  that  no  time  had  been  lost  in  issuing 
orders  to  the  governors  of  the  provinces,  and  to  the  commanders  of  the  forces  there,  to  use 
all  the  power  of  the  government  in  suppressing  riots  and  tumults.  Pitt,  who  was  absent  on 
account  of  gout  when  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act  was  under  consideration,  was  now  in 
his  place,  and,  leaning  upon  crutches,  nobly  vindicated  the  rights  of  the  colonies.  After  cen- 
suring ministers  for  their  delay  in  giving  notice  of  the  disturbances  in  America,  and  animad- 
verting severely  upon  the  injustice  of  the  Stamp  Act,  he  proceeded  to  vindicate  the  Americans. 
"  The  colonists,"  he  said,  "  are  subjects  of  this  kingdom,  equally  entitled  with  yourselves  to 
all  the  natural  rights  of  mankind  and  the  peculiar  privileges  of  Englislimen  ;  equally  bound 
by  its  laws,  and  equally  participating  in  the  Constitution  of  this  free  country.  The  Amer- 
icans are  the  sons,  not  the  bastards,  of  England.      Taxation  is  no  part  of  the  governing  or 

legislative  power.      Taxes  are  the  voluntary  gift  or  grant  of  the  Commons  alone 

When,  therefore,  in  this  House  we  give  and  grant,  we  give  and  grant  what  is  our  own.  But 
in  an  American  tax  what  do  we  do  ?  We,  your  majesty's  Commons  for  Great  Britain,  give 
and  grant  to  your  majesty,  what  ?  our  own  property  ?  No  ;  we  give  and  grant  to  your  maj- 
esty the  property  of  your  majesty's  Commons  of  America.      It  is  an  absurdity  in  terms." 

Grenville  also  censured  ministers  for  their  delay.  "  The  disturbances,"  he  said,  "  began 
in  July,  and  now  we  are  in  the  middle  of  January  ;  lately  they  were  only  occurrences ;  they 
are  now  grown  to  disturbances,  to  tumults  and  riots.  I  doubt  they  border  on  open  rebell- 
ion ;  and,  if  the  doctrines  of  this  day  be  confirmed,  that  name  will  be  lost  in  revolution.'' 
And  so  it  was.  Grenville  also  defended  his  own  course,  and  dissented  i'rom  Mr.  Pitt  respect- 
ing the  right  to  tax  the  colonies.  He  claimed  obedience  from  America,  because  it  enjoyed 
the  protection  of  Great  Britain.  "  The  nation,"  he  said,  "  has  run  itself  into  an  immense- 
debt  to  give  them  protection  ;  and  now  they  are  called  upon  to  contribute  a  small  share  to- 
ward the  public  expense — an  expense  arising  from  themselves — they  renounce  your  author- 
ity, hisult  j'our  officers,  and  break  out,  I  might  almost  say,  into  open  rebellion."  Fixing  his 
eyes  intently  upon  Pitt,  he  exclaimed,  with  great  emphasis,  "  Tlie  seditious  spirit  of  the  colo- 
nies oices  its  birth  to  factions  in  this  House.  Gentlemen  are  careless  of  the  consequence'^ 
of  what  they  say,  provided  it  ansivers  tlie  p)ur2Mses  of  opjjosition." 

When  Grenville  ceased  speaking,  several  members  arose  to  their  feet,  among  whom  was 
Pitt.  There  was  a  loud  cry  of  "  Mr.  Pitt,  Mr.  Pitt,"  and  all  but  he  sat  down.  He  imme- 
diately fell  upon  Grenville,  and  told  him  that,  since  he  had  challenged  him  to  the  field,  he 
would  fight  him  on  every  foot  of  it.  "  The  gentleman  tells  us,"  he  said,  "  that  America  i? 
obstinate,  America  is  almost  in  open  rebellion.  I  rejoice  that  America  has  resisted.  Throe 
millions  of  people  so  dead  to  all  the  feelings  of  liberty  as  voluntarily  to  submit  to  be  slaves, 
would  have  been  fit  instruments  to  make  slaves  of  the  rest."  Alluding  to  the  alleged  strengtii 
of  Great  Britain  and  the  weakness  of  America,  he  said,  "  It  is  true,  that  in  a  good  cause,  on 
a  good  ground,  the  force  of  this  country  could  crush  America  to  atoms  ;  but  on  this  ground, 
on  this  Stamp  Act,  many  here  will  think  it  a  crying  injustice,  and  I  am  one  who  will  lilt 
up  my  hands  against  it.  In  such  a  cause  your  success  would  be  hazardous.  America,  il 
she  fall,  would  fall  like  the  strong  man  ;  she  would  embrace  the  pillars  of  the  State,  and 
pull  down  the  Constitution  along  with  her."*  Pitt  concluded  his  speech  with  a  proposition 
for  an  absolute  and  immediate  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,  at  the  same  time  recommending  an 
act  to  accompany  the  repeal,  declaring,  in  the  most  unqualified  terms,  the  sovereign  author- 
ity of  Great  Britain  over  her  colonies.  This  was  intended  as  a  sort  of  salvo  to  the  national 
honor,  necessary,  as  Pitt  well  knew,  to  insure  the  repeal  of  the  act.  Burke,  who  had  been 
elected  to  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Commons,"  Conway,  Barre,  and  others,  seconded  the  views 

H»«tory  Debates,  &c.,  of  the  British  Parliament,  iv.,  292-7. 

's  time  Burke  commenced  his  brilliant  career  as  a  statesman  and  an  orator.     Dr.  Johnson  asserted 


472 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Position  of  Lord  Camden.  Repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  Causes  that  effected  it.  Rejoicings  in  England  and  America 


of  Pitt,  and  with  that  great  statesman  were  the  principal  advocates  of  a  repeal.  Chief-jus- 
tice Pratt,  now  become  Lord  Camden,  was  the  principal  friend  of  the  measure  in  the  Upper 
House,  but  was  opposed  to  the  Declaratory  Act  proposed  by  Pitt.  "  My  position  is  this," 
he  said,  in  the  course  of  debate ;  "  I  repeat  it ;  I  will  maintain  it  to  the  last  hour — taxa- 
tion and  representation  are  inseparable.  The  position  is  founded  in  the  law  of  nature.  It 
is  more  :  it  is  itself  an  eternal  law  of  nature." 

On  the  1 8th  of  March  a  repeal  bill  was  passed  by  a  large  majority  of  the  men  who, 
a  few  months  previous,  were  almost  unanimously  in  favor  of  the  Stamp  Act.  It  was 
carried  in  the  House  of  Commons  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
and  sixteen.  It  met  strenuous  opposition  in  the  House  of  Lords,  where  it  had  a  majority  of 
thirty-four.  Thirty- three  peers  entered  a  strong  protest,  in  which  they  declared  that  "  such 
a  submission  of  king,  Lords,  and  Commons,  in  so  strange  and  unheard-of  a  contest,"  would 
amount  to  an  entire  surrender  of  British  supremacy. 

The  change  in  the  opinions  of  members  of  the  House  of  Commons  was  wrought  more  by 
the  petitions,  remonstrances,  and  personal  influence  of  the  London  merchants,  than  by  ap- 
peals from  America,  or  by  disturbances  there.  Ministers  would  not  receive  the  petitions  of 
the  colonial  Congress  held  at  New  York,  because  that  assembly  had  not  been  legally  sum- 
moned to  meet  by  the  supreme  power.  It  was  the  importunities  of  London  merchants  and 
tradesmen,  suffering  severely  from  the  effects  of  the  non-importation  agreements,  that  wrought 
the  wondrous  change.  Half  a  million  of  dollars  were  then  due  them  from  the  colonies,  and, 
under  the  existing  state  of  things,  not  a  dollar  of  it  was  expected  to  be  paid.  Their  trade 
with  the  colonies  was  suddenly  suspended,  and  nothing  but  bankruptcy  and  ruin  was  before 
them.      London  being  the  business  heart  of  the  kingdom,  with  a  cessation  of  its  pulsations 

paralysis  spread  to  other  portions.  Nothing  but  a 
retraction  could  save  England  from  utter  commercial 
ruin,  and,  perhaps,  civil  war.  These  were  the  con- 
siderations which  made  the  sensible  men  in  Parlia- 
ment retrace  their  steps.  According  to  Pitt's  recom- 
mendation, a  Declaratory  Act,  which  affirmed  the 
right  of  Parliament  "  to  bind  the  colonies  in  all  cases 
whatsoever,"  accompanied  the  bill.  The  repeal  of 
the  Stamp  Act  became  a  law,  by  the  reluctant  sig- 
nature of  the  king,  on  the  day  of  its  enact-  March  i8, 
ment.  ^^^'5- 

Great  joy  was  manifested  in  London  when  the  Re- 
peal Act  passed.  Pitt  had  all  the  honor  of  the  meas- 
ure, and  as  he  came  out  to  the  lobby  of  the  House 
of  Commons  he  was  greeted  by  the  crowd  with  the 
most  extravagant  demonstrations  of  joy.  They  clung 
about  him  like  children  upon  a  long-absent  father. 
The  ships  in  the  river  displayed  their  colors  ;  houses 
at  night,  all  over  the  city,  were  illuminated  ;  and  the 
most  fulsome  adulation  was  bestowed  upon  the  king 
and  Parliament  for  their  goodness  and  wisdom  I 
Equally  great  was  the  joy  that  filled  the  colonies  when  intelligence  of  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act  arrived.  The  Declaratory  Act,  involving,  as  it  really  did,  the  kernel  of  royal 
prerogatives  which  the  colonists  rejected,  was,  for  the  moment,  overlooked,  and  throughout 
America  there  was  a  burst  of  loyalty  and  gratitude.  New  York  voted  statues  to  the  king 
and  to  Pitt,  both  of  which  were  presently  erected ;'  Virginia  voted  a  statue  to  the  king  ; 

that  his  two  speeches  on  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  "  were  publicly  commended  by  Mr.  Pitt,  and  filled  the 
town  with  wonder." 

'  The  statue  of  the  king  was  equestrian,  and  made  of  lead.  It  stood  within  the  present  inclosure  at  the 
foot  of  Broadway,  New  York,  called  the  Bowling  Green.     The  statue  of  Pitt  was  of  marble,  and  stood  at 


William  Pitt. 

From  an  English  print. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  473 


Rejoicing  in  Boston.    Release  of  Prisoners  for  Debt     Pyramid  on  the  Common.     Poetic  Inscriptions.     Uoncock's  Liberality. 

Maryland  passed  a  similar  vote,  and  ordered  a  portrait  of  Lord  Camden ;  and  the  authori- 
ties of  Boston  ordered  full-length  portraits  of  Barre  and  Conway  Ibr  Fanueil  Hall. 

The  Repeal  Act  reached  Boston  at  about  noon  on  Friday,  the  13th  of  May.  It  was 
brought  by  the  brig  Harrison,  a  vessel  belonging  to  John  Hancock.  Great  was  the 
general  joy.  The  church-bells  were  immediately  rung  ;  the  colors  of  all  the  ships  were 
hoisted  ;  cannons  were  discharged  ;  the  Sons  of  Liberty  gathered  under  their  favorite  tree, 
drank  toasts,  and  fired  guns  ;  and  bonfires  and  illuminations  enlivened  the  evening.  A  gen- 
eral celebration  was  arranged  by  the  select-men  for  the  following  Monday.  The  dawn,  bright 
and  rosy,  was  ushered  in  by  salvos  of  cannon,  ringing  of  bells,  and  martial  music.  Through 
the  liberality  of  some  citizens,  every  debtor  in  the  jail  was  ransomed  and  set  at  liberty,  to  unite 
in  the  general  joy.  "  This  charitable  deed  originated  in  a  fair  Boston  nymph."  The  whole 
town  was  illuminated  in  the  evening.  On  the  Common  the  Sons  of  Liberty  erected  a  magnifi- 
cent pyramid,  illuminated  by  two  hundred  and  eighty  lamps,  the  four  upper  stories  of  which 
were  ornamented  with  figures  of  the  king  and  queen,  and  "  fourteen  of  the  patriots  who  had 
distinguished  themselves  for  their  love  of  liberty."  On  the  four  sides  of  the  lower  apartment 
were  appropriate  poetic  inscriptions.'  "  John  Hancock,  Esq.,"  says  a  newspaper  of  the  day, 
from  which  I  have  drawn  this  account,  "  who  gave  a  grand  and  elegant  entertainment  to 
the  genteel  part  of  the  town,  and  treated  the  populace  to  a  pipe  of  Madeira  wine,  erected  at 
the  front  of  his  house,  which  was  magnificently  illuminated,  a  stage  for  the  exhibition  of  his 

the  intersection  of  William  and  Wall  Streets.  The  mutilated  remains  of  this  statue  are  now  within  an  iron 
railing  of  the  Fifth  Ward  Hotel,  on  the  corner  of  Franklin  Street  and  West  Broadway.  A  sketch  of  the  broken 
statue  will  be  found  on  page  583,  Vol.  II. 

'  The  following  are  the  poetic  inscriptions  refen-ed  to.     They  allude  to  emblematic  figures  on  the  lower 
jtory : 

"  O  thou  whom  next  to  Heaven  we  most  revere. 

Fair  Liberty  !  thou  lovely  Goddess,  hear  ! 

Have  we  not  wooed  thee,  won  thee,  held  thee  long-. 

Lain  in  tliy  Lap,  and  melted  on  thy  Tongue —  • 

Through  Death  and  Dangers,  rugged  Paths  pursued. 

And  led  thee,  smiling,  to  tliis  SOLITUDE— 

Hid  thee  within  our  Hearts'  most  golden  cell, 

And  braved  the  Powers  of  Earth  and  Powers  of  Hell  ? 

GODDESS  !  we  can  not  part,  thou  must  not  fly. 

Be  SLAVES  I  we  dare  to  scorn  it — dare  to  die." 

"  While  clanking  Chains  and  Curses  shall  salute 

Thine  ears,  remorseless  G le,  thine,  o  a te. 

To  you,  bless'd  PATRIOTS  !  we  our  cause  submit, 
niustrious  CAMBDEN,  Britain's  guardian,  PITT! 
Recede  not,  frown  not,  rather  let  us  be 
Deprived  of  being  than  of  LIBERTY. 
Let  Fraud  or  Malice  blacken  all  our  crimes, 
No  disaffection  stains  these  peaceful  cUmes ; 
O  save  us,  shield  us  from  impending  Woes, 
The  Foes  of  Britain  only  are  our  Foes." 

"  Boast,  foul  Oppression,  boast  thy  transient  Rei'jn, 
\Vhile  honest  FREEDOM  straggles  with  her  Chain  , 
But  now  the  Sons  of  Virtue,  hardy,  brave. 
Disdain  to  lo?e  through  mean  Despair  to  save ; 
Aroused  in  Thunder,  awful  they  appear. 
With  proud  Deliverance  stalking  in  their  rear: 
While  Tyrant  Foes  their  pallid  Fears  betray, 
Shrink  from  their  Arms,  and  give  their  Vengeance  way ; 
See,  in  the  unequal  War,  OPPRESSORS  fall, 
The  Hate,  Contempt,  and  endless  Curse  of  all." 

"  Our  Faith  approved,  our  LIBERTY  restored. 
Our  Hearts  bend  grateful  to  our  sovereign  Lord : 
Hail,  darling  monarch  !  by  this  act  endear'd, 
Our  firm  Atfectiong  are  our  best  Reward  ; 
Should  Britain's  self  against  herself  divide, 
And  hostile  Armies  form  on  either  side — 
Should  Hosts  rebellious  shake  our  Brunswick's  Throue, 
And  as  they  dared  thy  Parent,  dare  the  Son, 
To  this  Asylum  stretch  thy  happy  Wing, 
Aod  we'll  contend  who  beat  shall  love  our  KING." 


474 


PICTORIAL   FJELD-BOOK 


Liberality  of  Otis  and  others.  The  Rejoicings  clouded.  New  Acts  of  Oppression. 


Insolence  of  PubHc  Officers 


fire-works." "  Mr.  Otis,  and  some  other  gentlemen  who  lived  near  the  Common,  kept 

open  house  the  whole  evening,  which  was  very  pleasant."  At  eleven  o'clock,  on  a  signal 
being  given,  a  horizontal  fire-wheel  on  the  top  of  the  pyramid  was  set  in  motion,  "  which 
ended  in  the  discharge  of  sixteen  dozen  serpents  in  the  air,  which  concluded  the  show.  To 
the  honor  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  we  can  with  pleasure  inform  the  world  that  every  thing 
was  conducted  with  the  utmost  decency  and  good 
order."  His  majesty's  Council,  by  a  previous  invi- 
tation of  the  governor,  met  at  the  Province  House 
in  the  afternoon,  where  many  loyal  toasts  were 
drunk,  and  in  the  evening  they  went  to  the  Com- 
mon to  see  the  fire-works.  Past  animosities  were 
forgotten,  and  the  night  of  the  IGth  of  May  was 
a  happy  one  for  Boston. 

The  glad  sounds  of  rejoicing  because  of  the  re- 
peal of  the  Stamp  Act  were  not  mellowed  into  the 
harmony  of  confident  hope,  before  the  ministry  of 
England,  by  its  unwise  and  unjust  acts,  again 
awakened  loud  murmurs  of  discontent  throughout 
America.  That  germ  of  new  oppressions,  the  De- 
claratory Act,  which  appeared  so  harmless,  began 
to  expand  in  the  genial  soil  of  ministerial  culture. 


The  Province  House.' 


The  House  of  Commons,  by  resolutions, 
demanded  of  the  colonies  restitution  to  the  crown  officers  who  had  suffered  loss  by  the  Stamp 
Act  riots.  This  was  just,  and  the  colonies  complied  ;  Massachusetts,  however,  in  passing 
the  Indemnification  Bill,  inserted  a  provision  that  a  free  pardon  should  be  extended  to  all 
concerned.  Much  bad  feeling  was  engendered  by  the  insolent  manner  in  which  the  settle- 
ment of  the  claims  was  demanded.  Governor  Bernard  of  Massachusetts  was  so  peremptory 
and  insulting,  that  the  people  of  Boston  flatly  refused  to  pay  ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  gov- 
ernor had  lowered  his  authoritative  tone  very  much  that  they  complied.^ 

A  new  clause  in  the  Annual  Mutiny  Act^  was  properly  viewed  as  disguised  taxation,  and 
a  measure  calculated  not  only  to  strengthen  the  royal  power  in  America,  but  to  shift  a  heavy 
burden  from  the  shoulders  of  the  home  government  to  those  of  the  colonies.  The  clause  pro- 
vided that  the  British  troops  that  might  be  sent  here  should  be  furnished  with  quarters,  beer, 
salt,  and  vinegar  at  the  expense  of  the  people.  It  Avas  a  comparatively  small  tax,  and  easy 
to  be  borne,  but  it  involved  the  same  principles,  substantially,  that  were  avowed  in  the  Stamj) 
Act,  and  was  more  odious,  because  it  was  intended  to  make  the  people  support  bayonets  sent 
to  abridge  their  liberties.  New  York  and  Massachusetts  refused  to  comply  with  its  provi- 
sions, and  opposition,  as  zealous  as  that  against  the  Stamp  Act,  was  soon  aroused.  The  in- 
solent soldiers  met  rebufi^s  at  every  corner,  and  at  times  serious  outbreaks  were  apprehended 
in  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  1766,  the  Pvockingham  cabinet  was  suddenly  dissolved.  It  was 
too  liberal  for  "  the  king's  friends,"  and  was  unable  to  stem  the  current  of  opposition  flowing 
from  royalty  itself      The  new  cabinet  was  formed,  by  his  majesty's  commands,  under  the  con- 

'  The  Province  House,  the  residence  of  the  colonial  governors,  is  still  standing,  in  the  rear  of  stores  on 
Washinofton  Street,  opposite  Milk  Street.  It  is  a  large  brick  building,  three  stories  high,  and  was  formerly 
decorated  with  the  king's  arms  richly  carved  and  gilt.  >'^  "i'-Tiounted  the  roof.     In  front  of  the  house 

was  a  pretty  lawn  with  an  iron  fence,  and  on  each  side  of  tii  The  ground  sloped, 

and  in  front  were  about  twenty  stone  steps.     Its  grounds  are  i..  "''"  iinuse  can 

not  be  seen  without  entering  Province  Court.     The  king's  arms  are  in  .  His- 

torical Society. 

*  The  amount  of  indemnification  claimed  in  Boston  was  as  follows  :  Hutchin. 
Stor)^,  8255;  Hallowell,  81446. 

^  The  Mutiny  Act  granted  power  to  every  officer,  upon  obtaining  a  warrant  from  c.  j 
any  house,  by  day  or  by  night,  in  search  of  deserters.     Like  the  Writs  of  Assistance,  these  po 
f.iid,  indeed,  were,  used  by  unprincipled  men  for  other  than  ostensible  purposes;  and  the  gua. 
British  Constitution  that  every  man's  house  shall  be  his  castle,  and  inviolate,  was  subverted. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  475 

Pitt  created  Lord  Cliatlia-Ui.        Picture  of  his  Cabinet  by  Burke.        New  Scheme  of  Taxation.        Commissioners  of  Customs 

trol  of  Mr.  Pitt,  just  created  Earl  of  Chatham.'  This  honor  was  conferred  on  the  29th  of 
July.  The  transformation  of  the  great  Commoner  into  an  earl  was  not  more  surprising  than 
the  curious  medley  of  politicians  that  formed  his  cabinet,  so  diversified  and  discordant  thai 
neither  party  knew  what  confidence  to  repose  in  it.  "  He  made  an  administration  so  check- 
ered and  speckled,"  said  Burke  ;  "  he  put  together  a  piece  of  joinery  so  crossly  indented  and 
whimsically  dove-tailed  ;  a  cabinet  so  variously  inlaid  ;  such  a  piece  of  diversified  mosaic  ; 
such  a  tesselated  pavement  without  cement ;  here  a  bit  of  black  stone,  and  there  a  bit  of 
white  ;  patriots  and  courtiers,  king's  friends  and  republicans  ;  Whigs  and  Tories  ;  treacher- 
ous  friends  and  open  enemies  ;  that  it  was,  indeed,  a  very  curious  show,  but  utterly  unsafe 
to  touch  and  unsure  to  stand  on.  The  colleagues  whom  he  had  assorted  at  the  same  boards 
stared  at  each  other,  and  were  obliged  to  ask,  '  Sir,  your  name  ?'  '  Sir,  you  have  the  advant- 
age of  me.'  '  Mr.  Such-a-one,  I  bog  a  thousand  pardons.'  I  venture  to  say  it  did  so  hap- 
pen that  persons  had  a  single  office  divided  between  them,  who  had  never  spoken  to  each 
other  in  their  lives  until  they  found  themselves  they  knew  not  how,  pigging  together,  heads 
and  points,  in  the  same  truckle-bed."^  Had  the  general  direction  of  afiairs  been  assumed  by 
Pitt,  even  this  incongruous  cabinet  might  not  have  done  much  mischief;  but  frequent  and 
serious  attacks  of  gout  kept  the  great  orator  confined  at  Hayes,  his  country  seat  in  Kent. 
"  Having,"  said  Burke,  "  put  so  much  the  larger  part  of  his  enemies  and  opposers  into  power, 
the  confusion  was  such  that  his  own  principles  could  not  possibly  have  any  efiect  or  influ- 
ence in  the  conduct  of  afiairs.  If  ever  he  fell  into  a  fit  of  the  gout,  or  any  other  cause  with- 
!rew  him  from  public  cares,  principles  directly  contrary  to  his  own  were  sure  to  predomin- 
ate  When  his  face  was  hid  for  a  moment,  his  whole  system  was  one  wide  sea  without 

chart  or  compass."     It  was  during  one  of  these  attacks  of  illness  thatGrenville  propos-     January, 
ed  a  tax  of  two  millions  of  dollars  upon  America,  for  the  support  of  troops,  &c.    Charles       ^''^''■ 
Townshend,  Pitt's  chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  upon  whom  devolved  the  duty  of  suggesting 
financial  measures,  agreed  with  Grenville  as  to  the  right  thus  to  tax  the  colonies,  but,  in  view 
of  the  late  excitement  produced  by  the  Stamp  Act,  thought  it  inexpedient,  at  the  same  time 
jdedging  himself  to  the  House  to  find  a  revenue  in  America  sufficient  to  meet  expenses.      This 
pledge  he  attempted  to  redeem  in  May,  by  asking  leave  to  bring  in  a  bill  to  impose  a  duty 
upon  paper,  glass,  painters'  colors,  lead,  and  tea  imported  by  the  Americans.      Leave 
was  granted,  and  an  act  levying  such  duties  became  a  law  by  royal  assent  on  the  29th 
of  June.      Another  bill  became  a  law  on  the  2d  of  July,  which  provided  for  taking  off 
a  shilling  on  a  pound  of  the  export  tax  on  all  black  and  single  tea,  and  granting  a  drawback 
upon  all  teas  exported  to  Ireland  and  America.      The  object  of  this  act  was  to  encourage 
the  exportation  of  tea  to  America,  in  the  belief  that  the  reduced  price  of  the  article  would 
cause  a  great  increase  in  the  consumption,  and,  consequently,  augment  the  revenue  arising 
from  it  under  the  n^w  act.      But  in  this  ministers  reckoned  neither  wisely  nor  well. 

Another  bill  was  passed,  reorganizing  the  colonial  custom-house  system,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Board  of  Revenue  Commissioners  for  America,  to  have  its  seat  at  Boston.  There 
was  a  provision  in  the  first  bill  for  the  maintenance  of  a  standing  army  in  America,  and  en- 
abling the  crown,  by  sign  manual,  to  establish  a  goieral  civil  list  throughout  every  prov- 
ince, fixing  the  salaries  of  governors,  judges,  and  other  officers,  such  salary  to  be  paid  by  the 

'  Three  weeks  before  the  installation  of  the  new  cabinet  Pitt  received  an  autograph  letter  from  the  kinpf. 
commanding  him  to  arrange  a  new  administration.  Pitt  spoke  of  his  age  and  infirmities  (he  was  then  Jl/ty- 
cight),  and  proposed  taking  to  himself  the  ollioe  of  the  privy  seal,  which  implied  and  necessitated  his  removal 
to  the  House  of  Lords !  The  king  was  greatly  astonished,  but  so  desperately  taniried  were  the  public  af- 
fairs, and  so  great  .seemed  the  necessity  of  having  the  powerful  Pitt  among  his  IViends,  that  the  king  wa^ 
obliged  to  yield.  The  witty  Lord  Chesterfield,  alluding  to  the  ambition  of  Pitt  to  acquire  a  coronet,  said, 
"  Every  body  is  puzzled  to  account  for  this  step.  Such  an  event  was,  I  believe,  never  heard  or  read  of,  to 
withdraw,  in  the  fullness  of  his  power  and  in  the  utmost  gratification  of  his  ambition,  from  the  House  of  Com- 
mons (which  procured  him  his  power,  and  which  could  alone  insure  it  to  him),  and  to  go  into  that  hospital 
of  incurables,  the  House  of  Lords,  is  a  measure  so  unaccountable,  that  nothing  but  proof  positive  could  make 
me  believe  it;  but  so  it  is."  Chesterfield  called  it  a  "fall  up  stairs — a  fall  which  did  Pitt  so  much  dani- 
atre  that  he  will  never  be  able  to  stand  upon  his  legs  again."' 

^  Speech  on  American  Taxation. 


476 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Fresh  Excitement  in  the  ColonieB.  Increasing  Importance  of  the  Newspapers.  "  Letters  of  a  Pennsylvania  Farmer.' 

crown.  Thus  the  executive  and  judicial  officers,  from  whom  the  people  were  to  expect  good 
<,rovernment  and  the  righteous  administration  of  laws,  were  made  entirely  independent  of  the 
people,  and  became,  in  fact,  mere  hireling  creatures  of  the  crown.  This  had  been  the  ob- 
ject of  almost  every  minister  from  the  time  of  Charles  11.^ 

When  intelligence  of  these  acts  reached  America,  the  excitement  throughout  the  colonies 
was  as  great  as  that  produced  by  the  Stamp  Act,  but  action  was  more  dignified  and  efficient. 
The  royal  governors  and  their  retainers,  elated  with  the  prospect  of  being  independent  of  the 
colonial  Assemblies,  eagerly  forwarded  the  schemes  of  the  ministry,  and  aided  greatly  in  fos- 
tering opposition  among  the  people.  The  ministry  seemed  totally  blind  to  every  light  of  com- 
mon sense,  and  disregarded  the  warnings  of  Lord  Shelburne  and  others  in  Parliament,  and 
the  opinions  of  just  observers  in  America." 

The  colonists  clearly  perceived  the  intention  of  government  to  tax  them  in  some  shape, 
and  took  the  broad  ground 
asserted  by  Otis  in  his 
pamphlet,  that  "  taxes  on 
trade,  if  designed  to  raise 
a  revenue,  were  just  as 
much  a  violation  of  their 
rights  as  any  other  tax." 
The  colonial  newspapers, 
now  increased  to  nearly 
thirty  in  number,  began 
to  be  tribunes  for  the  peo- 
ple, through  which  lead- 
ing minds  communed  with 
the  masses  upon  subjects 
of  common  interest.  They 
teemed  with  essays  upon 
colonial  rights,  among  the 
most  powerful  of  which 
were  the  "  Letters  of  a 
Farmer  of  Pennsylvania 
to  the  Inhabitants  of  the 


British  Colonies,"  writ- 
ten by  John  Dickinson,^ 
and  first  published  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Chronicle. 
They  were  twelve  in  num- 
ber, and  appeared  during 
the  summer  and  autumn 
of  1767.  Their  efiect. 
like  that  of  the  "  Crisis," 
by  Thomas  Paine,  a  few 
years  later,  was  wonderful 
in  forming  and  controlling 
the  will  of  the  people,  and 
giving  efficiency  to  the 
strong  right  arm  of  action. 
In  a  style  of  great  vigor, 
animation,  and  simplic- 
ity, Dickinson  portrayed 
the  unconstitutionality  of 
the  conduct  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, the  imminent  peril  to 


American  liberty  which  existed,  and  the  fatal  consequences  of  a  supine  acquiescence  in  min- 


1  Gordon,  i.,  146. 

'  Gerard  Hamilton  (known  as  Single  Speech  Hamilton,  because  when  a  member  of  Parliament  he  made 
but  one  speech)  was  then  in  America,  and,  writing  to  Coljjraft,  a  member  from  Lincolnshire,  said,  "  In  the 
Massachusetts  government  in  particular  there  is  an  express  law,  by  which  every  man  is  obliged  to  have  a 
musket,  a  pound  of  powder,  and  a  pound  of  bullets  always  near  him  ;  so  there  is  nothing  wanting  but  knap- 
sacks (or  old  stockings,  which  will  do  as  well)  to  equip  an  army  for  marching,  and  nothing  more  than  a  Sar- 
tonius  or  a  Spartacus  at  their  head  requisite  to  beat  your  troops  and  your  custom-house  officers  out  of  the 
country,  and  set  your  laws  at  defiance." 

3  John  Dickinson  was  born  in  Maryland,  November  13th,  1732.  His  father  was  Samuel  Dickinson,  first 
judge,  in  Delaware,  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  about  1740.  His  father  was  wealthy,  and  John  had 
every  means  given  him  for  acquiring  learning  which  the  colonies  afforded.  He  studied  law  in  Philadelphia, 
and  was  for  three  years  at  the  Temple  in  London.  He  first  appeared  in  public  life  as  a  member  of  tho 
Pennsylvania  Assembly  in  1764.  He  was  a  member  from  Pennsylvania  of  the  "  Stamp  Act  Congress"  in 
1765.  He  soon  afterward  began  his  essays  upon  various  political  subjects,  and  his  pen  was  never  idle  dur- 
ing the  conflict  that  succeeded.  Dr.  Franklin  caused  his  '"  Letters  of  a  Pennsylvania  Farmer"  to  be  repub- 
lished in  London  in  1768,  and  in  1769  they  were  translated  into  French  and  published  in  Paris.  Mr.  Dick- 
enson was  a  member  of  the  first  Continental  Congress  in  1774.  He  -wrote  the  Declaration  of  the  Congress 
of  1775,  setting  forth  the  causes  and  the  necessity  for  war.  He  was  opposed  to  a  political  separation  from 
Great  Britain,  and  was  intentionally  absent  from  Congress  when  the  final  vote  on  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  taken  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776.  In  1777  he  received  the  commission  of  brigadier  general, 
[n  1780  he  took  his  seat  in  the  Assembly  of  Delaware,  and  in  1782  was  elected  President  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  that  framed  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  was  its  warm  friend.     He 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  477 


Honors  to  John  Dickenson.        Massachusetto's  Circular  Letter.       Boldness  of  Otia  and  Samuel  Adams.        The  "  Rcsclndera.' 


isterial  measures — more  fatal  as  precedents  than  by  the  immediate  calamities  they  were  cal- 
culated to  produce.'  The  people  of  Boston,  at  a  public  mcctiufr,  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
Dickinson,  and  some  who  were  afterward  leading  men  of  the  Revolution  composed  the  com- 
mittee to  write  the  letter.  In  May,  17G8,  an  association  in  Philadelphia,  called  the  Society 
of  Fort  St.  David,  presented  an  address  to  Mr.  Dickinson,  "  in  a  box  of  heart  of  oak."  Thi- 
following  inscriptions  were  neatly  done  upon  it,  in  gold  letters.  On  the  top  was  rejjresented 
the  cap  of  liberty  on  a  spear,  resting  on  a  cipher  of  the  letters  J.  D.  Underneath  the  cipher, 
in  a  semi-circular  label,  the  words  Pro  Patru.  Around  the  whole,  the  following  :  "  The 
gift  of  the  Governor  and  Society  of  Fort  St.  David  to  tlic  author  ofTuK  Farmer's  Let- 
ters, in  grateful  testi)no7iy  to  the  very  eminent  services  thereby  rendered  to  this  country, 
1768."  On  the  inside  of  the  top  was  the  following  inscription  :  "  The  liberties  nf  tlie  Brit- 
ish colonies  in  America  asserted  with  Attic  eloquence  and  B/yman  spirit  by  John  Dickiti- 
$071,  Esq.,  barrister  at  laiv."  Spirited  resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  colonial  Assemblies, 
denouncing  the  acts  of  Parliament,  and  new  non-importation  associations  were  formed,  which 
almost  destroyed  the  commerce  with  England. 

A  special  session  of  the  Massachusetts  Assembly  was  asked  for  in  October,  to  "  con- 
sider the  late  acts  of  Parliament,"  but  Governor  Bernard  unwisely  refused  to  call  one. 
At  the  opening  of  the  regular  session,  in  December,  a  large  committee  was  appointed  to  "  con- 
sider the  state  of  the  province."  It  elaborated  several  measures,  the  first  of  which  was  a 
petition  to  the  king,  asserting  the  principles  for  which  they  were  contending.  A  bolder  step, 
and  one  that  most  displeased  the  British  ministry,  was  now  taken  ;  the  Assembly  February, 
adopted  a  circular  letter,  to  be  addressed  to  all  the  colonies,  imbodying  the  senti-  ^'^^■ 
ments  expressed  in  the  petition  to  the  king,  and  inviting  their  co-operation  in  maintaining 
the  liberties  of  America.  When  intelligence  of  this  letter  reached  the  ministers,  Lord  Hills- 
borough, the  colonial  Secretary,  sent  instructions  to  Governor  Bernard  to  call  upon  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  Massachusetts  to  rescind  its  resolutions,  and,  in  the  event  of  non-compliance, 
to  dissolve  that  body.  But  the  Assembly,  or  House  of  Representatives,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  nine  members,  much  the  largest  legislative  Convention  in  America,'  were  not 
easily  frightened,  and,  instead  of  complying  with  the  governor's  demand,  made  that  very  de- 
rrand  a  fresh  cause  of  complaint.  Mr.  Otis  and  Samuel  Adams  were  the  principal  speakers 
on  the  occasion.  The  former  made  a  speech  which  the  friends  of  government  pronounceii 
"  the  most  violent,  insolent,  abusive,  and  treasonable  declaration  that  perhaps  ever  was  de- 
livered." "  When  Lord  Hillsborough  knows,"  said  Otis,  "  that  we  will  not  rescind  oifr  actt , 
he  should  apply  to  Parliament  to  rescind  theirs.  Let  Britons  rescind  their  measures,  or 
they  are  lost  forever."  For  nearly  an  hour  he  harangued  the  Assembly  with  words  like 
these,  until  even  the  Sons  of  Liberty  trembled  lest  he  should  tread  upon  the  domain  of  treason. 
The  House  refused  to  rescind,  passed  resolutions  denunciatory  of  this  attempt  to  arrest  free 
discussion  and  expression  of  opinion,  and  then  sent  a  letter  to  the  governor,  inform-  j„„g  30 
ing  him  of  their  action.  "  If  the  votes  of  this  House,"  they  said,  "  are  to  be  con-  ^'"^■ 
trolled  by  the  direction  of  a  minister,  we  have  left  us  but  a  vain  semblance  of  liberty.  We 
have  now  only  to  inform  you  that  this  House  have  voted  not  to  rescind,  and  that,  on  a  di- 
vision on  the  question,  there  were  ninety-two  yeas  and  seventeen  nays."  The  seventeen 
"  rescinders"  became  objects  of  public  scorn.  The  governor,  greatly  irritated,  proceeded  to 
dissolve  the  Assembly  ;  but,  before  the  act  was  accomplished,  that  body  had  prepared  a  list 
of  serious  accusations  against  him,  and  a  petition  to  the  king  for  his  removal.  Thus  Brit 
ain,  through  her  representative,  struck  the  first  blow  at  free  discussion  in  America.  IMa.«:- 
sachusetts,  however,  felt  strong,  for  the  answer  to  her  circular  letter  from  other  colonies  glow- 
ed with  sympathy  and  assurances  of  support. 

continued  in  public  life,  in  various  ways,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Wilmington  on  the  14th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1808,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 

'  American  Portrait  Gallery,  vol.  iii. 

»  About  this  time  the  debates  in  the  Assembly  began  to  be  so  interesting  to  the  puVJic  at  large,  that  a  gal- 
lery  was  prepared  for  the  use  of  spectators,  which  was  usually  crowded  with  citizens. 


478  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Treatment  of  a  Tide-waiter.  Seizure  of  the  Sloop  Liberty.  Excitement  of  the  People.  Public  Meeting  ui  Boston. 

A  new  scene  in  the  drama  now  opened.  The  commissioners  of  customs  had  arrived 
in  May,  and  were  diligent  in  the  performance  of  their  duties.  The  merchants  were 
very  restive  under  the  strictness  of  the  revenue  officers,  and  these  functionaries  were  exceed- 
ingly odious  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  generally.  On  the  lOtli  of  June  the  sloop  Liberty, 
Nathaniel  Bernard  master,  belonging  to  John  Hancock,  arrived  at  Boston  with  a  cargo  of 
Madeira  wine.  It  was  a  common  practice  for  the  tide-waiter,  upon  the  arrival  ,of  a  vessel, 
to  repair  to  the  cabin,  and  there  to  remain,  drinking  punch  with  the  master,  while  the  sail- 
ors were  landing  the  dutiable  goods.'  On  the  arrival  of  the  Liberty,  Kirke,  the  tidesman, 
went  on  board,  just  at  sunset,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  cabin  as  usual.  About  nine  in  the 
evening  Captain  Marshall,  and  others  in  Hancock's  employ,  entered  the  cabin,  confined  Kirke 
below,  and  landed  the  wine  on  the  dock  without  entering  it  at  the  custom-house,  or  observ- 
ing any  other  formula.  Kirke  was  then  released  and  sent  ashore.  Captain  Marshall  died 
suddenly  during  the  night,  from  the  effects,  it  was  supposed,  of  over-exertion  in  landing  the 
wine.  In  the  morning  the  commissioners  of  customs  ordered  the  seizure  of  the  sloop,  and 
Harrison,  the  collector,  and  Hallowell,  the  controller,  were  deputed  to  perform  that  duty. 
Hallowell  proceeded  to  place  the  broad  arrow  upon  her  (the  mark  designating  her  legal  po- 
sition), and  then,  cutting  her  moorings,  he  removed  the  vessel  from  Hancock's  Wharf  to  a 
place  in  the  harbor  under  the  guns  of  the  Homney  ship  of  war. 

This  act  greatly  inflamed  the  people.  Already  a  crowd  had  collected  to  prevent  the  seiz- 
ure ;  but  when  the  vessel  was  cut  loose  and  placed  vmder  the  protection  of  British  cannon, 
a  strong  feeling  of  anger  pervaded  the  multitude.  The  assemblage  of  citizens  became  a  mob, 
and  a  large  party  of  the  lower  class,  headed  by  Malcomb,  a  bold  smuggler,  pelted  Harrison 
and  others  with  stones,  attacked  the  offices  of  the  commissioners,  and,  dragging  a  custom- 
house boat  through  the  town,  burned  it  upon  the  Common.  The  commissioners,  alarmed 
for  their  own  safety,  applied  to  Governor  Bernard  for  protection,  but  he  told  them  he  was 
utterly  powerless.  They  found  means  to  escape  on  board  the  Homney,  and  thence  to  Cas- 
tle William,  a  fortress  upon  Castle  Island,  in  the  harbor,  nearly  three  miles  southeast  of 
the  city,  where  a  company  of  British  artillery  was  stationed.'' 

The  Sons  of  Liberty  called  a  meeting  at  Faneuil  Hall  on  the  afternoon  of  the  1 3th.^  A 
large  concourse  assembled,  and  the  principal  business  done  was  preparing  a  petition  to  the 
governor,  asking  him  to  remove  the  man-of-war  from  the  harbor.  The  Council  passed  res- 
olutions condemnatory  of  the  rioters,  but  the  House  of  Representatives  took  no  notice  of  the 
matter.  Legal  proceedings  were  commenced  against  the  leading  rioters,  but  the  difficulty 
of  procuring  witnesses,  and  the  bad  feeling  that  was  engendered,  made  the  prosecutors  drop 
the  matter  in  the  following  spring. 

Alarmed  by  these  tumultuous  proceedings,  the  governor  requested  General  Gage,  then  in 
New  York,  and  captain  general  of  all  the  British  forces  in  America,  to  act  upon  a  permis- 
sion already  given  him  by  Lord  Hillsborough,  in  a  secret  and  confidential  letter,  to  order 
some  royal  troops  from  Halifax  to  Boston.  Intelligence  of  this  request  leaked  out,  and  the 
people  of  Boston  were  greatly  irritated.  The  arrival  of  an  officer  sent  by  Gage  to  prepare 
quarters  for  the  coming  troops  occasioned  a  town  meeting,  and  a  committee,  consisting  of 
James  Otis,  Samuel  Adams,  John  Hancock,  and  John  Adams,  was  appointed  to  wait  upon 
aSeptember  I''  ^^  governor,  ascertain  whether  the  report  was  true,  and  request  him  to  call 
i''^68.  a.  special  meeting  of  the  Assembly. a-      The  governor  frankly  acknowledged  that 

troops  were  about  to  be  quartered  in  Boston,  but  refused  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  Assembly  un- 
til he  should  receive  instructions  from  home.  Bernard  was  evidently  alarmed  ;  he  perceived 
the  great  popularity  of  the  leaders  who  stood  before  him,  and  his  tone  was  far  more  pacific 

'  Gordon. 

^  The  present  fort  upon  Castle  Island  is  called  Fort  Independence,  so  named  by  the  elder  Adams  while 
visitino-  it  when  he  was  President  of  the  United  States,  in  1799.  It  stands  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor, 
and  is  one  of  the  finest  forts  in  America. 

'  The  private  meeting-place  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  according  to  John  Adams,  was  the  counting-room  in 
Chase  and  Speakman's  distillery,  in  Hanover  Square,  near  the  Liberty  Tree. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION 


47  U 


AttuDiptcd  Bribery  of  Patriots.    Soundness  of  their  Principles.    Proposed  Convention  in  Boston.    Organization  of  the  Meeting. 

than  it  had  recently  been.      Nor  did  his  pliancy  end  here ;  he  actually  stooped  to  the  base 
alternative  of  endeavoring  to  make  some  of  those  leaders  his  friends  by  bribes.      He  gave 


t  INEIIL  JlALL  1 
From  an  Englisli  print  ol  tlie  time 

ilancock  a  commission  honoring  him  with  a  seat  in  the  Council,  but  the  patriot  tore  the 
parchment  into  shreds  in  the  presence  of  the  people.  He  oflered  John  Adams  the  lucrative 
office  of  advocate  general,  in  the  Court  of  Admiralty,  but  Adams  hurled  back  the  profiered 
patronage  with  disdain.  Bernard  also  approached  that  sturdy  representative  of  the  Puri- 
tans, Samuel  Adams,  but  found  him,  though  poor  in  purse,  as  Hutchinson  on  another  occa- 
sion said,  "  of  such  an  obstinate  and  inflexible  disposition  that  he  could  never  be  conciliated 
by  any  office  or  gift  whatsoever." 

The  governor  having  peremptorily  refused  to  convene  the  Assembly,  the  meeting  recom- 
mended a  convention  of  delegates  from  all  the  towns  in  the  province,  to  meet  in  Boston  with- 
m  ten  days.  "  A  prevailing  apprehension  of  war  Avith  France"  was  made  the  plausible  pre- 
tense for  calling  the  meeting  ;  and  they  requested  the  people  to  act  in  accordance  with  a  law 
of  the  colony,  authorizing  each  one  to  provide  himself  with  a  musket  and  the  requisite  am- 
munition. Every  town  and  district  but  one — more  than  a  hundred  in  number" — sent  a  del- 
egate. They  met  on  the  22d,  chose  Mr.  Thomas  Cushing,  late  Speaker  of  the 
Assembly,  as  their  chairman,  and  petitioned  Governor  Bernard  to  summon  a  Gen-     "-^^^"^  " 


*  Faneuil  Hall  has  been  denominated  "the  cradle  of  American  liberty,"  having  been  the  popular  pather- 
ing-place  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty  during  the  incipient  stages  of  the  Revolution.  It  was  erected  in  1742  at 
the  sole  expense  of  Peter  Faneuil,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  and  by  him  n;enerously  given  to  the  town — the  basement 
for  a  market,  with  a  spacious  and  most  beautiful  hall,  and  other  convenient  rooms  above,  for  jniblic  meet- 
ings of  the  citizens.  It  was  burned  in  1761,  nothing  but  the  brick  walls  remaining.  The  town  immedi- 
ately ordered  it  to  be  rebuilt.  Mr.  Faneuil  had  then  been  dead  several  years.  The  enoravinrr  shows  it  as 
it  appeared  during  the  Revolution.  It  was  enlarged  in  1805,  by  the  addition  of  another  story,  and  an  in- 
crease of  forty  feet  in  its  width.  The  hall  is  about  eighty  feet  square,  and  contains  .some  fine  paintings  of 
distinguished  men.  The  lower  part  is  no  longer  used  as  a  market.  The  original  vane,  copied  from  that  of  the 
I^ondon  Royal  Exchange,  still  turns  upon  the  pinnacle.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  huge  grasshopper  (the  crest 
of  Sir  Thomas  Grrsham),  through  whose  munificence  the  Royal  Exchange  was  built. 

'  At  that  time  Massachusetts  contained  sixty-six  regularly  organized  towns. 


480  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Governor  Bernard's  Proclamation.       Meeting  of  the  Convention.       Arrival  of  Troops  at  Boston.       Origin  of  Yankee  Doodle 

eral  Court.  The  governor  refused  to  receive  their  petition,  and  denounced  the  Convention 
as  treasonable,  notw^ithstanding  the  conservatism  vi^hich  the  delegates  from  the  country  in- 
iused  into  the  proceedings.'  They  disclaimed  all  pretension  to  political  authority,  and  pro- 
lessed  to  have  met  "  in  this  dark  and  distressing  time  to  consult  and  advise  as  to  the  best 
manner  of  preserving  peace  and  good  order."  The  governor  warned  them  to  desist  from 
further  proceedings,  and  admonished  them  to  separate  without  delay.  But  the  Convention, 
while  it  was  moderate  in  its  action,  was  firm  in  its  assumed  position.  It  remained  in  ses- 
sion four  days,  during  which  time  a  respectful  petition  to  the  king  was  agreed  to  ;  also  a  letter 
to  De  Berdt,  the  agent  of  the  colony  in  England,  the  chief  topic  of  which  was  a  defense  of  the 
province  against  the  charge  of  a  rebellious  spirit.  They  also  adopted  an  address  to  the  people, 
in  which  the  alarming  state  of  the  country  was  set  forth  ;  but  submission  to  legal  authority 
and  abstinence  from  violent  tumults  were  strongly  inculcated.  This  was  the  first  of  those  pop- 
ular assemblies  in  America  which  speedily  assumed  the  whole  political  power  in  the  colonies. 
September  Z7,  Two  regiments  of  troops  from  Halifax,  under  Colonels  Dalrymple  and  Carr, 
1768.  borne  by  a  considerable  fleet,  arrived  at  Boston  the  day  after  the  adjournment 

of  the  Convention.  The  people  had  resolved  to  oppose  their  landing.  There  was  room  for 
the  troops  in  the  barracks  upon  Castle  Island,  and  the  inhabitants  insisted  upon  their  being 
landed  there.  But  the  governor  and  General  Gage  determined  to  have  the  troops  near  at 
hand,  and,  pretending  that  the  barracks  were  reserved  for  two  other  regiments,  ordered  by 
the  home  government  from  Ireland,  proceeded  to  provide  quarters  in  the  town.  The  gov- 
ernor's Council  refused  to  act  in  concert  with  him,  and  he  took  the  responsibility  upon  himself 
On  Sunday  morning  the  fleet  sailed  up  the  harbor,^  invested  the  town,  and,  under  cover 

'  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  governor's  proclamation  on  the  occasion.  Being  short,  I  give  it  entire, 
as  a  fair  specimen  of  the  mildest  tone  assumed  by  the  royal  representatives  in  America  toward  the  people  : 

"  To  the  Gentlemen  assembled  at  Faneuil  Hall  under  the  name  of  a  Committee  or  Convention  : 

"  As  I  have  lately  received  from  his  majesty  strict  orders  to  support  his  Constitutional  authority  within 
this  government,  I  can  not  sit  still  and  see  so  notorious  a  violation  of  it  as  the  calling  an  assembly  of  people 
by  private  persons  only.  For  a  meeting  of  the  deputies  of  the  towns  is  an  assembly  of  the  representatives 
of  the  people  to  all  intents  and  purposes ;  and  it  is  not  the  calling  it  a  Committee  or  Convention  that  will 
alter  the  nature  of  the  thing.  I  am  willing  to  believe  that  the  gentlemen  who  so  hastily  issued  the  sum- 
mons for  this  meeting  were  not  aware  of  the  high  nature  of  the  offense  they  were  committing ;  and  they 
who  have  obeyed  them  have  not  well  considered  of  the  penalties  which  they  will  incur  if  they  should  persist 
in  continuing  their  session,  and  doing  business  therein.  A  present  ignorance  of  the  law  may  excuse  what 
is  past ;  a  step  further  will  take  away  that  plea.  It  is,  therefore,  my  duty  to  interpose  this  instant,  before 
it  is  too  late.  I  do,  therefore,  earnestly  admonish  you  that  instantly,  and  before  you  do  any  business,  )'0u 
break  up  this  assembly,  and  separate  yourselves.  I  speak  to  you  now  as  a  friend  to  the  province  and  a 
well-wisher  to  the  individuals  of  it.  But  if  you  should  pay  no  regard  to  this  admonition,  I  must,  as  govern- 
or, assert  the  prerogative  of  the  crown  in  a  more  public  manner.  For  assure  yourselves  (I  speak  from  in- 
struction) the  king  is  determined  to  maintain  his  entire  sovereignty  over  this  province,  and  whoever  shall  per- 
sist in  usurping  any  of  the  rights  of  it  will  repent  of  his  rashness.  Fra.  Bernard. 
"  Province  House,  Sept.  22d,  1768." 

A  respectful  reply  to  this  proclamation,  signed  by  Mr.  Cushing  in  behalf  of  the  Convention,  was  sent  to 
the  governor,  but  he  refused  to  receive  the  message. 

^  There  were  eight  ships — the  Beaver,  Senegal,  Martin,  Glasgow,  Mermaid,  Romney,  Launceston,  and 
Bonetta.  In  the  Boston  Journal  of  the  Times  of  September  29th,  1768,  I  find  the  following  :  "  The  fleet 
was  brought  to  anchor  near  Castle  William ;  that  night  there  was  throwing  of  sky-rockets,  and  those  pass- 
ing in  boats  observed  great  rejoicings,  and  that  the  Yankee  Boodle  Song*  was  the  capital  piece  in  the  band 

*  This  air,  with  quaint  words  about  "  Lydia  Locket"  losing  "  her  pocket,"  was  known  in  Cromwell's  time.     Our  lyric  poet, 
G.  P   MoKKis,  Esq.,  in  the  following  pleasant  song,  in  meter  adapted  to  the  air,  gives  a  version  of 

THE  ORIGIN  OF  YANKEE  DOODLE. 

Once  on  a  time  old  Johnny  Bull  flew  in  a  raging  fury. 

And  swore  that  Jonathan  should  have  no  trials,  sir,  by  jury ; 

That  no  elections  should  be  held  across  the  briny  waters : 

And  now  said  he,  "  I'll  tax  the  tea  of  all  his  sons  and  daughtern." 

Then  dov^n  he  sate  in  burly  state,  and  bluster'd  like  a  grandee, 

And  in  derision  made  a  tune  call'd  "  Yankee  doodle  dandy." 

"  Yankee  doodle" — these  are  facts — "  Yankee  doodle  dandy : 
My  son  of  wax,  your  tea  I'll  tax ;  you — Yankee  doodle  dandy." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  48 


i^anding  of  the  IVoops.  imposing  Military  Display.  Exasperation  of  the  People.  Non-importation  Associatinna. 
# 

of  the  guns  of  the  ships,  the  troops,  about  seven  hundred  in  number,  landed  with  charged 
muskets,  fixed  bayonets,  colors  flying,  drums  beating,  and  every  other  military  parade  usual 
on  entering  a  conquered  city  of  an  enemy.  A  part  of  the  troops  encamped  on  the  Common, 
and  part  occupied  Faneuil  Hall  and  the  town-house.  Cannons  were  placed  in  front  of  tht- 
latter ;  passengers  in  the  streets  were  challenged,  and  other  aggravating  circumstances  at- 
tended the  entrance  of  the  troops.  Every  strong  feeling  of  the  New  Englander  was  out- 
raged, his  Sabbath  was  desecrated,  his  worship  was  disturbed,  his  liberty  was  infringed 
upon.  The  people  became  greatly  exasperated  ;  mutual  hatred,  deep  and  abiding,  was  en- 
gendered between  the  citizens  and  the  soldiers,  and  the  terms  rebel  and  tyrant  were  daily 
bandied  between  them. 

All  Americans  capable  of  intelligent  thought  sympathized  with  Massachusetts,  and  tho 
engine  of  non-importation  agreements,  which  worked  so  powerfully  against  the  Stamp  Act, 
was  put  in  motion  with  increased  energy.'  These  associations  became  general  in  all  the 
colonies,  under  the  sanction  of  the  Assemblies.  An  agreement,  presented  by  Washington 
ill  the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia,  was  signed  by  every  member,  and  the  patriotism  of 
the  people  was  every  where  displayed  by  acts  of  self-denial." 

of  music We  now  behold  Boston  surrounded,  at  a  time  of  profound  peace,  by  about  fourteen  ships 

of  war,  with  springs  on  their  cables  and  their  broadsides  to  the  town  !  If  the  people  of  England  could  but 
look  into  the  town,  they  would  see  the  utmost  good  order  and  obser\'ance  of  the  laws,  and  that  this  mighty 

armament  has  no  other  rebellion  to  subdue  than  what  existed  in  the  brain  or  letter  of  the  inveterate  G r 

B d  and  the  detested  commis rs  of  c s." 

"  October  3.  In  King  [now  State]  Street,  the  soldiers  being  gathered,  a  proclamation  was  read,  onbring 
a  reward  of  ten  guineas  to  such  soldier  as  should  inform  of  any  one  who  should  attempt  to  seduce  him  from 
the  service." 

"  October  6.  In  the  morning  nine  or  ten  soldiers  of  Colonel  Carr's  regiment  were  severely  whipped  on 
the  Common.     To  behold  Britons  scourged  by  negro  drummers  was  a  new  and  very  disagreeable  spectacle." 

'  The  non-importation  agreement  of  the  people  of  Boston  was,  substantially,  that  they  would  not  import 
any  goods  for  the  fall  of  1768,  except  those  already  ordered  ;  that  they  would  not  import  any  goods  from 
Great  Britain  from  the  1st  of  January,  1769,  to  the  1st  of  January,  1770,  except  salt,  coals,  fish-hooks  and 
lines,  hemp  and  duck,  bar  lead  and  shot,  wool  cards  and  card  wires ;  that  they  would  not  import  on  their 
own  account,  or  on  commission,  or  purchase  from  any  who  should  import,  from  any  other  colony  in  Amer- 
ica, from  January,  1769,  to  January,  1770,  any  tea,  paper,  glass,  or  painters'  colors,  until  the  act  imposing 
duties  on  those  articles  should  be  repealed. 

*  A  letter  from  Ne\\'port,  published  in  a  New  York  paper  in  January,  1768,  remarks  that,  at  an  afternoon 
visit  of  ladies,  "  It  was  resolved  that  those  who  could  spin  ought  to  be  employed  in  tliat  way,  and  those  who 
could  not  should  reel.  When  the  time  arrived  for  drinking  tea,  bohea  and  hyperion  were  provided,  and  everj* 
one  of  the  ladies  judiciously  rejected  the  poisonous  bohea,  and  unanimously,  to  their  very  great  honor,  pre- 
ferred the  balsamic  hyperion."  The  hyperion  here  spoken  of  was  of  domestic  manufacture — the  dried  leaves 
uf  the  raspberry  plant. 

John  sent  the  tea  from  o'er  the  sea,  with  heavy  duties  rated ; 

But  whether  hyson  or  bohea  I  never  heard  it  stated. 

Then  Jonathan  to  pout  began — he  laid  a  strong  embargo — 

"  I'll  drink  no  tea,  by  Jove  I"  so  he  threw  overboard  the  cargo. 

Then  Johnny  sent  a  regiment,  big  words  and  looks  to  bandy, 

Whose  martial  band,  when  near  the  land,  play'd  "  Yankee  doodle  dandy." 
"Yankee  doodle — keep  it  up — Yankee  doodle  dandy — 
I'll  poison  with  a  tax  your  cup  ;  you — Yankee  doodle  dandy." 

A  long  war  then  they  had,  in  which  John  was  at  last  defeated, 
And  "  Yankee  doodle"  was  the  march  to  which  his  troops  retreated. 
Cute  Jonathan,  to  see  them  fly,  could  not  restrain  his  laughter ; 
"That  tune,"  said  he,  "suits  to  a  T.    I'll  sing  it  ever  after." 
Old  Johnny's  face,  to  his  disgrace,  was  flush'd  with  beer  and  brandy, 
E'en  while  he  swore  to  sing  no  more  this  "Yankee  doodle  dandy." 

Yankee  doodle — ho,  ha,  he — Yankee  doodle  dandy, 

We  kept  the  tune,  but  not  the  tea— Yankee  doodle  dandy. 

I've  told  you  now  the  origin  of  this  most  lively  ditty, 
\Vhich  Johnny  Bull  dislikes  as  "dull  and  stupid"— what  a  pity  I 
With  "  Hail  Columbia"  it  is  sung,  in  chorus  full  and  hearty — 
On  land  and  main  we  breathe  the  strain  John  made  for  his  tea  party. 
No  matter  how  we  rhyme  the  words,  the  music  speaks  them  handy, 
And  Where's  the  fair  can't  sing  the  air  of  "  Yankee  doodle  dandy  !" 
Yankee  doodle,  firm  and  true — Yankee  doodle  dandy- 
Yankee  doodle,  doodle  doo,  Yankee  doodle  dandy. 

Hii 


482 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  Duke  of  Grafton. 


The  King's  Speech,  and  the  Response. 
* 


Proposed  Re-enactment  of  a  Statute  of  Henry  Vlll 


Let  US  consider  for  a  moment  the  acts  of  the  British  Parliament  at  this  juncture.  It  as- 
sembled on  the  8th  of  November.      Pitt  was  ill  at  his  country  seat,  Townshend  was 

dead,  and  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  who  had  been 
one  of  the  Secretaries  of  State  in  the  Rockingham  ad- 
ministration, was  really  at  the  head  of  this  unpopu- 
lar ministry.  He  was  an  able,  straight-forward  pol- 
itician, a  warm  admirer  and  friend  of  Pitt,  and  a  firm 
supporter  of  his  principles.'  The  king,  in  his  speech 
from  the  throne,  alluded  to  fresh  troubles  in  America, 
and  denounced,  in  strong  terras,  the  rebellious  spirit 
evinced  by  Massachusetts.  The  response  of  minis- 
ters assured  the  king  of  their  determination  to  main- 
tain "  the  supreme  authority  of  Great  Britain  over 
every  part  of  the  British  empire."  The  address  was 
adopted  in  the  House  of  Lords,  but  met  considerable 
opposition  in  the  Commons,  where  the  oppressive  acts 
of  the  government  toward  America  were  severely 
criticised. 

Early  in  January  the  consideration  of  American 
affairs  was  taken  up  in  Parliament.  The  petition 
from  the  Boston  Convention  was  contemptuously  re- 
jected ;  the  Lords  recommended,  in  an  address  to  the 
king,  the  transmission  of  instructions  to  the  Governor 
of  Massachusetts  to  obtain  full  information  of  all  treasons,  and  to  transmit  the  offenders  to 
England,  to  be  tried  there  under  a  statute  of  the  35th  of  Henry  VIII.,  which  provided  for 
the  punishment  of  treason  committed  out  of  the  kingdom.  The  address  was  opposed  in  the 
Commons  by  Pownall  (who  had  been  Governor  of  Massachusetts^),  Burke,  Barre,  and 
Dowdeswell.  The  latter  denounced  the  measure  as  "  unfit  to  remedy  the  disorders," 
and  as  "  cruel  to  the  Americans  and  injurious  to  England."  He  also  censured  Hillsborough 
for  taking  the  responsibility,  during  the  recess  of  Parliament,  of  ordering  colonial  governors  to 
dissolve  the  Assemblies.  Burke  thundered  his  eloquent  anathemas  against  the  measure. 
"  At  the  request  of  an  exasperated  governor,"  he  exclaimed,  "  we  are  called  upon  to  agree 
to  an  address  advising  the  king  to  put  in  force  against  the  Americans  the  Act  of  Henry  VIII. 
And  why?  Because  you  can  not  trust  the  juries  of  that  country  I  Sir,  that  word  must 
convey  horror  to  every  feeling  mind.  If  you  have  not  a  party  among  two  millions  of  people, 
you  must  either  change  your  plan  of  government,  or  renounce  the  colonies  forever."  Even 
Grenville,  the  author  of  the  Starnp  Act,  opposed  the  measure  as  futile  and  unjust.  Yet  the 
January 26,  address  and  resolutions  accompanying  it  were  concurred  in  by  a  majority  of  one 
1769.         hundred  and  fifty-five  against  eighty-nine.^ 

On  the  8th  of  February  Mr.  Rose  Fuller  moved  to  recommit  the  address,  for  he  saw  in 
the  proposed  rigor  toward  the  Americans  the  portents  of  great  evil  to  the  nation.  He  al- 
luded to  the  miserable  attempts  to  collect  a  revenue  in  America,  and  the  monstrous  evils 
growing  out  of  them.      "  As  for  money,"  he  said,  "  all  that  sum  might  be  collected  in  Lon- 


AUGUSTTJS  Henry,  Duke  of  Gkafton. 

From  an  English  print. 


a  1757 


In  Boston  a  party  of  some  fort}-  or  fifty  young  ladies,  calling  themselves  Daughters  of  Libert)-,  met  at  the 
house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  INIorehead,  where  they  amused  themselves  during  the  day  vriih  spinning  "  two  hund- 
red and  thirty-two  skeins  of  yarn,  some  very  fine,  which  were  given  to  the  worthy  pastor,  several  of  the  party 
being  members  of  his  congregation."  Numerous  spectators  came  in  to  admire  them.  Refreshments  were 
indulged  in,  and  "  the  whole  was  concluded  with  many  agreeable  tunes,  anthems,  and  liberty  songs,  with 
g'-eat  judgment ;  fine  voices  performing,  which  were  animated,  in  all  their  several  parts,  by  a  number  of  the 
Sons  of  Liberty."     It  is  added  that  there  were  upward  of  one  hundred  spinners  in  ]\Ir.  Morehead"s  society- 

^  The  Duke  of  Grafton  was  the  nobleman  to  whom  the  celebrated  "  Junius"  addressed  eleven  of  his  scorch- 
ing letters.  In  these  he  is  represented  as  a  most  unscrupulous  libertine  in  morals.  He  succeeded  his  grand, 
father  in  the  family  honors  in  1757.     He  died  on  the  11th  of  jNIarch,  1811,  aged  seventy-five  years. 

■^  Cavendish's  Debates. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


483 


Lord  North.     Colonel  Barr6's  Warnings.     General  Gage  in  Boston.     No  Cooperation.     Dinsolution  of  Aucmblies.    Bernard. 


1763. 


Loud  Noeth.' 


don  at  less  than  half  the  expense.'"  Pownall,  after  alluding  to  the  early  settlement  of  Amer- 
xa,  the  privations  of  the  people,  their  virtues  and  courage,  perseverance  and  enterprise,  re- 
marked, "  But  now  that  spirit,  equally  strong  and  equally  inflamed,  has  but  a  slight  and 
:rifling  sacrifice  to  make ;  the  Americans  have  not  a  country  to  leave,  but  a  country  to  de- 
fend ;  and  have  not  friends  and  relatives  to  leave  and  forsake,  but  friends  and  relatives  to 
imite  with  and  stand  by  in  one  common  union."  But  all  cHbrts  to  avert  the  evil  were  vain  ; 
Mr.  Fuller's  motion  was  negatived  by  a  majority  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  against 
sixty-five. 

Lord  North  had  succeeded  Charles  Townshend  as  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.      He  be- 
gan his  long  career  of  opposition  to  the  Americans  by  ofiering  a  resolution,  on  the  14th 

of  March,  that  a  respectful  petition  or  remonstrance 
from  the  people  of  New  York  slundd  not  be  received.  This 
proposition,  which  was  adopted,  called  up  Colonel  Barre. 
He  reminded  the  House  that  he  had  predicted  all  that  would 
happen  on  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and  he  now  plain- 
ly warned  ministers  that,  if  they  persisted  in  their  wretched 
course  of  oppression,  the  whole  continent  of  North  America 
would  rise  in  arms,  and  those  colonies,  perhaps,  be  lost  to  En- 
gland forever.  But  the  British  Legislature,  blinded  by  igno- 
rance of  Americans  when  the  Stamp  Act  was  passed,  seem- 
ed now  still  more  blind,  because  of  films  of  prejudice  gener- 
ated by  a  false  national  pride.  The  motion  of  Lord  North 
prevailed — the  petition  was  refused  acceptance. 

Gage  went  to  Boston  in  October,  to  enforce  the  req- 
uisitions of  the  Quartering  Act.  But  he  found  none  to 
co-operate  with  him  except  Governor  Bernard,  whose  zeal  in 
his  majesty's  service  had  procured  him  a  baronetcy,  at  the 
king's  expense.  The  Council  and  the  select-men  declined  to  act,  and  Gage  was  obliged  to 
hire  houses  for  the  troops,  and  provide  many  articles  for  them  out  of  his  own  military  chest. 
Thus  matters  remained  until  spring,  when  intelligence  of  the  several  acts  of  Parliament 
against  Massachusetts  aroused  the  fiercest  sentiments  of  opposition,  short  of  actual  rebellion, 
throughout  the  colonies.  Legislative  Assemblies  spoke  out  boldly,  and  for  this  crime  they 
were  dissolved  by  royal  governors.  Yet  amid  all  the  excitement  the  colonists  held  out  the 
olive  branch  of  peace  and  reconciliation. 

The  Massachusetts  Assembly  convened  in  May,  and  resolved  that  it  was  incon- 
sistent with  their  dignity  and  freedom  to  deliberate  in  the  midst  of  an  armed  force, 
and  that  the  presence  of  a  military  and  naval  armament  was  a  breach  of  privilege, 
refused  to  enter  upon  the  business  of  supplies,  or  any  thing  else  but  a  redress  of  grievances, 
and  petitioned  the  governor  to  remove  the  troops  from  Boston.  He  not  only  refused,  but 
adjourned  the  Assembly  to  Cambridge,  when  he  informed  them  that  he  was  going  to 
England  to  lay  a  statement  of  the  aliairs  of  the  colony  before  the  king.  The  House 
unanimously  voted  a  petition  to  his  majesty,  asking  the  removal  of  Bernard  forever  ;  and  aluo 
adopted  a  resolution,  declaring  that  the  establishment  of  a  standing  army  in  the  colony,  in 
time  of  peace,  was  an  invasion  of  natural  rights,  a  violation  of  the  British  Constitution,  high- 

'  It  has  been  said  that  when  Charles  Townshend's  project  of  taxation  was  in  apifation,  the  Engli.sh  mer 
chants  offered  to  pay  the  taxes,  or  an  equivalent  for  them,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  provoking  the  Ain-n" 
icans  and  losing  their  trade. — Pictorial  History  of  the  Reign  of  George  III.,  !.,  72. 

*  Frederic,  Earl  of  Guilford,  better  known  as  Lord  North,  was  a  man  of  f,n>.>d  parts,  sincerely  attached  to 
English  liberty,  and  conscientious  in  the  performance  of  all  his  duties.  Like  many  other  statesmen  of  his 
time,  he  utterly  misapprehended  the  character  of  the  American  people,  and  could  not  perceive  the  ju.'<tice 
of  their  claims.  Devoted  to  his  king  and  country,  he  labored  to  support  the  diL'iiity  of  the  crown  and  the 
unity  of  the  realm,  but  in  so  doing  he  aided  in  bringing  fearful  misery  upon  the  American.s  for  a  time.  Ko 
was  a  persuasive  orator,  a  fair  logician,  amiable  in  private  life,  and  correct  in  his  mr)ral.s.  }Ic  was  alllicteu 
with  blindness  during  the  last  years  of  his  life.     He  died  July,  1792,  aged  sLxty  years. 


May  31, 
17ti9. 

Thev 


484  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Departure  of  Governor  Bernard  for  England.        Effect  of  the  Non-importation  Agreements.        Hillsborough's  Circular  Letter 

ly  dangerous  to  the  people,  and  unprecedented.  The  governor,  finding  the  members  incorri- 
Au-nist  1  gible,  dissolved  the  Assembly,  and  sailed  for  England,'  leaving  the  colony  in  charge 
1769.  of  his  lieutenant,  Thomas  Hutchinson. 
The  effects  of  the  non-importation  agreements  upon  English  commerce  again  brought  min- 
isters to  their  senses.  The  English  merchants  vi^ere  really  more  injured  by  the  acts  of  Par- 
liament than  the  Americans,  and  they  joined  their  petitions  with  those  of  the  colonists  for  a 
repeal  of  the  noxious  acts.^  Under  the  direction  of  Lord  North,  Hillsborough  sent  a  circu- 
lar letter  to  the  colonies,  intimating  that  the  duties  upon  all  articles  enumerated  in  the  late 
act  would  be  taken  off,  as  a  measure  of  expediency,  except  on  tea.  This  would  be  a  partial 
relief  from  the  burden,  but  not  a  removal  of  the  cause  of  complaint.  The  principle  was  the 
same  whether  duties  were  exacted  on  one  article  or  a  dozen,  and  so  long  as  the  assumed  right 
of  Parliament  to  tax  the  colonies  was  practically  enforced  in  the  smallest  degree,  so  long  the 
Americans  felt  their  rights  infringed.  Principle,  not  expediency,  was  their  motive  of  action, 
and,  therefore,  the  letter  of  Hillsborough  had  no  effect  in  quieting  the  disturbed  ocean  of  pop- 
ular feeling.  The  year  1769  closed  without  any  apparent  approximation  of  Great  Britain 
and  her  American  colonies  to  a  reconciliation. 

'  Francis  Bernard  was  Governor  of  New  Jersey  after  Governor  Belcher,  in  1756.  He  succeeded  Pow- 
nall  as  Governor  of  Massachusetts  in  1760,  and  held  the  office  nine  years.  The  first  years  of  his  adminis- 
tration were  satisfactory  to  the  inhabitants,  but,  associating  himself  with  ministers  in  their  taxation  schemes, 
he  became  odious  to  the  Massachusetts  people.  His  first  false  step  was  the  appointment  of  Hutchinson  chief 
justice  instead  of  the  elder  Otis.  When  difficulties  arose  under  the  Stamp  Act  and  kindred  measures,  Ber- 
nard was  unfit  for  his  position,  for  he  had  no  talent  for  conciliation,  and  was  disposed  to  use  British  power 
more  prodigally  than  British  justice  in  maintaining  the  supremacy  of  the  laws.  He  was  created  a  baronet 
•n  the  summer  of  1769.     He  never  returned  to  America  after  leaving  it,  and  died  in  England  in  June,  1779. 

*  The  exports  from  England  to  America,  which  in  1768  had'amounted  to  $11,890,000,  $660,000  being 
in  tea,  had  fallen  in  1769  to  $8,170,000,  the  tea  being  only  $220,000. — Murray's  United  States,  i.,  352. 

Pownall,  in  the  course  of  a  speech  in  Parliament,  also  showed  that  the  total  produce  of  the  new  taxes  for 
the  first  year  had  been  less  than  $80,000,  and  that  the  expenses  of  the  new  'lustom-house  arrangements  had 
reduced  the  net  profits  of  the  crown  revenue  in  the  colonies  to  only  $1475,  jvhile  the  extraordinary  military 
expenses  in  America  amounted,  for  the  same  time,  to  $850,000. — Hildreth,  ii..  552. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  486 


Secret  Workinga  of  the  Spirit  of  Liberty.  Brief  Review.  Alternative  of  the  Colouies.  The  Newspaper  Prcae. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

'■  There  is  a  spirit  working  in  the  world, 

Like  to  a  silent,  subterranean  fire ; 
Yet,  ever  and  anon,  some  monarch  hurl'd 

Aghast  and  pale  attests  its  fearful  ire, 
The  dungeon'd  nations  now  onee  more  respire 

The  keen  and  stirring  air  of  liberty. 

The  struggling  giant  wakes,  and  feels  he's  free ; 
By  Delphi's  fountain-cave  that  ancient  choir 

Resume  their  song  ;  the  Greek  astonish'd  hears, 

And  the  old  altar  of  his  worship  rears. 

Sound  on,  fair  sisters  !  sound  your  boldest  lyres — 

Peal  your  old  harmonies  as  from  the  spheres. 

Unto  strange  gods  too  long  we've  bent  the  knee, 

The.  trembling  mind,  too  long  and  patiently." 

George  Hill. 

"  Grand  jurors,  and  sheriffs,  and  lawyers  we'll  spurn ; 
As  judges,  we'll  all  take  the  bench  in  our  turn, 
And  sit  the  whole  term  without  pension  or  fee, 
Nor  Gushing  nor  Sewall  look  graver  than  we. 
Our  wigs,  though  they're  rusty,  are  decent  enough  ; 
Our  aprons,  though  black,  are  of  durable  stuff; 
Array'd  in  such  gear,  the  laws  we'll  explain. 
That  poor  people  no  more  shall  have  cause  to  complain." 

Honeywood's  "Radical  Song." 

|\  E  have  considered,  in  the  preceding  chapter,  the  most  important  events,  dur- 
ing the  first  nine  years  of  the  reign  of  George  III.,  having  any  bear- 
ing on  the  Revolution.  We  have  seen  the 
-  germs  of  oppression,  planted  at  different  times 
from  the  era  of  the  Restoration,  springing  into 
life  and  vigor,  and  bearing  the  bitter  fruit  of  tyranny  ;  and  obser\'ed 
•^^^^^  the  bold  freemen  of  America  pruning  its  most  noxious  branches,  and  trampling 
--— -^-  in  the  dust  its  "  apples  of  Sodom."  We  have  seen  the  tide  of  British  power 
swelling  high,  and  menacing,  and  beheld  the  firm  rock  of  sound  principles  fearlessly  breast- 
ing its  billows,  and  hurling  them  back  toward  their  source.  We  have  seen  a  loyal  people, 
warmly  attached  to  the  person  of  their  sovereign,  and  venerating  the  laws  of  their  father, 
land,  goaded,  by  ministerial  ignorance  and  haughty  indifference  respecting  the  claims  of  right 
when  interfering  with  expediency,  to  the  assumption  of  manly  defiance  both  of  king  and  Par- 
liament, until  hireling  butchers,  with  pike  and  bayonet,  were  seated  in  their  midst  to  "  harass 
the  people  and  eat  out  their  substance."      We  now  behold  them  pressed  to  the  alternative 

TO  FIGHT  OR  BE  SLA\':ES. 

For  several  years  the  newspaper  press  had  been  rapidly  growing  in  political  importance, 
and  the  vehicle  of  mere  general  news  became  the  channel  of  political  and  social  enlighten- 
ment. In  proportion  to  the  development  of  its  power  and  the  creation  of  public  opinion  fa- 
vorable to  its  views,  was  the  increase  of  its  boldness,  and  at  the  beginning  of  1 770  the  Amer- 
ican press  was  not  only  united  in  sentiment,  but  almost  as  fearless  in  the  expression  of  polit- 
ical and  religious  opinions  as  the  newspapers  of  the  present  day.  American  liberty  was  its 
theme,  and  almost  every  sheet,  whether  newspaper,  almanac,  tract,  or  hand-bill,  issued  at 
this  time,  was  tinctured   if  not  absolutely  pervaded,  by  the  absorbing  topic.      I  have  before 


4  8(3 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Bickerstaff' 8  Boston  Almanac. 


Explanation  of  its  Frontispiece. 


Revival  of  the  Terms  "  Whig"  and  "  Tory." 


BICKER     STAFF'S 

BOSTOJV   ALMANACK, 

For  the  Year  of  our  LORD  1 770.    Being  the  fecoml  Year  after  Leap  Year. 


me  a  copy  of  Bickerstaff's  Boston  Almanac  for  1770,  the  title-page  of  which  is  here  given, 
with  a  fac-simile  of  the  engraving  that  adorns  it.      The  portrait  of  Otis  is  supported  on  one 

side  by  Liberty,  and  on 
the  other  by  Hercules, 
or  Perseverance.  At  the 
feet  of  the  latter,  uncoil- 
ing, preparatory  to  strik- 
ing a  blow,  is  the  venom- 
ous rattles7iake,  an  em- 
blem used  on  some  of  the 
colonial  flags  when  the 
war  began.  This  was 
significant  of  the  inten- 
tion of  America,  under 
the  guidance  of  the  Spirit 
of  Liberty,  to  persevere, 
and  strike  a  cleadhj  blow, 
if  necessarij.  The  poet- 
ry and  maxims  of  the  al- 
manac are  replete  with 
political  sentiments  fa- 
vorable to  freedom  ;  and 
its  pages  contain  the  cel- 
ebrated "  Massachusetts 
Song  of  Liberty ,''  which 
became  almost  as  popular 
throughout  the  colonies  as 
did  Robert  Treat  Paine's 
"  Adams  and  Liberty"  at 
a  later  day.'  It  is  believ- 
ed to  have  been  written 
by  Mrs.  Mercy  Warren. 
Party  lines  began  now 
to  be  strictly  drawn,  and 
the  old  names  of  Whig 
and  Tory,  used  in  En- 
gland toward  the  close  of 
the  seventeenth  century, 
and  recently  revived,  were 
adopted  here,  the  former 
being  assumed  by  those 
who  opposed  Parliament- 
ary taxation,  and  the  lat- 
ter applied  to  those  who 
favored  it.'  In  Boston 
the  wound  inflicted  by 
Bernard,  in  the  introduction  of  soldiers,  was  daily  festering.  A  weekly  paper,  the  "  Journal 
of  the  Times,"  fostered  the  most  bitter  animosity  against  the  soldiers,  by  the  publication  of 
all  sorts  of  stories  concerning  them,  some  true,  but  many  more  false  and  garbled.  Daily 
quarrels  between  citizens  and  soldiers  occurred  upon  the  Common  and  in  the  streets ;   and 

'  We  give  on  the  following  page  a  copy  of  the  Massachusetts  Song  of  Liberty,  with  the  music,  as  printed 
m  the  Boston  Almanac. 

^  See  note,  page  7L  , 


BOSTON: 

Printed  by  MEIN  and  FLEEMING,  and  to  be   SOLD  by  JOHN   MEIN,  at  the 
LONDON  BOOKSTORE,  NorthOde  of  KING-STREET. 

[Price  feven  Coppers  fingle,  and  25  s.  Old  Tenor,  or  3  s.  4.  Lawful  the  Dozen] 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


487 


Abuse  of  Mr.  Otis. 


Massftchusctta  Song  of  Liberty. 


the  fact  that  Mr.  Otis  had  been  severely  beaten  with  fists  and  canes,  in  a  coflee-house,  by 


THE  MASSACHUSETTS  SONG  OF  LUiEllTY. 


m 


^ 


# 


^^ 


7-J 


6  r  J  J  J  7i"  I  rrrj  r  ri  r-j.-j  J  f  r-^J^^P 


:r-f^ 


P 


Facsimile  of  the  Musia 

•  Come  swallow  your  bumpers,  ye  Tories,  and  roar, 
That  the  Sons  of  fair  Freedom  are  hainper'd  once  more ; 
But  know  that  no  Cutthroats  our  spirits  can  tame, 
Nor  a  host  of  Oppressors  shall  smother  the  tlamc. 

"In  Freedom  we're  born,  and,  like  Sons  of  the  brave. 
Will  never  surrender, 
But  swear  to  defend  her. 
And  scorn  to  survive,  if  unable  to  save. 

'  Our  grandsircs,  bless'd  heroes,  we'll  give  them  a  tear. 
Nor  sully  their  honors  by  stooping  to  fear ; 
Through  deaths  and  through  dangers  their  Trophies  thuy  won, 
We  dare  be  their  Rivals,  nor  will  be  outdone. 
"In  Freedom  we're  bom,  SfC. 

"  Let  tyrants  and  minions  presume  to  despise, 
Encroach  on  our  Rights,  and  make  Freedo.m  their  prize ; 
The  fruits  of  their  rapine  they  never  shall  keej), 
Though  vengeance  may  nod,  yet  how  short  is  her  sleep. 
"In  Freedom  we're  born,  ifc. 

"  The  tree  which  proud  Haman  for  Mordecai  rear'd 
Stands  recorded,  that  virtue  endanger'd  is  spared ; 
That  rogues,  whom  no  bounds  and  no  laws  can  restrain. 
Must  be  stripp'd  of  their  honors  and  humbled  again. 
"In  Freedom  we're  born,  ifC. 

"  Our  wives  and  our  babes,  still  protected,  sbflll  know 
Those  who  dare  to  be  free  shall  forever  be  so ; 
On  these  arms  and  these  hearts  they  may  safely  rely 
For  in  freedom  we'll  live,  or  like  Heroes  we'll  die. 
"In  Freedom  we're  born,  6fC. 

"  Ye  insolent  J)/rants!  who  wish  to  enthrall ; 
Ye  Minions,  ye  Placemen,  Pimps,  Pensioners,  all ; 
How  short  is  your  triumph,  how  feeble  your  trust. 
Your  honor  must  wither  and  nod  to  the  dust. 
"  In  Freedom  we're  born,  ifC. 

'  When  oppress'd  and  approach'd,  our  King  we  Implore, 
Still  firmly  persuaded  our  Rights  he'll  restore ; 
When  our  hearts  beat  to  arms  to  defend  a  just  right, 
Our  monarch  rules  there,  and  forbids  us  to  fight. 
"  In  Freedom  we're  bom,  i(C. 

"  Not  the  glitter  of  arms  nor  the  dread  of  a  fray 
Could  make  us  submit  to  their  chains  for  a  day ; 
Withheld  by  atfection,  on  Britons  we  call, 
Prevent  the  fierce  conflict  which  threatens  yotir  fall. 
"  In  Freedom  we're  born,  (fC. 

"  All  ages  shall  speak  with  amaze  and  applause 
Of  the  prudence  we  show  in  support  of  our  cause: 
Assured  of  our  safety,  a  Bbu.nswick  still  reigns, 
Whose  free  loyal  subjects  are  strangers  to  chains. 
"  In  Freedom  w^re  born,  {(C. 

'  Then  join  hand  in  htid,  brave  Americans  all, 
To  be  free  is  to  live,  to  be  slaves  is  to  fall ; 
Has  the  land  such  s  dastard  as  scorns  not  a  Lord, 
Who  dreads  not  a  fetter  much  more  than  a  sword  f 
"  /i  Freed  m  we're  bom,"  IfC 


488  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Evasion  of  the  Non-importation  Agreements.  Tea  prosciibed.  Spirit  of  the  Women.  Spirit  of  the  Boys. 

one  of  the  commissioners  of  customs  and  his  friends,'  produced  the  utmost  excitement,  and 
it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  open  hostihty  was  prevented.  Numerous  fights  with  strag- 
gUng  soldiers  occurred,  and  a  crisis  speedily  arrived. 

While  the  non-importation  agreements  were  generally  adhered  to  faithfully,  there  were  a 
few  merchants  who,  loving  mammon  more  than  liberty,  violated  their  obligations.  In  Bos- 
ton they  coalesced  with  the  military  officers,  and  many  of  the  proscribed  articles  were  im- 
ported in  the  names  of  the  latter,  ostensibly  for  the  use  of  the  soldiers.  Many  goods  were 
January 23,     brought  in  and  sold  under  this  cover.      This  fact  became  known,  and  a  meeting 

1770.  of  citizens  was  held  at  Faneuil  Hall  to  consider  it.  Spirited  resolutions  were 
adopted,  among  which  was  one  agreeing  not  only  "  totally  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  tea" 
(the  excepted  article  mentioned  in  Hillsborough's  letter),  and  from  other  of  the  enumerated 
articles,  but  that  they  would  use  all  proper  measures  to  prevent  a  violation  of  the  non-im- 
portation pledges.  From  that  time  tea  was  a  proscribed  article,  and  the  living  principle 
of  opposition  to  British  oppression  was  strongly  manifested  by  the  unanimity  with  which  the 
pleasant  beverage  was  discarded. 

Early  in  February  the  females  of  Boston  made  a  public  movement  on  the  sub- 
ject of  non-importation,  and  the  mistresses  of  three  hundred  families  subscribed 
their  names  to  a  league,  binding  themselves  not  to  drink  any  tea  until  the  Revenue  Act  was 
repealed.      Three  days  afterward  the  young  ladies,  followed  the  example  of  the 
matrons,  and  multitudes  signed  a  document  in  the  following  terms  :   "  We,  the 
daughters  of  those  patriots  who  have,  and  do  now,  appear  for  the  public  interest,  and  in  that 
principally  regard  their  posterity — as  such,  do  with  pleasure  engage  with  them  in  denying 
ourselves  the  drinking  of  foreign  tea,  in  hopes  to  frustrate  a  plan  which  tends  to  deprive  a 
whole  community  of  all  that  is  valuable  in  life."      All  classes  were  thoroughly  imbued  with 
patriotism,  and  even  the  children  were  sturdy  asserters  of  natural  rights.^ 

Disregarding  these  expressions  of  public  sentiment,  a  few  merchants  in  Boston  continued 
to  sell  the  proscribed  articles.  Among  them  were  Theophilus  Lillie  and  four  others,  who 
were  particularly  bold  in  their  unpopular  conduct.  To  designate  his  store  as  one  to  be 
Kebruary  22     shunned,  a  mob,  consisting  chiefly  of  half-grown  boys,  raised  a  rude  wooden  head 

1770.  upon  a  pole  near  Lillie's  door,  having  upon  it  the  names  of  the  other  importers. 

A  hand  was  attached  to  it,  with  the  dexter  finger  pointing  to  Lillie's  establishment.  The 
merchant  was  greatly  irritated.  One  of  his  friends,  named  Richardson,  a  stout,  rough  man, 
tried  to  persuade  a  countryman  to  prostrate  the  pageant  by  running  his  wagon  against  it. 

'  Robinson,  one  of  the  commissioners,  had  made  such  representations  of  Mr.  Otis  in  Britain  as  provoked 
him  to  make  a  pubUcation  in  the  Boston  Gazette  on  the  subject.  For  some  expression  used  in  that  article 
Robinson  attempted  to  pull  Otis's  nose  at  a  coffee-house.  An  affray  ensued,  in  which  Mr.  Otis  was  so  se- 
verely beaten  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the  city  and  retire  to  his  country  residence.  From  the  injuries 
then  received  he  never  thoroughly  recovered.  Heavy  damages  (£2000)  were  awarded  him  against  Rob- 
inson for  the  assault,  but  Otis  generously  forgave  his  assailant,  and  refused  to  take  the  money. 

*  While  the  king's  troops  were  in  Boston,  an  incident  occurred  that  evinced  the  bold  spirit  of  even  the  lit- 
tle boys.  In  the  winter  they  were  in  the  habit  of  building  little  hills  of  snow,  and  sliding  down  them  to  the 
pond  on  the  Common,  for  amusement.  The  English  soldiers,  to  provoke  them,  would  often  beat  down  these 
liills.  On  one  occasion,  having  rebuilt  their  hills,  and  finding,  on  their  return  from  school,  that  they  were 
again  demolished,  several  of  the  boys  determined  to  wait  upon  the  captain  and  complain  of  his  soldiers.  The 
officer  made  hght  of  it,  and  the  soldiers  became  more  troublesome  than  ever.  At  last  a  meeting  of  the  lar- 
ger boys  was  held,  and  a  deputation  was  sent  to  General  Gage,  the  commander-in-chief.  He  asked  why 
so  many  children  had  called  upon  him.  "We  come,  sir,"  said  the  tallest  boy,  "to  demand  satisfaction." 
"  What !"  said  the  general,  "  have  your  fathers  been  teaching  you  rebellion,  and  sent  you  to  exhibit  it  here?" 
"  Nobody  sent  us,  sir,"  replied  the  boy,  while  his  eyes  flashed  and  cheek  reddened  at  the  imputation  of  re- 
bellion ;  "  we  have  never  injured  or  insulted  your  troops,  but  they  have  trodden  down  our  snow-hills  and 
broken  the  ice  on  our  skating-grounds.  We  complained,  and  they  called  us  young  rebels,  and  told  us  to 
help  ourselves  if  we  could.  We  told  the  captain  of  this,  and  he  laughed  at  us.  Yesterday  our  w-orks  were 
destroyed  the  third  time,  and  we  will  bear  it  no  longer."  The  nobler  feelings  of  the  general's  heart  were 
awakened,  and,  after  gazing  upon  them  in  silent  admiration  for  a  moment,  he  turned  to  an  officer  by  his  side, 
and  said,  "  The  very  children  here  draw  in  a  love  of  liberty  with  the  air  they  breathe.  You  may  go,  my 
brave  boj^s,  and  be  assured,  if  my  troops  trouble  you  again,  they  shall  be  punished." — Lossing's  "  1776," 
p.  90. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  489 


fracas  at  tlie  Poor  cf  a  Merchant    Death  of  a  Boy.    Its  Effect  on  the  Public  Mind.    Pardon  of  the  Murderer.    Riot  in  Boston 

The  man  was  a  patriot,  and  refused,  and  Richardson  attempted  to  pull  it  down  himself. 
The  mob  pelted  him  with  dirt  and  stones,  and  drove  him  into  Lillic's  house.  Greatly  ex- 
asperated, Richardson  brought  out  a  musket  and  discharged  it,  without  aim,  into  the  crowd. 
A  lad  named  Christopher  Gore  (afterward  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth^)  was  slight- 
ly wounded,  and  another,  Christopher  Snyder,  son  of  a  poor  widow,  was  killed.  The 
mob  seized  Richardson  and  an  associate  named  Wilmot,  and  carried  them  to  Faneuil  Hall, 
where  they  were  examined  and  committed  for  trial.  Richardson  was  found  guilty  of  mur- 
der, but  Lieutenant-governor  Hutchinson  refused  to  sign  his  death  warrant.  After  two 
years'  imprisonment,  he  was  pardoned  by  the  king. 

The  murder  of  the  boy  produced  a  great  sensation  throughout  the  country,  and  in  Boston 
it  was  made  the  occasion  of  a  most  solemn  pageant.  His  coffin,  covered  with  inscriptions, 
such  as  "  Iimocence  itself  is  not  safe,"  and  others  of  like  tenor,  was  taken  to  Liberty  Tree, 
where  a  great  concourse  assenibled,  and  thence  followed  the  remains  to  the  grave.  In  that 
procession  between  four  and  live  hundred  school-boys  took  the  lead.  Six  of  »Snyder's  play- 
fellows supported  the  coffin  ;  after  them  came  the  relatives  and  friends  of  the  deceased,  and 
nearly  fifteen  hundred  of  the  inhabitants.  The  bells  of  the  city  were  tolled,  and  those  of  the 
churches  in  the  neighboring  towns.  The  newspapers  were  filled  with  accounts  of  the  mur- 
der and  the  funeral,  and  little  Christopher  Snyder  was  apotheosized  as  the  ^rs^  martyr  in 
the  cause  of  American  liberty. 

A  more  serious  occurrence  took  place  a  few  days  afterward.  A  soldier,  passing  the  rope- 
walk  of  John  Grey,  got  into  a  quarrel  with  the  workmen,  and  was  severely  beaten.  He 
went  to  the  barracks,  and,  returning  with  some  comrades,  they  beat  the  rope-makers,  and 
chased  them  through  the  streets.  A  large  number  of  the  people  assembled  in  the  afternoon, 
determined  to  avenge  the  workmen,  but  were  stopped  by  the  military.  It  was  Friday,  and 
the  act  of  vengeance  was  deferred  until  Monday,  so  as  not  to  disturb  the  Sabbath,  march  5, 
On  the  evening  of  Monday,  between  six  and  seven  o'clock,  about  seven  hundred  men,  ^'^''• 
with  clubs  and  other  weapons,  assembled  in  King  (now  State)  Street,  shouting,  "  Let  us 
drive  out  these  rascals  I  They  have  no  business  here — drive  them  out  I"  The  mob  speedi- 
ly augmented  in  numbers,  and  about  nine  o'clock  an  attack  was  made  upon  some  soldiers  in 
Dock  Square,  the  mob  shouting,  "  Town  born,  turn  out  I  Down  with  the  bloody  backs  I" 
at  the  same  time  tearing  up  the  market-stalls.  The  fearful  cry  of  "  Fife,  fire  I"  was  echoed 
through  the  town,  and  the  inhabitants  poured  into  the  streets  in  terror  and  confusion.  The 
whole  city  was  in  commotion,  and  before  midnight  the  shouts  of  the  multitude,  the  ringing 
of  the  alarum  bells  as  if  a  great  conflagration  was  raging,  and  the  rattle  of  musketry,  pro- 
duced a  fearful  uproar.  Two  or  three  leading  citizens  endeavored  to  persuade  the  mob  to 
disperse,  and  had,  in  a  measure,  secured  their  respectful  attention,  when  a  tall  man,  dressed 
in  a  scarlet  cloak,  and  wearing  a  white  wig,  suddenly  appeared  among  them,  and  commenced 
a  violent  harangue  against  the  government  officers  and  soldiers.  He  concluded  his  inflam- 
matory speech  by  a  loud  shout,  "  To  the  main  guard  !  to  the  main  guard  !"  The  populace 
echoed  the  shout  with  fearful  vehemence,  and,  separating  into  three  divisions,  took  different 
routes  toward  the  quarters  of  the  main  guard.  As  one  of  these  divisions  was  passing  the 
custom-house,  a  boy  came  up,  and,  pointing  to  the  sentinel  on  duty  there,  cried  out,  "  That's 
the  scoundrel  who  knocked  me  down."'  Instantly  a  score  of  voices  shouted,  "  Let  us  knock 
him  down  I  Down  with  the  bloody  back  I  kill  him  I  kill  him  I"  The  sentinel  loaded  his 
musket,  the  mob  in  the  mean  while  pelting  him  with  pieces  of  ice  and  other  missiles,  and 
finally  attempting  to  seize  him.  He  ran  up  the  custom-house  steps,  but,  unable  to  procure 
admission,  called  to  the  main  guard  for  assistance.      Captain  Preston,  the  officer  of  the  day, 

'  This  boy  was  an  apprentice  to  a  barber  named  Piemont,  at  whose  shop  some  of  the  British  ofTicers  were 
in  the  habit  of  shaving.  One  of  them  had  come  there  some  months  previous  to  dress  by  the  (luarter,  whoso 
bill  Piemont  promised  to  allow  to  the  boy  who  shaved  him,  if  he  behaved  well.  The  quarter  had  expired, 
but  the  money  could  not  be  got,  although  frequently  asked  for.  The  last  application  was  made  on  that  even- 
infj,  and,  as  the  boy  alleged,  the  olTicer  knocked  him  down  in  reply  to  the  "dun."  The  sentry  he  pointed 
out  as  the  man  that  abused  him. — See  "  Trails  of  the  Tea  Party.'' 


490 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Attack  of  the  Jlob  upon  the  Soldiers.     Discharge  of  Musketry.     Three  of  the  Citizens  killed.     Terrible  Excitement  in  Bostoa 


detailed  a  picket  guard  of  eight  men  with  unloaded  muskets,  and  sent  them  to  the  relief  ol 
the  sentinel.  As  they  approached,  the  mob  pelted  them  more  furiously  than  they  had  the 
sentinel,  and  a  stout  mulatto  named  Attucks,  who  was  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  sailors 
shouted,  "  Let  us  fall  upon  the  nest  I  The  main  guard  I  the  main  guard  I"  The  soldiers 
now  loaded  their  guns.  Attucks  dared  them  to  fire  ;  and  the  mob  pressed  so  closely  upon 
them  that  the  foremost  were  against  the  points  of  their  bayonets.  The  soldiers,  perfectly 
understanding  the  requirements  of  discipline,  would  not  fire  without  orders.  Emboldened 
by  what  seemed  cowardice,  or,  perhaps,  by  a  knowledge  of  the  law  which  restrained  soldiers 
I'rom  firing  upon  their  fellow-citizens  without  orders  from  the  civil  magistrates,  Attucks  and 
the  sailors  gave  three  loud  cheers,  beat  the  muskets  of  the  soldiers  with  their  clubs,  and  shout- 
ed to  the  populace  behind  them,  "  Come  on  I  don't  be  afraid  of  'em — they  daren't  fire  !  knock 
'em  over  I  kill  'em  I"  At  that  moment  Captain  Preston  came  up,  and  endeavored  to  ap- 
pease the  excited  multitude.  Attucks  aimed  a  blow  with  a  club  at  Preston's  head,  which 
was  parried  with  his  arm,  and,  descending,  knocked  the  musket  of  one  of  the  soldiers  to  the 
"■round.  The  bayonet  was  seized  by  the  mulatto,  and  the  owner  of  the  musket  was  thrown 
down  in  the  struggle.  Just  then  voices  in  the  crowd  behind  Preston  cried,  "  Why  don't 
you  fire  ?  why  don't  you  fire  ?"  The  word  fire  fell  upon  the  ears  of  Montgomery,  the  sol- 
dier struggling  with  Attucks,  and  as  he  rose  to  his  feet  he  fired,  and  shot  the  mulatto  dead. 
Immediately  five  other  soldiers  fired  at  short  intervals  ;  three  of  the  populace  were  instantly 
killed,  five  dangerously  wounded,  and  a  few  slightly  hurt.* 

The  mob  instantly  dispersed.      It  was  near  midnight ;   the  ground  was  covered  with  snow 
the  air  was  clear  and  frosty,  and  the  moon,  in  its  first  quarter,  gave  just  suflicient 
light  to  reveal  the  dreadful  scene.      It  was  a  fearful  night  for  Boston.      A  cry, 
"  The  soldiers  are  rising  I      To  arms  I  to  arms  I     Turn  out  with  your  guns  I"  re- 
sounded through  the  streets,  and  the  town  drums  beat  their  alarum  call.      Cap- 
tain Preston  also  ordered  his  drums  to  beat  to  arms,  and  in  a  short  time  Colonel 
^    Dalrymple,  the  commander  of  the  troops  in  the  absence  of  Gage,  with  Lieu- 
s  tenant-governor  Hutchinson,  at  the  head  of  a  regiment,  was  on  the  spot.      Or- 
;•:       der  was  at  length  restored,  and  the  streets  were  quiet  before  dawn.      Captain 
;      Preston,  in  the  mean  time,  had  been  arrested  and  put  in  prison,  and  during 
-        the  next  forenoon  the  eight  soldiers  were  also  committed,  under  a  charge 
of  murder. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  Sons  of  Liberty 
collected  in  great  numbers,  and  Faneuil  Hall 
was  crowded  with  an  excited  and  indignant  assembly. 
The  lieutenant  governor  also  convened  his  Council. 
A  town  meeting  was  legally  warned  and  held  that  after- 
noon, in  the  Old  South  Meeting-house,  then  the  largest 
building  in  the  city,  where  it  was  voted  "  that  nothing 
could  be  expected  to  restore  peace  and  prevent  carnage 
but  an  immediate  removal  of  the  troops."  Nearly  three 
thousand  voices  were  unanimous  in  its  favor.  A  com- 
mittee of  fifteen,  with  Samuel  Adams  as  chairman,  was  appointed  to  present  the  resolution 


March  6, 
1770 


The  "  Old  South." 


'  Crispus  Attucks,  Samuel  Gray,  and  James  Caldwell  were  killed  on  the  spot ;  Samuel  Maverick  and 
Patrick  Carr  received  mortal  wounds,  of  which  the  former  died  the  next  morning,  and  Carr  on  Wednesday 
of  the  next  week. 

*  This  venerable  and  venerated  edifice,  that  stood  through  all  the  storms  of  the  Revolution,  and  yet  re- 
mains, stands  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Milk  Streets.  It  is  of  brick,  and  was  erected  in  1729-30, 
upon  the  site  of  an  edifice  built  by  the  Pedo-baptists  in  1 669.  The  ancient  church  was  of  cedar,  two  sto- 
ries high,  with  a  steeple,  gallery,  and  pews.  The  "  Old  South"  was  the  famous  gathering-place  of  the  peo- 
ple during  the  excitements  of  1773.  The  British  troops  occupied  it  as  a  circus  for  the  drill  of  cavalry  in 
1775,  after  removing  all  the  wood-work  within,  except  the  eastern  gallery  and  the  pulpit  and  sounding 
board.  The  British  officers  felt  no  compunctions  in  thus  desecrating  a  Presbyterian  ihapel.  It  was  repaired 
in  1782,  and  remains  a  fine  model  of  our  early  church  architecture.     This  view  is  from  Washington  Street. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


491 


Delpgation  of  Patriots  before  the  Governor.       Boldness  of  the  second  Committee.       Concessions.       Removal  of  the  Troops. 

to  the  acting  governor  and  his  Council,  and  to  Colonel  Dalrymple.  These  officers  were  as- 
sured by  Royal  Tyler,  one  of  the  committee,  that  the  people  were  determined  to  remove  the 
troops  out  of  town  by  force,  if  they  would  not  go  voluntarily.  "  They  are  not  such  people," 
he  said,  "  who  formerly  pulled  down  your  house,  that  conduct  these  measures,  but  men  of 
estates,  men  of  religion.  The  people,"  he  continued,  "  will  come  in  to  us  from  all  the  neigh- 
boring towns ;  we  shall  have  ten  thousand  men  at  our  backs,  and  your  troops  will  probably 
be  destroyed  by  the  people,  be  it  called  rebellion  or  what  it  may." 

Hutchinson  and  Dalrymple  were  in  a  dilemma.  They  equally  feared  the  popular  indig- 
nation and  the  censure  of  ministers,  and  each  endeavored  to  make  the  other  responsible  for 
the  concessions  which  they  saw  must  inevitably  be  made.  Hutchinson  would  not  promise 
the  committee  that  more  than  one  regiment  of  the  troops  should  be  removed  ;  their  report 
to  the  meeting  was,  therefore,  quite  unsatisfactory.  In  the  afternoon  another  committee  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  seven  of  the  former  deputation,'  who  bore  the  following  resolution  to 
the  lieutenant  governor  :  "  It  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  this  meeting  that  the  reply  made 
to  the  vote  of  the  inhabitants,  presented  to  his  honor  this  morning,  is  by  no  means  satisfac- 
tory, and  that  nothing  else  will  satisfy  them  but  a  total  and  immediate  removal  of  all  the 
troops."  Samuel  Adams  again  acted  as  chairman.  Hutchinson  denied  that  he  had  power 
to  grant  their  request ;  Adams  in  a  few  words  proved  to  him  that  he  had  power  conferred 
by  the  charter.  The  governor  consulted  with  Dalrymple  in  a  whisper,  and  then  made  the 
offer  again  to  remove  one  regiment.  The  patriots  were  not  to  be  trifled  with.  Adams, 
eeming  not  to  represent,  but  to  personify,  the  universal  feeling,  stretched  forth  his  arm,  as 
if  it  had  been  upheld  by  the  strength  of  thousands,  and,  with  unhesitating  promptness  and 
dignified  firmness,  replied,  "  Sir,  if  the  lieutenant  governor  or  Colonel  Dalrymple,  or  both 
together,  have  authority  to  remove  one  regiment,  they  have  authority  to  remove  tivo  ;  and 
nothing  short  of  a  total  evacuation  of  the  town,  by  all  the  regular  troops,  will  satisfy  the  pub- 
lic mind  or  preserve  the  peace  of  the  province." 

The  officers  were  abashed  before  this  plain  committee  of  a  democratic  assembly.  They 
knew  the  danger  that  impended  ;  the  very  air  was  filled  with  breathings  of  suppressed  in- 
dignation. They  receded,  fortunately,  from  the  arrogance  they  had  hitherto  maintained. 
Their  reliance  on  a  standing  army  faltered  before  the  undaunted,  irresistible  resolution  of 
free,  unarmed  citizens."  Hutchinson  consulted  his  Council.  The  concession  was  agreed 
upon — the  lieutenant  governor.  Council,  and  Dalrymple  consenting  to  bear  mutually  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  act — and  the  people  were  assured  of  the  immediate  removal  of  the  troops. 
On  Monday  following  the  troops  were  conducted  to  Castle  William,  and  Boston  be-  m^tA  i" 
came  quiet.  i"o. 

The  obsequies  of  the  victims  murdered  on  the  night  of  the  5th  were  performed  on  the  8th.' 
The  hearses  met  upon  the  spot  in  front  of  the  custom-house,  where  the  tragedy  occurred,  and 
thence  the  procession,  in  platoons  six  deep,  marched  to  the  Middle  Burial-ground,  wherein 
the  bodies  were  deposited.  As  on  the  occasion  of  the  burial  of  young  Snyder,  the  bells  of 
Boston  and  adjacent  towns  tolled  a  solemn  knell,  and  again  a  cry  of  vengeance  burst  over 
the  land.  The  story  of  the  "  Boston  massacre,"  as  it  was  called,  became  a  tale  of  horror, 
which  every  where  excited  the  most  implicable  hatred  of  British  domination  ;  and  the  justi- 
fiable act  of  the  soldiers,  in  defending  their  lives  against  a  lawless  mob,  was  exaggerated  into 
an  unprovoked  assault  of  armed  mercenaries  upon  a  quiet  and  defenseless  people. 

Captain  Preston  and  the  eight  soldiers,  after  the  lapse  of  several  months,  were  put  upon 
their  trial  before  Judge  Lynde  for  murder.*     John  Adams,  an  eminent  lawyer,  one  of  the 

'  The  comrnittee  consisted  of  Samuel  Adams,  John  Hancock,  William  Molineux,  William  Phillips,  Joseph 
Warren.  Joshua  Henshaw,  and  Samuel  Pemberton. 

*  Snow's  History  of  Boston. 

'  Atiucks  and  Caldwell  had  no  relatives,  and  were  friendless.  Their  bodies  were  borne  from  Faneuil 
Hall.  Maverick,  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  was  borne  from  the  house  of  his  mother,  in  Union  Street, 
and  Gray  from  that  of  his  brother,  in  Royal  Exchange  Lane. 

*  Captain  Preston's  trial  commenced  on  the  24th  of  October,  and  lasted  until  the  30th.  The  trial  of  the 
soldiers  commericed  on  the  27tl'.  of  November,  and  ended  on  the  5lh  of  December.     So  searching  was  the 


492  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Defense  of  the  Soldiers  by  Adams.         Result  of  the  Trial.  New  Ministerial  Proposition.         Its  Effects  upon  the  Colonlea 

leaders  in  the  attempt  to  procure  the  removal  of  the  troops,  and  greatly  esteemed  by  the  peo- 
ple for  his  patriotism,  was  solicited  to  undertake  their  defense.  It  was  a  severe  ordeal  for 
his  independence  of  spirit,  yet  he  did  not  hesitate.  At  the  risk  of  losing  the  favor  and  es- 
teem of  the  people,  he  appeared  as  the  advocate  of  the  accused,  having  for  his  colleague  Jo- 
siah  Quincy,  another  leading  patriot,  whose  eloquent  voice  had  been  often  heard  at  assem- 
blies of  the  Sons  of  Liberty.  Robert  Treat  Paine,  afterward  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  conducted  the  prosecution,  with  great  reputation,  in  the  absence 
of  the  attorney  general.  A  Boston  jury  was  empanneled,  and,  after  a  fair  trial,  Captain 
Preston  and  six  of  the  soldiers  were  adjudged  not  guilty.  The  other  two,  Montgomery  and 
Killroy,  who  were  known  to  have  fired  their  muskets,  were  found  guilty  of  manslaughter  only. 
They  were  branded  in  the  hand,  in  open  court,  and  discharged.  This  trial,  when  all  the 
circumstances  are  considered,  exhibits  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  many  pictures  of  jus- 
tice and  mercy  that  characterized  the  Revolution,  and  silenced  forever  the  slander  of  the 
British  ministry  who  favored  the  revival  of  the  Act  of  Henry  VIII.,  that  American  jurors 
might  not  be  trusted. 

March  5  On  the  very  day  of  the  "  Boston  massacre"  Lord  North  asked  leave  to  bring  in 

I'i'TO.  a  bill  in  the  House  of  Commons,  repealing  the  duties  upon  glass,  &c.,  mentioned  in 
Hillsborough's  circular,  but  retaining  the  three  per  cent,  duty  upon  tea.  This  duty  was 
small,  and  was  avowedly  a  "  pepper-corn  rent,"  to  save  the  national  honor.  North's  prop- 
osition met  with  little  favor  from  either  party.  The  friends  of  America  asked  for  a  repeal 
of  the  whole  act,  and  the  friends  of  government  opposed  a  partial  repeal  as  utterly  fruitless 
of  good.  The  bill,  however,  after  encountering  great  opposition  in  both  Houses,  and  partic- 
ularly in  the  House  of  Lords,  was  carried,  and  received  the  royal  assent  on  the  12th  of  April. 
When  the  intelligence  of  this  act  reached  the  colonies,  it  was  regarded  with  very  little 
favor.  The  same  unrighteous  principle  was  practically  asserted,  and  the  people  felt  that 
very  little  concession  was  made.  But  they  were  beginning,  toward  the  close  of  1770,  to 
be  less  faithful  in  observing  the  non-importation  agreements  ;  and  in  October,  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Boston  merchants,  it  was  resolved,  in  consequence  of  the  almost  universal  violation 
of  these  agreements  in  New  York,  to  import  every  thing  but  tea.  The  Philadelphia  and 
Charleston  merchants  followed  their  example,  and  that  lever  of  coercion  in  the  hands  of  the 
colonists,  operating  upon  Parliament  through  English  merchants,  was  almost  wholly  aban- 
doned, much  to  the  chagrin  of  the  leading  patriots.  These  associations,  while  they  had  a 
favorable  political  effect  upon  the  colonies,  were  also  instrumental  in  producing  social  reforms 
of  much  value.  Many  extravagant  customs,  such  as  pageantries  at  funerals,  displays  of  cost- 
ly finery  at  balls  and  parties,  and  kindred  measures,  involving  great  expenditure  of  time  and 
money,  were  discontinued  ;  new  sources  of  wealth  and  comfort  to  be  derived  from  home  in- 
dustry were  developed  ;  and,  better  than  all,  lessons  of  the  strictest  economy  were  learned. 
The  infant  manufactories  of  America  received  a  strong  impulse  from  the  agreements,  and 
homemade  articles,  first  worn  from  necessity,  became  fashionable.  The  graduating  class  at 
Cambridge  took  their  degrees  in  homespun  suits,  in  1770. 

For  two  years  very  little  occurred  to  disturb  the  tranquillity  of  Boston.  The  brutal  at- 
tack of  Robinson  had  deprived  the  patriots  of  the  services  of  James  Otis,  for  insanity  cloud- 
ed his  active  mind  and  terminated  his  public  career.'      But  new  men,  equally  patriotic  stood 

examination  of  witnesses  by  Mr.  Quincy,  that  Mr.  Adams  was  obliged  to  ask  him  to  desist,  for  he  was  elic- 
iting from  them  facts  that  were  not  only  irrelevant  to  the  case  in  hand,  but  dishonorable  to  the  town. 

'  James  Otis,  Jr.,  was  the  son  of  Colonel  James  Otis,  of  Barnstable,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  born 
February  5th,  1725.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1743.  He  studied  law  with  Mr.  Gridley,  then 
the  first  lawyer  in  the  province,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Plymouth  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  In  1761  he  distinguished  himself  by 
his  plea  in  opposition  to  the  Writs  of  Assistance.     His  an- 


tagonist on  that  occasion  was  his  law  tutor,  Mr.  Gridley.  j     ^'""'^-^-^     C^ 

Of  his  speech  at  that  time  John  Adams  said,  "  James  Otis  ^ 

was  a  flame  of  fire American  independence  was 

then  and  there  born.     Every  man  of  an  immense  crowded  audience  appeared  to  me  to  go  away  as  I  did 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  493 

James  Otis.  The  Boston  Pntriota.  Hutchinson  made  Governor.  Uis  asserted  Independence  of  the  Assemblies. 

ready  to  take  his  place.  John  Adams,  then  in  the  vigor  of  Hfe,  and  rapidly  rising  in  pub- 
lic estimation,  was  chosen  to  fill  his  place  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  He,  Samuel 
Adams,  John  Hancock,  Joseph  Warren  (a  young  physician),  Josiah  Quincy,  and  Dr.  Benja- 
min Church  were  the  leaders  in  private  meetings,  now  beginning  to  be  held,  in  which  schemes 
for  public  action  were  planned.  These  men  were  exceedingly  vigilant,  and  noticed  every  in- 
fringement of  natural  or  chartered  rights  on  the  part  of  government  and  its  agents.  In  the 
House  of  Representatives  they  originated  almost  every  measure  for  the  public  good,  and  the 
people  esteemed  them  as  the  zealous  guardians  of  their  rights  and  privileges.  When  Hutch- 
inson removed  the  General  Court  to  Cambridge,  they  protested,  contending  that  it  ji„y,,j,  3, 
could  be  held,  legally,  only  at  Boston  ;  and  in  all  the  struggles  between  the  Assem-  ^^'O- 
bly  and  the  governor,  during  his  administration,  these  men  were  foremost  in  defense  of  pop- 
ular rights. 

Lieutenant-governor  Hutchinson  received  the  appointment  of  governor  in  the  spring  of 
1771.  About  the  same  time  Dr.  Frankhn  was  chosen  agent  for  Massachusetts,  Dennis  de 
Berdt  being  dead.  When  the  Assembly  convened  in  iMay,  the  subject  of  taxing  the  M„y25 
salaries  of  crown  officers,  that  of  removing  the  General  Court  back  to  Boston,  and  ^'^i- 
kindred  topics,  produced  considerable  excitement  in  that  body.  Hutchinson  told  them  that 
he  had  been  instructed  not  to  give  his  consent  to  any  act  taxing  the  income  of  the  crown  of- 
ficers, and  he  positively  refused  to  adjourn  the  Assembly  to  Boston.  The  consequence  was, 
that  the  Court  was  prorogued  without  making  any  provision  for  the  public  expense. 

The  next  year  Parliament,  by  special  act,  made  the  governors  and  judges  of  the  col- 
onies quite  independent  of  the  colonial  Assemblies  for  their  salaries  ;  and  Hutchinson 
informed  the  Massachusetts  Assembly  that  henceforth  his  salary  would  be  paid  by  the  crown. 
The  Assembly  at  once  denounced  the  measure  as  a  violation  of  the  charter,  and  no  better 
than  a  standing  bribe  of  six  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars  a  year  from  the  crown 
to  the  governor.  Other  colonial  Assemblies  took  umbrage,  and  made  similar  denunciations, 
and  again  the  public  mind  was  agitated. 

ready  to  take  up  arms  against  Writs  of  Assistance."  Otis  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1762,  and  was 
a  member  of  the  Stamp  Act  Congress  held  at  New  York  in  1765.  That  year  he  wrote  his  celebrated  pam- 
phlet in  defense  of  colonial  rights.  He  held  the  office  of  judge  advocate,  but  in  1767  resigned,  and  renounced 
all  offices  under  government,  because  of  encroachments  upon  the  rights  of  the  people.  Brutally  beaten  by 
a  commissioner  of  customs  in  the  autumn  of  1769,  he  was  obliged  to  retire  to  his  country  residence.  The 
injuries  he  received  left  their  effects  upon  his  mind,  and  from  that  time  his  reason  was  shattered.  The  great 
man,  though  in  ruins,  lived  nearly  thirteen  years,  when,  on  the  23d  of  May,  1782,  while  standing  in  the  door 
of  IMr.  Osgood's  house  in  Andover,  he  was  killed  by  lightning.  He  had  often  expressed  a  desire  to  be  thus 
deprived  of  life  when  it  should  please  God  to  call  him.  In  a  commemorative  ode,  written  at  the  time  by  the 
Hon.  Thomas  Dawes,  the  following  lines  occur : 

"  Yes,  when  the  glorious  work  which  he  begun 
Shall  stand  the  most  complete  beneath  the  sun — 
When  peace  shall  come  to  crown  the  grand  design, 
His  eyes  shall  live  to  see  the  work  divine — 
The  heavens  shall  then  his  generous  spirit  claim, 
In  storms  as  loud  as  his  immortal  fame. 
Hark  I  the  deep  thunders  echo  round  the  skies  I 
On  wings  of  flame  the  eternal  errand  flies  ; 
One  chosen,  charitable  bolt  is  sped, 
And  Otis  mingles  with  the  glorious  dead." 

Mr.  Otis  was  a  scholar  as  well  as  a  statesman.  He  was  complete  master  of  classical  literature,*  and  nn 
American  at  that  time  possessed  more  extensive  knowledge.  He  may  bo  justly  ranked  among  the  founder* 
of  our  republic,  for  he  was  truly  the  master  of  ceremonies  in  laying  the  corner-stone.  He  lived  to  see  the 
work  nearly  completed,  and  beheld  the  wing  of  peace  spread  over  the  land. 


*  The  following  anecdote  is  related  of  Mr.  Otis  as  illustrative  of  his  ready  use  of  Latin  even  anring  momenta  of  mental  aber- 
ration. Men  and  boys,  heartless  and  thoughtless,  wou'd  sometimes  make  themselves  merry  at  his  expense  when  he  was  seen 
in  the  streets  afllicted  with  lunacy.  On  one  occasion  he  was  passing  a  crockery  store,  when  a  young  man,  who  had  a  knowl- 
edge of  Latin,  sprinkled  some  water  upon  him  from  a  sprinkling-pot  with  which  he  was  wetting  the  floor  of  the  second  story, 
at  the  same  time  saying,  Pluit  tanlum,  nescio  quantum,  Scis  ne  tu  t  "  It  rains  so  much,  I  know  not  how  much.  Do  you  know?" 
Otis  immediately  picked  up  a  missile,  and,  hurling  it  through  the  window  of  the  crockery  store,  it  smashing  every  thing  in  ita 
way,  exclaimt; J,  Frtgi  i6t,  nescio  quot,  Scu  ne  tuf    "I  have  broken  so  many,  I  know  not  how  many.    Do  you  know t" 


494 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Further  Agitation  in  Boston.     Committees  of  Correspondence.    Letters  of  Hutchinson  and  others.    Petition  for  their  Removal 

In  the  midst  of  this  effervescence  a  circumstance  occurred  which  augmented  intensely  the 
flame  of  rebellion  burning  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  By  it  Boston  was  thrown  into  a  vio- 
lent commotion,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  people  were  restrained  from  enact- 
ing anew  the  violence  against  Hutchinson  in  1765.  In  October  a  town  meeting  was  held, 
at  which  a  large  committee,  composed  of  the  popular  leaders,  was  appointed  to  draw  up  a 
statement  of  the  rights  of  the  colonies,  and  to  communicate  and  publish  the  same  to  the  sev- 
eral towns  of  the  province.  This  paper  contained  a  list  of  all  the  grievances  which  Massa- 
chusetts had  suffered  since  the  accession  of  the  reigning  sovereign,  and  condemned  a  plan, 
said  to  have  been  in  agitation  for  a  long  time,  to  establish  bishops  in  America.  It  was  the 
boldest  exposition  of  the  grievances  and  rights  of  the  colonies  yet  put  forth,  and,  by  its  sug- 
gestion, Committees  of  Correspondence,  such  as  were  soon  afterward  organized  in  Virginia, 
were  appointed  in  the  several  towns.*  This  paper  was  republished  by  Franklin  in  London, 
January  with  a  preface  of  his  own,  and  produced  a  great  sensation.  At  the  opening  of  the 
1773.  next  session  of  the  Legislature  Hutchinson  denounced  the  Boston  address  as  seditious 
and  traitorous,  and  violent  discussions  ensued. 

Just  at  this  moment,  when  the  public  mind  was  greatly  inflamed  against  Hutchinson,  the 
Assembly  received  a  communication  from  Dr.  Franklin,  inclosing  several  letters  written  by 
Hutchinson  and  others"  to  Thomas  Whately,  a  member  of  Parliament,  then  out  of  office, 
wherein  they  vilified  the  character  of  several  of  the  popular  leaders,  advised  the  immediate 
adoption  of  coercive  measures,  and  declared  that  there  "  must  be  an  abridgment  of  what  are 
called  English  liberties."  By  what  means  Franklin  obtained  possession  of  these  letters  is 
not  certainly  known,  for  he  was  too  honorable  to  divulge  the  names  of  parties  concerned.' 
They  were  sent  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cooper,  of  Boston,  and  by  him  handed  to  Mr.  Cushing,  the 
Speaker  of  the  Assembly.  After  having  been  shown  privately  to  leading  men  for  several 
months,  they  were  made  public.  The  town  was  at  once  in  a  violent  ferment.  A  commit- 
tee was  appointed  to  wait  upon  the  governor,  and  demand  an  acknowledgment  or  denial  of 
the  genuineness  of  the  letters.  He  owned  them  as  his,  but  declared  that  they  were  quite 
confidential.  This  qualification  was  not  considered  extenuating,  and  the  Assembly  adopted 
a  petition  to  the  king  for  the  removal  of  Governor  Hutchinson  and  Lieutenant-governor  Oli- 
ver, as  public  slanderers,  and  enemies  to  the  colony,  and,  as  such,  not  to  be  tolerated. 

This  petition  was  sent  to  Franklin,  who  was  instructed  to  present  it  in  person,  if  possible. 
This  request  could  not  be  granted.  He  sent  the  petition  to  Lord  Dartmouth,  then  at  hi? 
country  seat,  who  presented  it  to  the  king.  After  considerable  delay,  Franklin  was  inform- 
ed that  his  majesty  had  referred  it  to  his  Privy  Council.''  The  publication  of  the  letters  pro- 
duced excitement  in  England,  and  Franklin,  to  defend  innocent  parties,  frankly  took  upon 

'  Dr.  Gordon  says  (i.,  207)  that  the  system  of  Committees  of  Correspondence  originated  with  James  War- 
ren, who  suggested  them  to  Samuel  Adams  while  the  latter  was  passing  an  evening  with  the  former  at  Plym- 
outh. Adams,  pleased  with  the  suggestion,  communicated  it  to  the  leading  patriots  at  the  next  secret  cau- 
cus, and  that  powerful  engine  in  the  Revolution  was  speedily  put  in  motion. 

James  Warren  was  an  active  patriot.  He  was  descended  from  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Plj^mouth,  and 
was  greatly  esteemed  for  his  personal  worth.  He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  General  Court  of  Massachu- 
setts in  1760,  and,  though  not  a  brilliant  orator,  was  a  deep  and  original  thinker.  He  was  for  many  )-ears 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  retired  from  public  duties,  and  died 
at  Plymouth,  November  27th,  1808,  aged  eighty-two  years.  He  was  the  husband  of  Mercy  Warren,  the 
historian. 

*  The  names  of  the  several  writers  were  Andrew  Oliver,  Charles  Paxton,  Thomas  Moffatt,  Robert  Auch- 
muty,  Nathaniel  Rogers,  and  George  Rome.     Mr.  Whately  was  dead  when  the  letters  were  given  to  Franklin. 

^  The  late  Dr.  Hosack,  of  New  York,  in  his  memoir  of  Dr.  Hugh  Williamson,  published  in  1823,  asserts 
that  the  papers  were  put  into  Franklin's  hands  by  that  gentleman,  without  any  suggestion  on  his  part.  Will 
iamson  ouiained  them  by  stratagem  from  the  office  of  Mr.  Whately,  brother  of  the  late  Thomas  Whately, 
then  dead.  Mr.  Whately  suspected  that  Lord  Temple,  Pitt's  brother-in-law,  who  had  asked  permission  to 
examine  the  papers  of  Secretary  Whately,  was  the  man  who  abstracted  them,  and  placed  them  in  Frank- 
lin's hands.  Whately  charged  the  act  upon  Temple,  and  a  duel  was  the  result,  in  which  the  former  was 
wounded.  Of  this  affair  Franklin  knew  nothing  until  it  was  over.  In  justice  to  others,  he  took  the  respons- 
ibility upon  himself,  as  mentioned  in  the  text. 

*  The  Privy  r"ounci'  consists  if  the  cabinet  and  thirty-five  peers. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


495 


LoBD  Dahtmouth.' 

From  an  English  prmt 


Franklin  before  the  Privy  CouncQ.    Wedderburne's  Abuse.     Franklin's  Vow.     New  Taxation  Scheme.     East  India  Company 

himself  the  whole  responsibility  of  sending  them  to  America.      He  was  accordingly  sum- 
january29,     "^oned  before  the  Council,  where  he  appeared  without  a  legal  adviser.      Finding 

1774.  Wedderburne,  the  solicitor  general,  re- 
tained as  counsel  for  Hutchinson,  Franklin  asked 
and  obtained  leave  to  have  counsel  also.  He  em- 
ployed Mr.  Dunning,  one  of  the  ablest  Constitu 
tional  lawyers  of  the  day,  and  toward  the  close  of 
February  the  case  was  brought  before  the  Privy 
Council.  The  solicitor  general  made  a  bitter  at- 
tack upon  FrankUn,  accusing  him  of  dishonor  in 
procuring  private  letters  clandestinely,  and  charg- 
ing him  with  duplicity  and  wily  intrigue.  The 
philosophic  statesman  received  this  tirade  of  abuse 
in  silence,  and  without  any  apparent  emotion,  for 
he  was  conscious  that  he  had  violated  no  rule  of 
honor  or  integrity.  The  accusations  and  plead- 
ings of  Wedderburne  had  their  effect,  however.  '^^^^^^HHISRiB'  > //  ">~» 
His  abuse  greatly  pleased  the  peers,  and  the  pe- 
tition was  dismissed  as  "  groundless,  scandalous,  ^^mm 

and  vexatious."      A  few  days  afterward  Franklin  '  ^JfBHaBBI^^Bffi    /^.-  ^^^^t^ 

received  a  notice  of  his  dismissal  from  the  respons- 
ible and  lucrative  office  of  postmaster  general  for 
the  colonies.  This  was  an  act  of  spite  which  re- 
coiled fearfully  upon  ministers.' 

Early  in  1773  a  new  thought  upon  taxation  made  its  advent  into  the  brain  of  Lord  North. 
The  East  India  Company,^  feeling  the  effects  of  the  colonial  smuggling  trade,  and  of  the  non 
importation  agreements,  requested  the  government  to  take  off  the  duty  of  three  per  cent,  a 
pound  on  their  tea,  levied  in  America.  Already  seventeen  millions  of  pounds  had  accumu- 
lated in  their  stores  in  England,  and  they  offered  to  allow  government  to  retain  six  pence 
upon  the  pound  as  an  exportation  tariff,  if  they  would  take  off  the  three-pence  duty.  Here 
was  a  fair  and  honorable  opening  not  only  to  conciliate  the  colonies,  but  to  procure,  with- 
out expense,  double  the  amount  of  revenue.  But  the  ministry,  deluded  by  false  views  of 
national  honor,  would  not  take  advantage  of  this  excellent  opportunity  to  heal  the  dissensions 
and  disaffection  in  the  colonies,  but  stupidly  favored  the  East  India  Company,  and  utterly 

'  Lord  Dartmouth  succeeded  the  Earl  of  Hillsborough  in  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  for  the  colonies,' 
and  as  head  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  in  1772.  Dartmouth  was  considered  rather  friendly  to  the  colonies,  and 
he  and  Franklin  had  ever  been  on  terms  of  amity. 

*  On  returning  to  his  lodgings  that  night,  Franklin  took  off  the  suit  of  clothes  he  had  worn,  and  declared 
that  he  would  never  wear  it  again  until  he  should  sign  the  degradation  of  England  and  the  independence  of 
America.  He  kept  his  word,  and  more  than  ten  years  afterward,  when,  on  the  3d  of  September,  1783,  he 
signed  a  definitive  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Britain,  on  the  basis  of  absolute  independence  for  America,  he 
wore  the  same  suit  of  clothes  for  the  first  time  after  his  vow  was  uttered. 

^  The  East  India  Company,  still  in  existence,  is  a  joint-stock  company,  originally  established  to  carry  on 
a  trade  by  sea,  between  England  and  the  countries  lying  eastward  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  It  was  con- 
stituted by  royal  charter  in  1600,  and  enjoyed  the  monojwly  of  the  trade  in  those  remote  regions  until  1688, 
when  another  corporation  was  chartered.  The  two  united  in  1702,  and  the  monopoly  thus  granted  to  them 
was  continued,  by  successive  acts  of  Parliament,  until  1804.  It  then  received  some  important  modifications, 
and  the  charter  was  renewed  for  twenty  years.  In  1833  an  act  was  passed  extending  the  charter,  but  abol- 
ishing the  monopoly  of  the  China  trade,  which  the  company  had  enjoyed  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  years. 
This  company  planted  the  British  empire  in  India.  It  first  established  armed  factories,  and  for  many  years 
competed  with  the  French  for  the  trade  and  political  influence  in  the  surrounding  districts.  Under  the  pre- 
tense of  securing  honest  trade,  they  subdued  small  territories,  until  Lord  Clive.  the  governor  general  of  the 
company  in  India,  by  several  victories,  established  British  power  there,  and  obtained  a  sway  over  some  of 
the  fairest  portions  of  the  Mogul  empire.  At  the  present  time  the  British  Indian  empire  comprises  the 
whole  of  Hindostan,  from  the  Himalaya  Mountains  to  Cape  Comorin,  with  a  population  of  more  than  one 
hundred  and  twenty  millions !  At  the  time  undpr  consideration  the  East  India  Company  was  at  the  hci|:bt 
of  its  success,  commercial  and  political. 


496  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Tea  Ships  sail  for  America.    Preparation  for  their  Reception  at  Boston.    Treatment  of  the  Consignees.     Hand-bills  and  Placards. 

neglected  the  feelings  of  the  Americans.  It  was  a  sacrifice  of  principle  to  mammon  which 
produced  a  damage  that  no  subsequent  act  could  repair. 

On  the  10th  of  May  a  bill  was  passed,  allowing  the  company  to  export  tea  to  Amer- 
ica on  their  own  account,  without  paying  export  duty.  Ships  were  immediately  laden 
with  the  article,  and  in  a  few  weeks  several  large  vessels,  bearing  the  proscribed  plant,  were 
crossing  the  Atlantic  for  American  ports.  Agents  or  consignees  were  appointed  in  the  sev- 
eral colonies  to  receive  it,  and  the  ministry  fondly  imagined  that  they  had  at  last  outwitted 
the  vigilant  patriots. 

Information  of  this  movement  had  been,  received  in  the  colonies,  and,  before  the  compa- 
ny's vessels  arrived,  preparations  were  made  in  the  chief  cities  to  prevent  the  landing  of  the 
cargoes.  Public  meetings  were  held,  and  the  consignees  were  called  upon  to  resign.  In  Bos- 
ton the  consignees  were  known  to  the  public  ;  they  were  all  friends  of  Governor  Hutchinson. 
Two  were  his  sons,  and  one  (Richard  Clarke')  was  his  nephew.  They  were  summoned  to 
November  3      attend  a  meeting  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  convened  under  Liberty  Tree,  and  re- 

i~73.  gign  their  appointments,^  but  they  contemptuously  refused  to  comply.      This  meet- 

ing was  announced  by  the  town-crier  in  the  streets,  and  by  the  ringing  of  bells  for  an  hour. 
About  five  hundred  persons  assembled  at  the  tree,  from  the  top  of  which,  fastened  to  a  pole, 
a  large  flag  was  unfurled.  Two  days  afterward  a  legal  town  meeting  was  held,  at  which 
John  Hancock  presided.'  They  adopted  as  their  own  the  sentiments  of  eight  resolutions 
passed  at  a  public  meeting  in  Philadelphia  a  month  before,  and  appointed  a  committee  to 
wait  upon  the  consignees  and  request  them  to  resign.  These  gentlemen  equivocated,  and 
the  meeting  voted  their  answer  "  unsatisfactory  and  daringly  afirontive."  On  the  18th  an- 
November     Other  meeting  was  held,  and  a  committee  appointed  again  to  wait  upon  the  con- 

1773.  signees.  Their  answer  this  time  was  more  explicit.  "  It  is  out  of  our  power  to 
comply  with  the  request  of  the  town."  In  the  evening  the  house  of  Richard  Clarke  and  his 
sons,  in  School  Street,  was  surrounded  by  a  crowd.  A  pistol  was  fired  among  them  from 
the  dwelling,  and  was  responded  to  by  the  populace  breaking  the  windows. 

The  meeting,  on  receiving  the  reply  of  the  consignees,  broke  up  without  uttering  a  word. 
This  was  ominous  ;  the  consignees  were  alarmed,  for  it  was  evident  that  the  people  had  de- 
termined to  stop  talking,  and  henceforth  to  act.  The  governor  called  a  meeting  of  the  Coun- 
cil, and  asked  advice  respecting  measures  for  preserving  the  peace.  A  petition  was  presented 
by  the  consignees,  asking  leave  to  resign  their  appointments  into  the  hands  of  the  governor 

'  John  Singleton  Copley,  the  eminent  painter,  and  father  of  Lord  Lyndhurst,  married  a  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard Clarke.  Both  Copley  and  his  father-in-law  became  early  refugee  Loyalists,  and  fled  to  England,  where 
the  latter  was  pall-bearer  at  Governor  Hutchinson's  funeral  in  1780. 

^  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  hand-biU  that  advertised  the  meeting  : 

"  To  the  Freemen  of  this  and  the  neighboring  Towns. 
"  Gentlemen — You  are  desired  to  meet  at  the  Liberty  Tree  this  day  at  twelve  o'clock  at  noon,  then  and 
there  to  hear  the  persons  to  whom  the  tea  shipped  by  the  East  India  Company  is  consigned,  make  a  public 
resignation  of  their  offices  as  consignees,  upon  oath  ;  and  also  swear  that  they  will  reship  any  teas  that  may 
be  consigned  to  them  by  the  said  company,  by  the  first  vessel  sailing  to  London.  O.  C,  Sec'y. 

"  Boston,  November  3,  1773. 

"  Ct^  Show  me  the  man  that  dare  take  this  down!" 

The  following  hand-bill  was  also  circulated  about  the  same  time  : 

"  The  true  Sons  of  Liberty  and  supporters  of  the  non-importation  agreement  are  determmed  to  resent  any 
or  the  least  insult  or  menace  offered  to  any  one  or  more  of  the  several  committees  appointed  by  the  body  at 
Faneuil  Hall,  and  chastise  any  one  or  more  of  them  as  they  deserve ;  and  will  also  support  the  printers  in 
an}'  thing  the  committee  shall  desire  them  to  print. 

"  CtF^  As  a  warning  to  any  one  that  .shall  affront  as  aforesaid,  upon  sure  information  given,  one  of  these 
advertisements  will  be  posted  up  at  the  door  of  the  dwelling-house  of  the  offender." 

These  placards,  and  others  given  in  connection  with  the  tea  excitement,  I  copied  from  originals  preserved 
by  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  in  tome  marked  Proclamations. 

'  On  the  12th  the  captain  general  of  the  province  issued  an  order  for  the  Governor's  Cadets  (Bostonians) 
to  stand  ready  to  be  called  out  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  the  civil  magistrates  in  keeping  the  peace.  John 
Hancock  was  colonel  of  this  regiment. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  497 


Arrival  of  Tea  Ships.  Proceedings  in  Boston.  Monster  Meeting  at  the  "  Old  South."  Speech  of  Josiali  Quincy 

and  Council,  and  praying  them  to  take  measures  for  the  safe  landing  of  the  teas.  The 
prayer  was  refused  on  the  part  of  the  Council,  and  the  consignees,  for  safety,  withdrew  to 
the  castle. 

While  the  Council  was  thus  declining  to  interfere,  one  of  the  .ships  (the  Dartmouth.  Cap 
tain  Hall)  came  to  anchor  near  the  castle.  A  meeting  of  the  people  of  Boston  and  the  neigh- 
boring towns  was  convened  at  Faneuil  Hall,'  which  being  too  small  for  the  assembly,  it  ad- 
journed to  the  Old  South  Meeting-house.  They  resolved  "that  the  tea  shall  November'^ 
Qot  be  landed  ;  that  no  duty  shall  be  paid  ;   and  that  it  shall  be  sent  back  in  the  i"^. 

same  bottom."  They  also  voted  "  that  Mr.  Roch,  the  owner  of  the  vessel,  be  directed  not 
to  enter  the  tea  at  his  peril ;  and  that  Captain  Hall  be  informed,  and  at  his  peril,  not  to  suf- 
fer any  of  the  tea  to  be  landed."  The  ship  was  ordered  to  be  moored  at  Griffin's  Wharf,' 
and  a  guard  of  twenty-five  men  was  appointed  to  watch  her.  The  meeting  received  a  let- 
ter from  the  consignees,  offering  to  store  the  teas  until  they  could  write  to  England  and  re- 
ceive instructions,  but  the  people  were  determined  that  the  pernicious  weed  should  not  be 
landed.  The  offer  was  rejected  with  disdain.  The  sheriff  then  read  a  proclamation  by  the 
governor,  ordering  the  meeting  to  disperse  ;  it  was  received  with  hisses.  A  resolution  was 
then  passed,  ordering  the  vessels  of  Captains  Coffin  and  Bruce,  then  hourly  expected  with 
cargoes  of  tea,  to  be  moored  at  Griffin's  Wharf;  and,  after  solemnly  agreeing  to  carry  their 
resolves  into  execution  at  any  risk,  and  thanking  their  brethren  from  the  neighboring  towns, 
the  meeting  was  dissolved. 

From  that  time  until  the  14th  every  movement  on  the  part  of  the  people  re-  December 
lating  to  the  tea  was  in  charge  of  the  Boston  Committee  of  Correspondence.  The  i"'^- 
two  vessels  alluded  to  arrived,  and  were  moored  at  Griffin's  Wharf,  under  charge  of  the  vol- 
unteer guard,  and  public  order  was  well  observed.  On  the  14th  another  meeting  was  he'd 
in  the  Old  South,'  when  it  was  resolved  to  order  Mr.  Roch  to  ajjply  immediately  for  a  clear- 
ance for  his  ship,  and  send  her  to  sea.  The  governor,  in  the  mean  while,  had  taken  meas- 
ures to  prevent  her  sailing  out  of  the  harbor.  Under  his  direction,  Admiral  Montague  fitted 
out  two  armed  vessels,  which  he  stationed  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor ;  and  Colonel  Les- 
lie, in  command  of  the  castle,  received  Hutchinson's  written  orders  not  to  allow  any  vessel 
to  pass  the  guns  of  the  fortress  outward,  without  a  permission  signed  by  himself 

On  the  16th  several  thousand  people  (the  largest  meeting  ever  to  that  time  December 
known  in  Boston)  collected  in  the  Old  South  and  vicinity.  Samuel  Phillips  Sav-  i""^- 
age,  of  Weston,  presided.  The  youthful  Josiah  Quincy  was  the  principal  speaker,  an<3,  with 
words  almost  of  prophecy,  harangued -the  multitude  of  eager  and  excited  listeners.  "It  is 
not,  Mr.  Moderator,"  he  said,  "  the  spirit  that  vapors  within  these  walls  that  must  stand  us 
in  stead.  The  exertions  of  this  day  will  call  forth  events  which  will  make  a  very  different 
spirit  necessary  for  our  salvation.  Whoever  supposes  that  shouts  and  hosannas  will  term- 
inate the  trials  of  this  day  entertains  a  childish  fancy.  He  must  be  grossly  ignorant  of  the 
importance  and  value  of  the  prize  for  which  we  contend  ;  we  must  be  equally  ignorant  of 
the  power  of  those  who  have  combined  againt  us  ;  we  must  be  blind  to  that  malice,  invet- 
eracy, and  insatiable  revenge  which  actuate  our  enemies,  public  and  private,  abroad  and  in 

'  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  hand-bill  announcing  the  meeting.  The  Dartmouth  arrived  on  Sunday, 
and  this  placard  was  posted  all  over  Boston  early  on  Monday  morning : 

"  Friends  !  Brethren  !  Countrymen  ! — That  worst  of  plagues,  the  detested  Tea  shipped  for  this  port  by 
the  East  India  Company,  is  now  arrised  in  the  Harbor ;  the  Hour  of  Destruction,  or  manly  opposition  to  the 
Machinations  of  Tyranny,  stares  you  in  the  Face ;  every  Friend  to  his  Country,  to  himself,  and  to  Posterity 
is  now  called  upon  to  meet  at  Funeuil  Hall,  at  nino  o'clock  Tins  Day  (at  which  time  the  bells  will  ring),  tr) 
malce  united  and  successful  resistance  to  this  last,  worst,  and  most  destructive  measure  of  adminiBtration. 
"  Boston,  November  29,  1773." 

*  This  was  a  little  south  of  Fort  Hill,  near  the  present  Liverpool  Dock. 

'  The  notice  for  the  meeting  was  as  follows : 

"  Friends  !  Brethren  !  Countrj-men  ! — The  perfidious  arts  of  your  restless  enemies  to  render  ineflectua' 
the  resolutions  of  the  body  of  the  people,  demand  your  assembling  at  the  Old  South  Meeting-house  preci.'civ 
at  two  o'clock  this  day,  at  which  time  the  bells  will  ring." 

Il 


498  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Close  of  Quincy's  Speech.     Breaking  up  of  the  Meeting.     Destruction  of  Tea  in  the  Harbor.     Apathy  of  Government  Officials. 

our  bosom.s,  to  hope  that  we  shall  end  this  controversy  without  the  sharpest,  the  sharpest 
<5onfiicts — to  flatter  ourselves  that  popular  resolves,  popular  harangues,  popular  acclamations, 
and  popular  vapor  will  vanquish  our  foes.  Let  us  consider  the  issue.  Let  us  look  to  the 
end.  Let  us  weigh  and  consider  before  we  advance  to  those  measures  which  must  bring  on 
the  most  trying  and  terrible  struggle  this  country  ever  saw."' 

When  Mr.  Quincy  closed  his  harangue  (about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon),  the  question 
was  put,  "  Will  you  abide  by  your  former  resolutions  with  respect  to  not  suffering  the  tea  to 
be  landed  ?"  The  vast  assembly,  as  with  one  voice,  gave  an  affirmative  reply.  Mr.  Roch, 
in  the  mean  while,  had  been  sent  to  the  governor,  who  was  at  his  country  house  at  Milton, 
a  few  miles  from  Boston,  to  request  a  permit  for  his  vessel  to  leave  the  harbor.  A  demand 
was  also  made  upon  the  collector  for  a  clearance,  but  he  refused  until  the  tea  should  be  landed.' 
Roch  returned  late  in  the  afternoon  with  information  that  the  governor  refused  to  grant  a 
permit  until  a  clearance  should  be  exhibited.  The  meeting  was  greatly  excited  ;  and,  as 
twilight  was  approaching,  a  call  was  made  for  candles.  At  that  moment  a  person  disguised 
like  a  Mohawk  Indian  raised  the  war-whoop  in  the  gallery  of  the  Old  South,  which  was  an- 
swered from  without.  Another  voice  in  the  gallery  shouted,  "  Boston  Harbor  a  tea-pot  to- 
night !  Hurra  for  Griffin's  Wharf  I"  A  motion  was  instantly  made  to  adjourn,  and  the  peo- 
ple, in  great  confusion,  crowded  into  the  streets.  Several  persons  in  disguise  were  seen  cross- 
ing Fort  Hill  in  the  direction  of  Griffin's  W^harf,  and  thitherward  the  populace  pressed. 

Concert  of  action  marked  the  operations  at  the  wharf;  a  general  system  of  proceedings 
had  doubtless  been  previously  arranged.  The  number  of  persons  disguised  as  Indians  was 
fifteen  or  twenty,  but  about  sixty  went  on  board  the  vessels  containing  the  tea.  Before  the 
work  was  over,  it  was  estimated  that  one  hundred  and  forty  were  engaged.  A  man  named 
Lendall  Pitts  seems  to  have  been  recognized  by  the  party  as  a  sort  of  commander-in-chief, 
and  under  his  directions  the  Dartmouth  was  first  boarded,  the  hatches  were  taken  up,  and 
her  cargo,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen  chests  of  tea,  was  brought  on  deck,  where 
the  boxes  were  broken  open  and  their  contents  cast  into  the  water.  The  other  two  vessels 
(the  Eleanor,  Captain  James  Bruce,  and  the  Beaver,  Captain  Hezekiah  Coffin)  were  next 
boarded,  and  all  the  tea  they  contained  was  thrown  into  the  harbor.  The  whole  quantity 
thus  destroyed  within  the  space  of  two  hours  was  three  hundred  and  forty-two  chests. 

It  was  an  early  hour  on  a  clear,  moonlight  evening  when  this  transaction  took  place,  and 
the  British  squadron  was  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  British  troops,  too, 
were  near,  yet  the  whole  proceeding  was  uninterrupted.  This  apparent  apathy  on  the  part 
of  government  officers  can  be  accounted  for  only  by  the  fact  alluded  to  by  the  papers  of  the 
time,  that  something  far  more  serious  was  expected  on  the  occasion  of  an  attempt  to  land 
the  tea,  and  that  the  owners  of  the  vessels,  as  well  as  the  public  authorities,  felt  themselves 

'  Josiah  Qiiincy  was  born  in  Boston,  February  23d,  1744.  As  a  student  he  was  remarkably  persever- 
ing, and  with  unblemished  reputation  he  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1763.  He  pursued  legal  studies  under 
the  celebrated  Oxenbridge  Thacher,  of  Boston.  The  circumstances  of  the  times  tui-ned  his  thoughts  to  po- 
litical topics,  and  he  took  sides  with  Otis,  Adams,  and  others,  against  the  aggressive  policy  of  Britain.  As 
early  as  1768  he  used  this  bold  language :  "Did  the  blood  of  the  ancient  Britons  .swell  our  veins,  did  the 
spirit  of  our  forefathers  inhabit  our  breasts,  should  we  hesitate  a  moment  in  preferring  death  to  a  miserable 
existence  in  bondage?"  In  1770  he  declared,  "I  wish  to  see  my  countrymen  break  off — off  forever .'  all 
social  intercourse  with  those  whose  commerce  contaminates,  whose  luxuries  poison,  whose  avarice  is  insa- 
tiable, and  whose  unnatural  oppressions  are  not  to  be  borne."  Mr.  Quincy  was  associated  with  John  Adams 
in  the  defense  of  the  perpetrators  of  the  "  Boston  massacre"  in  1770,  and  did  not  by  that  defense  alienate 
the  wood  opinion  of  the  people.  In  February,  1771,  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  the  south  on  account  of  a  pul- 
monary complaint.  At  Charleston  he  formed  an  acquaintance  with  Pinckney,  Rutledge,  and  other  patriots, 
and,  returning  by  land,  conferred  with  other  leading  Whigs  in  the  several  colonies.  Continued  ill  health, 
and  a  desire  to  make  hhnself  acquainted  with  English  statesmen,  induced  him  to  make  a  voyage  to  England 
in  1774,  where  he  had  personal  inten-iews  with  most  of  the  leading  men.  He  asserts  that,  while  there,  Col- 
onel Barre,  who  had  traveled  in  America,  assured  him  that  such  was  the  ignorance  of  the  English  people, 
two  thirds  of  them  thought  the  Americans  were  all  negroes  !  Becoming  fully  acquainted  with  the  feelings 
and  intentions  of  the  king  and  his  ministers,  and  hopeless  of  reconciliation,  Mr.  Quincy  determined  to  return 
and  arouse  his  countrj^men  to  action.  He  embarked  for  Boston,  with  declining  health,  in  March,  and  died 
when  the  vessel  was  in  sight  of  land,  April  26th,  1775,  aged  thirty-one  years. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


499 


Enst  India  Company  the  only  Losers.       Quiet  in  Bo!>ton.       A  Smuggler  punished.       Names  of  Members  of  the  "  Tea  Party." 

placed  under  lasting  obligations  to  the  rioters  for  extricating  them  from  a  serious  dilemma.' 
They  certainly  would  have  been  worsted  in  an  attempt  forcibly  to  land  the  tea.      In  the 

actual  result  the  vessels  and  other  property 
were  spared  from  injury  ;  the  people  of  Bos- 
ton, having  carried  their  resolution  into  ef- 
fect, were  satisfied  ;  the  courage  of  the  civil 
and  military  oHicers  was  unimpeached,  and 
the  "national  honor"  was  not  compromised; 
None  but  the  East  India  Company,  whose 
property  was  destroyed,  had  reason  for  com- 
plaint. As  soon  as  the  work  of  destruction 
was  completed,  the  active  party  marched 
in  perfect  order  into  the  town,  preceded  by 
drum  and  fife,  dispersed  to  their  homes,  and 
Boston,  untarnished  by  actual  mob  or  riot,' 
was  never  more  tranquil  than  on  that  bright 
and  frosty  December  night. 

A  large  proportion  of  those  who  were  en- 
gaged in  the  destruction  of  the  tea  were  dis- 
guised, either  by  a  sort  of  Indian  costume  or 
by  blacking  their  faces.  Many,  however, 
were  fearless  of  consequences,  and  boldly 
employed  their  hands  without  concealing 
their  faces  from  the  bright  light  of  the  moon. 
The  names  of  fifty-nine  of  the  participators 
in  the  act  have  been  preserved,'  but  only 
one  of  the  men,  so  far  as  is  known,  is  still  liv- 
ing. This  is  David  Kinnison,  of  Chicago, 
Illinois,  whose  portrait  and  sign  manual  are 
here  given.      The  engraving  is  from  a  Daguerreotype  from  life,  taken  in  August,  1848,  when 

'  A  "  Bostonian,"  in  his  "  Traits  of  the  Tea  Party,"  on  the  authority  of  G.  R.  T.  Hewes,  one  of  the  sur- 
vivors, says  that  Admiral  Montague  was  at  the  house  of  a  Tory  named  Coffin  during  the  transaction,  and 
that,  when  the  party  marched  from  the  wharf,  he  raised  the  window  and  said,  "  Well,  boys,  you've  had  a 
fine,  pleasant  evening  for  your  Indian  caper,  haven't  you  ?  But  mind,  you  have  got  to  pay  the  fiddler  yet !" 
'*  Oh,  never  mind  !"  shouted  Pitts,  the  leader ;  "  never  mind,  squire  !  just  come  out  here,  if  you  please,  and 
we'll  settle  the  bill  in  two  minutes."  The  populace  raised  a  shout,  the  fifer  struck  up  a  lively  air,  and  the 
admiral  shut  the  window  in  a  hurry. 

'  Some,  whose  acquisitiveness  overmatched  their  patriotism,  were  pretty  severely  handled  during  the  de- 
struction of  the  cargoes.  One  Charles  O'Connor  was  detected  filling  his  pockets  and  "  the  lining  of  his  doub- 
let" with  tea  while  assisting  to  throw  the  broken  chests  overboard.  He  was  completely  stripped  of  his  clothes 
and  kicked  ashore.  A  man  was  found  at  South  Boston  a  few  days  afterward,  with  part  of  a  chest  of  tea, 
which  he  had  carried  away  from  the  harbor.  He  had  sold  some.  They  made  him  give  up  the  money,  and 
then,  taking  the  remainder  of  the  chest,  they  made  a  bonfire  of  it  on  the  common,  in  front  of  Mr.  Hancock's 
house.     Some  of  the  tea  is  preser\'ed  at  Harvard  College. 

'  The  following  is  a  list  of  those  known  to  have  been  engaged  in  destroying  the  tea  : 

George  R.  T.  Hewes,*  Joseph  Shed,  John  Crane,  Josiah  Wheeler,  Thomas  Uranu,  Adam  Colson,  Thomas 
Chase,  S.  Cooledge,  Joseph  Payson,  James  Brewer,  Thomas  Bolter,  Edward  Proctor,  Samuel  Sloper,  Thomas 
Gerrish,  Nathaniel  Green,  Thomas  Mellville,  Henry  Purkett,*  Edward  C.  How,  Ebenezcr  Stevens,  Nichola.s 
Campbell,  John  Russell,  Thomas  Porter,  William  Hurdley,  Benjamin  Rice,  Samuel  Gore,  Nathaniel  Froih- 
ingham,  Moses  Grant,  Peter  Slater.*  James  Starr,  Abraham  Tower,  Isaac  Simpson,*  Joseph  Eayres,  Joseph 
Lee,  William  Molineux,  Paul  Revere,  John  Spurr,  Thomas  Moore,  S.  Howard,  Mathew  Loring,  Thomas 
Spear,  Daniel  Ingollson,  Jonathan  Hunnewell,*  John  Hooten,*  Richard  Hunnewell,  William  Pierce,*  Will- 
iam Russell,  T.  Gammell,  Mr.  Mintosh,*  Dr.  Young,  Mr.  Wyeth,  Edward  Dolbicr,  Mr.  Martin,  Samuel 
Peck,  Lendall  Pitts,  Samuel  Sprague,*  Benjamin  Clarke,  John  Prince,*  Richard  Hunnewell,  Jr.,  David  Kin- 
nison.*    Many  of  these  were  merely  lads  at  the  time. 


*  These  were  living  in  1836.    All  are  now  in  the  grave.    Mr.  Kinnison  died  in  1651 ,  at  the  age  of  115  years 


GOO 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Age  of  Mr.  Kiiinison.  Events  of  his  Life.  Escape  from  Wounds  during  the  Wars.  Subsequent  personal  Injuries. 

the  veteran  was  one  hundred  and  eleven  years  and  nine  months  old.  He  was  alive  a  few 
weeks  since  (January,  1850),  in  his  one  hundred  and  fourteenth  year.  Through  the  kind- 
ness of  a  friend  at  Chicago,  I  procured  the  Daguerreotype,  and  the  following  sketch  of  his  life 
from  his  own  lips.      The  signature  was  written  by  the  patriot  upon  the  manuscript. 

David  Kinnison  was  born  the  17th  of  November,  1736,  in  Old  Kingston,  near  Ports- 
mouth, province  of  Maine.  Soon  afterward  his  parents  removed  to  Brentwood,  and  thence 
in  a  few  years  to  Lebanon  (Maine),  at  which  place  he  followed  the  business  of  farming  un- 
til the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  is  descended  from  a  long-lived  race. 
His  great-grandfather,  who  came  from  England  at  an  early  day,  and  settled  in  Maine,  lived 
to  a  very  advanced  age  ;  his  grandfather  attained  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  twelve  years 
and  ten  days  ;  his  father  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years  and  nine  months  ; 
his  mother  died  while  he  was  young. 

He  has  had  four  wives,  neither  of  whom  is  now  living ;  he  had  four  children  by  his  first 
wife  and  eighteen  by  his  second  ;  none  by  the  last  two.  He  was  taught  to  read  after  he 
was  sixty  years  of  age,  by  his  granddaughter,  and  learned  to  sign  his  name  while  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution,  which  is  all  the  writing  he  has  ever  accomplished. 

He  was  one  of  seventeen  inhabitants  of  Lebanon  who,  some  time  previous  to  the  "  Tea 
Party,"  formed  a  club  which  held  secret  meetings  to  deliberate  upon  the  grievances  offered 
by  the  mother  country.  These  meetings  were  held  at  the  tavern  of  one  "  Colonel  Gooding," 
in  a  private  room  hired  for  the  occasion.  The  landlord,  though  a  true  American,  was  not 
5nlightened  as  to  the  object  of  their  meeting.  Similar  clubs  were  formed  in  Philadelphia, 
Boston,  and  the  towns  around.  With  these  the  Lebanon  Club  kept  up  a  correspondence. 
They  (the  Lebanon  Club)  determined,  whether  assisted  or  not,  to  destroy  the  tea  at  all  haz- 
ards. They  repaired  to  Boston,  where  they  were  joined  by  others  ;  and  twenty-four,  dis- 
guised as  Indians,  hastened  on  board,  twelve  armed  with  muskets  and  bayonets,  the  rest  with 
tomahawks  and  clubs,  having  first  agreed,  whatever  might  be  the  result,  to  stand  by  each 
other  to  the  last,  and  that  the  first  man  who  faltered  should  be  knocked  on  the  head  and 
thrown  over  with  the  tea.  They  expected  to  have  a  fight,  and  did  not  doubt  that  an  effort 
would  be  made  for  their  arrest.  "  But"  (in  the  language  of  the  old  man)  "  we  cared  no 
more  for  our  lives  than  three  straws,  and  determined  to  throw  the  tea  overboard.  We  were 
all  captains,  and  every  one  commanded  himself"  They  pledged  themselves  in  no  event, 
while  it  should  be  dangerous  to  do  so,  to  reveal  the  names  of  the  party — a  pledge  which  was 
faithfully  observed  until  the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  brought  to  a  successful  issue. 

Mr.  Kinnison  was  in  active  service  during  the  whole  war,  only  returning  home  once  from 
the  time  of  the  destruction  of  the  tea  until  peace  had  been  declared.  He  participated  in  the 
affair  at  Lexington,  and,  with  his  father  and  two  brothers,  was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
all  four  escaping  unhurt.  He  was  within  a  few  feet  of  Warren  when  that  officer  fell.  He 
was  also  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Boston  ;  the  battles  of  Long  Island,  White  Plains,  and  Fort 
Washington  ;  skirmishes  on  Staten  Island,  the  battles  ofBrandywine,  Red  Bank,  and  German- 
town  ;  and,  lastly,  in  a  skirmish  at  Saratoga  Springs,  in  which  his  company  (scouts)  were 
surrounded  and  captured  by  about  three  hundred  Mohawk  Indians.  He  remained  a  prisoner 
with  them  one  year  and  seven  months,  about  the  end  of  which  time  peace  was  declared. 
After  the  war  he  settled  at  Danville,  Vermont,  and  engaged  in  his  old  occupation  of  farming. 
He  resided  there  eight  years,  and  then  removed  to  Wells,  in  the  state  of  Maine,  where  he 
remained  until  the  commencement  of  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain.  He  was  in  service 
during  the  whole  of  that  war,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Sackett's  Harbor  and  Williamsburg. 
In  the  latter  conflict  he  was  badly  wounded  in  the  hand  by  a  grape-shot,  the  only  injury 
which  he  received  in  all  his  engagements. 

Since  the  war  he  has  lived  at  Lyme  and  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  New  York.  At  Lyme, 
while  engaged  in  felling  a  tree,  he  was  struck  down  by  a  limb,  which  fractured  his  skull 
and  broke  his  collar-bone  and  two  of  his  ribs.  While  attending  a  "  training"  at  Sackett's 
Harbor,  one  of  the  cannon,  having  been  loaded  (as  he  says)  "  with  rotten  wood,"  was  dis- 
charged.    The  contents  struck  the  end  of  a  rail  close  by  him  with  such  force  as  to  carry  it 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


501 


No  Knowledge  of  bis  Children.         His  Person  and  Circumstances.         Speech  at  a  "  Free  Soil"  Meeting.  G.  R.  T.  Hcwes. 

around,  breaking  and  badly  shattering  both  his  legs  midway  between  his  ankles  and  knees. 
He  was  confined  a  long  time  by  this  wound,  and,  when  able  again  to  walk,  both  legs  had 
contracted  permanent  "  fever  sores."  His  right  hip  has  been  drawn  out  of  joint  by  rheuma- 
tism. A' large  scar  upon  his  forehead  bears  conclusive  testimony  of  its  having  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  heels  of  a  horse.  In  his  own  language,  he  "  has  been  completely  bunged  up 
and  stove  in." 

When  last  he  heard  of  his  children  there  were  but  seven  of  the  twenty-two  living.  These 
were  scattered  abroad,  from  Canada  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  has  entirely  lost  all  traces 
of  them,  and  knows  not  that  any  are  still  living. 

Nearly  five  years  ago  he  went  to  Chicago  with  the  family  of  William  Mack,  with  whom 
he  is  now  living.  He  is  reduced  to  extreme  poverty,  and  depends  solely  upon  his  pension  of 
ninety-si.Y  dollars  per  annum  for  subsistence,  most  of  which  he  pays  for  his  board.  Occasion- 
ally he  is  assisted  by  private  donations.  Up  to  1 848  he  has  always  made  something  by  labor. 
"  The  last  season,"'  says  my  informant,  "  he  told  me  he  gathered  one  hundred  bushels  of  corn, 
dug  potatoes,  made  hay,  and  harvested  oats.  But  now  he  finds  himself  too  infirm  to  labor, 
though  he  thinks  he  could  walk  twenty  miles  in  a  day  by  •  starting  early.'  " 

He  has  evidently  been  a  very  muscular  man.  Although  not  large,  his  frame  is  one  of 
great  power.  He  boasts  of  "  the  strength  of  former  years."  Nine  years  ago,  he  says,  he 
lifted  a  barrel  of  rum  into  a  wagon  with  ease.  His  height  is  about  five  feet  ten  inches,  with 
an  expansive  chest  and  broad  shoulders.  He  walks  somewhat  bent,  but  with  as  much  vigor 
as  many  almost  half  a  century  younger.  His  eye  is  usually  somewhat  dim,  but,  when  ex- 
cited by  the  recollection  of  his  past  eventful  life,  it  twinkles  and  rolls  in  its  socket  with  re- 
markable activity.  His  memory  of  recent  events  is  not  retentive,  while  the  stirring  scenes 
through  which  he  passed  in  his  youth  appear  to  be  mapped  out  upon  his  mind  in  unfading 
colors.  He  is  fond  of  martial  music.  The  drum  and  fife  of  the  recruiting  service,  he  says, 
"  daily  put  new  life  into  him."  "  In  fact,"  he  says,  "  it's  the  sweetest  music  in  the  world. 
There's  some  sense  in  the  drum,  and  fife,  and  bugle,  but  these  pianos  and  other  such  trash 
I  can't  stand  at  all." 

Many  years  ago  he  was  troubled  with  partial  deafness  ;  his  sight  also  failed  him  some- 
what, and  he  was  compelled  to  use  glasses.  Of  late  years  both  hearing  and  sight  have  re- 
turned to  him  as  perfectly  as  he  ever  j)os- 
sessed  them.  He  is  playful  and  cheerful 
in  his  disposition.  "  I  have  seen  him," 
says  my  informant,  "  for  hours  upon  the 
side-walk  with  the  little  children,  entering 
with  uncommon  zest  into  their  childish 
pastimes.  He  relishes  a  joke,  and  often 
indulges  in  '  cracking  one  himself  " 

At  a  public  meeting,  in  the  summer  of 
1848,  of  those  opposed  to  the  extension  of 
slavery,  Mr.  Kinnison  took  the  stand  and 
addressed  the  audience  with  marked  eflbct. 
He  declared  that  he  fought  for  the  "  free- 
dom of  all,"  that  freedom  ought  to  be  given 
to  the  "  black  boys,"  and  closed  by  exhort- 
ing his  audience  to  do  all  in  their  power  to 

ABOLISH  SLAVERY. 

The  portrait  of  another  member  of  the 
^^^        y^      x-'v*     ^^y^^  "  ^°^^°^  T^*  Party,"  Georce  Robert 

^W  y^^^  ^y  ^^^'^^^^'^^  Twelve  Hewes,  is  preserved.  I  have 
C^  ^^    copied  it,  by  permission,  from  the  "Traits 

of  the  Tea  Party,  and  Memoir  of  Hewes."  He  was  born  in  Boston,  on  the  5th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1  742.      His  early  opportunities  for  acquiring  education  were  very  small.      To  Mrs.  Tin- 


502  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Character  and  Patriotism  of  Hewes.  His  Death.  Excitement  in  Parliament  in  Consequence  of  the  Boston  Tea  Riot 

kum.  wife  of  the  to\vn-crier,  he  was  indebted  for  his  knowledge  of  reading  and  writing.  Farm- 
ing, fishing,  and  shoe-making  seem  to  have  been  the  chief  employment  of  his  earlier  years. 
In  1758  he  attempted  to  enlist  in  the  army  to  serve  against  the  French,  but  did  not  "  pass 
muster  ;"  he  was  equally  unsuccessful  in  attempts  to  join  the  navy,  and  then  resumed  shoe* 
making.  In  the  various  disturbances  in  Boston  from  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  Hewes,  who  was  both  excitable  and  patriotic,  was  generally  concerned.  He  was  among 
the  foremost  in  the  destruction  of  the  tea  at  Boston.  When  the  Americans  invested  the  city, 
and  many  patriots  were  shut  up  under  the  vigilant  eyes  of  the  British  officers,  Hewes  was 
among  them.  He  managed  to  escape,  and  entered  the  naval  service  of  the  colonies  as  a  pri- 
vateer, in  which  he  was  somewhat  successful.  Afterward  he  joined  the  army,  and  was  sta- 
tioned for  a  time  at  West  Point,  under  General  M'Dougal.  He  was  never  in  any  land  bat- 
tle, except  with  the  Cow  Boys  and  Skinners,  as  they  were  called,  of  the  neutral  ground  of 
West  Chester.  After  the  Revolution  he  returned  to  Boston,  and  again  engaged  in  business 
upon  the  sea.  He,  like  Kinnison,  was  one  of  the  thousands  of  that  time  utterly  unknown  to 
the  world,  except  within  the  small  love-circle  of  family  relationship  and  neighborly  regard ; 
and  even  this  present  slight  embalming  of  their  memory  would  not  have  occurred,  had  not  the 
contingency  of  great  longevity  distinguished  them  from  other  men.  Although  personally  un- 
known, their  deeds  are  felt  in  the  political  blessings  we  enjoy.  When  the  Bunker  Hill  Mon- 
ument was  completed  and  was  dedicated,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1843,  Mr.  Hewes,  then  one 
hundred  and  one  years  old,  was  there,  and  honored  by  all.  Returning  to  the  resid'mce  of 
his  son,  at  Richfield,  in  Otsego  county.  New  York,  some  sixty  miles  west  of  the  Hudson,  he 
soon  went  down  into  the  grave,  when  more  than  a  century  old,  "  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe." 
The  events  of  the  16th  of  December  produced  a  deep  sensation  throughout  the  Brit- 
ish realm.  They  struck  a  sympathetic  chord  in  every  colony,  and  even  Canada,  Hal- 
ifax, and  the  West  Indies  had  no  serious  voice  of  censure  for  the  Bostonians.  But  the  min- 
isterial party  here  and  the  public  in  England  were  amazed  at  the  audacity  of  the  American 
people  ;  and  the  friends  of  the  colonists  in  Parliament  were,  for  a  moment,  silent,  for  they 
had  no  excuse  to  make  in  behalf  of  their  transatlantic  friends  for  destroying  private  property. 
But  with  the  intelligence  of  the  event  went  an  intimation  that  the  town  of  Boston  was  ready 
to  pay  the  East  India  Company  for  the  tea,  and  so  the  question  rested  at  once  upon  its  orig- 
inal basis — the  right  of  Great  Britain  to  tax  the  colonies.  Ministers  were  bitterly  indig- 
nant, and  the  House  of  Lords  was  like  a  "  seething  caldron  of  impotent  rage."  The  al- 
leged honesty  of  the  Americans  was  entirely  overlooked,  and  ministers  and  their  friends  saw 
nothing  but  open  rebellion  in  the  Massachusetts  colony.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  king 
did  not  send  a  message  to  Parliament  on  the  subiect  until  the  7th  of  March,  several 

1774.  . 

weeks  after  the  disturbances  at  Boston  were  known  to  government.  Then  he  detailed 
the  proceedings,  and  his  message  was  accompanied  by  a  variety  of  papers,  consisting  of  let- 
ters from  Hutchinson,  Admiral  Montague,  and  the  consignees  of  the  tea  ;  the  dispatches  of 
several  colonial  governors  (for  menaces  of  similar  violent  measures  had  been  uttered  in  other 
colonies) ;  and  some  of  the  most  exciting  manifestoes,  hand-bills,  and  pamphlets  put  forth  by 
the  Americans.  The  king,  in  his  message,  called  upon  Parliament  to  devise  means  imme- 
diately to  suppress  these  tumultuous  proceedings  in  the  colonies. 

On  the  receipt  of  the  message  and  the  accompanying  papers  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
an  address  of  thanks  to  the  king,  and  of  assurances  that  he  should  be  sustained  in  his  efforts 
to  preserve  order  in  America,  was  proposed.  This  proposition,  with  the  message  and  papers, 
produced  great  excitement,  and  the  House  became,  according  to  Burke,  "  as  hot  as  Faneuil 
Hall  or  the  Old  South  Meeting-house  at  Boston."  The  debate  that  ensued  was  excessively 
stormy.  Ministers  and  their  supporters  charged  open  rebellion  upon  the  colonies,  while  the 
opposition  denounced,  in  the  strongest  language  which  common  courtesy  could  tolerate,  the 
foolish,  unjust,  and  wicked  course  of  the  government.  They  reviewed  the  past ;  but  minis- 
ters, tacitly  acknowledging  past  errors,  objected  to  retrospection,  and  earnestly  pleaded  for 
strict  attention  to  the  momentous  present.  They  asked  whether  the  colonies  were  or  were 
not  longer  to  be  considered  dependent  upon  Great  Britain,  and,  if  so,  how  far  and  in  what 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


50 


The  Boston  Port  Bill  proposed  and  adopted.       Debates  in  Parliament       Apparent  Defection  of  Conway  and  Barr6.       Burko 


mt. 


manner.  If  it  was  decided  not  to  pive  them  up  to  independence,  then  ministers  were  ready 
to  act  efficiently.  This  question  they  wished  settled  as  preliminary  to  I'urlher  action.  The 
appeal  struck  upon  a  tender  chord,  and  awakened  national  sympathies ;  the  address  was 
adopted  by  an  overwhelming:  majority,  without  a  division. 

Feeling  his  position  strengthened  by  this  vote.  Lord  North  brought  forth  the  first  of  his 
vigorous  schemes  for  subjugating  the  colonies  and  punishing  the  town  of  Boston.  On  the 
14th  of  March  he  offered  a  bill  which  provided  for  the  removal  of  customs,  courts  of 
justice,  and  government  officers  of  every  kind  from  Boston  to  Salem  ;  and  that  "  tho 
landing,  discharging,  and  shipping  of  wares  and  merchandise  at  Boston,  or  within  the  harbor 
thereof,"  should  be  discontinued.  It  provided,  also,  that  when  the  Bostonians  should  fully 
submit,  the  king  should  have  the  power  to  open  the  port.'  This  was  tho  famous  Boston 
Port  Bill,  an  act  which  crushed  the  trade  of  the  city,  and  brought  the  greatest  distress  upon 
its  inhabitants.  Lord  North  justified  the  harsh  measure,  by  asserting  that  Boston  was  the 
center  of  rebellious  commotion  in  America,  "  the  ringleader  in  every  riot,  and  set  always  the 
example  which  others  followed."  He  thought  that  to  inflict  a  signal  penalty  upon  that  city 
would  strike  at  the  root  of  the  evil,  and  he  referred  to  precedents  where  whole  communities 
had  been  punished  for  the  crimes  of  some  of  their 
members.  The  most  violent  language  was  used, 
by  some  of  the  supporters  of  the  ministers,  against 
the  Americans.  "  They  are  never  actuated  by 
decency  or  reason ;  they  always  choose  tarring 
and  feathering  as  an  argument,"  said  Mr.  Her- 
bert. Mr.  Van,  another  ministerial  supporter, 
denounced  the  people  of  Boston  as  utterly  unwor- 
thy of  civilized  forbearance.  "  They  ought  to 
have  their  town  knocked  about  their  ears  and  de- 
stroyed I"  he  exclaimed,  and  concluded  his  tirade 
of  abuse  by  quoting  the  factious  cry  of  old  Roman 
orators,  "  Delenda  est  Carthago."''  Mr.  Rose 
Fuller  proposed  the  imposition  of  a  fine  ;  and 
even  Barre  and  Conway,  the  undaunted  friend.s 
of  America,  approved  of  the  measure  as  lenient, 
and  afTecting  only  a  single  town.  They  voted 
for  the  bill,  and  for  this  apparent  disaffection  the 
people  of  Boston  removed  their  portraits  from 
Faneuil  Hall.  But  Burke,  who  at  that  time 
began  his  series  of  splendid  orations  in  favor  of 
American  liberty,  denounced  the  whole  scheme  as  essentially  unjust,  by  confounding  and  pun- 


EOMCND  BUBJCX.^ 

From  au  Engluh  pnnl 


'  Tfie  celebrated  Charles  James  Fox,  son  of  Lord  Holland,  made  his  first  speech  in  Parliament  on  this 
bill.  It  was  a  strange  beginning  of  his  brilliant  career.  He  objected  to  the  power  vested  in  the  British  crown 
to  reopen  the  port  of  Boston.     Neither  party  supported  his  suggestion. 

*  "  Carthage  must  be  destroyed.''''  This  phrase  was  often  used  by  Roman  orators  to  excite  the  people  to 
the  utter  destruction  of  Carthage,  then  the  rival  of  the  great  city.  During  the  revolutionary  mania  among 
the  French  this  sentiment  was  often  quoted  as  a  threat  against  England. 

*  Edmund  Burke,  one  of  England's  greatest  statesmen,  was  born  in  Carlow,  in  Ireland,  January  1st,  1730. 
He  was  educated  at  Dublin,  and  took  his  bachelor's  degree  in  1749.  In  1753,  having  been  un.succe.ssful  in 
his  application  for  the  logic  professorship  at  Glasgow,  he  went  to  London  and  entered  at  tho  Middle  Tem- 
ple. He  early  eniployed  his  pen  in  literature  and  his  eloquence  in  politics.  His  first  literary  production 
of  note  was  an  essay  on  the  Vindication  of  Natural  Society,  in  imitation  of  Bolingbroke's  style.  In  1757 
he  published  his  essay  on  the  Sublime  and  Beautiful.  In  1758  he  and  Dodsweli  commenced  the  Annual 
Register,  which  acquired  great  celebrity.  He  accompanied  Gerard  (or  Single  Speech)  Hamilton  to  Ireland 
la  1761,  and,  by  the  interposition  of  that  gentleman,  obtained  a  pension  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  on  the 
Irish  Establi-shment.  On  his  return  he  was  introduced  to  the  ^^larquis  of  Rockingham,  who  made  him  his 
secretary,  and  procured  his  election  to  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Commons.  There  he  eloquently  and  efficient- 
ly pleaded  the  cause  of  the  Americans.     On  the  downfall  of  North's  administration  he  became  pay-master 


504 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


1 


Opposition  in  Parliament  to  the  Boston  Port  Bill.         Passage  of  the  Bill.        Goldsmith's  "Retaliation."        Epitaph  for  Burke. 

ishing  the  innocent  with  the  guilty.  "  It  is  wished,  then,"  he  said,  "  to  condemn  the  ac- 
cused without  a  hearing,  to  punish  indiscriminately  the  innocent  with  the  guilty  I  You  will 
thus  irrevocably  alienate  the  hearts  of  the  colonies  from  the  mother  country.  Before  the 
adoption  of  so  violent  a  measure,  the  principal  merchants  of  the  kingdom  should  at  least  be 
consulted.  The  bill  is  unjust,  since  it  bears  only  upon  the  city  of  Boston,  while  it  is  noto- 
rious that  all  America  is  in  flames ;  that  the  cities  of  Philadelphia,  of  New  York,  and  all 
the  maritime  towns  of  the  continent,  have  exhibited  the  same  disobedience.  You  are  con- 
tending for  a  matter  which  the  Bostonians  will  not  give  up  quietly.  They  can  not,  by  such 
means,  be  made  to  bow  to  the  authority  of  ministers  ;  on  the  contrary,  you  will  find  their 
obstinacy  confirmed  and  their  fury  exasperated.  The  acts  of  resistance  in  their  city  have 
not  been  confined  to  the  populace  alone,  but  men  of  the  first  rank  and  opulent  fortune  in  the 
place  have  openly  countenanced  them.  One  city  in  proscription  and  the  rest  in  rebellion 
can  never  be  a  remedial  measure  for  general  disturbances.  Have  you  considered  whether 
you  have  troops  and  ships  sufficient  to  reduce  the  people  of  the  whole  American  continent 
to  your  devotion  ?  It  was  the  duty  of  your  governor,  and  not  of  men  without  arms,  to  sup- 
press the  tumults.  If  this  officer  has  not  demanded  the  proper  assistance  from  the  military 
commanders,  why  punish  the  innocent  for  the  fault  and  the  negligence  of  the  officers  of  the 
crown  ?  The  resistance  is  general  in  all  parts  of  America  ;  you  must,  therefore,  let  it  gov- 
ern itself  by  its  own  internal  policy,  or  make  it  subservient  to  all  your  laws,  by  an  exertion 
of  all  the  forces  of  the  kingdom.  These  partial  counsels  are  well  suited  to  irritate,  not  sub- 
jugate," Pownall,  Johnstone  (late  Governor  of  Florida),  Dodsworth,  Fox,  and  others  fol- 
lowed Burke  on  the  same  side,  but  argument  was  of  no  avail.      Without  a  division,  the  bill 

passed  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote,  and  on  the  31st  of  March  it  became  a  law  by  the 

royal  assent. 

general,  and  obtained  a  seat  in  the  Council.  His  great  speeches  against  Warren  Hastings,  when  on  trial 
before  the  House  of  Commons,  were  such  as  the  British  Legislature  had  never  before  heard.  He  retired 
from  Parliament  in  1794,  on  a  pension  of  six  thousand  dollars.  During  his  political  career  he  wrote  much, 
and  his  compositions  rank  among  the  purest  of  the  British  classics.  He  died  on  the  8th  of  July,  1797,  in 
the  seventieth  year  of  his  age. 

Goldsmith,  in  his  Retaliation*  wrote  the  following  epitaph  for  Burke.  It  was  written  in  1776,  when 
Burke  was  in  the  midst  of  his  career. 

"  Here  lies  our  good  Edmund,  whose  genius  was  such, 
We  scarcely  can  praise  it  or  blame  it  too  much ; 
Who,  born  for  the  universe,  narrow'd  his  mind, 
And  to  party  gave  up  what  was  meant  for  mankind. 
Though  fraught  with  all  learning,  yet  straining  his  throat 
To  persuade  Tommy  Townshendt  to  lend  him  a  vote  ; 
Who,  too  deep  for  his  hearers,  still  went  on  refining, 
And  thought  of  convincing  while  they  thought  of  dining. 
Though  equal  to  all  things,  for  all  things  unfit : 
Too  nice  for  a  statesman,  too  proud  for  a  wit ; 
For  a  patriot  too  cool ;  for  a  drudge,  disobedient , 
And  too  fond  of  the  right  to  pursue  the  expedient. 
In  short,  'twas  his  fate,  unemploy'd  or  in  place,  sir, 
To  eat  mutton  cold  and  cut  bloclca  with  a  razor." 

*  The  history  of  this  poem  is  a  "curiosity  of  literature."  Goldsmith  had  peculiarities  which  attracted  attention,  and  it  was 
proposed,  at  ac'lub  of  literary  men,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  to  write  characters  of  him  in  the  shape  of  epitaphs.  Dean  Bar- 
nard, Cumberland,  Garrick,  and  others  complied.    Garrick  wrote  the  following  couplet : 

"  Here  lies  poor  Goldsmith,  for  shortness  call'd  Noll ; 
Who  wrote  like  Apollo,  and  talk'd  like  poor  poll." 

Goldsmith  felt  called  upon  for  retaliation,  and  at  the  next  meeting  produced  the  poem  from  which  the  following  is  an  extract. 
It  contained  epitaphs  for  several  of  the  club,  and  he  paid  otf  his  friend  Garrick  with  compound  interest.  These  lines  occur  in 
(iarrick's  epitaph : 

"  Of  praise  a  mere  glutton,  he  swallow'd  what  came 
And  the  pufl"  of  a  dunce  he  mistook  it  for  fame, 
Till  his  relish  grew  callous,  almost  to  disease ; 
Who  pepper'd  the  highest  was  surest  to  please." 
But  he  generously  added, 

"  But  let  us  be  candid,  and  speak  out  our  mind — 
If  dunces  applauded,  he  paid  them  in  kind." 
)  Afterward  Lord  Sydney. 


i 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  50 


other  oppressive  Acts  of  Parliament.       Madness  of  Ministers.      Warnings  of  the  Opposition  unheeded.       The  "  Quebec  AcL'' 

Another  bill  soon  followed,  "  for  better  regulating  the  government  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay."  It  was  tantamount  to  an  abrogation  of  the  charter  of  that  colony.  It 
gave  to  the  crown  the  appointment  of  counselors  and  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the 
nomination  of  all  other  officers,  military,  executive,  and  judicial,  was  given  to  the  governors, 
independently  of  any  approval  by  the  Council.  The  sherill's  were  empowered  to  select  ju- 
rors, a  duty  before  performed  by  the  select-men  of  the  towns.  All  town  meetings,  except  for 
elections,  were  prohibited.  This  bill,  so  manifestly  hostile  to  the  freedom  of  British  subjects, 
elicited  a  warm  debate,  and  Burke  and  Barre  opposed  it  with  all  their  might.  "  What  can 
the  Americans  believe,"  said  Burke,  "  but  that  England  wishes  to  despoil  them  of  all  liberty, 
of  all  franchise,  and,  by  the  destruction  of  their  charters,  to  reduce  them  to  a  htato  of  the 

most  abject  slavery  ? As  the  Americans  are  no  less  ardently  attached  to  liberty  than 

the  English  themselves,  can  it  ever  be  hoped  that  they  will  submit  to  such  exorbitant  usur 
pation,  to  such  portentous  resolutions  ?"  Pownall  warned  ministers  to  pause.  He  alluded 
to  that  powerful  engine,  the  Committees  of  Correspondence,  then  unceasingly  working  in  the 
colonies,  and  assured  ministers  that  their  harsh  measure  would  drive  the  people  to  the  call- 
ing of  a  general  Congress,  and  perhaps  a  resort  to  arms.  All  opposition  was  fruitless,  and  tho 
bill  passed  the  House  by  the  overwhelming  majority  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-nine  against 
sLxty-fo'ir.  Lord  Shelburne  and  others  vehemently  denounced  it  in  the  Upper  House,  and 
eleven  peers  signed  a  protest  in  seven  long  articles. 

North  had  begun  to  work  the  lever  of  oppression  so  forcibly  that  it  seemed  not  easy  for 
him  to  desist.  A  third  bill  was  introduced,  intended  to  protect  the  servants  of  roy-  ^p^ii  21, 
alty  in  America  against  the  verdicts  of  colonial  juries.  It  provided  for  the  trial  in  ^^'*- 
England  of  all  persons  charged  in  the  colonies  with  murders  committed  in  support  of  govern- 
ment. It  was  suggested  by  a  retrospect  of  the  "  Boston  massacre,"  and  was  a  most  imjust 
and  insulting  comment  upon  the  verdict  in  favor  of  Captain  Preston  and  his  soldiers.  It 
was  more — it  guarantied  comparative  safety  to  those  who  might  shoot  a  rebel  in  the  name 
of  the  king.  This  measure  was  bitterly  denounced  by  the  opposition  leaders.  "  This,"  said 
Colonel  Barre,  "  is,  indeed,  the  most  extraordinary  resolution  ever  heard  in  the  Parliament 
of  England.  It  offers  new  encouragement  to  military  insolence,  already  so  insupportable. 
By  this  law  Americans  are  deprived  of  a  right  which  belongs  to  every  human  creat- 
ure— that  of  demanding  justice  before  a  tribunal  of  impartial  judges.  Even  Captain  Pres- 
ton, who,  in  their  own  city  of  Boston,  had  shed  the  blood  of  citizens,  found  among  them  a 
fair  trial  and  equitable  judges."  Alderman  Sawbridge  was  more  bold  and  recriminating  in 
his  denunciations  of  the  measure.  He  called  it  "  ridiculous  and  cruel ;"  asserted  that  it 
was  meant  to  enslave  the  Americans,  and  expressed  an  ardent  hope  that  they  would  not  ad- 
mit the  execution  of  any  of  these  destructive  bills,  but  nobly  refuse  them  all.  "  If  they  do 
not,"  he  said,  "  they  are  the  most  abject  slaves  upon  earth,  and  nothing  the  ministers  can 
do  is  base  enough  for  them."  Again  remonstrance  was  vain,  and  the  bill  passed  the  House 
by  a  majority  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  to  forty-four ;  in  the  Lords,  by  forty-nine  to 
twelve.  Eight  peers  entered  a  strong  protest  against  it.  It  became  a  law  by  royal  assent 
on  the  20th  of  May. 

A  fourth  bill,  for  quartering  troops  in  America,  was  also  brought  in,  and  took  the  course 
of  others.  Rose  Fuller,  who  generally  supported  ministers,  attempted  to  break  the  severity 
of  the  several  enactments,  and  produce  a  reconciliation  with  the  colonies,  by  proposing  a  re- 
peal of  the  act  imposing  the  duty  on  tea.  His  proposition  was  negatived  by  a  large  major- 
ity. On  the  annunciation  of  the  result,  Mr.  Fuller  uttered  these  remarkable  words  :  "  I  will 
now  take  my  leave  of  the  whole  plan  ;  you  will  commence  your  ruin  from  this  day  I  I  am 
sorry  to  say  that  not  only  the  House  has  fallen  into  this  error,  but  the  people  approve  of  the 
measure.  The  people,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  are  misled.  But  a  short  time  will  prove  the  evil 
teiidency  of  this  bill.      If  ever  there  was  a  nation  rushing  headlong  to  ruin,  it  is  this." 

Evidently  anticipating  rebellion  in  America,  and  distrustful  of  the  loyalty  of  the'  newly- 
acquired  colony  of  Quebec,  or  Canada,  a  fifth  act  was  brought  forward  by  ministers,  makmg 
•jreat  concessions  to  the  P^oman  Catholic  population  of  that  province.      This  law,  known  as 


506  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Proceedings  in  Massachusetta  on  Account  of  the  Port  Bill.        Recall  of  Hutchinson.        Division  of  Sentiment.        Quebec  Act- 

the  Quebec  Act,  has  ah-eady  been  noticed  in  detail  on  pages  156—7.'  Let  us  now  turn  our 
eyes  back  to  the  colonies,  and  observe  the  spirit  of  the  people  of  Boston  on  hearing  of  the 
plans  maturing  for  their  enslavement  and  ruin. 

Intelligence  of  the  passage  of  the  Boston  Port  Bill  reached  Massachusetts  in  May. 
*^    '     Already  the  Assembly  had  taken  high,  but  correct  ground  on  the  subject  of  the  sal- 
aries of  crown  officers  in  the  colonies.      In  January  that  body  resolved  that  it  was  in- 

1774  •!  ^ 

cumbent  upon  the  judges  to  determine  at  once  whether  they  would  receive  their  sala- 
ries direct  from  the  crown,  or  depend  therefor  upon  the  votes  of  the  Assembly.  Chief-jus- 
tice Oliver  was  questioned  upon  this  point,  and  replied  that  he  should  hereafter  look  to  the 
crown  for  the  emoluments  of  office.  The  Assembly  then  resolved,  by  a  majority  of  sixty- 
nine  to  nine,  "  That  Peter  Oliver  hath,  by  his  conduct,  proved  himself  an  enemy  to  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  province,  and  is  become  greatly  obnoxious  to  the  good  people  of  it ;  that  he 
ought  to  be  removed  from  the  office  of  chief  justice ;  and  that  a  remonstrance  and  petition 
to  the  governor  and  Council,  for  his  immediate  removal,  be  prepared."  They  also  resolved 
to  impeach  the  chief  justice.  The  governor  not  only  refused  to  remove  him,  but  declared 
the  acts  of  the  Assembly  unconstitutional.* 

Fortunately  for  Hutchinson's  personal  safety,  but  much  to  his  chagrin,  his  recall  accom- 
panied the  Port  Bill,  and  General  Gage  was  appointed  his  successor.  Thus  far,  in  all  mat- 
ters relative  to  the  agitations  in  the  colonies.  Gage  had  behaved  so  discreetly  that  he  enjoyed 
a  considerable  share  of  public  confidence  and  esteem,  and  in  proportion  as  the  people  of  Bos- 
ton detested  Hutchinson  they  were  disposed  to  respect  the  new  governor.  Hutchinson,  de- 
prived of  the  shield  of  delegated  power,  so  much  feared  the  resentment  of  the  Boston  popu- 
lace, that  he  retired  to  his  country  house  at  Milton,  where  he  remained  in  seclusion  until  a 
June  1  favorable  opportunity  offered  for  him  to  leave  the  province.  It  is  an  erroneous  be- 
I'^^J.  ^gf  tijat  the  people  were  unanimous  in  opposition  to  government  and  in  support  of  re- 
publican views.  For  a  while,  when  the  issue  came,  the  parties  were  very  nearly  balanced 
in  Boston  ;  and  during  the  whole  time  of  its  occupancy  by  the  British  troops,  until  the  evac- 
uation in  1776,  a  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  were  loyal.  Before  Hutchinson  departed, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  merchants  of  Boston,  and  many  lawyers,  magistrates,  and  principal 
gentlemen  of  that  town,  and  Salem,  and  Marblehead,  signed  an  address  to  him,  in  which 
they  expressed  entire  approbation  of  his  public  conduct,  and  affectionate  wishes  for  his  pros- 
perity. These  "  addressers"  were  afterward  obliged  to  recant.  Some  who  would  not  left 
the  province,  and  were  the  earliest  of  the  refugee  Loyalists. 

General  Gage,  doubtful  what  reception  he  should  meet  at  Boston,  proceeded  with  great 
caution.  Four  additional  regiments  were  ordered  to  the  rebellious  town,  but  he  went 
thither  from  New  York  unattended  by  any  military  except  his  staff.      On  the  day  when  he 

'  A  fact  not  noticed  in  the  former  consideration  of  the  Quebec  Act  is  worthy  of  record,  as  showing  the 
actual  despotic  tendency  of  Parliamentary  enactments  at  that  time.  By  a  provision  of  the  act  in  question, 
the  total  revenue  of  the  province  of  Canada  was  consigned,  in  the  first  instance,  to  a  warrant  from  the  Lord 
of  the  Treasury,  for  the  purpose  of  pensioning  judges  during  pleasure,  and  the  support  of  a  civil  list,  totally 
unlimited.  This  first  Lord  of  the  Treasury,  or  prime  minister,  was  thus  in  actual  possession  of  the  whole 
revenue  of  the  province,  and  unrestrained  in  its  expenditure,  except  by  general  instructions  to  use  it  "  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  the  administration  of  justice,  and  to  support  civil  government  in  the  colonies."  Sim- 
ilar despotic  ingredients  were  profusely  sprinkled  throughout  the  whole  batch  of  measures  brought  forward 
by  Lord  North  to  rule  the  Americans.  The  superficial  observer  is  apt  to  consider  the  zeal  of  the  Ameri- 
cans against  Parliamentary  measures  highly  intemperate  and  sometimes  censurable,  for  apparently  trifling 
causes  aroused  the  most  violent  action.  But  the  colonists  clearly  perceived  the  huge  monster  of  despotism 
artfully  covered  under  a  fair  guise,  and  what  seemed  but  an  insect,  magnified  by  the  microscope  of  preju- 
dice, they  knew  to  be  the  germ  of  a  monster  reality.  The  three  per  cent,  duty  on  tea,  considered  alone, 
was  but  a  grain  of  sand  as  an  obstacle  to  friendly  feelings,  but  the  principle  that  slept  there  was  a  tower- 
ing Alp. 

^  Peter  Oliver,  brother  of  Andrew  Oliver,  the  stamp-master  already  noticed,  was  born  in  1713,  and  gradu- 
ated at  Harvard  in  1730.  He  was  appointed  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  in  1756,  and  became  chief  justice 
when  his  brother-in-law,  Hutchinson,  was  appointed  governor.  He  was  impeached  by  the  Massachusetts 
Assembly  in  1774.  Judge  Oliver  soon  afterward  went  to  England.  He  died  at  Birmingham  in  October, 
1791,  aged  nearly  seventy-nine  years. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


507 


Hancock's  House,  Boston.* 


Arriral  of  General  Gage  in  Boston.  Meeting  in  Foueuil  HbU.  Excitement  among  tho  People.  Newspaper  Derices. 

entered  the  harbor  the  town  was  greatly  excited,  news  of  the  Port  Bill  having  just     ^ht  i.t 
arrived.      He  landed  at  Long  Wharf,  and  was  received  with  much  respect  by  the       "''•'• 
immense  crowd  of  people  that  met  him.      He  was  entertained  by  the  magistrates  and  oth- 
ers at  a  public  dinner,  and  on  that 
evening  Hutchinson  was   burned  in 
effigy   on    the    Common,   in   front  of 
John  Hancock's  mansion. 

The  next  day  a  numerously  attend- 
ed town  meeting,  at  which  Samuel 
Adams  presided,  was  held  in  Faneuil 
Hall  to  consider  the  Port  Bill.  The 
people  were,  indeed,  at  their  "  wits' 
end."  The  decree  had  gone  forth  to 
blight  the  town ;  a  governor,  com- 
missioned to  execute  the  ministerial 
will,  was  present,  and  soldiers  were 
on  their  way  to  support  his  authori- 
ty. The  meeting  voted  "That  it  is 
the  opinion  of  the  town  that,  if  the 
other  colonies  come  into  a  joint  reso- 
lution to  stop  all  importation  from,  and  exportation  to,  Great  Britain,  and  everj'  part  of  the 
East  Indies,  till  the  act  be  repealed,  the  same  will  prove  the  salvation  of  North  America 
and  her  liberties  ;  and  that  the  impolicy,  injustice,  inhumanity,  and  cruelty  of  the  act  ex- 
ceed all  our  powers  of  expression ;  we,  therefore,  leave  it  to  the  just  censure  of  others,  and 
appeal  to  God  and  the  world."      Paul  Revere,  an  artist  and  mechanic  of  Boston,  and  one  of 

the  most  active  patriots,  was  sent  to  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia to  invoke  sympathy  and  co-operation.  A  vast  num- 
ber of  copies  of  the  act,  printed  with  heavy  black  lines  around 
it,  and  some  of  them  having  the  sepulchral  device  of  skull 
and  cross-bones  rudely  engraved  as  a  head-piece,  were  scat- 
tered over  the  country,  and  cried  in  cities  and  villages  as  the 
"  Barbarous,  cruel,  bloody,  and  inhuman  murder  I""  The 
whole  country  was  inflamed,  and  every  where  the  most  live- 
ly sympathy  for  the  people  of  Boston  was  awakened.  Ora- 
tors at  public  gatherings,  ministers  in  the  pulpits,  and  the 
newspaper  press  throughout  the  land,  denounced  the  oppres- 
sion laid  upon  Boston  as  a  type  of  what  was  in  store  for  the 
whole  country  Some  of  the  newspapers  placed  at  their  head 
the  significant  device  used  during  the  Stamp  Act  excitement, 
a  serpent  cut  in  ten  pieces,  with  the  inscription  "  Join  or 
die!  or  "  Unite  or  dief"^     The  cause  of  Boston  became  the 


'  This  is  a  substantial  stone  building,  situated  upon  Beacon  Street,  fronting  the  Common.  It  wa.s  erect- 
ed by  Thomas  Hancock,  an  uncle  of  Governor  Hancock,  in  1737.  The  present  proprietor  is  a  nephew  of 
the  governor. 

'  The  engraving  is  a  fac-simile,  one  fourth  the  size  of  the  original,  of  a  device  upon  one  of  these  papers. 
Over  the  skull  is  a  rude  resemblance  of  a  crown,  and  beneath  the  bones  that  of  the  Cap  of  Liberty,  denoting 
that  all  was  death  and  destruction  between  the  crown  and  liberty.  This  device  is  supposed  to  be  the  work 
of  Paul  Revere,  who  engraved  the  pictures  of  the  naval  investment  of  Boston  in  1768,  and  the  Boston  Mat- 
tacre  in  1770.  Revere  was  a  very  ingenious  man,  an  active  patriot,  and,  as  grand  master  of  the  Mii>onic 
fraternity  in  Massachusetts,  had  extensive  influence.  He  was  a  co-worker  with  Samuel  Adams,  Joseph 
Warren,  and  other  compatriots  in  setting  the  ball  of  the  Revolution  in  motion. 

'  The  cut  upon  the  next  page  is  a  fac-similc  of  one  of  those  illustrations.  I  copied  it  from  the  Penn- 
tyhania  Journal,  1774,  where  it  appeared  for  nearly  a  year,  or  until  the  colonies  were  fairly  unitrd  by  a 
Continental  Congress.     The  loyal  papers  loudly  condemned  the  ase  of  the  device.     A  writer  in  Rivinf/ton^n 


508 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Real  Weakness  of  the  British  Ministry. 


Newspaper  Poetry. 


The  Snake  Device, 


cause  of  all  the  colonies,  and  never  were  the  British  ministry  really  weaker  in  their  govern- 
ment relations  to  America  than  when  Lord  North  was  forging,  as  he  vainly  thought,  the 
fetters  of  majestic  law  to  bind  the  colonies  indissolubly  to  the  throne.  Jn  honorable  conces- 
sion alone  lay  his  real  strength,  but  of  these  precious  locks  the  Delilah  of  haughty  ambition 
had  shorn  him,  and  when  he  attempted  to  put  forth  his  power,  he  found  himself  "  like  other 
men,"  weak  indeed  ! 


Royal  Gazette,^  who  called  it  a  "  scandalous  and  saucy  reflection,"  was  answered  as  follows  by  a  correspond- 
ent of  the  Journal : 

"  To  the  Author  of  the  Lines  in  Mr.  Rivingtori's  Paper,  on  the  Snake  depicted  in  some  of  the  American 

Newspapers. 
"  That  New  England's  abused,  and  by  sons  of  se- 
dition, 

Is  granted  without  either  prayer  or  petition ; 

And  that  'tis  '  a  scandalous,  saucy  reflection, 

That  merits  the  soundest,  severest  correction,' 

Is  readily  granted.    '  How  came  it  to  pass  ?' 

Because  she  is  pester'd  by  snakes  in  the  grass, 

Who,  by  lying  and  cringing,  and  such  like  pre- 
tensions, 

Get  places  once  honor'd  disgraced  with  pensions. 

And  you,  Mr.  Pensioner,  instead  of  repentance 

(If  I  don't  mistake  you),  have  wrote  your  own 
sentence ; 

For  by  such  snakes  as  this  New  England's  abus- 
ed, 

And  the  head  of  the  serpents, '  you  know,  must 
be  bruised." 

"New  Jersey." 


UNITE    OR  DIE     , 


1  Rivington  was  the  "king's  printer"  in  New  York  city.  His  office  was  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Pearl  and  Wall  Streets.  He 
had  the  entire  confidence  of  the  British  authorities,  and  held  the  "  rebels"  in  great  contempt.  He  was  a  caustic  writer,  and  his 
remarks  were  often  remembered  with  bitterness  for  years.    The  following  anecdote  is  illustrative  of  this  fact : 

Among  those  who  cherished  very  hostile  feelings  toward  Rivington  was  that  dare-devil,  General  Ethan  Allen,  of  Vermont,  who 
swore  he  would  "  lick  Rivington  the  very  first  opportunity  he  had."  Rivington  himself,  aware  of  his  intentions,  gave  a  most 
humorous  description  of  his  interview  with  Allen,  showing,  at  the  same  time,  his  exceeding  cleverness  and  tact,  which  may  even 
at  this  day  be  profitable  to  his  editorial  brethren.  Rivington  was  a  fine,  portly-looking  man,  dressed  in  the  extreme  of  fashion 
— curled  and  powdered  hair,  clai-et-colored  coat,  scarlet  waistcoat  trimmed  with  gold  lace,  buckskin  breeches,  and  top  boots — 
and  kept  the  very  best  society. 

The  clerk  below  stairs  saw  Allen  coming  at  a  distance.  "  I  was  sitting,"  said  Rivington,  "  after  a  good  dinner,  alone,  with  my 
bottle  of  Madeira  before  me,  when  I  heard  an  unusual  noise  in  the  street,  and  a  huzza  from  the  boys.  I  was  in  the  second 
story,  and,  stepping  to  the  window,  saw  a  tall  figure  in  tarnished  regimentals,  with  a  large  cocked  hat  and  an  enormous  long 
sword,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  boys,  who  occasionally  cheered  him  with  huzzas,  of  which  he  seemed  insensible.  He  came  up 
to  my  door  and  stopped.  I  could  see  no  more.  My  heart  told  me  it  was  Ethan  Allen.  I  shut  down  my  window,  and  retired 
behind  my  table  and  bottle.  I  was  certain  the  hour  of  reckoning  had  come.  There  was  no  retreat.  Mr.  Staples,  my  clerk, 
came  in  paler  than  ever,  and  clasping  his  hands,  said,  '  Master,  he  is  come  !'  '  I  know  it.'  '  He  entered  the  store,  and  asked  "  if 
James  Rivington  lived  there."  I  answered,  "  Yes,  sir."  "  Is  he  at  home  ?"  "  I  will  go  and  see,  sir,"  I  said ;  and  now,  master, 
what  is  to  be  done  ?  There  he  is  in  the  store,  and  the  boys  peeping  at  him  from  the  street.'  I  had  made  up  my  mind.  I  looked 
at  the  bottle  of  Madeira — possibly  took  a  glass.  '  Show  him  up,'  said  I ;  '  and  if  such  Madeira  can  not  moUify  him,  he  must  be 
harder  than  adamant.'  There  was  a  fearful  moment  of  suspense.  I  heard  him  on  the  stairs,  his  long  sword  clanking  at  every 
step.  In  he  stalked.  '  Is  your  name  James  Rivington  ?'  '  It  is,  sir,  and  no  man  could  be  more  happy  than  I  am  to  see  Colonel 
Ethan  Allen.'  '  Sir,  I  have  come — '  '  Not  another  word,  my  dear  colonel,  until  you  have  taken  a  seat  and  a  glass  of  old  Madeira.' 
'  But,  sir,  I  don't  think  it  proper — '  '  Not  another  word,  colonel.  Taste  this  wine ;  I  have  had  it  in  glass  for  ten  years.  Old  wine, 
you  know,  unless  it  is  originally  sound,  never  improves  by  age.'  He  took  the  glass,  swallowed  the  wine,  smacked  his  lips,  and 
shook  his  head  approvingly.  '  Sir,  I  come—'  '  Not  another  word  until  you  have  taken  another  glass,  and  then,  my  dear  colonel, 
we  will  talk  of  old  affairs,  and  I  have  some  droll  events  to  detail.'  In  short,  we  finished  two  bottles  of  Madeira,  and  parted  aa 
good  friends  as  if  we  never  had  cause  to  be  otherwise." 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  509 


General  Gage  at  Boston.  Proceedings  of  the  Massachusetts  Assembly.  Projiosition  for  a  General  CoilgreM. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Scene  IV.  In  Boston,  while  the  Regulars  were  flying  from  Lexington. 
Lord  Boston,  surrounded  by  his  Guards  and  a  fcio  Officers. 
Lord  Boston.  If  Colonel  Smith  succeeds  in  his  emba-s.*;)-,  and  I  think  there's  no  doubt  of  it,  I  shall  have 
the  pleasure  this  evening,  I  expect,  of  having  my  friends  Hanijock  and  Adams's  good  company ;  Tli  make 
each  of  them  a  present  of  a  pair  of  handsome  iron  ruffles,  and  ilajor  Provost  shall  provide  a  suitable  enter- 
tainment for  them  in  his  apartment. 

Officer.  Sure  they'll  not  be  so  unpolite  as  to  refuse  your  excellency's  kind  invitation. 
Lord  Boston.  Should  they,  Colonel  Smith  and  IMajor  Pitcairn  have  my  orders  to  make  use  of  all  their 
rhetoric  and  the  persuasive  eloquence  of  British  thunder. 

Enters  a  messenger  in  haste. 

I  bring  your  excellency  unwelcome  tidings — 

Lord  Boston.  For  Heaven's  sake  !  from  what  quarter  V 

Messenger.  From  Lexington  plains. 

Lord  Boston.  'Tis  impossible  ! 

Messenger.  Too  true,  sir. 

Lord  Boston.  Say — what  is  it  ?     Speak  what  you  know. 

Messenger.  Colonel  Smith  is  defeated  and  fast  retreating. 

Lord  Boston.  Good  God  !  what  does  he  say  ?     Mercy  on  me  ! 

Messenger.  They're  flying  before  the  enemy. 

Lord  Boston.  Britons  turn  their  backs  before  the  Rebels !  the  Rebels  put  Britons  to  flight !  Said  you 
not  so  ?  I 

Messenger.  They  are  routed,  sir ;  they  are  flying  this  instant ;  the  provincials  are  numerous,  and  hourly 
gaining  strength ;  they  have  nearly  surrounded  our  troops.  A  re-enforcement,  sir,  a  timely  succor,  may 
save  the  shattered  remnant.     Speedily  !  speedily,  sir  !  or  they're  irretrievably  lost. 

"  The  Fall  of  British  Tyranny,  or  American  Liberty  triumphant.'" 

^^^J^i^-<r  ENERAL  GAGE  soon  became  a  tyrant  in  the  eyes  of  the  people 
of  Boston.      However  humane  were  his  intentions,  the  execution  of 
his  commission  necessarily  involved  harsh  and  oppressive  measures.     Pursuant 
to  the  provisions  of  the  Port  Bill,  he  proceeded,  after  the  appointment  of  the 
members  of  the  Council  (see  note  1,  next  page),  to  transfer  the  govern-     jy^p  ,_ 
ment  offices  to  Salem,  and  on  the  31st  of  May  the  Assembly  held  its  final       i"-'- 
session  in  Boston.     By  proclamation,  Gage  adjourned  the  House  until  the  7th  of 
June,  and  ordered  the  next  meeting  at  Salem.      Anticipating  this  measure,  the 
House  appointed  two  members  of  the  Assembly — Samuel  Adams  and  James  War- 
r^  ren — to  act  in  the  interim,  as  the  exigencies  of  the  case  might  require.      These, 
with  a  few  others  already  named,  held  private  conferences,  and  arranged  plans  for 
the  public  good.     On  the  third  evening  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Assembly,  their 
plans  were  matured.      The  suggestions  of  New  York  and  other  places,  as  well  as 
the  hints  thrown  out  by  Pownall  in  the  House  of  Commons  respecting  a  general 
Congress,  were  favorably  considered.      A  plan  was  arranged  for  a  Continental  Con- 
';       gress;   they  also  matured  measures  for  making  provisions  for  supplying  funds  and 
'         munitions  of  war,  prepared  an  address  to  the  other  colonies,  inviting  their  co-opera- 
tion in  the  measure  of  a  general  Congress,  and  drew  up  a  non-importation  agreement. 

'  This  is  a  well-written  drama,  published  by  Styner  and  Cist,  Philadelphia,  in  1776.  Its  sub-title  is, 
"A  tragi-Comedy  of  Five  Acts,  as  lately  planned  at  the  Royal  Theatrum  Pandemonium  at  St.  James's. 
The  principal  place  of  action,  in  America."  It  is  dedicated  "  To  Lord  Boston  [General  Gage],  Lord  Kid- 
napper [Dunmore,  governor  of  Virginia],  and  the  innumerable  and  never-erding  class  of  Macs  and  Donalds 
upon  Donalds,  and  the  remnant  of  the  gentlemen  Officers,  Actors,  Merry  Andrews,  Strolling  Players,  Pi- 


510 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Boldness  of  the  Patriots- 


Attempt  to  Dissolve  the  Assembly. 


The  "  League." 


These  several  propositions  and  plans  were  boldly  laid  before  the  General  Court  when  it 
June  7      reopened  at  Salem.      The  few  partisans  of  the  crown  in  that  Assembly  were  filled 
1774.      with  amazement  and  alarm  at  the  boldness  of  the  popular  leaders  ;   and  as  rank 
treason  was  developed  in  the  first  acts  of  the  majority,  a  partisan  of  government  determined, 
if  possible,  to  put  a  stop  to  further  rebellious  pro-  _ 

ceedings.      Feigning  sudden  illness,  he  was  al-  .-fc 

lowed  to  leave  the  Assembly.  He  went  im- 
mediately to  the  governor  and  acquainted  him 
with  the  proceedings  in  progress.^  Gage  sent 
his  secretary  to  dissolve  the  Assembly  by  proc- 
lamation, but  the  patriots  were  too 
vigilant  for  him.  The  doors  of  the 
Assembly  were  locked,  and  the  keys  were  safe- 
ly deposited  in  Samuel  Adams's  pocket.  The 
secretary  read  the  proclamation  on  the  stairs, 
but  it  was  unheeded  by  the  patriots  within. 
They  proceeded  to  adopt  and  sign  a  "  Solemn 
League  and  Covenant,"  in  which  all  former 
non-importation  agreements  and  cognate  under- 
takings were  concentrated,  and  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  send  the  covenant,  as  a  cir- 
cular, to  every  colony  in  America.^  They  also 
adopted  the  other  plans  matured  by  Adams  and 
others,  and  a  resolution  that  "  a  meeting  of 
committees,  from  the  several  colonies  on  this 
continent,  is  highly  expedient  and  necessarj',  to  consult  upon  the  present  state  of  the  coun- 
try,  and  the  miseries  to  which  we  are  and  must  be  reduced  by  the  operation  of  certain  acts 
of  Parliament,  and  to  deliberate  and  determine  on  wise  and  proper  measures  to  be  recom- 


jj^a  ^^ ^^^^^^^^^^'^^^ 


rates  and  Buccaneers  in  America."     As  most  of  the  real  names  of  the  dramatis  persona  are  familiar  to  the 
readers  of  the  few  preceding  chapters,  I  give  the  list  as  printed  in  the  copy  of  the  drama  before  me. 


Lord  Paramount Bute. 

Lord  Mocklaw Mansfield. 

Lord  Hypocrite Dartmouth. 

Lord  Poltroon Sandwich. 

Lord  Catspaw North. 

Lord  Wisdojn Chatham. 

Lord  Religion Bishop  of  St.  Asaph. 

Lord  Justice Camden. 

Lord  Patriot Wilkes. 

Bold  Irishman Burke  . 

Judas Hutchinson. 


Charley Jenkinson. 

Brazen Weddeburne. 

Colonel Barre. 

Lord  Boston Gage. 

Admiral  Tombstone  .  . .  .Graves. 

Elboio  Room Ho^vE. 

Mr.  Caper   Burgoyne. 

Lord  Kidnapper Dunmore. 

General  Washington. 

General  Lee.  Officers,  soldiers,  sailors,  ne- 

General  Putnam.  groes,  S^c,  ^c. 


^  The  political  complexion  of  the  new  Council  did  not  please  Gage.  He  exercised  the  prerogative  given 
to  him  by  the  charter  to  the  fullest  extent  in  rejecting  thirteen  of  the  elected  counselors.  The  remainder 
were  not  much  more  agreeable  to  him. 

*  General  Gage  was  then  residing  at  the  house  of  Robert  Hooper,  Esq.,  in  Danvers,  about  four  miles 
from  Salem. 

^  All  who  felt  an  attachment  to  the  American  cause  were  called  upon  to  sign  it ;  and  the  covenanters 
were  required  to  obligate  themselves,  in  the  presence  of  God,  to  cease  all  commerce  with  England,  dating 
from  the  last  of  the  ensuing  month  of  August,  until  the  late  wicked  acts  of  Parliament  should  be  repealed 
and  the  Massachusetts  colony  reinstated  in  all  its  rights  and  privileges  ;  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  any  Brit- 
ish goods  whatsoever ;  and  to  avoid  all  commerce  or  traffic  with  those  who  refused  to  sign  the  League. 
Finallv.  it  was  covenanted  that  those  who  refused  to  sign  the  League  should  be  held  up  to  public  scorn 
and  indignation  by  the  publication  of  their  names.  The  articles  of  the  League  were  transmitted  by  circu- 
lars to  all  the  other  pronnces,  with  in\ntations  to  the  inhabitants  to  affix  their  names  thereto.  Philadel- 
phia alone,  as  a  city,  did  not  accept  the  invitation  to  join  in  such  a  measure,  preferring  to  refer  the  matter 
to  a  general  Congress,  and  agreeing  to  execute  faithfully  all  measures  therein  agreed  upon. 

••  A  biographical  sketch  oflhis  distinguished  patriot  wdll  be  found  among  those  of  the  signers  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence  printed  in  the  Supplement. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  511 


Appointment  of  Delegates  to  a  Continental  Congress.  Denunciation  of  the  "  League."  Closing  of  the  Port  of  Boston. 

mended  to  all  the  colonies  for  the  recovery  and  re-establishment  of  our  just  rights  and  liber- 
ties, civil  and  religious,  and  the  restoration  of  union  and  harmony  between  Great  Britain 
and  America,  which  is  most  ardently  desired  by  all  good  men."  They  designated  the  Ist 
of  September  as  the  time,  and  Philadelphia  as  the  place  of  meeting.  Thomas  Gushing,  the 
Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  James  Bowdoin,  many  years  a  member  of  the  Council,  Samuel 
Adams,  John  Adams,  and  Robert  Treat  Paine,  were  chosen  delegates.  A  treasurer  was 
appointed,  and  the  toAvns  were  called  upon  to  pay  their  respective  shares  of  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  voted  to  the  delegates  in  payment  of  their  expenses.  The 
whole  business  being  ended,  the  Assembly  adjourned  indefinitely,  and  thus  ended  the  last 
session  of  the  Assembly  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  under  a  royal  governor. 

Gage  was  greatly  irritated  by  the  proceedings  of  the  Assembly,  and  the  acts  of  the  people 
of  Boston  in  sustaining  these  traitorous  measures.  lie  refused  to  receive  the  answer  of  the 
General  Court  to  his  address,  and  issued  a  strong  proclamation  in  denunciation  of  the  League 
as  an  unlawful  combination,  hostile  to  the  crown  and  Parliament,  and  ordering  the  magis- 
trates to  apprehend  and  bring  to  trial  all  who  should  be  guilty  of  signing  it.  The  people 
laughed  at  his  proclamation,  defied  the  pliant  magistrates,  and  signed  the  League  by  thou- 
sands. Uncompromising  hostility  was  aroused,  and  the  arm  of  bold  defiance  was  uplifted, 
even  in  the  midst  of  distress  and  the  menaces  of  foreign  bayonets. 

At  noon  on  the  1  st  of  June  the  port  of  Boston  was  closed  to  all  vessels  that  wished 

1774 

to  enter,  and,  after  the  14th,  all  that  remained  were  not  allowed  to  depart.  The  two 
regiments  ordered  to  Boston  by  Gage  had  arrived,  and  were  encamped  on  the  Common. 
Soon  afterward,  these  being  re-enforced  by  several  regiments  from  Halifax,  Quebec,  New 
York,  and  Ireland,  the  town  became  an  immense  garrison.  The  utter  prostration  of  all  bus- 
iness soon  produced  great  distress  in  the  city.  The  rich,  deprived  of  their  rents,  became 
straitened,  and  the  poor,  denied  the  privilege  of  labor,  were  reduced  to  beggary.  All  class- 
es felt  the  scourge  of  the  oppressor,  yet  the  fortitude  and  forbearance  of  the  inhabitants 
were  most  remarkable.  The  sympathy  of  the  people  abroad  was  commensurate  with  the 
sufferings  of  the  patriots,  and  from  every  quarter  came  expressions  of  friendship  and  substan- 
tial tokens  of  attachment  to  the  sufferers.  The  people  of  Georgia  sent  the  Bostonians  sixty- 
three  barrels  of  rice,  and  seven  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  in  specie.  Wheat  and  othei 
grain  were  forwarded  to  them  from  different  points  ;  Schoharie,  in  New  York,  alone  sending 
five  hundred  and  twenty-five  bushels  of  wheat.  The  city  of  London,  in  its  corporate  ca- 
pacity, subscribed  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  of  Boston. 
The  people  of  Marblehead  and  Salem  offered  the  Boston  merchants  the  free  use  of  wharves 
and  stores,  for  they  scorned  to  enrich  themselves  at  the  expense  of  their  oppressed  neighbors. 
A  committee  was  appointed  in  Boston  to  receive  and  distribute  donations,  and,  in  the  midst 
of  martial  law,  the  suffering  patriots  were  bold  and  unyielding. 

General  Gage  was  warned  to  relax  the  rigor  of  his  military  rule,  or  open  rebellion  would 
snsue.  He  afl'ected  to  disregard  these  warnings,  yet  he  employed  precautionary  measures. 
Boston  is  situated  upon  a  peninsula,  at  that  time  connected  with  the  continent  by  a  narrow 
strip  of  land  called  the  Neck.  Convinced  that  hostilities  must  ensue  unless  the  home  gov- 
ernment should  recede,  and  relying  more  upon  soldiers  than  upon  conciliatory  deeds,  Gage 
.Tioved  in  subserviency  to  this  reliance,  and  stationed  a  strong  guard  of  armed  men  upon  the 
Neck.  He  gave  as  a  reason  for  this  measure  the  shallow  pretext  that  he  wished  to  prevent 
desertions  from  his  ranks.  The  people  readily  interpreted  the  meaning  of  his  movement, 
and  saw  at  once  that  the  patriots  of  Boston  were  to  be  cut  off  from  free  communication 
with  those  in  the  country,  and  that  arms  and  ammunition  were  not  to  be  transported  firom 
the  city  to  the  interior.  For  the  first  time  the  free  intercourse  of  New  Englanders  was  in- 
terrupted, and  the  lightning  of  rebellion,  that  had  for  years  been  curbed  within  the  hearts 
of  the  people,  leaped  forth  in  manifestations  which  alarmed  the  hitherto  haughty  hirelings  of 
royalty.  The  members  of  the  new  Council,  appointed  by  the  governor  under  the  act  which 
changed,  and  indeed  abrogated,  the  charter  of  Massachusetts,  who  had  accepted  oflice,  were 
treated  with  disdain  at  every  step,  and  a  large  proportion  of  them  were  forced  to  resign 


512 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Poaceable  Resistance  of  the  People. 


Preparations  for  War. 


Recantation  of  the  Hutchinson  Addrcseora 


View  of  iiosxoN  from  DoncnESTKa  Hkights  in  1774.' 


The  courts  of  justice  were  suspended;  the  attorneys  who  had  issued  writs  of  citation  were 
compelled  to  ask  pardon  in  the  public  journals,  and  promise  not  to  expedite  others  until  the 
laws  should  be  revoked  and  the  charter  re-established.  The  people  occupied  the  scats  of 
justice,  that  no  room  might  be  left  for  judges.  When  invited  to  withdraw,  they  answered 
that  they  recognized  no  other  tribunals  and  no  other  magistrates  than  such  as  were  estab- 
lished by  ancient  laws  and  usage.'' 

Persuaded  that  war  was  inevitable,  the  people,  throughout  the  province,  began  to  arm 
themselves  and  practice  military  tactics  daily.  Every  where  the  fife  and  drum  were  heard, 
and  fathers  and  sons,  encouraged  by  the  gentler  sex,  took  lessons  together  in  the  art  of  war. 
The  forge  and  hammer  were  busy  in  making  guns  and  swords,  and  every  thing  bore  the  an- 
imated but  gloomy  impress  of  impending  hostility.  The  zeal  of  true  patriots  waxed  warm- 
er ;  the  fears  of  the  timid  and  lukewarm  assumed  the  features  of  courage  ;  the  avowed 
friends  of  government  became  alarmed,  and  those  Addressors,  as  they  were  called,  who 
signed  an  address  to  Hutchinson  on  his  departure,  were  obliged  to  make  public  recantations 
in  the  newspapers.'      Some  of  the  Boston  clergy  (particularly  Dr.  Cooper,  the  person  who 


'  This  picture  is  from  an  English  print  of  the  time.  Then  the  principal  portion  of  the  town  was  upon 
the  eastern  slope  and  flats.  There  were  a  few  houses  upon  the  higher  ground  in  the  vicinity  of  Beacon 
Hill,  around  the  Common,  among  which  was  that  of  John  Hancock.  In  this  picture,  Beacon  Hill  is  desig- 
nated by  the  pole,  which,  with  its  barrel,  is  noticed  in  a  preceding  chapter.  The  peninsula  originally  con- 
tained about  seven  hundred  acres.  The  hills  have  been  razed  and  the  earth  carried  into  the  water,  by  which 
means  the  peninsula  is  so  enlarged  that  it  now  comprises  about  fourteen  hundred  acres. 

2  Otis's  Botta,  i.,  124. 

^  There  were  many  persons  of  some  significance  who  were  willing,  at  this  stage  of  the  controversy,  to 
offer  conciliatory  measures,  and  they  even  gave  encouragement  to  General  Gage  and  his  government.  One 
hundred  and  twenty  merchants  and  others  of  Boston  signed  an  address  to  General  Gage,  expressing  a  will- 
inirness  to  pay  for  the  tea  destroyed.  It  is  averred,  also,  that  some  of  the  wealthiest  people  of  Boston  act- 
ually endeavored  to  raise  money  to  pay  the  East  India  Company  for  the  tea,  but  the  attempt  failed.  There 
were  some  others  who  protested  against  the  course  of  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  and  the  action  of 
a  large  portion  of  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  who,  they  averred,  were  unduly  exciting  the  people,  and  urg 
in"  them  headlong  toward  ruin.  But  these  movements  were  productive  only  of  mischief.  They  made  the 
colonists  more  determined,  and  deluded  the  home  government  with  the  false  idea  that  the  most  respectable 
portion  of  the  people  were  averse  to  change  or  revolution.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  recantation, 
signed  by  a  large  number  of  the  addressors :  "  Whereas  we,  the  subscribers,  did  some  time  since  sign  an 
address  to  Governor  Hutchinson,  which,  though  prompted  to  by  the  best  intentions,  has,  nevertheless,  given 
sjreat  offense  tc  our  country ;  We  do  now  declare,  that  we  desire,  so  far  from  designing,  by  that  action,  to 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


ffl3 


Spirit  of  the  American  Pre»«.     Zeal  of  the  Committees  of  Corrcf  pondencc.     Their  importance.     Fortifleation  of  Borton  Neck. 


first  received  Hutchinson's  letters  from  Franklin)  were  very  active  in  promoting  hostility  to 
the  rulers,  and  the  press  exerted  its  power  with  preat  industry  and  elleet.' 

The  Massachusetts  Spy  and  the  Boston  Gazette  were  the  princijial  Whig  journals,  and 
through  the  latter,  Otis,  Adams,  Quincy,  Warren,  and  others  communed  with  the  public,  in 
articles  suited  to  the  comprehension  of  all.  Epigrams,  parables,  sonnets,  dialogues,  and  every 
form  of  literary  expression  remarkable  for  point  and  terseness,  filled  these  journals.  The 
following  is  a  fair  specimen  of  logic  in  rhyme,  so  frequently  employed  at  that  day.  I  copied 
it  from  Anderson's  Constitutional  Gazette,''  published  in  New  York  in  177/5.  That  i)aper 
was  the  uncompromising  opponent  of  llivington's  (Tory)  Gazette,  published  iu  the  same  city  • 

"The  Quarrel  with  Jlmerica  fairly  Stated. 
"  Rudely  forced  to  drink  tea,  Ma-ssachu.setts  in  antrcr 
SpilLs  the  tea  on  John  Bull — John  falls  on  to  hany  her ; 
Massachusetts,  enraged,  calls  her  neighbors  to  aid, 
And  give  Master  John  a  severe  hastinade. 
Now,  good  men  of  the  law !   pray,  who  Ls  in  fault, 
The  one  who  begun,  or  resents  the  assault?" 

The  Boston  Committee  of  Correspondence  were  busy  night  and  day  preparing  the  people 
of  the  province  for  energetic  action,  and  it  needed  but  a  slight  ofTensc  to  sound  the  battle 
cry  and  invoke  the  sword  of  rebellion  from  its  scabbard.' 

Alarmed  at  the  rebellious  spirit  manifested  on  all  sides.  Gage  removed  the  seat  Auzurt. 
of  government  from  Salem  back  to  Boston,  and  began  to  fortify  the  Neck.      The       ^"*- 


ViBW  OF  THK  .  Neck. 

From  an  Engi.-i,  [t.mi  [.  j  M -,i;':i  lo  1777 

work  went  on  slowly  at  first,  for  British  gold  could  not  buy  Boston  carpenters,  and  work- 
men had  to  be  procured  from  other  places.  The  people  viewed  these  warlike  preparations 
with  indignation,  which  was  heightened  by  an  injudicious  act  of  Gage  in  sending  a  detach- 

show  our  acquiescence  in  those  acts  of  Parliament  so  universally  and  jastly  odious  to  all  America,  that,  on 
the  contrary,  we  hoped  we  might,  in  that  way,  contribute  to  their  repeal ;  though  now,  to  our  sorrow,  we 
dnd  ourselves  mistaken.  And  we  do  now  further  declare,  that  we  ne%'er  intended  the  offense  which  thi« 
address  has  occasioned ;  that,  if  we  bad  foreseen  such  an  event,  we  should  never  have  signed  it ;  as  it  al- 
ways has  been  and  now  is  our  wish  to  live  in  harmony  with  our  neighbors,  and  our  serious  determination  u 
to  promote,  to  the  utmost  of  our  power,  the  liberty,  the  welfare,  and  happiness  of  our  countrj-,  which  is  in- 
separably connected  with  our  own."  The  Committee  of  Correspondence  declared  the  recantation  satisfac- 
tory, and  recommended  the  signers  of  it  as  true  friends  to  America. 

'  There  were  five  newspapers  printed  in  Boston  in  1774,  as  follows:  the  Boston  Pott,  on  Monday 
morning,  by  Thomas  and  John  Fleet ;  the  Boston  Xeict-Letter,  by  Marparet  Draper  (widow  of  Richard 
Draper)  and  Robert  Boyle  ;  the  Maisachusetts  Gazette  and  Boston  Post  Boy  and  Jidvtrtittr,  by  MilLs  and 
Hicks ;  the  Boston  Gazette  and  Country  Journal,  by  Edes  and  Gill ;  and  the  Matsachtuettt  Spy,  by  Isaiah 
Thomas. — See  Thomas's  History  of  Printing. 

*  Anderson  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Alexander  Anderson  of  New  York,  the  earliest  wood-enjrraver.  sa  a 
distinct  art,  in  America.  Now  (1855),  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  he  uses  the  graver  with  all  the  bkiiJ  and 
vigor  of  earlier  manhood. 

'  The  committee  of  1774  consisted  of  Samuel  Adams,  John  Hancock,  James  Bowdoin,  John  Adams, 
William  Phillips,  Joseph  Warren,  and  Josiah  Quincy.  The  importance  of  these  committees  of  correspond- 
ence may  be  understood  by  the  estimate  placed  upon  them  by  a  Torj-  writer  o%'er  the  signature  of  Mat^ 
sachusettensit.  "This,"  he  said,  "is  the  foulest,  subtlest,  and  mmt  venomous  serpent  ever  Lssaed  from  the 
egg  of  sedition.  It  it  the  source  of  the  rebellion.  I  saw  the  small  seed  when  it  was  implanted  ;  it  was  a 
•rain  of  mastard.  I  have  watched  the  plant  until  it  has  become  a  ^reat  tree.  The  vilest  reptiles  that  crawl 
upon  the  earth  are  concealed  at  the  root ;  the  foulest  birds  of  the  air  rest  upon  its  branches.  I  now  would 
induce  you  to  go  to  work  immediately  with  axes  and  hatchets  and  cut  it  down,  for  a  two-fold  reason :  be- 
cause it  is  a  pest  to  society,  and  lest  it  be  felled  suddenly  by  a  stronger  arm,  and  crush  its  thoosands  in 
iu  fall." 

K  a. 


514:  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Attempted  Seizure  of  Arms  and  Ammnnition  at  Cambridge.  Alarm  concerning  Boston.  Convention  in  Boston 

September  1,  ^lent  of  troops  to  seize  a  quantity  of  gunpowder  belonging  to  the  province,  stored  at 
I'^-i-  Charlestown  and  Cambridge.  This  act  greatly  exasperated  the  people,  and  largo 
numbers  assembled  at  Cambridge,  determined  upon  attacking  the  troops  in  Boston.  About 
the  same  time,  intelhgenee  went  abroad  that  the  ships  of  war  in  Boston  harbor  were  bom- 
barding the  town  and  the  regular  troops  were  massacring  the  people,  sparing  nei- 
ther age  nor  sex.  The  news  spread  rapidly,  and  the  thrill  of  horror  produced  by 
the  report  was  succeeded  by  a  cry  of  vengeance.  In  less  than  thirty-sis  hours  the  country 
for  more  than  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  in  extent  was  aroused.  From  the  shores  of 
Long  Island  to  the  green  hills  of  Berkshire,  "  To  arms  I  to  arms  I"  was  the  universal  shout. 
Instantly,  on  every  side,  men  of  aU  ages  were  seen  cleansing  and  burnishing  their  weapons, 
furnishing  themselves  with  pro%nsions  and  warlike  stores,  and  preparing  for  an  immediate 
march  ;  gentlemen  of  rank  and  fortune  exhorting  and  encouraging  others  by  voice  and  ex- 
ample. The  roads  were  soon  crowded  with  armed  men,  marching  for  Boston  with  great 
rapidity,  but  without  noise  or  tumult.  Full  thirty  thousand  men  were  under  arms  and 
speeding  toward  the  town  :  nor  did  they  halt  until  well  assured  that  the  report  was  un- 
true.' 

At  a  convention  of  delegates  from  the  several  towns  in  Suffolk  county,  to  which  Boston 
_  belonged,  held  on  the  6th  of  September,  it  was  resolved  that  no  obedience  was  due  tc 
any  part  of  the  late  acts  of  Parliament.  Collectors  of  taxes,  and  other  officers  holding 
public  money,  were  recommended  to  retain  the  funds  in  their  hands  until  the  old  charter 
was  restored ;  that  persons  who  had  accepted  seats  in  the  Council  had  violated  the  duty 
they  owed  to  their  country  ;  that  those  who  did  not  resign  by  the  20th  of  September  should 
be  considered  public  enemies  ;  that  the  Quebec  Act,  establishing  Romanism  in  Canada,  was 
dangerous  to  Protestantism  and  hberty,  and  that  they  were  determined  to  act  on  the  de- 
fensive only  so  long  as  just  reason  required.  They  also  recommended  the  people  to  seize 
and  keep  as  a  hostage  any  servant  of  the  crown  who  might  fall  in  their  way,  when  they 
should  hear  of  a  patriot  being  arrested  for  any  political  offense.  They  drew  up  an  address 
to  General  Gage,  telling  him  frankly  that  they  did  not  desire  to  commence  hostilities,  but 
that  they  were  determined  not  to  submit  to  any  of  the  late  acts  of  Parliament ;  they  also 
complained  loudly  of  the  fortifications  upon  the  Xeck. 

Gage  denounced  the  convention  as  treasonable,  and,  in  reply  to  their  address,  declared 
that  he  should  take  such  measures  for  the  safety  of  his  troops  and  the  friends  of  government 
as  he  thought  proper,  at  the  same  time  assuring  them  that  the  cannon  placed  in  batterj'  on 
the  Neck  should  not  be  used  except  to  repel  hostile  proceedings.  UnUke  Governor  Carleton 
of  Canada,  he  had  no  word  of  kindness  or  act  of  conciliation  for  the  patriots,^  and  they,  in 
turn,  reviled  the  governor  and  set  his  power  at  naught.  Tarring  and  feathering  and  other 
violent  acts  became  common,  and  the  Tories  or  friends  of  government  in  the  surrounding 
country  were  obliged  to  seek  refuge  in  Boston.  The  eight  military  companies  in  the  town, 
composed  of  citizens,  were  mostly  broken  up.  John  Hancock  had  been  commander  of  a 
corps  called  the  Governor's  Independent  Cadets.  General  Gage  had  dismissed  him,  and 
the  company,  indignant  at  the  affront,  appointed  a  committee,  on  the  14  th  of  Augi;st,  to 

^  See  Hinman's  Historical  Collections  from  Official  Records.  &c..  of  Connecticut. 

It  was  believed  by  some,  that  the  rumor  of  the  bombardment  at  Boston  was  set  afloat  by  some  of  the 
leading  patriots,  to  show  General  Gage  what  multitudes  of  people  would  rise  up  to  crush  his  troops  if  he 
dared  to  abuse  his  power  by  committing  the  least  act  of  violence. 

^  The  kindness  which  Governor  Carleton  manifested  toward  the  American  prisoners  captured  at  Quebec 
and  the  Cedeirs  in  1776,  did  more  to  keep  down  rebellion  in  that  province  than  any  severe  measures  could 
have  effected.  Lamb  says,  that  "in  the  spring  of  1776.  Governor  Carleton  addressed  the  prisoners  with 
such  sweetness  and  good-humor  as  was  sufficient  to  melt  every  heart.  'My  lads,'  he  said,  'why  did  you 
come  to  disturb  an  honest  man  in  his  o-overnment  that  never  did  any  harm  to  you  in  his  life  ?  I  never  in- 
vaded your  property,  nor  sent  a  single  soldier  to  disturb  you.  Come,  my  boys,  you  are  in  a  very  distress- 
ing situation,  and  not  able  to  go  home  with  any  comfort.  I  must  provide  vou  with  shoes,  stockings,  and 
warm  waistcoats.  I  must  give  you  some  victuals  to  carry  you  home.  Take  care,  my  lads,  that  you  do 
aot  come  here  a^ain,  lest  I  should  not  treat  you  so  kindly." — Lamb's  Journal  of  the  American  War.  p.  89 : 
Dublin,  1809. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


516 


Revolutionary  Town  Meetings. 


Order  for  Convening  the  Assembly  countermauded. 


Meeting  or  the  Assembly 


as  lliey  had  almost  unan- 


wait  on  the  governor  at  Salem,  and  return  liim  their  standard, 
iraously  disbanded  themselves."' 

The  day  before  the  meeting  of  the  Suf- 
folk convention,  the  general  Continental 
Septembers,     Cougress  met  in  Philadelphia, 

^''^-  and  as  soon  as  information  of 

its  firni  proceedings  reached  Massachusetts, 
the  patriots  assumed  a  bolder  tone.  Gage 
summoned  the  House  of  Representatives  to 
meet  at  Salem,  to  proceed  to  business  ac- 
cording to  the  new  order  of  things  under 
the  late  act  of  Parliament.  Town  meet- 
ings were  held,  but  so  revolutionary  were 
their  proceedings,  that  Gage  countermand- 
ed his  order  for  the  Assembly.  His  right 
to  countermand  was  denied,  and  most  of 
the  members  elect,  to  the  number  of  nine- 
ty, met  at  Salem  on  the  day  an- 

October  5.  . 

pointed.  Gage,  of  course,  was 
not  there,  and  as  nobody  appeared  to  open 
the  court  or  administer  the  oaths,  they  re- 
solved themselves  into  a  provincial  Con- 
gress, adjourned  to  Concord,  and  there  organized  by  choosing  John  Hancock  president,  and 


„# 


/ 


^^ 


John  Hancock.2 


*  I  copy  from  the  Massachusetts  Spy  of  September,  1774,  the  following  lampoon  in  rhyme : 

"*4  sample  of  gubernatorial  eloquence,  as  lately  exhibited  to  the  company  of  cadets 
"  Your  Colonel  H — n — k,  by  neglect 
Has  been  deficient  in  respect ; 
As  he  my  sovereign  toe  ne'er  kissed, 
'Twas  proper  he  should  be  dismissed; 
I  never  was  and  never  will 
By  mortal  man  be  treated  ill. 
I  never  was  nor  ever  can 
Be  treated  01  by  mortal  man. 
Oh  had  I  but  have  known  before 
Tliat  temper  of  your  factious  corps, 
It  should  have  been  my  greatest  pleasure 
To  have  prevented  that  bold  measure. 
To  meet  with  such  severe  disgrace — 
My  standard  flung  into  my  face  ! 
Disband  yourselves  I  so  cursed  stout ! 
Oh  had  I,  had  I,  turned  you  out !" 

This  is  given  as  a  .specimen  of  the  fearlessness  of  the  press  at  that  time,  for  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  Spy  was  printed  in  Boston,  then  filled  with  armed  troops  employed  to  put  down  risinj^  rebellion.  Gage'^ 
proclamations  were  pai'aphrascd  in  rhyme,  and  otherwise  ridiculed.  One  of  these,  now  before  me,  com- 
mences, 

"  Tom  Gage's  Proclamation, 

Or  blustering  Denunciation 

(Replete  with  Defamation), 

Threatening  Devastation 

And  speedy  Jugnlation 

Of  the  New  English  Nation, 

Who  shall  his  pious  ways  shun." 


It  closes  with 


"  By  command  of  Mother  Carey. 

"  Thomas  Fluckeb,  Secretary.' 


'  Thus  graciously  the  war  I  wage, 
As  witncsseth  my  hand — 

TOM  GAGE. 


'  A  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Hancock  will  be  found  among  those  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  in  the  Supplement. 


*  Flucker  was  Secretary  of  Massachusetts  under  Gaga.    Honry  (afterward  general)  Knox,  of  the  Revolution,  married  hi» 


516  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Appointment  of  Committees  of  Safety  and  Supplies.  Appointment  of  military  Officers.  Spiking  of  C&nnons 

Benjamin  Lincoln,  afterward  a  revolutionary  general,  secretary.  A  committee,  appointed 
to  consider  the  state  of  the  province,  prepared  an  address  to  Gage,  which  the  Congress 
adopted,  and  then  adjourned  to  Cambridge,  where  another  committee  was  sent  to  present 
the  address  to  the  governor.  In  that  address  they  protested  against  the  fortification  of  the 
Neck,  and  complained  of  the  recent  acts  of  Parliament,  while  they  expressed  the  warmest 
loyalty  to  the  king  and  the  government.  Gage  replied,  as  he  did  to  the  Suffolk  committee, 
that  his  military  preparations  were  made  only  in  self-defense,  and  were  justified  by  the  war- 
like demonstrations  on  every  hand.  He  concluded  by  pronouncing  their  Assembly  illegal, 
and  in  contravention  of  the  charter  of  the  province,  and  warned  them  to  desist. 

The  denunciations  of  Gage  had  no  other  effect  than  to  increase  the  zeal  of  the  patriots. 
The  Provincial  Congress  proceeded  to  appoint  a  Committee  of  Safety,  at  the  head  of  which 
was  John  Hancock,  giving  it  power  to  call  out  the  militia.  A  committee  was  appointed 
to  provide  ammunition  and  stores,  and  the  sum  of  sixty-six  thousand  dollars  was  appropri- 
October26      ^^ed  for  the  purpose.      Provision  was  also  made  for  arming  the  people  of  the 

1774.  province.  They  appointed  Henry  Gardner  treasurer  of  the  colony,  under  the  title 
of  receiver  general,  into  whose  hands  the  constables  and  tax-collectors  were  directed  to  pay 
all  public  moneys  which  they  received.  Jedediah  Preble,  Artemus  Ward,  and  Seth  Pome- 
roy,  were  appointed  general  officers  of  the  militia.'  The  first  did  not  accept  the  appoint- 
ment, and  Ward  and  Pomeroy  alone  entered  upon  the  duty  of  organizing  the  military. 
Ammunition  and  stores  were  speedily  collected  at  Concord,  Woburn,  and  other  places. 
Mills  were  erected  for  making  gunpowder ;  manufactories  were  set  up  for  making  arms, 
and  great  encouragement  was  given  to  the  production  of  saltpeter. 

The  Provincial  Congress  disavowed  any  intention  to  attack  the  British  troops,  yet  took 
measures  to  cut  off  their  supplies  from  the  country.  Gage  issued  a  proclama- 
tion, denouncing  their  proceedings,  to  which  no  attention  was  paid  ;  and  as  the 
recommendations  of  the  Provincial  Congress  had  all  the  authority  of  law,  he  was  unsupport- 
ed except  by  his  troops,  and  a  few  officials  and  their  friends  in  the  city.  Apprehending 
that  the  people  of  Boston  might  point  the  cannons  upon  the  fortifications  about  the  town 
upon  himself  and  troops,  he  caused  a  party  of  sailors  to  be  landed  by  night  from  a  ship  of 
war  in  the  harbor,  who  spiked  all  the  guns  upon  the  battery  at  Fort  Hill. 

At  a  session  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  convened  on  the  23d  of  No- 
vember, it  was  voted  to  enrol  twelve  thousand  minute  men — volunteers  pledged  to  be  ready 
to  enter  the  field  at  a  minute's  notice — and  an  invitation  was  sent  to  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island  to  follow  this  example,  and  increase  the  number  of  minute  men  to  twenty 
thousand.  They  elected  the  same  delegates  to  the  general  Congress,  to  meet  again  in  May, 
1775;  appointed  Colonel  Thomas  and  Colonel  Heath  additional  generals;  and  adopted 
measures  for  the  formation  of  a  new  Provincial  Congress,  to  meet  early  in  the  ensuing  year. 
They  then  adjourned  to  attend  the  general  thanksgiving,  held  according  to  their  own  ap- 
pointment.' When  the  year  1774  closed,  the  colonies  were  on  the  verge  of  open  insurrec- 
tion.     Let  us  turn  for  a  moment  to  view  the  progress  of  events  in  England. 

When  the  colonial  agents  there  observed  the  manifest  improbability  of  a  reconciliation 
and  the  certainty  of  an  appeal  to  arms,  they  were  exceedingly  active  in  their  efforts  to 
mold  the  popular  opinion  in  favor  of  the  colonies.      The  various  addresses  put  forth  by  the 

'  For  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  General  Ward,  see  ante,  page  190.  Pomeroy  was  in  the  battle  of  Lake 
George,  in  1755,  and  was  the  soldier  of  that  name  whom  Everett  supposes  to  have  shot  Baron  Dieskau. 
See  page  109. 

^  This  appointment  was  always  made  by  the  governor,  as  at  the  present  day,  but  the  patriots  had  abso- 
lutely discarded  his  authority. 

iauahter  Lucy,  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  her  father,  who  desired  a  more  advantageous  match  for  her.  Knox  was  a  young 
bookseller  in  Boston,  and  Miss  Flucker,  who  possessed  considerable  literary  taste,  became  acquainted  with  him  while  yisiting 
his  store  to  purchase  articles  in  his  line.  A  sympathy  of  taste,  feehng,  and  views  produced  mutual  esteem,  which  soon  ripened 
tato  love.  Her  fiiends  looked  upon  her  as  one  ruined  in  prospects  of  future  social  esteem  and  personal  happiness,  in  wedding 
one  who  had  espoused  the  cause  of  rebellion  ;  but  many  of  those  very  friends,  when  the  great  political  change  took  place,  were 
outcasts  and  in  poverty,  while  Lucy  Knox  was  the  center  of  the  first  social  circle  in  America. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


617 


Efforts  of  Franklin  and  otliers. 


Counteraction  by  Adam  Smith  and  others. 


Proceedings  in  Pai'liamcnt 


Continental  Congress  were  printed  and  industriously  circulated.  Dr.  Franklin  and  other 
friends  of  America  traversed  the  manufacturing  towns  in  the  north  of  England,  and  by  per- 
sonal communications  enlightened  the  people  upon  the  important  questions  at  issue.  The 
inhabitants  of  those  districts  were  mostly  Dissenters,  looking  upon  the  Church  of  England  as 
an  oppressor ;  and,  by  parity  of  simple  reasoning,  its  main  pillar,  the  throne,  was  regarded 
equally  as  an  instrument  of  oppression.  They  were,  therefore,  eager  listeners  to  the  truths 
respecting  human  rights  which  the  friends  of  republicanism  uttered,  and  throughout  York- 
shire, Lancashire,  Durham,  and  Northumberland,  the  people  became  much  excited. 

Ministers  were  alarmed,  and  concerted  measures  to 
counteract  the  eflects  produced  by  these  itinerant  repub- 
licans. Adam  Smith,  the  author  of  "  The  Wealth  of 
Nations,"  Wedderburne,  the  solicitor  general,  and  other 
friends  of  the  ministry,  wielded  their  pens  vigorously  ; 
and,  at  their  solicitation,  Dr.  Roebuck,  of  Birmingham, 
a  very  popular  man  among  the  manufacturing  popula- 
tion, followed  in  the  wake  of  Franklin  and  his  friends, 
and  endeavored  to  apply  a  ministerial  antidote  to  their 
republican  poison.  In  this  he  was  measurably  success- 
ful, and  the  districts  were  quieted. 

Parliament  assembled  on  the  30th  of  Novem- 

1774 

her.  The  king  informed  them  that  America  was 
on  the  verge  of  open  rebellion.  When  the  usual  address 
to  the  king  Avas  proposed  in  the  House  of  Commons,  the 
opposition  ofl'ered  an  amendment,  asking  his  majesty  to 
lay  before  Parliament  all  letters,  orders,  and  instructions 
relating  to  American  afl'airs,  as  well  as  all  the  intelli- 
Lord  North  opposed  the  amendment,  because  it  made 


Ad^.m  Smith.' 
From  a  medalliOD  by  Tassie 


gence  received  from  the  colonies. 
the  first  advances  toward  a  reconciliation,  and  therefore  was  inconsistent  with  the  dignity 
of  the  government  I  The  address  was  replete  with  assurances  of  support  for  the  king  and 
ministers  in  all  measures  deemed  necessary  to  maintain  government  in  the  colonies,  or,  in 
other  words,  in  drawing  the  sword,  if  necessary,  to  bring  the  Americans  to  the  feet  of  royal 
authority.  A  debate,  characterized  by  considerable  bitterness,  ensued,  but  the  amendment 
was  rejected,  and  the  loyal  address  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-four 
against  seventy-three.  Similar  action  was  had  in  the  House  of  Lords,  and  an  address  was 
carried  by  a  vote  of  sixty-three  to  thirteen.  Nine  peers  signed  a  sensible  protest,  which 
concluded  with  these  words  :  "  Whatever  may  be  the  mischievous  designs  or  inconsiderate 
temerity  which  leads  others  to  this  desperate  course,  we  wish  to  be  known  as  persons  who 
have  ever  disapproved  of  measures  so  pernicious  in  their  past  eflects  and  future  tendencies  ; 
and  who  are  not  in  haste,  without  inquiry  and  information,  to  commit  ourselves  in  declara- 
tions which  may  precipitate  our  country  into  all  the  calamities  of  a  civil  war." 

Franklin  and  his  associates  caused  strong  remonstrances  and  petitions  to  be  sent  in  from 
the  northern  manufacturing  districts;  and  respectful  petitions  were  also  sent  in  from  Lon- 
don, Liverpool,  Manchester,  Bristol,  and  other  large  towns,  praying  for  a  just  and  concilia- 
tory course  toward  America.  These  petitions  were  referred  to  an  inactive  committee — "  a 
committee  of  oblivion,"  Burke  called  it — while  a  few  counter  petitions,  procured  by  Roe- 
buck, were  acted  upon  immediately.      Petitions  from  Americans,  and  even  one  from  Ja- 


'  Adam  Smith  was  born  at-Kirkaldy,  in  Scotland,  in  1723.  At  the  age  of  three  years  he  was  carried 
iff  by  some  gipsies,  but  soon  afterward  was  recovered.  He  was  educated  at  Oxford,  and  was  designed  for 
the  Church.  He  became  an  infidel  in  religious  views,  and  of  course  turned  his  attention  to  other  than  cler- 
ical duties.  He  was  the  frieml  of  Hume,  Gibbon,  and  several  of  the  most  distinguished  infidel  writers  of 
France.  He  wrote  much,  but  the  work  on  wliieh  his  reputation  rests  is  his  "  Inquiry  into  the  Nature  and 
Cause  of  the  Wealth  of  Nations,"  published  in  1771.  It  was  for  a  long  time  the  ablest  work  on  political 
economy  in  the  English  language.      He  died  in  1790,  as  he  had  livcJ,  a  contemner  of  Christianity. 


518  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Appearance  of  Pitt  in  Parliament.  His  Speech  on  American  Affaira.  His  conciliatory  Proposition. 

maica,  in  favor  of  the  colonies,  were  treated  with  disdain,  and  the  Americans  had  every 
reason  to  believe  that  government  was  anxious  to  light  up  the  flame  of  war,  with  the  ex- 
pectation of  at  once  crushing  the  spirit  of  independence  in  the  West  by  a  single  tread  of  its 
iron  heel  of  power. 

Parliament,  which  adjourned  until  after  the  Christmas  holidays,  reassembled  on  the 
20th  of  January.  Greatly  to  the  astonishment  of  every  one,  Lord  Chatham  (Pitt) 
was  in  his  place  in  the  Upper  House  on  the  following  day.  It  was  understood  that  he  had 
washed  his  hands  of  American  affairs,  and  that  he  would  probably  not  be  seen  in  Parlia- 
ment during  the  session.  It  was  a  mistake,  and  the  great  statesman  opened  the  business 
of  the  session  by  proposing  an  address  to  the  king,  asking  him  to  "  immediately  dispatch  or- 
ders to  General  Gage  to  remove  his  forces  from  Boston  as  soon  as  the  rigors  of  the  season 
would  permit."  "  I  wish,  my  lords,"  he  said,  "not  to  lose  a  day  in  this  urgent,  pressing 
crisis.  An  hour  now  lost  may  produce  years  of  calamity.  For  my  part,  I  will  not  desert, 
for  a  single  moment,  the  conduct  of  this  weighty  business.  Unless  nailed  to  my  bed  by  ex- 
tremity of  sickness,  I  will  give  it  my  unremitted  attention.  I  will  knock  at  the  door  of 
this  sleeping  and  confounded  ministry,  and  will  rouse  them  to  a  sense  of  their  impending 
danger.  When  I  state  the  importance  of  the  colonies  to  this  country,  and  the  magnitude 
of  danger  from  the  present  plan  of  misadministration  practiced  against  them,  I  desire  not  to 
be  understood  to  argue  for  a  reciprocity  of  indulgence  between  England  and  America.  I 
contend  not  for  indulgence,  but  justice  to  America  ;  and  I  shall  ever  contend  that  the  Amer- 
icans owe  obedience  to  us  in  a  limited  degree."  After  stating  the  points  on  which  the  su 
premacy  of  the  mother  country  was  justly  predicated,  the  great  orator  continued  :  "  Resist- 
ance to  your  acts  was  necessary  as  it  was  just ;  and  your  vain  declarations  of  the  omnipo- 
tence of  Parliament,  and  your  imperious  doctrines  of  the  necessity  of  submission,  will  be 
found  equally  incompetent  to  convince  or  to  enslave  your  fellow-subjects  in  America,  who 
feel  that  tyranny,  whether  ambitioned  by  an  individual  part  of  the  Legislature  or  the  bodies 
who  compose  it,  is  equally  intolerable  to  British  subjects."  He  then  drew  a  picture  of  the 
condition  of  the  troops  in  Boston,  suffering  from  the  inclemencies  of  winter,  insulted  by  the 
inhabitants,  wasting  away  with  sickness  and  pining  for  action  ;  and  finally,  after  alluding 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  late  Congress  and  the  approval  of  their  acts  by  the  people,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  I  trust  it  is  obvious  to  your  lordships  that  all  attempts  to  impose  servitude  upon 
such  men,  to  establish  despotism  over  such  a  mighty  continental  nation,  must  be  vain — 
must  be  fatal.      We  shall  be  forced  ultimately  to  retract ;  let  us  retract  while  we  can,  not 

when  we  must To  conclude,  my  lords,  if  the  ministers  thus  persevere  in  misadvising 

and  misleading  the  king,  I  will  not  say  that  they  can  alienate  the  affections  of  his  subjects 
from  his  crown,  but  T  will  affirm  that  they  will  make  the  crown  not  worth  his  wearing.  I 
will  not  say  that  the  king  is  betrayed,  but  I  will  pronounce  that  the  kingdom  is  un- 
done." 

Chatham's  motion  was  negatived  by  a  vote  of  sixty-eight  to  eighteen.  Not  at  all  dis- 
couraged, he  immediately  presented  a  bill,  in  which  it  was  proposed  to  renounce  the  power 
of  taxation,  demand  of  the  Americans  an  acknowledgment  of  the  supreme  authority  of  Great 
Britain,  and  invite  them  to  contribute,  voluntarily,  a  specified  sum  annually,  to  be  employed 
in  meeting  the  charge  on  the  national  debt.  This  accomplished,  it  proposed  an  immediate 
epeal  of  all  the  objectionable  acts  of  Parliament  passed  during  the  current  reign,  and  then 
n  force.'  This,  of  course,  ministers  regarded  as  a  concession  to  the  colonies  quite  as  inju- 
rious to  national  honor  as  any  thing  yet  proposed,  and  more  humiliating,  even,  than  Dr. 
Tucker's  propositions,  then  attracting  much  attention,  that  Parliament  should,  by  solemn 
act,  separate  the  colonies  from  the  parent  government,  and  disallow  any  application  for  res- 
toration to  the  rights  and  privileges  of  British  subjects,  until,  by  humble  petition,  they  should 

'  These  were  ten  in  number  :  the  Sugar  Act,  the  two  Quartering  Acts,  the  Tea  Act,  the  Act  suspending 
the  Neit,  York  Legislature  (hereafter  to  be  noticed),  the  two  Acts  for  the  Trial  in  Great  Britain  of  Offenses 
committed  in  America,  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  the  Act  for  Regulating  the  General  Government  of  Massachu- 
ietts,  and  the  Quebec  Act 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


519 


Virtual  Declaration  of  War  against  the  Colonists.     Warm  Debates  in  Parliament     Chatliam  and  Franklin.     Gibbon  amd  Fox. 


1775. 


EDW.viiD  Gibbon. 


ask  for  pardon  and  reinstatement.'  Chatham's  proposition  received  very  little  favor  in  the 
House  of  Lords,  though  loudly  applauded  by  the  more  intelligent  people  without,"  and  it  was 
negatived,  on  the  motion  of  the  Earl  of  Sandwich  to  "  reject  the  bill  now  and  forever,"  by  a 
vote  of  sixty-one  against  thirty-two. 

.  The  ministry,  governed  by  the  ethics  of  the  lion  (without  his  magnanimity),  "  might 
makes  right,"  followed  up  their  foolish  rejection  of  the  olive  branch,  by  proposing  measures 
tantamount  to  an  actual  declaration  of  war  upon  the  American  colonists,  as  rebels.  On  the 
2d  of  February,  North  proposed  the  first  of  a  series  of  coercive  measures.  He  moved, 
in  the  Commons,  for  an  address  to  the  king,  affirming  that  the  province  of  Massachu- 
setts was  in  a  state  of  rebellion  ;  that  Great  Britain 
would  not  relinquish  an  iota  of  her  sovereign  rule  in  the 
colonies,  and  urging  his  majesty  to  take  eflectual  meas- 
ures for  enforcing  obedience  to  the  laws.  The  address 
concluded  with  the  usual  resolution  to  support  him  with 
their  "  lives  and  fortunes." 

On  introducing  the  motion,  North  intimated  that  a 
part  of  his  plan  was  to  materially  increase  the  military 
forces  in  America,  and  to  restrain  the  entire  commerce 
of  New  England  with  Great  Britain,  Ireland,  and  the 
West  Indies.  Fox  moved  an  amendment,  censuring 
the  ministry  and  praying  for  their  removal.  Dunning 
and  the  great  Thurlow  engaged  in  the  debate  on  the 
side  of  the  opposition,  which  became  very  warm.  Fox's 
amendment  was  negatived  by  a  vote  of  three  hundred 
and  four  against  one  hundred  and  five,  and  North's 
motion  prevailed  by  a  majority  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-six  to  one  hundred  and  six  in  the  Commons,  and 
in  the  Upper  House  by  eighty-seven  to  twenty-seven  ;  nine  peers  protesting.^ 

^  Josiah  Tucker,  D.D.,  dean  of  Gloucester,  was  an  able  English  divine,  and  son  of  Abraham  Tucker,  au- 
thor  of  The  Light  of  Nature  Pursued,  a  work  in  nine  octavo  volumes.  Dr.  Tucker  was  a  famous  pam- 
phleteer at  the  time  of  our  Revolution.  He  was  the  only  fi-iend  of  the  British  ministry  who  wrote  in  favor 
of  the  independence  of  the  colonies. 

^  The  corporation  of  the  city  of  London  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  him,  and  Franklin  (to  whom  Chatham 
submitted  the  bill  before  offering  it  in  the  Senate)  sent  forth  an  address  to  the  people  of  England,  and  to  his 
jwn  countrymen  there,  in  which  he  portrayed  the  wickedness  of  rejecting  this  plan  of  reconciliation,  the 
only  feasible  one  that  had  been  offered  for  years.  Franklin  and  other  agents  asked  to  be  examined  at  the 
bar  of  the  House  of  Commons  touching  the  demands  of  the  general  Congress ;  but  even  this  courtesy,  for  it 
could  be  called  nothing  more,  was  roughly  denied. 

*  Gibbon  the  historian,  author  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  who  had  then  a  seat  in 
Parliament,  writing  to  his  friend  Sheffield,  said,  "  We  voted  an  address  of  '  lives  and  fortunes,'  declaring 
Massachusetts  Bay  in  a  state  of  rebellion  ;  more  troops,  but,  I  fear,  not  enough,  to  go  to  America,  to  make 
an  array  of  ten  thousand  men  at  Boston ;  three  generals,  Howe,  Clinton,  and  Burgoyne  !  In  a  few  days  we 
stop  the  ports  of  New  England.  I  can  not  write  volumes,  but  I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that,  with 
lirmness,  all  may  go  well;  yet  I  something  doubt. ^' 

Gibbon  was  very  much  disposed  to  take  sides  with  the  Americans,  and  it  is  said  that  he  publicly  declared 
at  Brooke's  CofTec-house,  that  "there  was  no  salvation  for  England,  unless  six  of  the  heads  of  the  cabinet 
council  were  cut  off  and  laid  upon  the  tables  of  the  houses  of  Parliament  as  examples."  Gibbon  had  his 
price,  and,  within  a  fortnight  after  the  above  expression  was  uttered,  took  office  under  that  same  cabinet 
I'ouncil,  with  a  liberal  salary  and  promise  of  a  pension.  His  mouth  was  thus  stopped  by  the  sugar-plums 
of  patronage.  So  says  Bailey,  author  of  "  Records  of  Patriotism  and  Love  of  Country,"  page  169.  Bailey 
also  gives  the  following  poem,  which  he  asserts  was  written  by  Fox : 

"  King  George,  in  a  fright,  lest  Gibbon  should  write 

The  story  of  Britain's  disgrace, 
Thought  no  means  more  sure  his  pen  to  secure 

Than  to  give  the  historian  a  place. 
But  his  caution  is  vain,  'tis  the  curse  of  hia  reign 

That  his  projects  should  never  succeed  • 
Though  he  write  not  a  line,  yet  a  cause  of  decline 

In  the  author's  example  we  read. 


•5  2  0 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


February  10, 
1775. 


John  Wilkes. 


Fohn  Wilkes  in  Parliament     His  Character  and  Career.     Bill  for  destroying  the  New  England  Fisheries.     A  conciliatory  Bill 

In  the  debate  on  this  bill  the  celebrated  John  Wilkes,  then  a  member  of  Parliament,  for- 
merly editor  of  the  North  Briton,  a  radical  paper,  who  had  given  the  government  a  world 

of  trouble  during  a  portion  of  the  first  eight  years  of  the 
reign  of  George  III.,  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  favor  of 
the  Americans.  He  declared  that  a  proper  resistance  to 
wrong  was  revolution,  and  not  rebellion,  and  intimated 
that  if  the  Americans  were  successful,  they  might,  in  after 
times,  celebrate  the  revolution  of  1775  as  the  English  did 
that  of  1688.  Earnest  recommendations  to  pursue  mild- 
er measures  were  offered  by  the  opposition,  but  without 
effect.  It  was  voted  that  two  thousand  additional  sea 
men  and  one  thousand  four  hundred  soldiers  should  be 
sent  to  America. 

A  few  days  afterward  Lord  North  brought 
forth  another  bill,  providing  for  the  destruction 
of  the  entire  trade  of  the  New  England  colonies,  and  of 
their  fisheries.^  It  had  a  clause,  excepting  those  individ- 
uals from  the  curse  who  should  produce  a  certificate  from  their  respective  governors  testify- 
ing to  their  general  good  conduct,  and  who  should  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  Brit- 
ish Parliament.  In  addition  to  the  opposition  which  the  bill  received  in  the  Commons,  the 
merchants  of  London  presented  an  earnest  remonstrance  against  it,^  and  so  did  the  Quakers 
in  behalf  of  their  brethren  in  Nantucket,  but  without  effect.  It  passed  by  a  majority  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty  to  fifty-eight.  Fresh  intelligence  from  America,  represent- 
ing the  general  adhesion  to  the  Continental  Congress,  arrived  at  this  juncture,  and 
another  bill  was  speedily  passed,  in  the  form  of  an  amendment,  including  all  the  colonies  in 
the  Restraining  Act,  except  New  York  and  North  Carolina,  where  loyalty  seem- 
ed to  predominate. 

While  the  Restraining  Act  was  under  consideration.  North  astonished  all  parties  by  of- 
fering what  he  pretended  to  be  a  conciliatory  bill.  It  proposed  that  when  the  proper  au- 
thorities, in  any  colony,  should  offer,  besides  maintaining  its  own  civil  government,  to  raise 

His  book  well  describes,  how  corruption  and  bribes 

Overthrew  the  great  empire  of  Rome  ; 
And  his  writings  declare  a  degen'racy  there, 

Which  his  conduct  exhibits  at  home." 

The  first  volume  of  Gibbon's  Rome  was  published  in  1776,  and  the  sixth  and  last  on  his  fift)'-first  birth- 
day, in  1788.  His  bookseller,  Mr.  Cadell,  on  that  day  gave  him  forty  thousand  dollars.  Gibbon  died  in 
January,  1794. 

'  This  fearless  political  writer  was  born  in  1727.  He  became  a  member  of  Parliament  in  1757.  In  the 
forty-fifth  number  of  the  "North  Briton,"  published  in  1763,  he  made  a  severe  attack  on  government,  for 
which  he  was  sent  to  the  Tower.  On  account  of  a  licentious  essay  on  woman  he  was  afterward  expelled 
from  the  House  of  Commons.  Acquitted  of  the  charge  for  which  he  was  committed  to  the  Tower,  he  pros- 
ecuted Mr.  Wood,  the  Under  Secretary,  received  five  thousand  dollars  damages,  and  then  went  to  Paris. 
He  returned  to  England  in  1768,  sent  a  letter  of  submission  to  the  king,  and  was  soon  aftenx'ard  elected  to 
a  seat  in  Parliament  for  Middlesex.  The  seat  was  successfully  contested  by  another.  He  was  then  elected 
alderman  of  London,  and  the  same  year  obtained  a  verdict  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  against  the  Secretary 
of  State  for  seizing  his  papers.  He  was  sheriff  in  1771,  and  in  1774  was  elected  lord  mayor,  and  took  his 
seat  in  Parliament  for  Middlesex.  He  was  made  Chamberlain  of  London  in  1779,  and  soon  afterward  re- 
tired from  the  field  of  party  politics.  He  died  at  his  seat  in  the  Isle  of  Wight  in  1797,  aged  seventy  years. 
The  likeness  here  given  is  copied  from  a  medal  struck  in  his  honor.  The  obverse  side  has  a  pyramid  upon 
a  pedestal,  beside  which  stands  a  figure  of  Time  inscribing  upon  the  pyramid  the  number  45.  On  the  ped- 
estal are  the  words  Magna  Charta,  and  beneath,  In  memory  of  the  year  MDCCLXVIII.  Wilkes  had  a 
most  forbidding  countenance,  but  his  manners  were  pleasing.  In  his  private  character  he  was  licentious, 
yet  his  talents  and  energy  employed  upon  the  popular  side  made  him  the  idol  of  the  people. 

^  According  to  testimony  produced  in  Parliament,  about  400  ships,  2000  fishing  shallops,  and  20,000 
men  were  thus  employed  in  the  British  Newfoundland  fisheries. 

^  The  people  of  New  England  were,  at  that  time,  indebted  to  the  merchants  of  London  nearly  five  mill- 
ion dollars.  With  the  destruction  of  the  trade  of  the  colonists,  all  hope  of  collecting  even  a  small  share  of 
this  sura  would  be  lost. 


March  8. 


March  21. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  52I 


Singular  Position  of  Lord  North.       Jlia  Triumph.      Action  of  the  London  Mercliants.       The  moral  Spectacle  in  the  Colours. 

a  certain  revenue  and  place  it  at  the  disposition  of  Parliament,  it  would  be  proper  to  forbeai 
imposing  any  tax,  except  for  the  regulation  of  commerce.  The  ministerial  party  opposed  it 
because  it  was  conciliatory,  and  the  opposition  were  dissatisfied  with  it  because  it  proposed 
to  abate  but  a  single  grievance,  and  was  not  specific.  To  his  great  astonishment,  the  min- 
ister found  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  cross-fire  from  both  parties ;  yet  he  stood  his  ground 
well,  and  adroitly  carried  the  proposition  through.  Although  he  acknowledged  that  it  was 
really  a  cheat  with  a  fair  exterior  of  honesty,  and  intended  to  sow  division  in  the  councils  of 
the  colonies,  heedless  members  of  Parliament  gave  it  support,  and  the  bill  was  passed  by  a 
vote  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-four  to  eighty-eight 

On  the  heel  of  this  bill  Burke  proposed  a  conciliatory  plan,  and  five  days  after- 
ward Mr.  Hartley  ofiered  a  mild  scheme,  similar  to  Chatham's  ;  but  they  were  ^'"'^'^  ^' 
negatived  by  large  majorities.  The  "  lord  mayor,  aldermen,  and  livery  of  London,"  urged 
by  the  merchants,  M'ho  were  smarting  under  the  ellects  of  the  lash  applied  to  the  Americans, 
addressed  the  king  in  condemnation  of  the  late  measures  toward  thp  colonies,  j^  ^,  ,„ 
They  were  sternly  rebuked  by  his  majesty,  who  expressed  his  astonishment  that  any  i77->-  ' 
of  his  subjects  presumed  to  be  abettors  of  the  rebels.      It  was  obvious  that 

"  King,  Commons,  and  Lords  were  uniting  amain 
To  cut  down  this  guardian  of  ours," 

and  Franklin,  abandoning  all  hope  of  reconciliation,  sailed  for  America. 

For  more  than  ten  years  the  colonies  had  complained  of  wrongs,  petitioned  for  redress, 
and  suffered  insults.  Forbearance  was  no  longer  a  virtue,  and,  turning  their  backs  upon 
Great  Britain,  they  prepared  for  war.  In  this  movement  Massachusetts  took  the  lead. 
The  Provincial  Congress  ordered  the  purchase  of  ammunition  and  stores  for  an  army  of  fif- 
teen thousand  men.  They  called  upon  the  Congregational  clergy  to  preach  liberty  from 
their  pulpits,  and  hearty  responses  were  given.  "  The  towns,  which  had  done  so  fearlessly 
and  so  thoroughly  the  preparatory  work  of  foiTning  and  concentrating  political  sentiment, 
3ame  forward  now  to  complete  their  patriotic  actions  by  voting  money  freely  to  arm,  equip, 
and  discipline  '  Alarm  List  Companies ;'  citizens  of  every  calling  appeared  in  their  ranks  , 
to  be  a  private  in  them  was  proclaimed  by  the  journals  an  honor  ;  to  be  chosen  to  office  in 
them,  a  mark  of  the  highest  distinction.  In  Danvers,  the  deacon  of  the  parish  was  elected 
captain  of  the  minute  men,  and  the  minister  his  lieutenant.  The  minute  men  were  trained 
often,  the  towns  paying  the  expense  ;  and  the  company,  after  its  field  exercises,  would  some- 
times repair  to  the  meeting-house  to  hear  a  patriotic  sermon,  or  partake  of  an  entertainment 
at  the  town-house,  where  zealous  sons  of  liberty  would  exhort  them  to  prepare  to  fi"^ht 
bravely  for  God  and  their  country.  Such  was  the  discipline — so  free  from  a  mercenary 
spirit,  so  full  of  inspiring  influences — of  the  early  American  soldiery.  And  thus  an  army, 
in  fact,  was  in  existence,  ready  at  a  moment's  call,  for  defensive  purposes,  to  wheel  its  iso- 
lated platoons  into  solid  phalanxes,  while  it  presented  to  an  enemy  only  opportunity  for  an 
inglorious  foray  upon  its  stores.'" 

Had  the  counsels  of  inflamed  zeal  and  passion — inflamed  by  the  most  cruel  and  insulting 
oppression — prevailed,  blood  would  have  been  shed  before  the  close  of  1774.  Troops  con- 
tinued to  arrive  at  Boston,'  and  the  insolence  of  the  soldiery  increased  with  their  numbers 

'  Frothingham's  Siege  of  Boston,  p.  42. 

'  In  November,  1774,  there  were  eleven  regiments  of  British  troops,  besides  the  artillery,  in  Boston.  In 
December,  500  marines  landed  from  the  Asia  man-of-war,  and,  at  the  close  of  the  month,  all  the  troops 
ordered  from  the  Jerseys,  New  York,  and  Quebec  had  arrived.  A  puard  of  150  men  was  stationed  at  the 
lines  upon  the  Neck.  The  army  was  brigaded.  The  first  brigadier  general  was  Earl  Percy,  Moncrief 
Ills  brigade  major ;  the  second  general  was  Pigott,  his  major,  Small ;  third  general,  Jones,  his  major,  Hutch- 
mson,  son  of  the  late  governor.  The  soldie'rs  were  in  high  spirits,  and  the  otlieers  looked  with  contempt 
upon  the  martial  preparations  of  the  people.  "  As  to  what  you  hear  of  their  taking  arms  to  resist  the  force 
of  England,"  wrote  an  ofTicer,  in  November,  1774,  "  it  is  mere  bullying,  and  will  go  no  further  than  words , 
whenever  it  comes  to  blows,  he  that  can  run  the  fastest  will  think  himself  best  olF.  Believe  me,  any  two 
regiments  here  ought  to  be  decimated,  if  they  did  not  beat,  in  the  field,  the  whole  force  of  the  Ma.ssachu- 
setts  province."' 


522  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Carrying  Am raimition  out  of  the  City.  Detection.  Hostile  Movements  of  Gage.  Counteraction  of  the  Whiga 

and  strength  ;  but  the  Americans  were  determined  that  when  collision,  which  was  inevita- 
ble, should  take  place,  the  first  blow  should  be  struck  by  the  British  troops,  and  thus  make 
government  the  aggressor.  The  occasion  was  not  long  delayed.  General  Gage  discovered 
that  the  patriots  were  secretly  conveying  arms  and  ammunition  out  of  Boston.  In  carts, 
beneath  loads  of  manure,  cannon  balls  and  muskets  were  carried  out ;  and  powder,  conceal- 
ed in  the  panniers  of  the  market-women,  and  cartridges  in  candle-boxes,  passed  unsuspected 
by  the  guard  upon  the  Neck.'  On  discovering  these  movements,  and  learning  that  some 
brass  cannon  and  field-pieces  were  at  Salem,  Gage  sent  a  detachment  of  troops  to  seize  them. 
They  were  repelled  by  the  people  under  Colonel  Timothy  Pickering,  without  bloodshed,  as 
we  have  noticed  on  page  374.  This  movement  aroused  the  utmost  vigilance  throughout 
March  *^^  Country.  At  a  special  session  of  the  Connecticut  Assembly,  Colonel  Wooster 
1775.  -\vag  commissioned  a  major  general,  and  Joseph  Spencer  and  Israel  Putnam  were 
appointed  brigadiers.  Elbridge  Gerry,  a  merchant  of  Marblehead,  and  afterward  a  signer 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  at  the  head  of  the  Massachusetts  Committee  of 
Supply,  and  under  his  directions  munitions  of  war  were  rapidly  accumulated,  the  chief  de- 
posit of  which  was  at  Concord,  about  twenty  miles  from  Boston.  Meanwhile,  Sewall,  the 
attorney  general  of  the  province,  wrote  a  series  of  powerful  articles,  calling  upon  the  people 
to  cease  resistance ;  and,  greatly  to  the  alarm  of  the  patriots  lest  there  should  be  defection 
in  their  strong-hold,  Governor  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  soon  afterward  offered  to  mediate 
between  General  Gage  and  the  people  of  Boston,  for  the  sake  of  preventing  hostilities. 
Timothy  Ruggles,  president  of  the  "  Stamp  Act  Congress,"  got  up  counter  associations 
against  those  of  the  patriots,  and  a  small  number  at  Marshfield  and  other  places  signed  the 
agreement,  calling  themselves  the  "  Associated  Loyalists."  But  John  Adams  promptly  re- 
plied to  Judge  Sewall ;  Governor  Trumbull's  apparent  conservatism  was  soon  understood 
to  be  but  a  testimony  against  government,  to  prove  that  offers  of  reconciliation  had  been 
made  and  rejected  ;  the  patriots  made  the  "  Associated  Loyalists"  recant,  and  the  republic- 
ans assumed  a  bolder  tone  than  ever  of  defiance  and  contempt. 

When  spring  opened.  Gage's  force  amounted  to  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  effect- 
ive men.  He  determined,  with  this  force,  to  nip  the  rebellion  in  the  bud,  and  his  first  act- 
ive movement  was  an  attempt  to  seize  or  destroy  the  stores  of  the  patriots  at  Concord,  which 
were  under  the  charge  of  Colonel  James  Barrett.  Officers  in  disguise  were  sent  to  make 
sketches  of  the  roads,  and  to  ascertain  the  state  of  the  towns.  Bodies  of  troops  were  occa- 
sionally marched  into  the  country,  and  a  general  system  of  reconnoissance  around  Boston  was 
established.  The  ever-vigilant  patriots  were  awake  to  all  these  movements.  A  night- 
watch  was  established  at  Concord,  and  every  where  the  minute  men  were  ready  with  bur- 
nished muskets,  fixed  bayonets,  and  filled  cartouches. 

Early  in  April,  many  who  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  revolutionary  proceedings 
at  Boston,  apprehending  arrest,  and  probable  transportation  to  England  for  trial,  left  the 
town.^  Among  those  who  remained  was  Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  and  he  kept  the  patriots  con- 
tiruially  advised  of  the  movements  of  Gage  and  his  troops.  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Han- 
cock, who  were  members  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  were  particularly  obnoxious  to  General 
Gage,  and,  as  it  appeared  afterward,  he  had  resolved  to  arrest  them  on  their  return  to  the 

^  On  the  18th  of  March  the  discovery  was  made,  and  the  guard  at  the  Neck  seized  13,425  musket  car- 
tridges and  a  quantity  of  balls.  In  doing  this,  a  teamster  was  severely  handled.  This  circumstance,  the 
oration  of  Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  in  the  "Old  South,"  on  the  anniversary  of  the  Massacre  (March  5th),  the 
tarring  and  feathering  of  a  citizen  of  Billerica,  charged  with  tempting  a  soldier  to  desert,  and  an  assault 
upon  the  house  of  John  Hancock,  greatly  excited  the  people. 

*  "A  daughter  of  liberty,  unequally  yoked  in  point  of  politics,  sent  word  by  a  ti'usty  hand  to  Mr.  Samuel 
Adams,  residing,  in  company  with  Mr.  Hancock,  at  Lexington,  that  the  troops  were  comintj  out  in  a  few 
days.  Upon  this,  their  friends  in  Boston  were  advised  to  move  out  their  plate,  &c.,  and  the  Committee  of 
Safety  voted  that  all  the  ammunition  be  deposited  in  nine  different  towns,  and  that  other  articles  be  lodged, 
some  in  one  place  and  some  in  another;  so,  as  to  the  15  medicine-chests,  2000  iron  pots,  2000  bowls, 
15,000  canteens,  and  1000  tents ;  and  that  the  six  companies  of  matrosses  be  stationed  in  different  towns." 
— Gordon,  i.,  309. 


J 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


523 


BritJEh  Kxpedition  to  Concord.        Its  Discovery  by  the  Americans.         Lexington  aroused.        Midnight  March  of  the  Enemy. 


city.      Fortunately,  they  were  persuaded  to  remain  at  Lexington,  at  the  house  of  the  Rev- 
erend Jonas  Clark. 

On  Tuesday  night,  the  18th  of  April,  Gage  sent  eight  hundred  British  troops,  light 
infantry  and  grenadiers,  under  Lieutenant-colonel  Smith,  aided  by  Major  Pitcairn,  to 
destroy  the  stores  at  Concord.      They  embarked  at  the  Common,  and,  landing  at  Phipps's 
Farm,  marched  with  great  secrecy,  arresting  every  person  they  met  on  the  way,  to  prevent 
intelligence  of  their  expedition  being  given. 

They  left  Boston  at  about  midnight.  Gage  supposing  the  movement  to  be  a  profound  se- 
cret ;  but  the  patriots  had  become  aware  of  the  expedition  early  in  the  evening.  As  Lord 
Percy  was  crossing  the  Common,  about  nine  o'clock,  he  joined  a  group  of  persons,  one  of 
whom  said,  "  The  British  troops  will  miss  their  aim."  "  What  aim  ?"  inquired  Percy, 
who  was  Gage's  confidant  in  the  matter.  "  The  cannon  at  Concord,"  replied  the  man. 
,^  Percy  hastened  to  inform  Gage,  and  guards  were  immediately  set  at  every  ave- 
nue leading  from  the  town,  to  prevent  persons  from  leaving  it.  Warren  and 
his  friends  had  anticipated  this,  and  left.  Paul  Revere  and  William  Dawes 
J  had  just  rowed  across  the  river  to  Charlestown,  with  a  message  from  War- 
ren to  Hancock  and  Adams  at  Lexington.  They  were  almost  captured  at 
Charlestown  Neck  by  the  guard,  but  escaped,  and  reached  Lexington, 
thirteen  miles  northward  of  Boston,  a  little  after  midnight.  A  guard  of 
eight  minute  men  was  placed  around  Mr.  Clark's  house  to  protect 
Adams  and  Hancock.  The  messengers  made  themselves  known  to 
these,  but  were  refused  admission  to  the  house,  as  orders  had  been 
given  not  to  allow  the  inmates  to  be  disturbed  by  noise, 
said  Revere;  "you'll  have  noise  enough  before 
long  ;  the  regulars  are  coming  I"  Hancock 
and  Adams  were  aroused,  and  their  safety 
being  regarded  as  of  the  utmost  importance, 
they  were  persuaded  to  retire  to  Wobum. 
Revere  and  Dawes  pushed  on  toward  Con- 
cord to  give  the  alarm  there.  One  hund- 
red and  thirty  of  the  Lexington  militia 
were  collected  at  the  meeting-house  upon 
the  green  by  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when 
the  roll  was  called,  and,  the  air  being  chilly, 
they  were  dismissed  with  orders  to  remain 
within  drum-beat. 

The  midnight  march  of  the  British  regulars  was  performed  in  silence,  and,  as  they  sup- 
posed, in  secret.  But  vigilant  eyes  were  upon  them.  Messrs.  Gerry,  Orne,  and  Lee, 
members  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  were  at  Menotomy  (West  Cambridge),  and  saw  them 
passing  ;  and,  as  they  approached  Lexington,  the  sound  of  bells  and  guns  warned  them  that 
their  expedition  was  known. ^ 

Colonel  Smith  detached  six  companies  under  Major  Pitcairn,  with  orders  to  press  on  to 

•  This  building  was  standing  when  I  visited  Lexington  in  1848.  It  was  built  by  Thomas  Hancock,  Esq., 
of  Boston,  as  a  parsonage  for  his  father,  the  Reverend  John  Hancock,  of  Lexington,  about  130  years  ago. 
Mr.  Hancock  was  a  minister  at  Lexington  fifty-two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Reverend  Jonas  Clark, 
the  occupant  of  the  house  at  the  time  of  the  skirmish  at  Lexington.  Mr.  Clark  lived  in  the  house  fifty-two 
years.  The  room  in  which  the  two  patriots,  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock,  were  sleeping  on  the  night 
before  the  skirmish  at  Lexington,  is  retained  in  its  original  condition.  The  wainscoting  is  of  Carolina  pine, 
and  the  sides  of  the  room  are  covered  with  a  heavy  paper,  with  dark  figures,  pasted  upon  the  boards  in 
rectangular  pieces  about  fourteen  inches  stpiarc.  In  an  adjoining  room  is  one  of  those  ancient  fire-places, 
ornamented  with  pictorial  tiles,  so  rarely  found  in  New  England. 

^  These  three  patriots  had  a  narrow  escape.  They  saw  the  head  of  the  column  pass  by.  Just  before 
the  rear-guard  had  come  up,  a  detachment  was  sent  to  search  the  house  where  they  were  staying.  They 
escaped  to  the  fields  by  a  back  door,  where  they  kept  in  concealment  until  the  house  was  searched  and  the 
•••oops  moved  on. 


Clark's  House, 
Lexington.! 


524 


PiCTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  British  Troops  and  Minute  Men  at  Lexington. 


Conduct  of  Major  Pitcairn. 


Battle  on  Lexington  Common. 


Concord  and  secure  the  two  bridges ;  at  the  same  time  he  sent  a  messenger  to  Boston  for 
re-enforcements.  Pitcairn  advanced  rapidly  toward  Lexington  by  the  light  of  a  waning 
moon,  capturing  several  persons  on  the  way.  One,  named  Bowman,  escapeil,  and,  hasten 
ing  on  horseback  to  Lexington,  notified  Captain  Parker,  commander  of  the  minute  men,  of 
the  approach  of  the  enemy.  It  was  now  between  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
The  bells  were  rung,  guns  were  fired,  and  the  drums  were  beaten.  About  one  hundred  of 
the  militia  were  speedily  collected  upon  the  green,  armed  with  loaded  muskets,  but  in  much 
confusion  and  alarm,  for  the  number  of  the  approaching  regulars  was  unknown.  In  the 
gray  of  the  early  morning  the  scarlet  uniforms  of  the  troops  appeared,  and  an  overwhelming 
force  halted,  within  a  few  rods  of  the  meeting-house,  and  loaded  their  pieces.  The  militia, 
undismayed,  stood  firm.  They  had  been  ordered  not  to  draw  a  trigger  until  fired  upon  by 
the  enemy,  and  for  a  moment  silence  and  hesitation  prevailed,  for  neither  party  seemed  will- 
ing to  become  the  aggressor.  The  parley  with  judgment  was  but  for  a  moment.  Pitcairn 
and  other  officers  galloped  forward,  waving  their  swords  over  their  heads,  and  followed  by 
their  troops  in  double-quick  time.  They  shouted,  "  Disperse,  you  villains  !  lay  down  your 
arms  I  Why  don't  you  disperse,  you  rebels  ?  disperse  I"  In  rushing  forward  the  troops 
became  confused.  As  the  patriots  did  not  instantly  obey  the  command  to  lay  down  their 
arms,  Pitcairn  wheeled  his  horse,  and,  waving  his  sword,  gave  orders  to  press  forward  and 
surround  the  militia.  At  the  same  moment  some  random  shots  were  fired  by  the  British, 
but  without  effect,  which  were  promptly  returned  by  the  Americans.      Pitcairn  then  drew 


isii  AT  I,e:;i.\(ito,\' 


his  pistol  and  discharged  it,  at  the  same  moment  giving  the  word /re .'  A  general  dis- 
charge of  musketry  ensued  ;  four  patriots  were  killed,  and  the  remainder  were  dispersou. 
Finding  themselves  fired  upon  while  retreating,  several  of  them  halted,  and  returned  the 
shots,  and  then  secured  themselves  behind  stone  walls  and  buildings.  Three  British  sol- 
diers, and  Pitcairn's  horse,  were  wounded,  while  eight  Americans  were  killed  :  four  on  the 

'  This  is  the  picture  alluded  to  on  page  421,  from  the  one  drawn  by  Earl,  and  engraved  by  Dooliltle  in 
1775.  The  largest  building  in  the  picture  is  the  meeting-house,  and  the  officer  on  horseback  in  front  of  it 
IS  Major  Pitcairn.  The  figures  in  the  foreground  are  the  provincial  militia.  The  dwelling  with  the  two 
chimneys,  on  the  left  (which  is  still  standing),  was  Buckman's  Tavern.  The  position  of  the  monument 
since  erected  upon  Lexington  Green,  is  about  where  the  provincials  on  the  left  are  seen  dispersing.  Tho 
merit  of  this  picture  consists  in  its  truthfulness  in  depicting  the  appearance  of  the  spot  at  the  time  of  tho 
engagement. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  52A 


The  Concord  People  aroused.       Assembling  of  the  Militia.       Concord  taken  Possesaion  of  by  tho  Enemy.       Colonel  Barrett 

eround,  near  the  spot  where  the  monument  slaiids,  and  four  others  whilo  escaping  over  tho 
fences.* 

As  soon  as  the  patriots  dispersed,  the  detachment  of  regulars,  joined  by  Colonel  Smith 
and  his  party,  pushed  on  toward  Concord,  six  miles  distant.  Confident  of  success,  the 
whole  party  were  in  high  spirits.  But  Concord  had  been  aroused,  and  a  formidable  body 
of  militia  had  collected  to  receive  the  invaders.  We  have  noticed  that  Revere  and  Dawes 
started  from  Lexington  to  alarm  the  country  toward  Concord.  They  met  Dr.  Samuel 
Prescott,  and,  while  in  conference  with  him,  some  British  officers  came  upon  them.  Re- 
vere and  Dawes  were  made  prisoners,  but  Prescott  escaped  over  a  wall,  and  reached  Con- 
cord about  two  in  the  morning.  The  bells  were  rung,  and  before  daylight  the  peoplo  were 
under  arms.  When  the  guns  at  Lexington  were  heard  in  the  morning,  the  Committee  of 
Safety,  and  the  principal  citizens  of  Concord,  had  assembled,  and  arranged  a  plan  of  recep- 
tion for  the  British  troops.      Tho  military  operations  were  under  the  able  management  of 

Colonel  James  Barrett,"  while 
^^  the   whole    male   population, 

^CC-^yyi^lJ    ^Q  .(^Yy\/y^::i^y^h^  ^^^^^"^^    ^"^  ^""^^  women,  aided  in  re- 

t^'y^^ —  y>   moving  the  stores  to  a  place 

of   safety    in    distant    woods 

•      SlONATURE    OF   CoLONEL   BaRBETT.  .■•.     .  r     t    •  l 

1  he  militia  01  Lincoln  and 
other  places  hastened  to  join  those  of  Concord,  and  the  whole  paraded  on  the  Common. 
Guards  were  stationed  at  the  North  and  South  Bridges,  and  in  the  center  of  the  town,  all 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Jonathan  Farrar. 

At  about  seven  o'clock  the  British  column  was  seen  advancing  on  the  Lexington  Road 
Some  companies  of  militia  that  had  marched  down  that  road  returned  in  haste  and  reported 
the  number  of  the  British  as  three  times  that  of  the  Americans.  These  companies,  with 
those  in  the  town,  fell  back  to  an  eminence  some  eighty  rods  from  the  center  of  the  village, 
where  they  were  joined  by  Colonel  Barrett,  and  were  formed  into  two  battalions.  They 
had  hardly  formed,  before  the  glittering  of  the  bayonets  and  flashing  of  the  red  uniforms  of 
the  British  in  the  bright  morning  sun  were  seen,  but  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  rapidly  ad- 
vancing. A  short  consultation  was  held.  Some  were  for  making  a  desperate  stand  upon 
the  spot,  while  others  proposed  a  present  retreat,  until  re-enforced  by  the  neighboring  mili- 
tia. The  latter  council  prevailed,  and  the  provincials  retired  to  tliQ  high  ground  over  the 
North  Bridge,  about  a  mile  from  the  Common. 

The  British  troops  entered  Concord  in  two  divisions  one  by  the  main  road,  the  other  on 
the  hill  north  of  it.  Colonel  Smith  and  Major  Pitcairn,  who  had  immediate  command  of 
the  grenadiers  and  light  infantry,  remained  in  the  town,  but  detached  six  companies  under 
Captain  Parsons  to  secure  the  bridges,  prevent  the  militia  from  crossing  them,  and  to  ferret 
out  and  destroy  the  secreted  stores,  information  concerning  which  had  been  given  by  Captain 
Beeman  of  Petersham,  and  other  Tories.  Captain  Lawrie,  with  three  companies,  was  sta- 
tioned on  the  North  Bridge,  while  Parsons,  with  the  other  three  companies,  marched  to  de- 
stroy the  stores  at  the  residence  of  Colonel  Barrett.  Captain  Pole,  with  a  party,  took  post 
at  the  South  Bridge,  and  destroyed  what  few  stores  were  found  in  that  vicinity  ;   but  so 

'  The  names  of  the  slain  are  recorded  on  the  monument  ereeted  to  their  memory  on  the  green  at  Lex- 
ington. A  picture  of  the  monument  and  a  copy  of  the  inscription  may  bo  found  on  page  553.  Captain 
Jonas  Parker  was  among  the  slain.  He  had  repeatedly  said  that  he  never  would  run  from  the  British.  He 
was  wounded  at  the  first  fire,  but,  continuing  to  discharge  his  gun.  without  retreating,  was  killed  by  a 
bayonet. 

*  Colonel  Barrett  had  been  a  captain  in  the  provincial  army  during  the  French  and  Indian  war.  He  was 
with  Shirley  at  Oswego,  and  afterward  accompanied  Abcrcrorabie  to  Tieonderoga  and  Amherst  to  Crown 
Point.  Becominsr  aged,  he  resigned  his  commission.  When  the  Massachusetts  militia  were  organized  at 
the  beginning  of  1775,  Captain  Barrett  was  solicited  to  take  command  of  a  regiment,  but  declined  on  ac- 
count of  his  age.  "We  don't  want  active  service,  we  want  your  advice,"  said  his  earnest  townsmen. 
Thus  urged,  and  actuated  by  patriotic  zeal,  he  took  the  command.  Colonel  Barrett  died  at  about  the  close 
of  the  war.  These  facts  I  obtained  from  his  grandson.  Major  Barrett,  eighty-seven  years  old  tvlien  I  vis- 
ited him  in  1848. 


526 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Colonel  Babbett's  House.i 


Destmction  of  Property  in  Concord.     Rapid  Augmentation  of  the  Militia.    Preparations  for  Battle.    March  towai'd  the  Bridge. 

diligently  had  the  people  worked  in  concealing 
the  stores  that  the  object  of  the  expedition  was 
almost  frustrated.  The  British  broke  open  about 
sixty  barrels  of  flour  in  the  center  of  the  town, 
but  nearly  half  of  that  was  subsequently  saved. 
They  knocked  ofl'  the  trunnions  of  three  iron 
twenty-four  pound  cannons,  burned  sixteen  new 
carriage  wheels,  and  a  few  barrels  of  wooden 
trenchers  and  spoons,  cut  down  the  liberty-pole 
and  set  the  court-house  on  fire.  The  flames 
were  extinguished  by  a  Mrs.  Moulton,  before 
much  damage  was  done.  About  five  hundred 
pounds  of  balls  were  thrown  into  the  mill-pond 
and  wells. 

While  the  British  were  thus  engaged,  the  number  of  the  militia  was  rapidly  increasing 
by  accessions  of  minute  men  from  Carlisle,  Chelmsford,  Weston,  Littleton,  and  Acton,, 
neighboring  towns,  and  before  ten  o'clock  the  force  amounted  to  nearly  four  hundred  men 
Joseph  Hosmer,  acting  as  adjutant,  formed  them  into  proper  line  as  fast  as  they  arrived  on 
the  field,  westerly  of  the  house  since  owned  by  Joseph  Buttrick.  Most  of  the  operations  of 
the  British,  within  the  town,  could  be  seen  from  this  point,  and  when  the  fires  in  the  center 
of  the  village  were  lighted  the  people  were  greatly  excited.  Many  of  the  prominent  citi- 
zens, and  the  Committee  of  Safety,  were  with  the  militia,  and,  after  a  brief  consultation, 
and  a  stirring  appeal  from  the  brave  Hosmer,  it  was  resolved  to  dislodge  the  enemy  at  the 
North  Bridge.  "  I  haven't  a  man  that's  afraid  to  go,"  said  the  intrepid  Captain  Isaac 
Davis  ;  and,  wheeling  into  marching  order,  they  were  joined  by  other  companies,  and  push 
ed  forward  toward  the  bridge,  under  the  command  of  Major  John  Buttrick,  of  Concord. 


Battle  Ground  at  Concobd.^ 


*  This  sketch  is  from  the  road  leading  to  the  village  of  Concord  by  the  way  of  the  North  Bridge.  The 
house  was  erected  about  eighty  years  ago,  by  Colonel  Barrett,  and  is  now  owned  by  his  kinsman,  Prescott 
Barrett. 

'  This  view,  looking  southeast,  is  from  the  road  leading  to  the  village  by  the  way  of  the  North  Bridge. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


02 


Battle  at  Comord  Bridge. 


Retreat  of  the  British  to  the  Village. 


The  Scalphig  Story  explained 


The  Acton  company,  under  Davis,  was  in  front,  followed  by  those  of  Captains  Brown,  Miles, 
and  Nathan  Barrett,  and  by  others  whose  commanders'  names  are  not  recorded,  in  all  near- 
ly three  hundred  efl'ective  men.  They  marched  in  double  file,  with  trailed  arms.  The 
British  guard  were  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  but,  on  seeing  the  Americans  approaching, 
they  crossed  over,  and  commenced  taking  up  the  planks  of  the  bridge.  Major  Buttrick 
called  to  them  to  desist,  and  urged  his  men  forward  to  arrest  the  destruction  of  the  bridge. 
The  enemy  formed  for  action,  and  when  the  Americans  were  within  a  few  rods  of  the  river, 
they  were  fired  upon  by  some  of  the  regulars.  The  first  shots  were  iueflectual,  but  othere 
that  followed  were  fatal.  One  of  the  Acton  company  was  woynded,'  and  Captain  Isaac 
Davis  and  Abner  Hosmer,  of  the  same  company,  were  killed.  "  Fire,  fellow-soldiers  I  for 
God's  sake,  fire  I"  shouted  Buttrick,  on  seeing  his  companions  fall,  and  immediately  a  full 
volley  was  given  by  the  provincials.  Three  of  the  British  were  killed,  and  several  wounded 
and  made  prisoners.  Some  other  shots  Avere  fired,  but  in  a  few  minutes  Lawrie  ordered  a 
retreat,  and  the  provincials  took  possession  of  the  bridge.     Two  of  the  British  soldiers  killed 

were  left  on  the  ground,  and  were  buried  by  the  provin- 
~\f~ — ii-  - '    >«    '       '        ~  ^^     cials.      Their  graves  are  a  few  feet  from  the  menu- 

<J^--~.  >      /  ^^J       m.  >     jneut.      Another,  who  was  not  yet  dead,  was  dispatch- 

ed by  a  blow  from  a  hatchet  in  the  hands  of  a  young 
provincial  who  had  more  zeal  than  humanity.  This 
circumstance  gave  rise  to  the  horrible  story  sent  abroad 
by  the  British  and  Tories,  that  the  militia  "  killed  and 
scalped  the  prisoners  that  fell  into  their  hands." 

Colonel  Smith,  in  the  village,  on  hearing  the  firing 
at  the  bridge,  sent  a  re-enforcement.  These  met  the 
retreating  detachment  of  Lawrie,  but,  observing  the 
increasing  force  of  the  militia,  wheeled,  and  joined  in 
the  retreat.  In  the  mean  time,  the  party  under  Cap- 
tain Parsons  returned  from  Colonel  Barrett's,  and  were 
allowed  by  the  provincials  to  cross  the  river  at  the 
North  Bridge,  where  the  skirmish  had  just  occurred, 
unmolested.  It  may  be  asked  why  the  militia  did  not  cut  them  off,  which  they  might  eas- 
ily have  done.  It  must  be  remembered  that  war  had  not  been  declared,  and  that  the  peo- 
ple had  been  enjoined  to  make  Great  Britain  the  aggressor,  they  acting  only  on  the  defens- 
ive. The  militia  at  Concord  had  not  yet  heard  of  the  deaths  at  Lexington  ;  their  volley 
that  had  just  slain  three  of  the  king's  troops  was  fired  purely  in  self-defense,  and  they  hesi- 


Plan  of  the  JIovements  at  Coxcoed.2 


to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Prescott  Barrett.  The  point  from  which  the  sketch  was  made  is  upon  an  elevation 
a  little  north  of  that  where  the  militia  assembled  under  Colonel  Ban-ett.  The  stream  of  water  is  the  Con- 
cord, or  Sudbury  River.  The  site  of  the  North  Bridge  is  at  the  monument  seen  in  the  center  of  the  pic- 
ture. The  monument  stands  upon  the  spot  where  the  British  were  stationed,  and  in  the  plain,  directly 
across  the  river  from  the  monument,  is  the  place  where  Davis  and  Hosmer,  of  the  American  militia,  were 
killed.  The  house,  the  roof  and  gable  of  which  arc  seen  in  the  distance,  just  on  the  left  of  the  largest  tree, 
was  the  residence  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  Ripley  (afterward  a  chaplain  in  the  army)  at  the  time  of  the  skir- 
mish.    It  is  upon  the  road  leading  to  Concord  village,  which  lies  nearly  half  a  mile  beyond. 

'  He  was  a  fifer,  named  Blanchard.  One  of  the  Concord  minute  men,  named  Brown,  was  also  slightly 
wounded.  The  ball  that  wounded  them  passed  under  the  arm  of  Colonel  Robinson,  who,  by  request,  ac- 
companied JMajor  Buttrick. 

*  This  plan  I  have  copied  from  Frothingham's  interesting  work,  History  of  the  Sirgc  of  Boston, 
p.  70. 

Explanation  of  the  Plan. — 1.  Lexington  Road ;  2.  Hills  and  high  land  where  the  liberty  pole  stood; 
3.  Center  of  the  town,  and  main  body  of  the  British ;  4.  Road  to  the  South  Bridf,'C ;  5,  5,  5.  Road  to  the 
North  Bridie  and  to  Colonel  Barnett's,  two  miles  from  the  center  of  the  town ;  6.  Hiph  ground  a  mile 
north  of  the  meeting-house,  where  the  militia  a.ssemblcd ;  7.  Road  along  which  they  marched  to  dislodge 
the  British  at  North  Bridge;  8.  Spot  where  Davis  and  Hosmer  fell;  9.  Reverend  Mr.  Emerson's  house; 
10.  Bridges  and  roads  made  in  1793,  when  the  old  roads  with  dotted  lines  were  discontinued;  11.  The 
monument.  The  arrows  show  the  return  of  Captain  Parsons,  after  the  firing  at  the  North  Bridge;  12  is 
the  place  where  re-enforcements  met  him. 


1 

528  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK  ^' 


Retreat  of  the  Enemy  from  Concord.  Their  Annoyance  on  the  Road  by  the  MUitia.  Re-enforcement  from  Bostoa 

tated,  for  the  moment,  to  act  on  the  offensive  by  renewing  the  combat.  This  is  the  expla- 
nation given  by  their  cotemporaries. 

Observing  the  rapid  augmentation  of  the  militia,  Colonel  Smith  thought  it  prudent  to  re- 
turn with  his  troops  to  Boston  as  speedily  as  possible.  A  little  after  twelve  o'clock  they 
commenced  their  retreat  toward  Lexington,  the  main  column  covered  by  strong  flanking 
guards.  They  soon  perceived  that  the  whole  region  was  in  arms,  and  minute  men  were 
collecting  from  all  points.  The  cautious  counsels  at  Concord,  not  to  attack  the  enemy 
without  further  provocation,  were  disregarded,  and  at  Merriarn's  Corner,  a  company  of  pro- 
vincials under  Captain  Brooks  (afterward  the  distinguished  colonel  at  Saratoga,  and  Gov- 
ernor of  Massachusetts),  secreted  behind  barns  and  fences,  made  a  destructive  assault  upon 
the  retreating  enemy.  A  volley  was  fired  in  return,  but  not  a  militia-man  was  injured. 
This  example  was  followed  along  the  whole  line  of  march  to  Lexington,  and  the  British 
were  terribly  galled  all  the  way.  From  every  house,  barn,  and  stone  wall  guns  were  fired 
with  sure  aim,  and  many  of  the  regulars  were  slain.  At  Hardy's  Hill  there  was  a  severe 
skirmish,  and  at  almost  every  wooded  defile  numbers  of  the  enemy  were  picked  ofl'  by  the 
concealed  marksmen.  All  military  order  among  the  provincials  was  at  an  end.  and  each 
fought  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  judgment.  Some  of  them  were  killed  by  the 
flankers,  who  came  suddenly  upon  them  behind  the  walls ;  but  the  number  of  the  militia 
slain  was  comparatively  small.  Colonel  Smith  was  severely  wounded  in  the  leg  at  Fiske's 
Hill,  near  Lexington  ;  and  near  tho  battle  ground  of  the  morning,  at  Lexington  meeting- 
house, several  of  the  British  soldiers  were  shot.  Greatly  fatigued  by  the  night's  march  and 
the  day's  adventures,  and  worried  on  every  side  by  the  militia,  that  seemed,  to  use  the  ex- 
pression of  one  of  their  officers,  "  to  drop  from  the  clouds,"  the  whole  body  of  eight  hundred 
men,  the  flower  of  the  British  army  at  Boston,  must  have  surrendered  to  the  provincials  in 
an  hour  had  not  relief  arrived. 

An  express  was  sent  from  Lexington  to  General  Gage,  early  in  the  morning,  acquainting 
him  with  the  rising  of  the  militia,  and  praying  for  a  strong  re-enforcement.  At  nine  o'clock 
three  regiments  of  infantry,  and  two  divisions  of  marines,  amounting  to  about  nine  hundred 
men,  with  two  field-pieces,  under  Lord  Percy,  left  Boston  and  marched  toward  Lexington. 
They  passed  through  Roxbury,  the  bands  playing  Yankee  Doodle  in  derision,  it  being  em- 
ployed as  a  sort  of  "E-ogue's  March"  when  offending^oI(ITerS~were  drummed  out.^     Vague 

'  Gordon  relates  that  a  shrewd  boy  in  Roxbury  made  himself  extremely  merry  when  he  heard  the  tune 
of  Yankee  Doodle,  and  by  his  antics  attracted  the  attention  of  Lord  Percy.  He  asked  the  boy  why  he  was 
so  merry.  "  To  think,"  said  the  lad,  "'  how  you  will  dance  by-and-by  to  Chevy  Chase."  Percy  was  often 
much  influenced  by  presentiments,  and  the  remarks  of  the  boy  worried  him  all  day.  It  may  be  asked  why 
was  Earl  Percy  troubled,  and  what  connection  had  the  name  of  Chevy  Chase  with  him.  The  answer  is  in 
the  fact  that  Percy  was  a  son  of  the  Duke  of  Northumberland,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Eai'l  Pei'cy,  one  of 
the  heroes  of  the  battle  of  Chevy  Chase,  and  who  was  there  slain.  There  was  great  rivalry  between  the 
houses  of  Percy  and  Douglas,  the  former  an  English  borderer  and  the  latter  a  Scotch  borderer.  Percy  was 
determined  to  have  a  field  fight  with  his  rival,  and  so  vowed  publicly  that  he  would  "  take  pleasure  in  the 
border  woods  three  days,  and  slay  the  Douglas's  deer."  Earl  Douglas  heard  the  vaunt.  "Tell  him,"  he 
said,  "  he  will  find  one  day  more  than  enough."  Percy's  aim  -was  the  armed  encounter  thus  promised.  He 
appeared  at  Chevy  Chase  with  his  greyhounds  and  fifteen  hundred  chosen  archers.  After  taking  his  sport 
at  the  Douglas's  expense,  gazing  on  a  hundred  dead  fallow  deer  and  harts,  tasting  wine  and  venisop  cooked 
under  the  greenwood  tree,  and  saying  the  Douglas  would  not  keep  his  word,  when 

'•  Lo !  yonder  doth  Earl  Douglas  come, 

His  men  in  annor  bright ; 
Full  twenty  hundred  Scottish  spears 

All  marching  in  our  sight. 
All  men  of  pleasant  Tinot-dale, 

Fast  by  the  River  Tweed. 
'  O  cease  your  sport !'  Earl  Percy  said, 

•And  take  your  bows  with  speed.' 

Soon  after  this, 

"  The  battle  closed  on  every  side. 
No  slackness  there  was  found ; 
And  many  a  gallant  gentleman 
Lay  gasping  on  the  ground." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTIO^.  509 


Junction  of  the  Troops  of  I'ercy  and  Smith.  Their  harassed  Retreat  to  Charlestown.  Skirmish  at  West  Cianbridgo 

rumors  of  the  skirmish  at  Lexington  had  reached  the  people  there,  and  this  movement  con- 
firmed their  worst  fears.  No  sooner  had  the  British  troops  passed  by,  than  the  minute  men 
assembled,  and,  along  the  whole  march,  vigilant  corps  of  militia  were  gathering,  and  hovered 
around  the  little  army  of  Percy,  ready  to  strike  a  blow  whenever  it  might  be  elTectual. 

Percy's  brigade  met  the  wearied  troops  between  two  and  three  o'clock,  about  half  a  mile 
from  the  Lexington  meeting-house.  He  formed  a  hollow  square,  planted  his  cannon  for  its 
defense  on  the  high  ground  near  Munroe's  Tavern,  and  received  within  it  the  worn-out  com- 
panies of  Colonel  Smith.  Many  of  the  soldiers  fell  upon  the  ground,  completely  overcome. ' 
They  "  were  so  much  exhausted  with  fatigue  that  they  were  obliged  to  lie  down  for  rest  on 
the  ground,  their  tongues  hanging  out  of  their  mouths,  like  those  of  dogs  after  a  chase.'" 
Percy  dared  not  halt  long,  for  the  woods  were  swarming  with  minute  men.  After  partak- 
ing of  a  little  refreshment  and  brief  rest,  the  united  forces  resumed  their  march  toward  Bos- 
ton, marking  their  retreat  by  acts  of  vengeance,  aside  from  the  more  dignified  use  of  ball 
and  bayonet.  Three  houses,  two  shops,  and  a  barn,  were  laid  in  ashes  in  Lexington,  and 
many  buildings  Avere  destroyed  or  defaced,  and  helpless  persons  abused  on  the  route.  But 
prompt  and  terrible  retribution  instantly  followed.  As  soon  as  Percy  renewed  the  retreat, 
the  provincials  again  attacked  his  forces  from  concealed  points,  until  they  arrived  at  West 
Cambridge,  where  a  hot  skirmish  ensued.  General  Heath  and  Dr.  Warren  were  active  in 
the  field,  and  in  this  foray  Warren  barely  escaped  with  his  life,  a  musket  ball  having  knock- 
ed a  pin  out  of  an  ear-curl  of  his  hair.  The  British  kept  the  militia  at  bay,  and  committed 
many  atrocious  acts.  Percy  tried  to  restrain  his  soldiers,  but  in  vain.  Houses  were  plun- 
dered, property  destroyed,  and  several  innocent  persons  were  murdered.  This  conduct  great- 
ly inflamed  the  militia,  and 

"  Again  the  conflict  glows  with  rage  severe, 
And  fearless  ranks  in  combat  mix'd  appear." 

"  Indignation  and  outraged  humanity  struggled  on  the  one  hand,  veteran  discipline  and  des 
peration  on  the  other.'"'  The  contest  was  brief,  and  the  enemy,  with  their  wounded,  press 
ed  on  toward  Boston.  The  Cambridge  bridge  had  been  taken  up,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
go  by  the  way  of  Charlestown.  They  took  the  road  that  winds  around  Prospect  Hill,  while 
the  main  body  of  the  provincials,  unawed  by  the  field-pieces,  hung  close  upon  their  rear. 

The  situation  of  the  British  regulars  was  now  critical,  for  their  ammunition  was  almost 
exhausted,  and  a  strong  force  was  marching  upon  them  from  Ptoxbury,  Dorchester,  and 
Milton.  Colonel  Pickering,  in  the  mean  time,  with  seven  hundred  of  the  Essex  militia, 
threatened  to  cut  off  their  retreat  to  Charlestown.  Another  short  but  warm  engagement 
occurred  at  the  base  of  Prospect  Hill,  but  the  regulars  reached  Charlestown  in  safety.  By 
command  of  General  Heath  the  pursuit  was  now  suspended. 

Throughout  the  day  Charlestown  had  been  in  the  greatest  excitement.  Dr.  Warren  rode 
through  in  the  morning,  proclaiming  the  bloodshed  at  Lexington.  Many  of  the  people  had 
seized  their  muskets,  and  hastened  to  the  country  to  join  their  brethren.      The  schools  were 

The  mail-clad  leaders  combated  hand  to  hand,  until  the  blood  dropped  from  them  like  rain.  "  Yield  thee. 
Percy,"  cried  Douglas,  "I  shall  freely  pay  thy  ransom,  and  thy  advancement  shall  be  high  with  our  Scot- 
tish king." 

" '  No,  Douglftg,'  quoth  Earl  Percy,  then, 
'  Thy  proffer  I  do  scorn  ; 
I  would  not  yield  to  any  Scot 
That  ever  yet  was  bom.' " 

Dou<;-las  almost  immediately  dropped,  struck  to  the  heart  with  an  arrow.  "Fight  on,  my  merry  men,"  he 
cried  with  his  dying  breath.  Percy  took  his  hand,  and  said,  "  Earl  Douglas,  I  would  give  all  mv  lands  to 
save  thee."  At  that  moment  an  arrow  pierced  Percy's  heart,  and  both  leaders  expired  together. — See 
Knight's  Old  England,  Scott's  Castle  Dangerous,  and  the  ballad  of  Chevy  Chase. 

'  Stedman's  History  of  the  American  War,  i.,  118. 

Stedman  was  a  British  oflTicer,  and  accompanied  Earl  Percy  in  this  expedition.  He  highly  praises  Percy, 
bni  «ays  that  Colonel  Smith's  conduct  was  much  censured. 

*  Everett's  Lexington  Address. 

L  r. 


530  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Britiah  Encampment  on  Bunker  Hill.  Quiet  the  next  Day.  General  Effect  of  these  Skirmishes. 

dismissed  ;  the  shops  were  closed  ;  and  when  it  was  ascertained  that  the  British  were  re- 
treating and  must  pass  through  the  town,  many  of  the  inhabitants  prepared  to  leave  and  to 
carry  with  them  their  most  valuable  effects.  When  the  firing  at  Cambridge  was  heard, 
the  people  rushed  toward  Charlestown  Neck,  to  flee  to  the  country.  There  they  met  the 
retreating  troops,  and  were  obliged  to  fly  back,  panic-stricken,  to  their  houses.  A  report  got 
abroad  that  the  British  were  slaughtering  women  and  children  in  the  streets.  Terror  every 
where  prevailed,  and  a  large  number  of  the  defenseless  people  passed  the  night  in  the  clay- 
pits  back  of  Breed's  Hill.  The  alarm  was  false  ;  not  an  individual  was  harmed  in  Charles- 
town.  Percy  ordered  the  women  and  children  into  their  houses,  and  demanded  nothing  but 
refreshments  for  his  troops.  The  main  body  occupied  Bunker  Hill  that  night,  and  a  strong 
line  was  formed  upon  Charlestown  Neck.  A  re-enforcement  was  sent  over  from  Boston, 
guards  were  stationed  in  various  parts  of  the  town,  the  wounded  were  conveyed  to  the  hos- 
pitals in  the  city,  and  that  night  all  was  quiet  in  the  neighborhood.  General  Pigot  assumed 
command  at  Charlestown  the  next  morning,  and  before  noon  the  crest-fallen  troops  returned 
to  their  quarters  in  Boston.  Thus  ended  the  first  act  in  the  bloody  tragedy  of  the  American 
Revolution.*  During  the  day  the  British  lost  sixty-five  killed,  one  hundred  and  eighty  wound- 
ed, and  twenty-eight  made  prisoners ;  in  all  two  hundred  and  seventy-three.  The  provincials 
lost  fifty-nine  killed,  thirty-nine  wounded,  and  five  missing  ;   in  all  one  hundred  and  three. ^ 

The  events  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  were  of  vast  importance,  considered  in  their  rela- 
tion to  subsequent  scenes  and  results.  On  that  day  the  life  of  the  first  British  soldier,  sent 
hither  to  oppress  a  people  panting  for  the  privileges  of  freedom,  was  sacrificed — on  that  day 
the  first  American,  aroused  by  armed  invasion  to  the  necessity  of  resistance,  fell  in  defense 
of  the  dearest  rights  guaranteed  to  him  by  the  British  Constitution' — on  that  day  "  the 
scabbard"  was  indeed  "  thrown  away,"*  and  a  war  of  seven  years'  duration  began — and  on 
that  day  the  jubilee  trumpet  was  sounded,  proclaiming  "  Liberty  throughout  all  the  land 
unto  all  the  inhabitants  thereof"^  The  events  of  that  day  formed  the  first  disruption  of 
the  chrysalis  of  old  political  systems,  whence  speedily  came  forth  a  noble  and  novel  creature, 
with  eagle  eye  and  expansive  wings,  destined  speedily  to  soar  far  above  the  creeping  rep- 
tiles of  despotism  that  brood  amid  the  crumbling  relics  of  old  dynasties.  They  formed  the 
significant  prelude  to  that  full  diapason,  whose  thundering  harmony,  drawn  forth  by  the 
magic  touch  of  the  spirit  of  Freedom,  filled  the  nations  with  wonder,  and  ushered  in  the 
New  Era  so  long  predicted  and  so  long  hoped  for. 

The  military  events  of  the  day,  compared  with  the  movements  of  armies  in  the  great  con- 
tests of  war  at  other  times,  were  exceedingly  insignificant  in  themselves ;  but  the  temper 
shown  by  the  provincials,  and  the  vulnerable  character  of  the  British  soldiery,  as  exhibited 
in  the  various  skirmishes  and  in  the  retreat,  had  a  great  and  abiding  effect  upon  the  minds 
of  both  parties.  The  haughty  boasts  of  English  officers,  that  three  regiments  might  march 
unmolested  throughout  the  continent,  and  that  the  Americans  were  "  sorry  poltroons,  their 
courage  displayed  to  its  utmost  in  tarring  and  feathering  individuals,"  were  silenced,  and 
Gage,  in  alarm,  called  upon  the  ministry  to  send  large  re-enforcements.  The  patriots,  on 
the  other  'hand,  learned  their  strength  when  united  ;  that  British  troops  were  not  invinci- 
ble, and  that  the  true  spirit  and  courage  of  men  resolved  on  freedom  animated  and  nerved 

*  Gordon,  Stedman,  Stiles,  Ripley,  Shattuck,  Clarke,  Frothingham,  &c. 

^  The  following  olTicers  and  citizens  of  note  were  among  the  slain  :  Justice  Isaac  Gardner,  of  Brookhne ; 
Captain  Isaac  Davis,  of  Acton ;  Captain  Jonathan  Wilson,  of  Bedford ;  Lieutenant  John  Baron,  and  Ser- 
izeant  Elisha  Mills,  of  Needham  ;  and  Deacon  Josiah  Haynes,  of  Sudbury.  The  estimated  value  of  prop- 
erty destroyed  by  the  invaders  is  as  follows:  In  Concord,  31375;  in  Lexington,  ^8305;  in  Cambridge, 
^6010.     A  list  of  the  killed,  wounded,  and  missing  is  given  on  page  532. 

^  It  will  be  seen  hereafter  that  the  first  life  sacrificed  in  defense  of  liberty  in  America  was  upon  the  Al- 
amance, in  North  Carolina,  in  1771.  In  that  event,  however,  the  militia  were  in  open  and  armed  rebellion 
against  the  royal  authority,  and  were  the  actual  aggressors. 

■*  John  \\'ilkes,  in  his  speech  in  Parliament,  already  alluded  to,  asked,  significantly,  "Who  can  tell 
whether,  in  consequence  of  this  very  day's  violent  and  mad  address  [to  the  king],  the  scabbard  may  not  bi 
thrown  away  by  them  as  well  as  by  ms /"  ' 

^  Levit.    xxv.,  10. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  531 


Unity  oi  the  American  People.  Massachusetts  Provincial  Congress.  Accounts  of  the  Battles  sent  to  England 

the  militia.  Britons  were  alarmed  ;  Americans  were  elated.  Individual  wrongs  were 
adopted  by  the  whole  people  as  their  own,  and  every  man  slain  at  Lexington,  Concord,  and 
Menotomy  or  West  Cambridge,  lived  again  in  the  strong  arms  of  a  thousand  determined 
patriots.  In  Massachusetts,  in  particular,  ties  of  consanguinity,  property,  marriage,  man- 
ners, religion,  social  circumstances,  and  general  equality,  made  whole  communities  weep 
over  a  single  victim,  and  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  the  whole  province  were  made  to  bleed 
when  the  first  martyrs  in  the  cause  of  American  Independence  were  laid  in  the  grave.' 
Linked  with  that  grief  was  the  buoyant  sentiment  expressed  by  Percival : 

"  0  it  is  great  for  our  country  to  die,  where  ranks  are  contending ! 
Bright  is  the  ■WTcath  of  our  fame,  glory  awaits  us  for  aye — 
Glory  that  never  is  dim,  shming  on  with  light  never  ending — 
Glory  that  never  shall  fade — never,  0  never !  away. 

********* 

"  0  then,  how  great  for  our  country  to  die,  in  the  front  rank  to  perish ! 
Firm,  with  our  breast  to  the  foe,  victory's  shout  in  our  ear. 
Long  they  our  statues  shall  erown,  in  songs  our  memory  cherish ; 

We  shall  look  forth  from  our  heaven,  pleased  the  sweet  music  to  hear."  « 

The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  was  immediately  summoned,  and  met  at  "Wa- 
tertovvn,  seven  miles  west  of  Boston,  on  the  22d  of  April.  Dr.  Joseph  Warren  was 
chosen  president,  and  Messrs.  Gerry,  Church,  and  Cashing  were  appointed  a  commit- 
tee to  draw  up  a  "  narrative  of  the  massacre.'"'  A  committee  on  depositions  was  also  form- 
ed, and  many  affidavits  were  taken  at  Lexington  and  Concord.  When  all  necessary  in- 
formation was  collected,  a  communication,  giving  a  minute  account  of  the  whole  affair,  was 
drawn  up  and  ordered  to  be  sent  to  Arthur  Lee,  the  colonial  agent  in  England. 

.  .      .  00  April  2o. 

An  address  "  To  the  Inhabitants  of  Great  Britain"  was  also  prepared  and  sent 
with  the  other  papers,  and  was  first  published  in  the  London  Chronicle  of  May  30th,  1775. 
The  address  was  firm  but  respectful.     While  its  signers  asserted  their  continued  loyalty  to 
the  sovereign,  and  their  readiness  to  "  defend  his  person,  family,  crown  and  dignity,"  they 
boldly  exhibited  their  manhood  in  declaring  that  they  would  no  longer  submit  to  the  t}Tan- 
iiical  rule  of  a  weak  and  wicked  ministry.      The  Honorable  B-ichard  Derby,  of  Salem,  was 
engaged  by  the  committee  to  fit  out  his  vessel  as  a  packet,  and  take  the  dispatches  to  Lon- 
don.     He  arrived  there  on  the  29th  of  May,  ten  days  before  Gage's  dispatches  reach- 
ed government.      The  ministry  were  confounded,  and  affected  to  disbelieve  the  state- 
ments that  appeared  in  the  London  Chronicle  of  the  30th  ;   but,  in  a  few  days,  they  were 
obliged  to  acknowledge  the  truth  of  the  report.' 

^  In  Lexington,  Concord,  Danvers,  and  West  Cambridge,  monuments  have  been  erected  in  memory  of 
the  slain.  The  two  former  will  be  noticed  presently,  in  connection  with  an  engraving  of  each.  The  mon- 
ument at  West  Cambridge  has  been  completed  since  my  visit  there  in  1848.  Beneath  it  rest  the  remains 
of  twelve  persons  who  were  killed  in  the  skirmish  there.  The  names  of  only  three  are  known:  Jason  Rus- 
sel,  Jason  Winship,  and  Jabez  Wyman.  The  monument  is  a  simple  granite  obelisk,  nineteen  feet  high 
The  funds  for  its  erection  were  furnished  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the  citizens  of  West  Cambridge. 

^  The  first  accounts  of  the  events  at  Lexington  and  Concord  were  published  in  the  newspapers  and  in 
handbills.  One  of  the  latter,  preserved  in  the  library  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  has  the  fig- 
ures of  forty  coffins  at  the  head. 

'  Dartmouth,  the  Secretary  of  State  for  the  colonies,  issued  the  following  card  on  the  30th :  "  A  report 
havnng  been  spread,  and  an  account  having  been  printed  and  published,  of  a  skirmish  between  some  of  the 
people  in  the  province  of  Massachusetts  Bay  and  a  detachment  of  his  majesty's  troops,  it  is  proper  to  inform 
the  public  that  no  advice  has,  as  yet,  been  received  in  the  American  department  of  any  such  event." 

Arthur  Lee  was  in  London,  narrowly  watching  every  movement  of  government,  and  transmitting  secret 
intelHgence  to  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  of  Boston,  and  to  his  brother,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  mem- 
ber of  the  Continental  Congress.  He  was  the  agent  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  at  that  time,  and  issued 
the  following  card,  over  his  proper  signature  : 

"  As  a  doubt  of  the  authenticity  of  the  account  from  Salem,  touching  an  engagement  between  the  king's 
troops  and  the  provincials,  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  may  arise  from  a  paragraph  in  the  Gazette  of  this 
evening,  I  desire  to  inform  all  those  who  wish  to  see  the  original  affidavits  which  confirm  that  account, 
that  they  are  deposited  at  the  Mansion  House,  with  the  Right  Honorable  the  Lord  Mayor,  for  their  inspec- 
'ion.  Arthur  Les." 


532 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Excitement  in  London.  Government  Lampooned.  List  of  the  Names  of  the  first  Maityrs. 


The  dispatches  of  Gage  were  published  on  the  1 0th  of  June,  and  London  was  almost  as 
much  excited  as  Boston.  Gage's  report  confirmed  every  important  circumstance  mentioned 
by  the  patriots,  and  the  metropoHs  was  soon  enlivened  by  placards,  lampoons,  and  doggerel 
verse.  The  retreat  of  the  British  from  Lexington  was  regarded  as  a  defeat  and  a  flight, 
and  at  every  corner  ministers  heard  revilings  concerning  "  the  great  British  army  at  Boston 
that  had  been  beaten  by  a  flock  of  Yankees  I" 

Note. — The  following  list  of  the  names  of  the  first  martyrs  in  the  cause  of  American  liberty,  is  given 
in  the  eighteenth  volume  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections : 

Lexington. — Killed :  Jonas  Parker,  Robert  Monroe,  Samuel  Hadley,  Jonathan  Harrington,  Jr.,  Isaac 
Muzzy,  Caleb  Harrington,  John  Brown,  Jedediah  Moore,  John  Raymond,  Nathaniel  Wyman,  10.  Wounded : 
John  Robbins,  Solomon  Pierce,  John  Tidd,  Joseph  Comee,  Ebenezer  Monroe,  Jr.,  Thomas  Winship,  Na- 
thaniel Farmer,  Prince  Estabrook,  Jedediah  Monroe,  Francis  Brown,  10. 

Concord. —  Wormded :  Charles  Miles,  Nathan  Barrett,  Abel  Prescott,  Jr.,  Jonas  Brown,  George  Mer- 
iot,  5. 

Cambridge. — Killed:  William  Marcy,  Moses  Richardson,  John  Hicks,  Jason  Russell,  Jabez  Wyman, 
Jason  Winship,  6.      Wounded:  Samuel  Whittemore,  1.     Missing:  Samuel  Frost,  Seth  Russell,  2. 

Needham. — Killed :  John  Bacon,  Elisha  Mills,  Amos  Mills,  Nathaniel  Chamberlain,  Jonathan  Parker, 
5.      Wounded  :  Eleazer  Kingsbury, Tolman,  2. 

Sudbury. — Killed:  Josiah  Haynes,  Asahel  Reed,  2.      Wovmded :  Joshua  Haynes,  Jr.,  1. 

AcTOJi.-^— Killed :  Isaac  Davis,  Abner  Hosmer,  James  Hayward,  3.      Wounded:  Luther  Blanchard,  1. 

Bedford. — Killed:  Jonathan  Wilson,  1.      Wounded:  Job  Lane,  1. 

WoBURN. — Killed :  Daniel  Thompson,  Asahel  Porter,  2.      Wounded :  George  Reed,  Jacob  Bacon, 

Johnson,  3. 

Medford. — Killed :  Henry  Putnam,  William  Polly,  2. 

Charlestown. — Killed :  James  Miller,  Edward  Barber,  2. 

Watertowh. — Killed:  Joseph  Coolidge,  1. 

Framingham. —  Wounded:  Daniel  Hemminway,  1. 

Dedham. — Killed:  Elias  Haven,  1.      Wounded:  Israel  Everett,  1. 

Stow. —  Wounded:  Daniel  Conant,  1 

RoxBURY. — Missing:  Elijah  Seaver,  1. 

Brookline. — Killed:  Isaac  Gardner,  1. 

BiLLERiCA. —  Wounded:  John  Nichols,  Timothy  Blanchard,  2. 

Chelmsford. —  Wotmded :  Aaron  Chamberlain,  Oliver  Barron,  2. 

Salem. — Killed:  Benjamin  Pierce,  1. 

Newton. —  Wov/aded :  Noah  Wiswell,  1. 

Danvers. — Killed:  Henry  Jacobs,  Samuel  Cook,  Ebenezer  Goldthwait,  George  Southwick,  Benjamin 
Deland,  Jotham  Webb,  Perley  Putnam,  7.  Wovmded :  Nathan  Putnam,  Dennis  Wallace,  2.  Missing . 
Joseph  Bell,  1. 

Beverly. — Killed:  Reuben  Kerryme,  1.  Wounded:  Nathaniel  Cleves,  Samuel  Woodbury,  William 
Dodge,  3. 

Lynn. — Killed  :  Abednego  Ramsdell,  Daniel  Townsend,  William  Flint,  Thomas  Hadley,  4.  Wounded : 
Joshua  Felt,  Timothy  Monroe,  2.     Missing  :  Josiah  Breed,  1.  ■ 

Total:  Killed,  49;  Wounded,  ^9;  Missing,  5  =  93. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  533 

Pir^parations  for  Raising  an  Army  in  Massachusetts.      Zeal  of  the  Committee  of  Safety.      Circular  of  the  Provincial  CoDgre«a 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

"A  viceroy,  I,  like  monarehs,  stay 
Safe  in  the  town ;  lot  others  guide  the  fray. 
A  life  like  mine  is  of  no  common  worth  ; 
'Twere  wronij,  by  Heaven  !  that  I  should  sally  forth. 
A  random  bullet,  from  a  rifle  sent, 
Might  pierce  my  heart,  and  ruin  North's  intent. 
******* 

Ye  souls  of  fire,  who  burn  for  chief  command, 

Come  !  take  my  place  in  this  disastrous  land. 

To  wars  like  these  I  bid  a  long  good  night ; 

Let  NoRTU  and  George  themselves  such  battles  fight." 

Gage's  Soliloquy,  by  Philip  Freneau,  1775 

"  In  their  ragged  regimentals 
Stood  the  old  Continentals, 

Yielding  not, 
When  the  grenadiers  were  lunging, 
And  like  hail  fell  the  plunging 
Cannon  shot ; 
Where  the  files 
Of  the  isles 
From  the  smoky  night  encampment  bore  the  banner  of  the  rampant  unicorn, 
And  grummer,  grummer,  gruramer  rolled  the  roll  of  the  drummer,  through  the  morn.  ' 

Knickerbocker  Magazine. 

^  HE  events  of  the   1 9th  of  April,  like  an  electric  shock,  thrilled  every  nerve 
^^^  through  the  heart-confederated  American  colonies,  and  all  over  the  land  there  was 
cry  to  arms  '     In  Massachusetts  there  was  no  more  hesitation.     Who  shall  be 
the  aggressor  ?   was  an  answered  question.      Who  shall  be  the  con- 
queror ?   was  the  great  problem  before  them.      It  was  for  Massa- 
chusetts to  lead  the  van  in  the  contest,  and  her  people  readily  stepped  forth 
to  the  duty,  knowing  that  the  warm  sympathy  and  generous  aid  of  the  sister 
colonies  were  enlisted  for  the  war.      The  reassembled  Provincial  Congress 
voted  to  raise  an  army  of  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred  men.      The  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  labored  day  and  night,  with  a  zeal  worthy  of  the  glorious 
cause  in  which  they  were  engaged.      Circulars  were  sent  out  by  both  bodies, 
vf   calling  upon  the  people  to  form  an  army  as  speedily  as  possible  ;   and  the  other  New 
England  colonies  were  solicited  to  forward  as  many  troops  as  they  could  spare,'  in  order  to 

'  The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  sent  the  following  letter  to  the  several  committees  of  safety 
in  the  province : 

^^  In  Congress  at  Watertown,  April  ZQth,  1775. 

"Gentlemen, — The  barbarous  Murders  on  our  innocent  Brethren  on  Wednesday  the  19th  Instant,  has 
made  it  absolutely  necessary  that  we  immediately  raise  an  army  to  defend  our  Wives  and  our  Children  from 
the  butchering  Hands  of  an  inhuman  Soldiery,  who,  incensed  at  the  Obstacles  they  meet  with  in  their  bloody 
progress,  and  enraged  at  being  repulsed  from  the  Field  of  Slaughter,  will,  without  the  least  doubt,  take  the 
first  Opportunity  in  their  Power  to  ravage  this  devoted  Country  with  Fire  and  Sword.  We  conjure  you. 
therefore,  that  you  give  all  Assistance  possible  in  forming  an  Army.  Our  all  is  at  Stake.  Death  and  Dev- 
astation are  the  certain  Consequences  of  Delay ;  every  Moment  is  infinitely  precious ;  an  Hour  lost  may 
deluge  your  Country  in  Blood,  and  entail  perpetual  Slavery  upon  the  few  of  your  Posterity  who  may  sur- 
vive the  Carnage.  We  beg  and  entreat  you,  as  you  will  answer  it  to  your  Country,  to  your  own  Consciences, 
and,  above  all,  as  you  will  answer  to  God  himself,  that  you  will  ha-stcn  and  encourage,  by  all  possible  Means, 
the  Enlistment  of  Men  to  form  the  Army,  and  send  them  forward  to  Head-quarters  at  Cambridge,  vith  tha: 
expedition  which  the  vast  Importance  and  instant  Urgency  of  the  afl'air  demands. 

"  JosKrii  Warren,  President,  T  T  " 


i\. 


d3  4 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


TWENTY  FOUR  SHILLINGS 


Army  collected  at  Boston.  Organization  of  the  Troops.  Preparations  to  Besiege  the  City.  Issue  of  Paper  Money. 

make  up  a  united  force  of  thirty  thousand  men.  These  official  appeals  were  scarcely  nec- 
essary, for  as  soon  as  the  intelligence  of  bloodshed  went  abroad,  the  people  had  rushed  to- 
ward Boston  from  all  quarters,  and  by  the  21st  it  was  estimated  that  twenty  thou-  April. 
sand  men  were  collected  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  city.  General  Ward,  by  virtue  ^'^''° 
of  a  previous  appointment,  took  command  on  the  20  th,  and  in  the  afternoon  held  a  council 
of  war  with  the  officers  present.'  Of  course  all  was  confusion  ;  for  the  people  came,  some 
with  arms  in  their  hands,  and  some  having  none,  with  the  inquiry  marked  on  every  coun- 
tenance, What  can  I  do  ?  A  partial  organization  was  effected,  and  preparations  were  made 
to  besiege  Boston.  Among  those  who  hastened  thither  was  the  veteran  Putnam,  then  an 
old  man  of  sixty  years,  who,  it  is  said,  left  his  plow  in  the  furrow,  and  in  his  working 
dress,  mounted  one  of  his  horses,  and  hastened  toward  Cambridge  at  the  head  of  a  large 
body  of  Connecticut  volunteers.  Colonel  (afterward  general)  John  Stark  was  also  there, 
with  a  crowd  of  New  Hampshire  volunteers,  and  all  were  active  and  ardent.  In  the  course 
of  a  few  days  the  troops  were  tolerably  well  officered,  their  pay  was  agreed  upon,  and  thirty 
thousand  were  enrolled.  But  great  numbers  returned  home  ;  some  to  attend  to  pressing 
private  affairs,  and  others  to  make  permanent  arrangements  to  join  the  army.  The  num- 
ber was  thus  suddenly  much  reduced,  and  the  important  pass  of  Boston  Neck  was  defended 
for  nine  consecutive  days  and  nights  by  only  six  or  seven  hundred  men  under  Colonel  Rob- 
inson, of  Dorchester.  The  ranks  were  soon  afterward  well  filled,  and  preparations  for  a 
regular  siege  of  the  city  commenced. 
Cambridge  was  made  the  head-quar- 
ters, and  a  line  of  cantonments  was 
formed  nearly  twenty  miles  in  extent, 
the  left  leaning  upon  the  Pwiver  Mys- 
tic and  the  right  upon  Roxbury,  thus 
completely  inclosing  the  town. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  the  Pro- 

1775 

vincial  Congress  resolved  "  that 
(j^eneral  Gage  has,  by  the  late  trans- 
actions and  many  other  means,  utter- 
ly disqualified  himself  from  serving 
ihis  colony  as  governor,  or  in  any 
other  capacity  ;  and  that,  therefore, 
no  obedience  is  in  future  due  to  him  ; 
but  that,  on  the  contrary,  he  ought  to 
be  considered  and  guarded  against  as 
an  unnatural  and  inveterate  enemy  to 
the  country."  Previous  to  this  re- 
nunciation of  allegiance,  they  had 
prepared  for  the  payment  of  the  army, 
by  authorizing  the  issue  of  bills  of 
credit,  or  paper  money,  to  the  amount 
of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  in  sums  small  enough  to 
be  used  as  a  circulating  currency,  and 
directed  the  receiver  general  to  bor- 
row that  amount,  upon  those  notes, 


^^eOceof4 


^. 


erta-te 


A-TX^'    18-  177^' 


Revekse  of  a  Massachusetts  Tbeasury  Notk.^ 


'  The  officers  who  composed  the  council  were  Generals  Ward,  Heath,  and  Whitcombe ;  Colonels  Bridge, 
Frye,  James  Prescott,  William  Prescott,  BuUard,  and  Barrett ;  and  Lieutenant-colonels  Spaulding,  Nixon, 
Whitney,  Mansfield  and  Wheelock.     Colonels  Learned  and  Warner  arrived  the  next  day. 

'  This  is  a  fac  simile  of  the  device  on  the  back  of  one  of  the  first  of  the  Massachusetts  treasury  notes  or 
bills  of  credit.  The  literal  translation  of  the  Latin  inscription  is  "  He  seeks  by  the  Sword  calm  repose  under  the 
auspices  of  Freedom."     In  other  words,  to  use  a  phrase  of  the  present  time,  they  were  determined  "  to  con- 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  536 


Gage's  Restrictions.        Gloomy  Prospects  of  the  People  of  Boston.         Arrangements  with  the  Selectmen.        Perfidy  of  Gage. 

bearing  an  interest  of  six  per  cent.  They  also  forwarded  dispatches  to  the  general  ^^y  3 
Congress  which  was  to  assemble  on  the  10th,  suggesting  the  necessity  lor  making  ^'^'^^• 
provision  for  a  large  army,  to  o])pose  the  expected  troops  from  Great  Britain. 

While  these  transactions  were  taking  place  without  Boston,  General  Gage  was  pursuing 
a  course  of  rigorous  surveillance  over  the  people  within  the  city.  By  his  orders  all  April  19, 
intercourse  with  the  country  was  cut  off,  and  none  were  allowed  to  leave  the  town  ^'^'^5. 
without  his  permission  first  obtained.  This  measure  exposed  the  people  to  great  distress, 
for  their  accustomed  supply  of  provisions  and  fuel  was  thus  cut  off.  They  at  once  felt  all 
the  horrors  of  civil  war  gathering  around  them — visions  of  famine,  rapine,  and  blood  cloud- 
ed their  thoughts,  and  all  the  miseries  which  gloomy  anticipation  delineate  began  to  be  felt. 
Gage  himself  became  uneasy.  Boston  was  surrounded  by  an  exasperated  multitude,  armed 
and  ready  for  combat  at  the  least  provocation  ;  and  he  was  justly  apprehensive  that,  should 
an  assault  commence  from  without,  the  patriots  within  Avould  rise  upon  his  troops.  In  this 
exigency  he  so  far  receded  from  his  haughty  demeanor  toward  the  municipal  authorities  as 
to  seek  an  interview  with  the  selectmen.  It  was  obtained,  and  he  assured  them  that  no 
violence  should  be  done  to  the  town,  provided  the  people  would  behave  peaceably.  A  town 
meeting  was  held  on  the  22d,  and  an  agreement  was  entered  into  between  the  selectmen 
and  Gage,  "  That,  upon  the  inhabitants  in  general  lodging  their  arms  in  Faneuil  Hall,  or 
any  other  convenient  place,  under  the  care  of  the  selectmen,  marked  with  the  names  of  the 
respective  o^vners,  all  such  inhabitants  that  are  inclined  might  leave  the  toAvn,  with  their 
families  and  eiiects,  and  those  who  remained  might  depend  upon  the  protection  of  the  gov- 
ernor ;  and  that  the  arms  aforesaid,  at  a  suitable  time,  should  be  returned  to  the  owners.'" 
This  measure  was  sanctioned  by  the  Committee  of  Safety  sitting  at  Cambridge,  and  the  ar- 
rangement was  carried  out  in  good  faith  for  a  short  time,  until  the  removal  became  so  gen- 
eral as  to  alarm  the  Tories  and  the  governor  himself  The  Tories,  about  this  time,  were 
excessively  loyal.  Two  hundred  of  them  were  enrolled  as  a  military  corps  under  Timothy 
Ruggles,  and,  offering  their  services  to  General  Gage,  were  put  on  duty.  They  thought 
the  arrangement  Gage  had  agreed  to  was  unwise,  for  they  apprehended  that,  when  the  pa- 
triots had  all  left  the  town  with  their  effects,  they  would  not  scruple  to  burn  it.  They  re- 
monstrated with  Gage,  and  their  importunities  and  his  own  fears  became  more  potent  than 
his  sense  of  honor.  Obstructions  were  thrown  in  the  way  of  removals,  until,  finally,  passes 
were  denied,  or  so  framed  that  families  would  have  to  be  separated,  and  property  left  be- 
hind. Gage,  finally,  would  not  allow  women  and  children  to  leave  Boston,  but  kept  them 
there  as  a  sort  of  hostages,  or  pledges  of  good  behavior  on  the  part  of  the  patriots.  This 
exhibition  of  bad  faith  disgusted  and  exasperated  the  people  as  much  as  any  of  his  pre- 
vious acts. 

quer  a  peace."  The  face  of  the  bill  has  a  neatly-ensrravecl  border  of  scroll-work;  and  on  the  left  of  the 
brace  where  the  names  of  the  committee  are  signed,  is  a  circle  with  a  ship  within  it.  The  following  is  a 
copy  of  one  of  the  notes  : 

"Colony  of  the      )  .  .p  .     _ 

Massachusetts  Bay,  J       °  '         ' 

"The  Possessor  of  this  Bill  shall  be  paid  by  the  Treasurer  of  this  colony,  Twenty  Four  Shilli.ngs, 
Lawful  Money,  by  the  18th  day  of  August,  1778,  which  Bill  shall  be  received  for  the  aforesaid  sum.  in  all 
payments  at  the  Treasury  and  in  all  other  Payments  by  order  of  the  General  Assembly. 

"  Committee,  ] 

'  The  following  is  a  copy  of  one  of  the  passes  granted  to  the  inhabitants  who  left.  It  is  copied  from  one 
preserved  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society . 

"  Boston,  May,  177.'i. 

"  Permit ,  together  with  his  family,  consisting  of persons,  and efl'ects,  to 

pass ,  between  stmrise  and  sunset. 

By  order  of  his  Excellency  the  Governor. 
"  No  ^rms  nor  jltnmunition  is  alloiced  to  passV 

'  Under  this  arrangement.  177S  fire-arms,  634  pistols,  273  bayonets,  and  38  blunderbusses,  were  depos- 
ited with  the  selectmen.  The  same  day  (April  27th)  the  Provincial  Congress  recommended  to  the  inhab 
itants  of  the  sea-ports  the  removal  of  their  efl'ects,  &c.     Gordon,  i.,  336. 


536 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Benevolence  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Masaachusetts.  Efforts  of  other  Colonies.  Organization  of  the  Army. 


^  The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  in  the  mean  time,  made  provision  for 

1775.'  five  thousand  poor  people  expected  from  Boston,  who  were  unable  to  help  themselves. 
Each  town  had  a  proportion  allotted  to  it,  and  thus  much  suffering  was  prevented,  while 
the  feelings  of  the  beneficiaries  were  tenderly  respected  by  the  declaration  of  the  resolution 
that  they  were  not  to  be  numbered  with  the  town  paupers.  The  same  provision  was  also 
made  for  the  suffering  inhabitants  who  remained  in  Charlestown,  unable  to  remove  from 
the  danger  that  menaced  them.  So  great  were  the  alarm  and  distress  in  that  thriving  sub- 
urban village  of  Boston,  that  it  was  almost  deserted.  Its  population  of  two  thousand  seven 
hundred  was  reduced  to  about  two  hundred. 

While  Massachusetts  was  thus  exercising  its  patriotism  and  humanity,  preparatory  to  the 
approaching  contest,  the  other  colonies  were  alive  with  zeal.     The  Rhode  Island  Assembly 
voted  an  army  of  observation  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  and   appointed  Nathaniel 
'^'     Greene,  a  young  iron  master,  and  a  Quaker  by  birthright,  but  recently  disowned  be- 
cause of  his  military  propensities,  commander-in-chief,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier.      His  col- 
onels were  Varnum,  Hitchcock,  and  Church.      The  Connecticut  Assembly  voted  to  raise  six 
regiments  of  a  thousand  men  each  ;   and  Wooster,  Putnam,  and  Spencer,  already 
commissioned  as  generals,  were  each  to  have  a  regiment.      The  others  were  to  be 
placed  under  the  command  of  Hinman,  Waterbury,  and  Parsons.      Already,  as  we  have  no- 
iced.  New  Hampshire  volunteers  had  flocked  to  Cambridge,  with  the  gallant  Stark,  who 
vas  commissioned  a  colonel.      Under  the  direction  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  that  colo- 
ly,  they  were  supplied  with  necessaries  until  the  meeting  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  their 
own  province  in  May.     That  body  resolved  to  raise  two  thousand  troops  in  addition 
to  those  already  in  the  field,  and  Nathan  Folsom  was  appointed   commander-in- 
chief,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier.      They  were  organized  into  three  regiments  ;   and  two 
additional  regiments  were  placed  under  the  command  of  Stark  and  James  Reed.     The  latter, 
and  Enoch  Poor,  were  commissioned  colonels.      New  Hampshire  and  Rhode  Island  both 
also  issued  bills  of  credit.     Although  other  colonies  did  not  send  soldiers  to  Boston,  all,  with 
the  exception  of  New  York,  approved  of  the  action  of  the  general  Continental  Congress,  and 
expressed  the  warmest  sympathy  for  New  England. 

On  the  19  th  of  May,  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  clothed  the  Committee  of 
Safety,  then  sitting  at  Cambridge,  with  full  power  to  regulate  the  movements  of  the  gath- 
ering army.'  General  Ward,  as  we  have  seen,  was  appointed  captain  general;  John  Thom- 
as was  made  lieutenant  general ;  and  Richard  Gridley,  the  commissioned  commander  of  an 
artillery  corps  authorized  to  be  raised,  was  appointed  chief  engineer,  assisted  by  Henry  Knox, 
late  commander  of  an  artillery  corps  in  Boston.  To  promote  rapid  enlistments,  a  resolution 
had  been  previously  adopted,  promising  a  captain's  commission  to  every  one  who  should 
raise  a  company  of  fifty-nine  men,  and  a  colonel's  commission  to  each  who  should  raise  a 
regiment  often  companies.  The  form  of  the  commissions  of  the  several  oflicers  was  adopt- 
ed, the  pay  of  officers  and  soldiers  was  fixed,  and  other  provisions  for  organizing  the  army 
were  arranged. 

At  the  beginning  of  June  llie  combined  forces  amounted  to  about  sixteen  thousand  men,' 
really  united  only  in  respect  to  the  common  cause  which  brought  them  together,  for  each 
colony  had  absolute  control  over  its  respective  troops.  But  by  common  consent,  sanctioned 
by  the  several  colonial  authorities,  obedience  was  rendered  to  General  Ward  as  captain 
general.  Ward,  as  well  as  Putnam,  Thomas,  Stark,  Pomeroy,  Prescott,  and  Gridley,  had 
been  educated  in  the  military  art  in  the  practical  school  of  the  French  and  Indian  war  ; 
and  the  militia  that  had  assembled,  familiar  with  their  names  and  deeds,  placed  the  utmost 
confidence  in  their  skill  and  valor. 

'  The  Committee  of  Safety  consisted  of  John  Hancock,  Joseph  Warren,  Benjamin  Church,  Benjamin 
White,  Joseph  Pahner,  Richard  Devens,  Abraham  Watson,  John  Pigeon,  Azor  Orne,  Benjamin  Greenleaf, 
Xathan  Gushing,  and  Samuel  Holten.  Hancock  was  necessarily  absent,  being  a  delegate  to  the  Continental 
Congress. 

*  Massachusetts  furnished  1 1,500  ;  Connecticut,  2.300  ;  New  Hampshire,  1 2f  0  ;  and  Rhode  Island,  1000. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  537 

Increaso  of  British  Troops  in  Boston.    Arrival  of  experienced  Officers.    Operations. in  the  Vicinity.    American  Military  Worka 

The  British  force  in  Boston  had  increased,  in  the  mean  while,  by  fresh  arrivals  from  En- 
gland and  Ireland,  to  ten  thousand  men.  The  Cerberus  man-of-war  arrived  on  the  25th 
of  May,  with  Generals  Howe,'  Clinton,  and  Burgoyne,  three  officers  experienced  in 
the  military  tactics  of  Europe,  but  little  prepared  for  service  here.  They  were  sur- 
prised at  the  aspect  of  afiairs,  and  Gage  was  reproached  for  his  apparent  supineness.'  How- 
ever, unity  of  action  was  necessary,  and  the  new-comers  heartily  co-operated  with  Gage  in 
his  plans,  such  as  they  were,  for  dispersing  the  rebel  host  that  hemmed  him  in.  He  issued 
a  proclamation  on  the  12th  of  June,  insulting  in  words  and  menacing  in  tone.  It  declared 
martial  law ;  pronounced  those  in  arms  and  their  abettors  "  rebels,  parricides  of  the  Con- 
stitution," and  olfered  a  free  pardon  to  all  who  would  forthwith  return  to  their  allegiance, 
except  John  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams,  M'ho  were  outlawed,  and  for  whose  apprehension 
as  traitors  a  reward  was  ofl'ered.'  This  proclamation,  so  arrogant  and  insulting,  served 
only  to  exasperate  the  people.  In  the  mean  while,  several  skirmishes  had  occurred  between 
parties  of  the  British  regulars  and  the  provincials,  upon  some  of  the  cultivated  islands  that 
dot  the  harbor  of  Boston.  Each  party  were  employed  in  carrying  off  to  their  respective 
camps  the  live  stock  upon  the  islands,  and  on  one  occasion  quite  a  severe  action  occurred 
upon  Hog  Island,  which  continued  until  late  at  night.  One  or  two  armed  vessels  in  the 
harbor  were  engaged  in  the  foray.  A  considerable  number  of  the  provincials  were  killed. 
Toward  morning  a  British  schooner  got  aground.  The  Americans  boarded  her,  stripped  her 
of  every  thing  valuable,  and  returned  to  camp  in  triumph.  In  the  course  of  these  jyj  og 
flepredations  the  owners  were  completely  despoiled  ;  several  hundred  cattle,  sheep,  ^''^^■ 
and  lambs  having  been  carried  off  by  both  parties,  without  leave  or  remuneration.*  In  the 
attendant  skirmishes  the  Americans  were  generally  most  successful,  and  they  served  to  ini- 
tiate the  raw  militia  into  the  preliminary  dangers  of  a  battle. 

But  little  progress  had  been  made  at  this  time,  by  the  Americans,  in  erecting  fortifica- 
tions. Some  breast- works  had  been  thrown  up  at  Cambridge,  near  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill, 
and  a  small  redoubt  had  been  formed  at  Roxbury.  The  right  wing  of  the  besieging  army, 
under  General  Thomas,  was  at  Roxbury,  consisting  of  four  thousand  Massachusetts  troops, 
including  four  artillery  companies,  with  field-pieces  and  a  few  heavy  cannon.  The  Rhode 
Island  forces,  under  Greene,  Avere  at  Jamaica  Plains,  and  near  there  was  a  greater  part  of 
General  Spencer's  Connecticut  regiment.  General  Ward  commanded  the  left  wing  at  Cam- 
bridge, which  consisted  of  fifteen  Massachusetts  rtgirrients,  the  battalion  of  artillery  under 
Gridley,  and  Putnam's  regiment,  with  other  Connecticut  troops.  Most  of  the  Connecticut 
forces  were  at  Inman's  farm.  Paterson's  regiment  was  at  the  breast-work  on  Prosjiect  Hill, 
and  a  large  guard  was  stationed  at  Lechmere's  Point.      Three  companies  of  Gerrish's  regi- 

'  General  Howe  was  a  brother  of  the  young  Lord  Howe  who  was  killed  at  Ticonderoga  in  1758.  In 
the  address  of  the  Continental  Congress  to  the  people  of  Ireland,  adopted  on  the  28th  of  July,  1775,  the 
addressers  say,  "America  is  amazed  to  find  the  name  of  Howe  in  the  catalogue  of  her  enemies.  She  loved 
his  brother." 

^  The  newl)'-arrived  generals  were  so  assui-ed,  before  leaving  England,  that  they  would  have  no  occa- 
sion to  draw  the  sword  in  support  of  ministerial  measures,  that  they  had  prepared  to  amuse  themselves 
with  fishing  and  other  diversions,  instead  of  engaging  in  military  service.  It  seems  that  the  whole  alTair 
of  the  19th  of  April  was  kept  a  profound  secret  from  all  his  officers  by  Gage,  except  those  immediately  em- 
ployed in  it  and  Lord  Percy,  until  the  skirmish  had  ensued  at  Lexington,  and  a  re-enforcement  was  called 
for.  When  General  Haldimand,  afterward  Governor  General  of  Canada,  who  was  with  Gage,  wtis  asked 
how  the  sortie  happened,  he  said  that  the  first  he  knew  of  it  was  from  his  barber,  who  came  to  shave  him. 

'  It  has  been  related  that  when  John  Hancock  placed  his  bold  signature  to  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, on  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  he  remarked,  "There!  John  Bull  can  read  that  name  without  spectacles. 
Now  let  him  double  his  reward !" 

*  It  was  in  reference  to  these  expeditions  on  the  part  of  the  British,  that  Freneau,  the  stirring  song-writei 
of  the  Revolution,  in  his  "  Gage's  Soliloquy,"  thus  wrote  : 

"  Let  others  combat  in  the  dusty  field ; 
Let  petty  captains  scorn  to  live  or  yield ; 
I'll  send  my  ships  to  neighboring  isles,  where  stray 
Unnumbered  herds,  and  steal  those  herds  away. 
ni  strike  the  women  in  this  town  with  awe, 
And  make  them  tremble  at  my  Martial  Law." 


538 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Dieposidon  of  the  American  Troops. 


Preparations  for  Blockading  Boston. 


Charlestown  and  adjacent  Grounds. 


ment  were  at  Chelsea  ;   Stark's  regiment  was  at  Medford,  and  Reid's  at  Charlestown  Neck, 


with    sentinels    reaching    to    Penny 
Ferry  and  Bunker  Hill 

It  was  made  known  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  that  General  Gage 
had  fixed  upon  the  night  of  the  18th 
of  June  to  take  pos.session  of  and  for- 
tify Bunker  Hill  and  Dorchester  / 
Heights.  This  brought  matters  to 
a  crisis,  and  measures  were  taken  to 
perfect  the  blockade  of  Boston.  The 
Committee  of  Safety  ordered  Colone' 
Prescott,  with  a  detachment  of  one 
thousand  men,  including  a  company 
of  artillery,  with  two  field-pieces,  to 
march  at  night  and  throw  up  in- 
trenchments  upon  Bunker  Hill,  an 
eminence  just  within  the  peninsula 
of  Charlestown,  and  commanding  the 
great  northern  road  from  Boston,  as 
well  as  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
town.  To  make  the  relative  position 
of  the  eminences  upon  the  Charles- 
town peninsula  and  the  Neck,  to 
Boston,  more  intelligible  to  the  read- 
er, I  have  copied  from  Frothingham's 
History  of  the  Siege  of  Boston,  by 
permission  of  the  author,  the  annex- 
ed sketch,  communicated  to  him,  in 
a  manuscript  of  1775,  from  Henry 
Stevens,  Esq.  I  also  quote  from  Mr. 
Frothingham's  work  a  description  of 
the  localities  about  Bunker  Hill. 
The  peninsula  of  Charlestown  is  op- 
posite the  north  part  of  Boston,  and 
is  about  a  mile  in  length  from  north 
to  south.  Its  greatest  breadth,  next 
to  Boston,  is  about  half  a  mile.  It 
is  connected  with  the  main  land  by 
a  narrow  isthmus  or  neck.  The 
Mystic  River,  half  a  mile  wide,  is 
on  the  east,  and  the  Charles  Pi,iver, 
here  formed  into  a  large  bay,  is  on 
the  west,  a  part  of  which,  by  a  dam 
stretching  in  the  direction  of  Cobble 
Hill,  is  a  mill-pond.  [See  map,  page 
543]  In  1775,  an  artificial  cause- 
way [4]  was  so  low  as  to  be  fre- 
quently overflowed  by  the  tides.  The 
communication  with  Boston  was  by 


Chaklestown  in  1775.1 


a  ferry,  where  Charles  River  bridge 
is,  and  with  Maiden  by  another,  call- 
ed Penny  Ferry,  where  Maiden  Bridge 
now   is.      Near   the   Neck,   on   the 
main  land,  was  a  large  green,  known 
as  the  Common.      Two  roads  ran  by 
it :   one  in  a  westerly  direction,  as 
now,  by  Cobble  Hill  (M'Lean  Asy- 
lum),   Prospect   Hill,   and   Inman's 
Woods,  to  Cambridge  Common  ;  the 
other   in    a   northerly   direction,   by 
Plowed  Hill  (Mount  Benedict)  and 
Winter  Hill,  to  Medford — the  direct 
road  to  West  Cambridge  not  having 
been  laid  out  in  1775.     Bunker  Hill 
begins  at  the  isthmus,  and  rises  grad- 
ually for  about  three  hundred  yards, 
forming  a  round,  smooth  hill,  sloping 
on  two  sides  toward  the  water,  and 
connected  by  a  ridge  of  ground  on 
the    south    with    the    heights    now 
known  as  Breed's  Hill.     This  was  a 
well-known  public  place,  the  name, 
"  Bunker  Hill,"  being  found  in  the 
town  records  and  in  deeds  from  an 
early  period.     Not  so  with  "Breed's 
Hill,"  for  it  was  not  named  in  any 
description  of  streets  previous  to  1775, 
and  appears  to  have  been  called  aft- 
er the  owners  of  the  pastures  into 
which  it  was  divided,  rather  than  by 
the  common  name  of  Breed's  Hill. 
Thus,  Monument  Square  was  called 
Russell's  Pasture  ;   Breed's  Pasture 
lay  further  south,  and  Green's  Pas- 
ture was  at  the  head  of  Green  Street. 
The  easterly  and  westerly  sides  of 
this  height  were  steep.     On  the  east, 
at  its  base,  were  brick-kilns,   clay- 
pits,  and  much  sloughy  land.      On 
the  west  side,  at  the  base,  was  the 
most  settled  part  of  the  town  [5]. 
Moulton's  Point,  a  name  coeval  with 
the  settlement  of  the  town,  consti- 
tuted the  southeastern  corner  of  the 
peninsula.      A    part    of   this    tract 
formed  what  is  called  Morton's  Hill. 
Bunker  Hill  was  one  hundred  and 
ten  feet  high,  Breed's  Hill  sixty-two 


'No.  1  is  Bunker  Hill;  2,  Breed's  Hill;  3,  xMoulton's  Point;  4,  a  causeway  near  the  Neck,  at  the  foot 
of  Bunker  Hill ;  5,  Charlestown,  at  the  foot  of  Breed's  Hill.     Charlestown  Neck  is  on  the  extreme  left. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  539 


Night  March  to  Bunker  and  Breed's  Hill.  A  Fortification  planned  on  Bunker  Hill.  British  Vessels  in  Boston  Harbor. 

feet,  and  Moulton's  Hill  [3]  thirty-five  feet.  The  principal  street  of  the  peninsula  was 
Main  Street,  which  extended  from  the  Neck  to  the  ferry.  A  road  ran  over  Bunker  Hill, 
around  Breed's  Hill,  to  Moulton's  Point.  The  westerly  portions  of  these  eminences  con- 
tained fine  orchards.' 

A  portion  of  the  regiments  of  Prescott,'  Frye,  and  Bridge,  and  a  fatigue  party  of  two 
hundred  Connecticut  troops  with  intrenching  tools,  paraded  in  the  Cambridge  camp  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening.  They  were  furnished  with  packs  and  blankets,  and  ordered  j^„g  ^g 
to  take  provisions  for  twenty-four  hours.  Samuel  Gridley's  company  of  artillery  ^^^•^• 
joined  them,  and  the  Connecticut  troops  were  placed  under  the  command  of  Thomas  Knowl- 
ton,  a  captain  in  Putnam's  regiment,  who  was  afterward  killed  in  the  battle  on  Harlem 
Heights.  After  an  impressive  prayer  from  the  lips  of  President  Langdon,  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege,  Colonel  Prescott  and  Richard  Gridley,  preceded  by  two  servants  with  dark  lanterns, 
commenced  their  march,  at  the  head  of  the  troops,  for  Charlestowii.  It  was  about  nine 
o'clock  at  night,  the  sky  clear  and  starry,  and  the  weather  very  warm.  Strict  silence  was 
enjoined,  and  the  object  of  the  expedition  was  not  known  to  the  troops  until  they  arrived  at 
Charlestown  Neck,  where  they  were  joined  by  Major  Brooks,  of  Bridge's  regiment,  and  Gen- 
eral Putnam.  A  guard  often  men  was  placed  in  Charlestown,  and  the  main  body  march- 
ed over  Bunker  Hill.  A  council  was  held,  to  select  the  best  place  for  the  proposed  fortifi- 
cation. The  order  was  explicit,  to  fortify  Bunker  Hill ;  but  Breed's  Hill  being  nearer  Bos- 
ton, and  appearing  to  be  a  more  eligible  place,  it  was  concluded  to  proceed  to  fortify  it,  and 
'0  throw  up  works,  also,  on  Bunker  Hill,  to  cover  a  retreat,  if  necessary,  across  Charlestown 
Neck.  Colonel  Gridley  marked  out  the  lines  of  the  proposed  fortifications,  and,  at  about 
midnight,  the  men,  having  thrown  ofl'  their  packs  and  stacked  their  arms,  began  their  per- 
ilous work — perilous,  because  British  sentinels  and  British  ships-of-war  were  almost  within 
sound  of  their  picks.' 

"  No  shout  disturbed  the  night, 
Before  that  fearful  fight ; 

There  was  no  boasting  high — 
No  marshaling  of  men, 
Who  ne'er  might  meet  again — 

No  cup  was  filled  and  quaffed  to  Victor}' ! 

'  Frothingham,  page  129. 

*  William  Prescott  was  born  at  Groton,  Massachusetts,  in  1726.  His  father  was  for  some  years  a  coun- 
selor of  Massachusetts,  and  his  mother  was  a  daughter  of  another  counselor.  He  was  a  lieutenant  of  fool 
under  General  Winslow,  at  the  capture  of  Cape  Breton,  where  he  was  distinguished  for  his  bravery.  He 
mherited  a  large  estate,  and  resided  at  Pepperell  while  the  Revolution  was  ripening.  He  had  comniaml 
of  a  regiment  of  minute  men,  and  when  the  news  of  the  alfair  at  Lexington  reached  him,  promptly  marched 
thither  at  the  head  of  as  many  as  he  could  collect.  His  known  military  talents  caused  him  to  be  selected 
by  General  Ward  for  the  important  duty  of  fortifying  Bunker  Hill ;  and  in  the  memorable  engagement  that 
occurred  there  on  the  I7th  of  June,  1775,  he  was  the  chief  in  command,  and  was  greatly  distinguished  bv 
his  bravery  and  skill.  That  evening,  although  repulsed,  and  his  troops  greatly  fatigued  and  much  dispir- 
ited, he  solicited  from  the  Committee  of  Safety  permission  to  make  an  attempt  to  retake  the  peninsula  of 
Charlestown.  It  was  a  movement  too  perilous,  and  the  gallant  soldier  was  obliged  to  rest.  He  continued 
in  the  service  through  1776,  and  served  as  a  volunteer  under  Gates  until  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  in 
1777.  From  1786  until  his  death  he  was  an  acting  magistrate  in  his  native  town.  He  died  in  PepperelJ 
on  the  13th  of  October,  1795,  aged  sixty-nine.  William  H.  Prescott,  of  Boston,  the  eminent  historian,  is  a 
grandson  of  Colonel  Prescott.  He  married  a  grand-daughter  of  Captain  Linzee,  who  commanded  the  sloop 
of  war  Falcon,  that  cannonaded  the  works  on  Breed's  Hill  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775.  The  swords  then 
used  by  Colonel  Prescott  and  Captain  Linzee,  the  respective  grandfathers  of  the  historian  and  his  wife,  are 
now  in  Mr.  Prescott's  possession,  and  are  crossed,  in  a  conspicuous  place,  in  his  valuable  library  at 
Boston. 

'  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  British  vessels  then  in  the  harbor  of  Boston,  which  took  part  in  the 
battle  that  ensued :  Somerset,  68  guns,  520  men,  Captain  Edward  Le  Cras ;  Cerberus,  36  guns.  Captain 
Chads;  Glasgow,  24  guns,  130  men,  Captain  William  Maltby ;  Lively,  20  guns,  130  men,  Captain  Thomas 
Bishop  ;  Falcon,  Captain  Linzee  ;  Symmetry,  transport,  18  nine  pounders.  See  the  British  Annual  Register 
for  1775.  The  Falcon  lay  off  Moulton's,  or  Morton's,  Point;  the  Lively  lay  opposite  the  present  navy, 
yard  ;  the  Somerset  was  at  the  ferry  ;  the  Glasgow  was  near  Cragie's  Bridge ;  and  the  Cerberus  and  sev- 
eral floating  batteries  were  within  gunshot  of  the  American  works. — Frothingham. 


540 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Construction  of  the  Redoubt  on  Breed's  Hill.         Discovery  of  the  Works  by  the  Enemy.         Surprise  of  the  people  of  Boston. 


No  plumes  were  there, 
No  banners  fair, 

No  trumpets  breathed  around  ; 

Nor  the  drum's  startling  sound 
Broke  on  the  midnight  air." — John  Neal. 

Officers  and  men  labored  together  with  all  their 
might,  with  pickaxes  and  spades,  and  were  cheer- 
ed on  in  their  work  by  the  distant  signals  of  safe- 
ty— "  All's  well  I" — that  came  from  the  shipping, 
and  the  sentinels  at  the  foot  of  Copp's  Hill.  It 
proclaimed  that  they  were  still  undiscovered  ;  and 
at  every  cry  of  "  All's  well  I"  they  plied  their 
tools  with  increased  vigor.  When  the  day  dawn- 
ed, at  about  four  o'clock,  they  had  thrown  up  in- 
trenchments  six  feet  high  ;  and  a  strong  redoubt, 
which  was  afterward  the  admiration  of  the  ene- 
my, loomed  up  on  the  green  height  before  the  won- 
dering eyes  of  the  astonished  Britons  like  a  work 
of  magic.  The  British  officers  could  hardly  be 
convinced  that  it  was  the  result  of  a  few  hours' 
labor  only,  but  deemed  it  the  Avork  of  days.  Gage 
saw  at  once  how  foolish  he  had  been  in  not  taking 
possession  of  this  strong  point,  as  advised,  while  it  was  in  his  power  to  do  so. 

The  fortification  was  first  discovered  at  dawn,  by  the  watchmen  on  board  the  Lively. 
Without  waiting  for  orders,  the  captain  put  springs  upon  his  cables,  and  opened  a  fire  on 
the  American  works.  The  noise  of  the  cannon  aroused  the  sleepers  in  Boston,  and  when 
the  sun  arose  on  that  bright  morning,  every  eminence  and  roof  in  the  city  swarmed  with 
people,  astonished  at  the  strange  apparition  upon  Breed's  Hill.  The  shots  from  the  Lively 
did  no  harm,  and,  defended  by  their  intrenchments,  the  Americans  plied  their  labor  in 
strengthening  their  works  within,  until  called  to  lay  aside  the  pick  and  shovel  for  gun  and 
knapsack. 

Admiral  Graves,  the  naval  commander  at  Boston,  ordered  the  firing  to  cease  ;  but  it  was 
soon  renewed,  not  only  by  the  shipping,  but  from  a  battery  of  six  guns  upon  Copp's  Hill  in 
June  17  *^®  '^^^y-  Gage  summoned  a  council  of  war  early  in  the  morning.  As  it  was  ev- 
1775.  ident  that  the  Americans  were  rapidly  gaining  strength,  and  that  the  safety  of  the 
town  was  endangered,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  send  out  a  force  to  drive  them  from 
the  peninsula  of  Charlestown  and  destroy  their  works  on  the  heights.  It  was  decided,  also, 
to  make  the  attack  in  front,  and  preparations  were  made  accordingly.  The  drums  beat  to 
arms,  and  Boston  was  soon  in  a  tumult.  Dragoons  galloping,  artillery  trains  rumbling,  and 
the  marching  and  countermarching  of  the  regulars  and  loyalists,  together  with  the  clangor 


Plan  of  the  Redoubt  on  Breed's  Hill.i 


'  This  plan  is  copied  from  an  English  drawing  of  the  time,  first  published  in  the  London  Gentleman'' s 
Magazine  for  1775. 

Explanation. — A  A  represents  the  situation  of  two  strong  fences,  composed  of  stones  and  rails  ;  a  and 
6,  two  well-contrived  flanks,  so  arranged  that  their  fires  crossed  within  twenty  yards  of  the  face  of  the  re- 
doubt ;  c,  another  well-arranged  flank ;  rf,  a  bastion,  with  its  flanks  e  and  b  ;  m,  a  small  portion  of  a  trench, 
that  extended  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  redoubt  to  a  slough  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  toward  the  Mystic  Riv- 
er. On  the  southeast  side  of  the  redoubt  was  a  deep  hollow.  Two  cannons  were  placed  in  embrasures 
at  the  front  of  the  redoubt,  in  the  two  salient  angles  of  which  were  large  apple-trees. 

This  redoubt  was  eight  rods  square.  The  Bunker  Hill  Monument  now  occupies  its  center.  The  east- 
ern side  commanded  an  extensive  field.  On  the  north  side  was  an  open  passage-way,  and  the  breast- 
work upon  the  eastern  side  extended  about  one  hundred  yards  north.  This  trench  was  incomplete  when 
the  battle  began.  Between  the  south  end  of  the  breast-work  and  the  redoubt  was  a  sally-port,  protected 
by  a  blind,  and  on  the  inside  of  the  parapet  were  steps  of  wood  and  earth  for  the  men  to  mount  and  fire. 
Between  the  slough  and  the  rail  fence  on  the  east  was  an  open  space,  and  this  was  the  weakest  part  of 
the  lines.     Such  were  the  American  works  of  defense  when  the  battle  of  the  17th  of  June  commenced- 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  '541 


Cowardice  of  the  Tories.    Crossing  of  a  British  Force  from  Boston  to  Charlestown.    Bravery  of  Prescott    New  England  King. 

of  the  church  bells,  struck  dismay  into  many  a  heart  before  stout  in  the  presence  of  British 
protectors.  It  is  said  that  the  danger  which  surrounded  tlie  city  converted  many  Tories 
into  patriots  ;  and  the  selectmen,  in  the  midst  of  that  fearful  commotion,  received  large  ac- 
cessions to  their  list  of  professed  friends  from  the  ranks  of  the  timid  loyalists. 

Toward  noon,  between  two  and  three  thousand  picked  men,  from  the  British  army,  under 
the  command  of  General  Sir  William  Howe  and  General  Pigot,  embarked  in  twenty-eight 
barges,  part  from  the  Long  Wharf  and  some  from  the  North  Battery,  in  Boston,  and  landed 
at  Morion's,  or  Moultoii's  Point,'  beyond  the  eastern  foot  of  Breed's  Ilill,  covered  by  the 
guns  of  the  Falcon  and  other  vessels. 

"  About  two  thousand  were  embarked  to  go 
'Gainst  the  redoubt  and  formidable  foe. 
The  Livcly's,  Falcon's,  Fame's,  and  Glasgow's  roar, 
Covered  their  landing  on  the  destined  shore."* 

The  Americans  had  worked  faithfully  on  their  intrenchments  all  the  morning,  and  were 
greatly  encouraged  by  the  voice  and  example  of  Prescott,  who  exposed  himself,  without  care, 
to  the  rimdom  shots  of  the  battery  on  Copp's  Hill.'  He  supposed,  at  first,  that  the  enemy 
would  ncit  attack  him,  but,  seeing  the  movements  in  the  city,  he  was  convinced  to  the  con- 
trary, and  comforted  his  toiling  troops  with  assurances  of  certain  victory.  Confident  of 
such  a  result  himself,  he  would  not  at  first  send  to  General  Ward  for  a  re-enforcement ;  but 
between  nine  and  ten  o'clock,  by  advice  of  his  officers.  Major  Brooks  was  dispatched  to 
head-quarters  for  that  purpose.  General  Putnam  had  urged  Ward  early  in  the  morning  to 
send  fresh  troops  to  relieve  those  on  duty  ;  but  only  a  portion  of  Stark's  regiment  was  allow- 
ed to  go,  as  the  general  apprehended  that  Cambridge  would  be  the  principal  point  of  at- 
tack. Convinced  otherwise,  by  certain  intelligence,  the 
remainder  of  Stark's  regiment,  and  the  whole  of  Reed's 
corps,  on  the  Neck,  were  ordered  to  re-enforce  Prescott. 
At  twelve  o'clock  the  men  in  the  redoubt  ceased  work, 
sent  ofT  their  intrenching  tools,  took  some  refreshments, 
hoisted  the  New  England  flag,  and  prepared  to  fight. 
The  intrenching  tools  were  sent  to  Bunker  Hill,  where, 
under  the  direction  of  General  Putnam,  the  men  began 
to  throw  up  a  breast-work.  Some  of  the  more  timid  ^ 
soldiers  made  the  removal  of  the  tools  a  pretext  for  leav- 
ing the  redoubt,  and  never  returned.  The  New  k.ngland  Flag.* 

It  was  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  when  the  Brit- 

'  This  is  written  Morton,  Moreton,  and  Moulton,  by  difTerent  authors.     Morton  is  the  proper  name. 

'  From  "The  American  War,"  a  poem  in  six  books,  published  in  London,  17SG. 

^  A  soldier  (Asa  Pollard,  of  Billerica)  who  had  ventured  outside  of  the  redoubt,  was  killed  by  a  cannon 
ball.  The  circumstance  so  alarmed  those  within,  that  some  of  them  left  the  hill.  Prescott,  to  inspire  his 
men  with  confidence,  walked  leisurely  around  the  works  upon  the  parapet,  in  full  view  of  the  British  odi- 
cers  in  Boston.  Gage,  who  was  reconnoitering  the  works  through  a  glass,  saw  his  tall  and  commanding 
form,  and  asked  Counselor  Willard,  who  stood  near  him,  who  it  was.  Willard,  recognizing  his  brother-in- 
law,  said,  "That  is  Colonel  Prescott."  "Will  he  fight?"  inquired  Gage.  "Yes,  sir,"  replied  Willard; 
"  he  is  an  old  soldier,  and  will  fight  as  long  as  a  drop  of  blood  remains  in  his  veins."  "  The  works  must 
be  carried  immediately,"  responded  Gage,  as  he  turned  upon  his  heel  to  <rivo  orders..- 

*  This  is  copied  from  an  old  Dutch  work,  preserved  in  the  library  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society, 
containing  pictures  of  the  flags  of  all  nations.  In  the  original,  a  divided  sphere,  representing  the  earth,  is 
in  the  quarter  where  I  have  placed  the  pine-tree.  I  have  made  the  alteration  in  the  device,  because  in  the 
flag  raised  upon  the  bastion  of  the  redoubt  on  Breed's  Hill,  the  pine-tree  occupied  the  place  of  the  sphere, 
the  more  ancient  device.  The  question  has  been  unsettled  respectinrr  the  flajr  used  on  that  occasion,  as 
cotemporary  writers  are  silent  on  the  subject.  An  intelligent  old  lady  (Mrs.  Manninnf)  whom  I  saw  be- 
tween the  Brandywine  and  Kennet  Square,  in  Pennsylvania,  informed  me  that  her  father,  who  was  in  the 
battle,  assisted  in  hoisting  the  standard,  and  she  had  heard  him  speak  of  it  as  a  "  noble  flag."  The  ground 
was  blue,  and  one  corner  was  quartered  by  the  red  cross  of  St.  George,  in  one  section  of  which  was  the 
pine-tree.  This  was  the  New  England  flag,  as  given  in  the  sketch.  Doubtless  there  were  many  other 
flags  belonging  to  the  several  regiments.     Botta  says  of  Dr.  Warren,  during  the  retreat,  "  Finding  the  corps 


542    '  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Excitement  in  Cambridge.         Re-enforcementa  for  both  Parties.         Sufferings  of  the  Provincials.         Warren  and  Pomeroy. 

ish  troops,  consisting  of  the  fifth,  thirty-eighth,  forty-third,  and  fifty-second  battalions  of  in- 
fantry, two  companies  of  grenadiers,  and  two  of  light-infantry,  landed,  their  rich  uniforms 
and  arras  flashing  and  glittering  in  the  noonday  sun,  making  an  imposing  and  formidable 
display.  General  Howe  reconnoitered  the  American  works,  and,  while  waiting  for  re-en- 
forcements, which  he  had  solicited  from  Gage,  allowed  his  troops  to  dine.  When  the  in- 
telligence of  the  landing  of  the  enemy  reached  Cambridge,  two  miles  distant,  there  was 
great  excitement  in  the  camp  and  throughout  the  town.  The  drums  beat  to  arms,  the  bells 
were  rung,  and  the  people  and  military  were  speedily  hurrying  in  every  direction.  General 
Ward  used  his  own  regiment,  and  those  of  Paterson  and  Gardner  and  a  part  of  Bridge's, 
for  the  defense  of  Cambridge.  The  remainder  of  the  Massachusetts  troops  were  ordered  to 
Charlestown,  and  thither  General  Putnam  conducted  those  of  Connecticut. 

At  about  two  o'clock  the  re-enforcement  for  Howe  arrived,  and  landed  at  the  present 
navy-yard.  It  consisted  of  the  forty-seventh  battalion  of  infantry,  a  battalion  of  marines, 
and  some  grenadiers  and  light  infantry.  The  whole  force  (about  four  thousand  men)  was 
commanded  and  directed  by  the  most  skillful  British  officers  then  in  Boston  ;'  an  1  every 
man  preparing  to  attack  the  undisciplined  provincials  was  a  drilled  soldier,  and  quite  perfect 
in  the  art  of  war.  It  was  an  hour  of  the  deepest  anxiety  among  the  patriots  on  Breed's 
Hill.  They  had  observed  the  whole  martial  display,  from  the  time  of  the  embarkation  un- 
til the  forming  of  the  enemy's  line  for  battle.  For  the  Americans,  as  yet,  very  little  succor 
had  arrived.  Hunger  and  thirst  annoyed  them,  while  the  labors  of  the  night  and  morning 
weighed  them  down  with  excessive  fatigue.  Added  to  this  was  the  dreadful  suspicion  that 
took  possession  of  their  minds,  when  only  feeble  re-enforcements  arrived,  that  treachery  had 
placed  them  there  for  the  purpose  of  sacrifice.  Yet  they  could  not  doubt  the  patriotism  of 
iheir  principal  officers,  and  before  the  action  commenced  their  suspicions  were  scattered  to 
the  winds  by  the  arrival  of  their  beloved  Dr.  Warren  and  General  Pomeroy."  Warren, 
who  was  president  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  then  sitting  at  Watertown,  seven  miles  dis- 
tant, informed  of  the  landing  of  the  enemy,  hastened  toward  Charlestown,  though  sufTering 
from  sickness  and  exhaustion.  He  had  been  commissioned  a  major  general  four  days  before. 
Putnam,  who  was  at  Cambridge,  forwarding  provisions  and  re-enforcements  to  Charlestown, 
tried  to  dissuade  him  from  going  into  the  battle.  Warren  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  his 
purpose,  and  mounting  a  horse,  he  sped  across  the  Neck  and  entered  the  redoubt,  amid  the 
loud  cheers  of  the  provincials,  just  as  Howe  gave  orders  to  advance.  Colonel  Prescott  of- 
fered the  command  to  Warren,  as  his  superior,  when  the  latter  replied,  "  I  am  come  to  fight 
as  a  volunteer,  and  feel  honored  in  being  allowed  to  serve  under  so  brave  an  officer." 

While  the  British  troops  were  forming,  and  preparing  to  march  along  the  Mystic  River 
for  the  purpose  of  flanking  the  Americans  and  gaining  their  rear,  the  artillery,  with  two 
field-pieces,  and  Captain  Knowlton,  with  the  Connecticut  troops,  left  the  redoubt,  took  a 

he  commanded  hotly  pursued  by  the  enemy,  despising  all  danger,  he  stood  alone  before  the  ranks,  endeav- 
uring  to  rally  his  troops,  and  encouraging  theni  by  his  own  example.  He  reminded  them  of  the  mottoes 
inscribed  on  their  ensigns,  on  one  side  of  which  were  these  words,  '^n  appeal  to  Heaven,^  and  on  the  other, 
'  Qui  transtulit,  sustinet ;'  meaning,  that  the  same  providence  that  brought  their  ancestors  through  so  many 
perils  to  a  place  of  refuge,  would  also  deign  to  support  their  descendants."  Botta  often  exhibits  more  po- 
etry than  truth  in  his  brilliant  narrative.  After  the  battle  under  consideration,  and  while  Putnam  com- 
manded on  Prospect  Hill,  a  flag  with  the  inscription  above  given  was  presented  to  him,  and  was  first  un- 
furled on  the  18th  of  July  ensuing.  The  author  of  "  The  Veil  Removed"  properly  treats  the  assertion  of 
Botta  as  a  fiction,  and  sarcastically  remarks  that,  "  instead  of  such  a  sentimental  allusion  to  Latin  mottoes, 
the  only  command,  when  their  ammunition  was  spent,  must  have  been  Sauve  qui  pent,  '  Save  himself  who 
can.'  "     Qui  transtulit,  sustinet.  is  the  motto  in  the  seal  of  Connecticut. 

'  The  most  distinguished  British  officers  that  accompanied  General  Howe  were  General  Pigot;  Colonels 
Nesbit,  Abercrombie,  and  Clark ;  Majors  Butler,  Williams,  Bruce,  Spendlove,  Smelt,  Mitchell,  Pitcairn, 
Short,  Small,  and  Lord  Rawdon. 

'  General  Pomeroy  left  Cambridge  when  he  heard  the  first  sound  of  the  cannon.  The  veteran  borrowed 
a  horse  from  General  Ward,  to  ride  to  Charlestown,  but,  observing  that  the  guns  of  the  Glasgow  raked  the 
Neck  by  an  enfilading  fire,  he  was  afraid  to  risk  the  borrowed  animal.  Leaving  him  in  charge  of  a  sentry, 
he  walked  across  the  Neck,  and,  with  a  boiTowed  musket,  joined  the  troops  at  the  rail  fence  as  a  volunteer. 
He  was  well  known,  and  a  loud  huzza  welcomed  him  to  the  post  of  danger. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


543 


March  of  the  British  toward  the  Redoubt 


Posidon  of  the  American  Troops. 


Cannonade  of  the  Redoubt 


position  near  Bunker  Hill,  and  formed  a  breast-work  seven  hundred  feet  in  length,  which 
served  an  excellent  purpose.  A  little  in  front  of  a  strong  stone  and  rail  fence,  Knowlton 
built  another,  and  between  the  two  was  placed  a  quantity  of  new-mown  grass.  This  ap- 
parently slight  breast-work  formed  a  valuable  defense  to  the  provincials. 

It  was  now  three  in  the  afternoon.  The  provincial  troops  were  placed  in  an  attitude  of 
defense,  as  the  British  column  moved  slowly  forward  to  the  attack.  Colonel  Prescott  and 
the  original  constructors  of  the  redoubt,  except  the  Connecticut  troops,  were  within  the 
works.  General  Warren  also  took  post  in  the  redoubt.  Gridley  and  Callender's  artillery 
companies  were  between  the  breast-works  and  rail  fence  on  the  eastern  side.  A  few  troops, 
recalled  from  Charlestown  after  the  British  landed,  and  a  part  of  Warner's  company,  lined 
the  cart-way  on  the  right  of  the  redoubt.  The  Connecticut  and  New  Hampshire  forces 
were  at  the  rail  fence  on  the  west  of  the  redoubt ;  and  three  companies  were  stationed  in 
the  Main  Street  at  the  foot  of  Breed's  Hill. 

Before  General  Howe  moved  from  his  first  position,  he  sent  out  strong  flank  guards,  and 
directed  his  heavy  artillery  to  play  upon  the  American  line.  At  the  same  time  a  blue 
flag  was  displayed  as  a  signal,  and  the  guns  upon  Copp's  Hill,  and  the  ships  and  floating 
batteries  in  the  river,  poured  a  storm  of  round  shot  upon  the  redoubt.  A  furious  cannonade 
was  opened  at  the  same  moment  upon  the  right  wing  of  the  provincial  army  at  Roxbury, 
to  prevent  re-enforcements  being  sent  by  General  Thomas  to  Charlestown.  Gridley'  and 
Callender,  with  their  field-pieces,  returned  a  feeble  response  to  the  heavy  guns  of  the  enemy. 


Gridiey  n  guns  were  soon  disabled  ;  while  Callender,  who  alleged  that  his  cartridges  were 
lOO  large,  withdrew  to  Bunker  Hill.  Putnam  was  there,  and  ordered  him  back  to  his  first 
position.  He  disobeyed,  and  nearly  all  his  men,  more  courageous  than  he,  deserted  him 
In  the  mean  while.  Captain  Walker,  of  Chelmsford,  with  fifty  resolute  men,  marched  down 
the  hill  near  Charlestown,  and  greatly  annoyed  the  enemy's  left  flank.     Finding  their  posi- 


'  Captain  Samuel  Gridley  was  a  son  of  Richard  Gridley,  the  engineer.     He  was  quite  inefficient,  and 
had  received  his  appointment  solely  in  compliment  to  his  father. 


544  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  British  Artillery.  Silence  of  the  Americans.  Terrible  Volleys  from  the  Redoubt.  Flight  of  the  Enemy 


tion  very  perilous,  they  marched  over  to  the  Mystic,  and  did  great  execution  upon  the  right 
flank.  Walker  vv^as  there  wounded  and  made  prisoner,  but  the  greater  part  of  his  men  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  the  redoubt. 

Under  cover  of  the  discharges  of  artillery,  the  British  army  moved  up  the  slope  of  Breed's 
Hill  toward  the  American  works,  in  two  divisions.  General  Howe  with  the  right  wing,  and 
General  Pigot  with  the  left.  The  former  was  to  penetrate  the  American  lines  at  the  rail 
fence  ;  the  latter  to  storm  the  redoubt.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  before  the  firing  of  their 
artillery  ceased,  in  consequence  of  discovering  that  balls  too  large  for  the  field-pieces  had  been 
sent  over  from  Boston.  Howe  ordered  the  pieces  to  be  loaded  with  grape  ;  but  they  soon 
became  useless,  on  account  of  the  miry  ground  at  the  base  of  the  hill.  Small  arms  and 
bayonets  now  became  their  reliance. 

Silently  the  British  troops,  burdened  with  heavy  knapsacks,  toiled  up  the  ascent  toward 
the  redoubt,  in  the  heat  of  a  bright  summer's  sun.  All  was  silent  within  the  American  in- 
trenchments,  and  very  few  provincials  were  to  be  seen  by  the  approaching  battalions  ;  but 
within  those  breast-works,  and  in  reserve  behind  the  hills,  crouched  fifteen  hundred  determ- 
ined men,  ready,  at  a  prescribed  signal,  to  fall  upon  the  foe.  The  provincials  had  but  a 
scanty  supply  of  ammunition,  and,  to  avoid  wasting  it  by  inefiectual  shots,  Prescott  gave 
orders  not  to  fire  until  the  enemy  were  so  near  that  the  whites  of  their  eyes  could  be  seen. 
"Then,"  he  said,  "aim  at  their  waistbands  ;  and  be  sure  to  pick  off  the  commanders,  known 
by  their  handsome  coats  !"  The  enemy  were  not  so  sparing  of  their  powder  and  ball,  but 
when  within  gunshot  of  the  apparently  deserted  works,  commenced  a  random  firing.  Pres- 
cott could  hardly  restrain  his  men  from  responding,  and  a  few  did  disobey  his  orders  and  re- 
turned the  fire.  Putnam  hastened  to  the  spot,  and  threatened  to  cut  down  the  first  man  who 
should  again  disobey  orders,  and  quiet  was  restored.  At  length  the  enemy  reached  the  pre- 
scribed distance,  when,  waving  his  sword  over  his  head,  Prescott  shouted  "  Fire  I"  Terrible 
was  the  efi^ect  of  the  volley  that  ensued.  Whole  platoons  of  the  British  regulars  were  laid 
upon  the  earth,  like  grass  by  the  mower's  scythe.  Other  deadly  volleys  succeeded,  and  the 
enemy,  disconcerted,  broke,  and  fled  toward  the  water.  The  provincials,  joyed  at  seeing 
the  regulars  fly,  wished  to  pursue  them,  and  many  leaped  the  rail  fence  for  the  purpose  ; 
but  the  prudence  of  the  American  officers  kept  them  in  check,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they 
were  again  within  their  works,  prepared  to  receive  a  second  attack  from  the  British  troops, 
that  were  quickly  rallied  by  Howe.  Colonel  Prescott  praised  and  encouraged  his  men, 
while  General  Putnam  rode  to  Bunker  Hill  to  urge  on  re-enforcements.  Many  had  arrived 
at  Charlestown  Neck,  but  were  deterred  from  crossing  by  the  enfilading  fire  of  the  Glasgow 
and  two  armed  gondolas  near  the  causeway.  Portions  of  regiments  were  scattered  upon 
Bunker  Hill  and  its  vicinity,  and  these  General  Putnam,  by  entreaties  and  commands,  en- 
deavored to  rally.  Colonel  Gerrish,  who  was  very  corpulent,  became  completely  exhausted 
by  fatigue  ;  and  other  officers,  wholly  unused  to  warfare,  coward-like  kept  at  a  respectful 
distance  from  danger.  Few  additional  troops  could  be  brought  to  Breed's  Hill  before  the 
second  attack  was  made. 

The  British  troops,  re-enforced  by  four  hundred  marines  from  Boston,  under  Major  Small, 
accompanied  by  Dr.  Jeffries,  the  army  surgeon,  advanced  toward  the  redoubt  in  the  same 
order  as  at  first.  General  Howe  boldly  leading  the  van,  as  he  had  promised.*  It  was  a 
mournful  march  over  the  dead  bodies  of  scores  of  their  fellow-soldiers ;  but  with  true  En- 
glish courage  they  pressed  onwatd,  their  artillery  doing  more  damage  to  the  Americans  than 
at  the  first  assault.  It  had  moved  along  the  narrow  road  between  the  tongue  of  land  and 
Breed's  Hill,  and  when  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  rail  fence,  and  on  a  line  with  the 
breast-works,  opened  a  galling  fire,  to  cover  the  advance  of  the  other  assailants.  In  the 
mean  while,  a  carcass,  and  some  hot  shot,  were  thrown  from  Copp's  Hill  into  Charlestown, 

'  Clarke,  an  officer  in  the  marines,  relates  that,  just  before  commencing  the  first  march  toward  the  re- 
doubt, General  Howe  made  a  short  speech,  in  which  he  said,  "  If  the  enemy  will  not  come  out  of  their  in- 
trenchments,  we  must  drive  them  out,  at  all  events,  otherwise  the  town  of  Boston  will  be  set  on  fire  by 
them.      /  shall  not  desire  one  of  you  to  go  a  step  further  than  where  I  go  myself  at  your  head." 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  54  f 

Ituming  of  Charlestown.    Second  Repulse  of  the  British.    Re-enforccd  by  Clinton.    Aramuuition  of  the  Ameriuans  exhausted. 

which  set  the  village  on  fire.'  The  houses  were  chiefly  of  wood,  and  in  a  short  time  nearly 
two  hundred  buildings  were  in  flames,  shrouding  in  dense  smoke  the  heights  in  the  rear 
whereon  the  provincials  were  posted.  Beneath  this  veil  the  British  hoped  to  rush  unob- 
served up  to  the  breast-works,  scale  them,  and  drive  the  Americans  out  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet.  At  that  moment  a  gentle  breeze,  which  appeared  to  the  provincials  like  the 
breath  of  a  guardian  angel — the  first  zephyr  that  had  been  felt  on  that  sultry  day — came 
from  the  west,  and  swept  the  smoke  away  seaward,  exposing  to  the  full  view  of  the  Amer- 
icans the  advancing  columns  of  the  enemy,  who  fired  as  they  approached,  but  with  little 
execution.  Colonels  Brener,  Nixon,  an'd  Buckminster  were  wounded,  and  Major  Moore  was 
killed.  As  before,  the  Americans  reserved  their  fire  until  the  British  were  within  the  pre- 
scribed distance,  when  they  poured  forth  their  leaden  hail  with  such  sure  aim  and  terrible 
eflect  that  whole  ranks  of  officers  and  men  were  slain.  General  Ilowe  was  at  the  head, 
and  once  he  was  left  entirely  alone,  his  aids  and  all  about  him  having  perished.  The  Brit- 
ish line  recoiled,  and  gave  way  in  several  parts,  and  it  required  the  utmost  exertion  in  all 
the  remaining  officers,  from  the  generals  down  to  the  subalterns,  to  repair  the  disorder 
which  this  hot  and  unexpected  fire  had  produced."  All  their  efl^orts  were  at  first  fruitless, 
and  the  troops  retreated  in  great  disorder  to  the  shore. 

General  Clinton,  who  had  beheld  the  progress  of  the  battle  with  mortified  pride,  seeing 
the  regulars  repulsed  a  second  time,  crossed  over  in  a  boat,  followed  by  a  small  re-enforce- 
ment, and  joined  the  broken  army  as  a  volunteer.  Some  of  the  British  officers  remonstra- 
ted against  leading  the  men  a  third  time  to  certain  destruction  ;  but  others,  who  had  ridi- 
culed American  valor,  and  boasted  loudly  of  British  invincibility,  resolved  on  victory  or 
death.  The  incautious  loudness  of  speech  of  a  provincial,  during  the  second  attack,  declar- 
ing that  the  ammunition  was  nearly  exhausted,  gave  the  enemy  encouraging  and  important 
information.  Howe  immediately  rallied  his  troops  and  formed  them  for  a  third  attack,  but 
in  a  difierent  way.  The  weakness  of  the  point  between  the  breast-work  and  the  rail  fence 
had  been  discovered  by  Howe,  and  thitherward  he  determined  to  lead  the  left  wing  with 
the  artillery,  while  a  show  of  attack  should  be  made  at  the  rail  fence  on  the  other  side. 
His  men  were  ordered  to  stand  the  fire  of  the  provincials,  and  then  make  a  furious  charge 
with  bayonets. 

So  long  were  the  enemy  making  preparations  for  a  third  attack,  that  the  provincials  be- 
gan to  imagine  that  the  second  repulse  was  to  be  final.  They  had  time  to  refresh  them 
selves  a  little,  and  recover  from  that  complete  e.xhaustion  which  the  labor  of  the  day  hail 
produced.  It  was  too  true  that  their  ammunition  was  almost  exhausted,  and  being  obliged 
to  rely  upon  that  for  defense,  as  comparatively  few  of  the  muskets  were  furnished  with  bay- 
onets, they  began  to  despair.  The  few  remaining  cartridges  within  the  redoubt  were  dis- 
tributed by  Prescott,  and  those  soldiers  who  were  destitute  of  bayonets  resolved  to  club  their 
arms,  and  use  the  breeches  of  their  guns  when  their  powder  should  be  gone.  The  loose 
stones  in  the  redoubt  were  collected  for  use  as  missiles  if  necessary,  and  all  resolved  to  fight 
as  long  as  a  ray  of  hope  appeared. 

During  this  preparation  on  Breed's  Hill,  all  was  confusion  elsewhere.  General  Ward 
was  at  Cambridge,  without  sufficient  staff  officers  to  convey  his  orders.  Henry  (afterward 
general)  Knox  was  in  the  reconnoitering  service,  as  a  volunteer,  during  the  day,  and  upon 
his  reports  Ward  issued  his  orders.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  the  commanding  general  dis- 
patched his  own,  with  Paterson's  and  Gardner's  regiments,  to  the  field  of  action  ;  but  to 
the  raw  recruits  the  aspect  of  the  narrow  Neck  was  terrible,  swept  as  it  was  by  the  Britisli 

'  A  carcass  is  a  hollow  ca.se  formed  of  ribs  of  iron,  covered  with  cloth,  or  sometitncs  iron,  with  holes  i;. 
it.  Being  filled  with  combustible  materials,  it  is  thrown  from  a  mortar  into  a  besieged  place,  by  which 
means  buildings  are  set  on  fire.  The  burning  of  Charlestown  hail  been  resolved  upon  by  Gage  some  time 
before,  in  the  event  of  the  Americans  taking  possession  of  any  of  the  hills  belonging  to  it.  "This  resoiu- 
tion  was  assigned  by  a  near  female  relative  of  the  general  to  a  gentlewoman  with  whom  she  had  become 
acquainted  at  school,  as  a  reason  why  the  other,  upon  obtaining  a  pass  to  quit  Boston,  should  not  tarry  al 
her  father's  (Mr.  Gary's)  house  in  Charlestown." — Dr.  Gordon,  i.,  352. 

*  Sledman,  i.,  127. 

M  M 


646 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Death  of  Colonel  Gardner.  Third  Attack  of  the  British.  Storming  of  the  Redoubt.  Death  of  Warren  and  Pitcaim. 


cannon.  Colonel  Gardner  succeeded  in  leading  three  hundred  men  to  Bunker  Hill,  where 
Putnam  set  them  intrenching,  but  soon  ordered  them  to  the  lines.  Gardner  was  advancing 
boldly  at  their  head,  when  a  musket  ball  entered  his  groin  and  wounded  him  mortally.' 
His  men  were  thrown  into  confusion,  and  very  few  of  them  engaged  in  the  combat  that  fol- 
lowed, until  the  retreat  commenced.  Other  regiments  failed  to  reach  the  lines.  A  part 
of  Gerrish's  regiment,  led  by  Adjutant  Christian  Febiger,  a  Danish  officer,  who  afterward 
accompanied  Arnold  to  Quebec,  and  was  distinguished  at  Stony  Point,  reached  the  lines  just 
as  the  action  commenced,  and  eflectually  galled  the  British  left  wing.  Putnam,  in  the 
mean  time,  was  using  his  utmost  exertions  to  form  the  confused  troops  on  Bunker  Hill,  and 
get  fresh  corps  with  bayonets  across  the  Neck. 

All  was  order  and  firmness  at  the  redoubt  on  Breed's  Hill,  as  the  enemy  advanced.  The 
artillery  of  the  British  swept  the  interior  of  the  breast- work  from  end  to  end,  destroying 
many  of  the  provincials,  among  whom  was  Lieutenant  Prescott,  a  nephcAV  of  the  colonel 
commanding.  The  remainder  were  driven  within  the  redoubt,  and  the  breast-work  was 
abandoned.  Each  shot  of  the  provincials  was  true  to  its  aim,  and  Colonel  Abercrombie, 
and  Majors  Williams  and  Speedlove  fell.  Howe  was  wounded  in  the  foot,  but  continued 
fighting  at  the  head  of  his  men.  His  boats  were  at  Boston,  and  retreat  he  could  not.  His 
troops  pressed  forward  to  the  redoubt,  now  nearly  silent,  for  the  provincials'  last  grains  of 
powder  were  in  their  guns.  Only  a  ridge  of  earth  separated  the  combatants,  and  the  as- 
sailants scaled  it.  The  first  that  reached  the  parapet  were  repulsed  by  a  shower  of  stones. 
Major  Pitcaim,  who  led  the  troops  at  Lexington,  ascending  the  parapet,  cried  out,  "  Now 
for  the  glory  of  the  marines  I"  and  was  immediately  shot  by  a  negro  soldier.'  Again  num- 
bers of  the  enemy  leaped  upon  the  parapet,  while  others  assailed  the  redoubt  on  three  sides. 
Hand  to  hand  the  belligerents  struggled,  and  the  gun-stocks  of  many  of  the  provincials  were 
shivered  to  pieces  by  the  heavy  blows  they  were  made  to  give.  The  enemy  poured  into 
the  redoubt  in  such  numbers  that  Prescott,  perceiving  the  folly  of  longer  resistance,  ordered 
a  retreat.  Through  the  enemy's  ranks  the  Americans  hewed  their  way,  many  of  them 
walking  backward,  and  dealing  deadly  blows  with  their  musket-stocks.  Prescott  and  War- 
ren were  the  last  to  leave  the  redoubt.  Colonel  Gridley,  the  engineer,  was  wounded,  and 
borne  off  safely.^  Prescott  received  several  thrusts  from  bayonets  and  rapiers  in  his  cloth- 
ing, but  escaped  unhurt.  Warren  was  the  last  man  that  left  the  works.  He  was  a  short 
distance  from  the  redoubt,  on  his  way  toward  Bunker  Hill,  when  a  musket  ball  passed 
through  his  head,  killing  him  instantly.  He  was  left  on  the  field,  for  all  were  flying  in  the 
greatest  confusion,  pursued  by  the  victors,  who  remorselessly  bayoneted  those  who  fell  in 
their  way. 

Major  Jackson  had  rallied  Gardner's  men  upon  Bunker  Hill,  and  pressing  forward  with 

^  I  have  before  me  a  drama,  bearing  the  autograph  of  General  James  Abercrombie,  entitled  "  The 
Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  ;  a  dramatic  piece  in  five  ects,  in  heroic  measure  :  by  a  gentleman  of  Maryland." 
Printed  at  Philadelphia,  by  Robert  Bell,  in  1 776.  Colonel  Gardner  is  one  of  the  dramatis  persona^  and  is 
made  to  say,  at  the  moment  of  receiving  the  wound, 

"  A  musket  ball,  death-winged,  hath  pierced  my  groin, 
^  And  vridely  oped  the  swift  current  of  my  veins. 

Bear  me,  then,  soldiers,  to  that  hollow  space 
A  little  hence,  just  on  the  hill's  decline. 
A  surgeon  there  may  stop  the  gushing  wound, 
And  gain  a  short  respite  to  life,  that  yet 
I  may  return,  and  fight  one  half  hour  more. 
Then  shall  I  die  in  peace,  and  to  my  God 
Surrender  up  the  spirit  which  he  gave." 

*  Major  Pitcaim  was  carried  by  his  son  to  a  boat,  and  conveyed  to  Boston,  where  he  soon  died.  He  left 
eleven  children.     The  British  government  settled  a  pension  of  one  thousand  dollars  a  year  upon  his  widow. 

*  Colonel  Richard  Gridley,  the  able  engineer  and  brave  soldier  in  this  battle,  was  born  in  Boston  in  1721. 
He  served  as  an  engineer  in  the  reduction  of  Louisberg  in  1 745,  and  entered  the  British  army  as  colonel 
and  chief  engineer  in  1755.  He  was  engaged  in  the  expedition  to  Ticonderoga  in  1756,  and  constructed 
Fort  George,  on  Lake  George.  He  served  under  Amherst  in  1758,  and  was  with  Wolfe,  on  the  Plains  of 
Abraham,  the  following  year.  He  was  appointed  chief  engineer  of  the  provincial  army  near  Boston  in  1775. 
He  died  at  Stoughton,  on  the  20th  of  June,  1796,  aged  seventy-five  years Curwen. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  547 


Confusion  of  the  Americans.    EfTorU  of  Putnam  to  Rally  them.    Cessation  of  the  Battle.    The  Loss.     Spectators  of  the  Battle. 


three  companies  of  Ward's,  and  Febiger's  party  of  Gerrish's  regiment,  poured  a  destructive 
fire  upon  the  enemy  between  Breed's  and  Bunker  Hill,  and  bravely  covered  the  retreat  from 
the  redoubt.  The  Americans  at  the  rail  fence,  under  Stark,  Reed,  and  Knowlton,  re-en- 
forced by  Clark's,  Coit's,  and  Chester's  Connecticut  companies,  and  a  few  other  troops, 
maintained  their  ground,  in  the  mean  while,  with  great  firmness,  and  successfully  resisted 
every  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  turn  their  flank.  This  service  was  very  valuable,  for  it  saved 
the  main  body,  retreating  from  the  redoubt,  from  being  cut  ofl.  But  when  these  saw  their 
brethren,  with  the  chief  commander,  flying  before  the  enemy,  they  too  fled.  Putnam  used 
every  exertion  to  keep  them  firm.  He  commanded,  pleaded,  cursed  and  swore  like  a  mad- 
man, and  was  seen  at  every  point  in  the  van,  trying  to  rally  the  scattered  corps,  swearing 
that  victory  should  crown  the  Americans.'  "  Make  a  stand  here,"  he  exclaimed  ;  "  we  can 
stop  them  yet !  In  God's  name,  fire,  and  give  them  one  shot  more  !"  The  gallant  old 
Pomeroy,  also,  with  his  shattered  musket  in  his  hand,  implored  them  to  rally,  but  in  vain. 
The  whole  body  retreated  across  the  Neck,  where  the  fire  from  the  Glasgow  and  gondolas 
slew  many  of  them.  They  left  five  of  their  six  field-pieces,  and  all  their  intrenching  tools, 
upon  Bunker  Hill,  and  they  retreated  to  Winter  Hill,  Prospect  Hill,  and  to  Cambridge.  The 
British,  greatly  exhausted,  and  properly  cautious,  did  not  follow,  but  contented  themselves 
with  taking  possession  of  the  peninsula.  Clinton  advised  an  immediate  attack  upon  Cam- 
bridge, but  Howe  was  too  cautious  or  too  timid  to  make  the  attempt.  His  troops  lay  upon 
their  arms  all  night  on  Bunker  Hill,  and  the  Americans  did  the  same  on  Prospect  Hill,  a 
mile  distant.  Two  British  field-pieces  played  upon  them,  but  without  efl^ect,  and  both  sides 
feeling  unwilling  to  renew  the  action,  hostilities  ceased.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this 
engagement  was  one  hundred  and  fifteen  killed  and  missing,  three  hundred  and  five  wound- 
ed, and  thirty  who  were  taken  prisoners  ;  in  all  four  hundred  and  fifty.  The  British  loss 
is  not  positively  known.  Gage  reported  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  killed,  and  eight  hund- 
red and  twenty-eight  wounded  ;  in  all  ten  hundred  and  fifty-four.  In  this  number  are  in 
eluded  eighty-nine  ofEcers.  The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  from  the  best  in- 
formation they  could  obtain,  reported  the  British  loss  at  about  fifteen  hundred.  The  battle, 
from  Howe's  first  attack  until  the  retreat,  occupied  nearly  two  hours.  The  number  of 
buildings  consumed  in  Charlestown,  before  midnight,  was  about  four  hundred  ;  and  the  es- 
timated loss  of  property  (most  of  the  families,  with  their  eflects,  having  moved  out)  was 
nearly  six  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  number  engaged  in  this  battle  was  small,  yet  cotemporary  wTiters  and  eye-witnesses 
represent  it  as  one  of  the  most  determined  and  severe  on  record.  There  was  absolutely  no 
victory  in  the  case.  The  most  indomitable  courage  was  displayed  on  both  sides  ;  and  when 
the  provincials  had  retired  but  a  short  distance,  so  wearied  and  exhausted  were  all  that  nei- 
ther party  desired  more  fighting,  if  we  except  Colonel  Prescott,  who  earnestly  petitioned  to 
be  allowed  to  lead  a  fresh  corps  that  evening  and  retake  Breed's  Hill.  It  was  a  terrible 
day  for  Boston  and  its  vicinity,  for  almost  every  family  had  a  representative  in  one  of  the 
two  armies.  Fathers,  husbands,  sons,  and  brothers  were  in  the  aflray,  and  deep  was  the 
mental  anguish  of  the  women  of  the  city,  who,  from  roofs,  and  steeples,  and  every  elevation, 
gazed  with  streaming  eyes  upon  the  carnage,  for  the  battle  raged  in  full  view  of  thousands 
of  interested  spectators  in  the  town  and  upon  the  adjoining  hills."  In  contrast  with  the  ter- 
rible scene  were  the  cloudless  sky  and  brilliant  sun. 

'  It  is  said  that,  for  the  foul  profanity  in  which  the  brave  old  general  indulged  on  that  occasion,  he  made 
a  sincere  confession,  after  the  war,  before  the  church  of  which  ho  was  a  member.  "  It  was  almost  enough 
to  make  an  angel  swear,"  he  said,  "to  see  the  cowards  refuse  to  .secure  a  victory  so  nearly  won  !"' 

*  "  In  other  battles,"  said  Daniel  Webster,  in  an  article  published  in  the  North  American  Review  for 
October,  1818,  "the  recollection  of  wives  and  children  has  been  used  as  an  excitement  to  animate  the  war- 
rior's breast  and  to  nerve  his  arm.  Here  was  not  a  mere  recollection,  but  an  actual  presence  of  them,  and 
other  dear  connections,  hanging  on  the  skirts  of  the  battle,  anxious  and  agitated,  feeling  almost  as  if  wound- 
ed themselves  by  every  blow  of  the  enemy,  and  putting  forth,  as  it  were,  their  own  strength,  and  all  the 
energy  of  their  own  thmbbing  bosoms,  into  evcrj'  gallant  effort  of  their  warring  friends." 


5  18 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Reflections  on  the  Battle. 


Burgoyne's  Opinion  of  the  Conflict. 


The  Character  of  'Warren. 


"  The  heavens,  the  calm  pure  heavens,  were  bright  on  high  ; 
Earth  langhed  beneath  in  all  its  freshening  green ; 
The  free,  blue  streams  sang  as  they  wandered  by ; 
And  many  a  sunny  glade  and  flowery  scene 
Gleamed  out,  like  thoughts  of  youth,  life's  troubled  years  between," 

Willis  Gaylord  Clark. 


while  upon  the  green  slopes,  where  flocks  were  quietly  grazing  but  a  few  hours  before,  Wap^ 
had  reared  its  gory  altars,  and  the  earth  was  saturated  with  the  blood  of  its  victims.  Fear- 
fully augmented  was  the  terror  of  the  scene,  when  the  black  smoke  arose  from  Charlestown 
on  fire,  and  enveloped  the  redoubt  on  the  summit  of  Breed's  Hill,  which,  like  the  crater  of 
a  volcano,  blazed  and  thundered  in  the  midst  of  the  gloomy  curtain  that  veiled  it. 

"  Amazing  scenes  !  what  shuddering  prospects  rise  ! 
What  horrors  glare  beneath  the  angry  skies  ! 
The  rapid  flames  o'er  Charlestown's  heights  ascend ; 
To  heaven  they  reach !  urged  by  the  boisterous  wind. 
The  mournful  crash  of  falling  domes  resound, 
And  tottering  spires  with  sparkles  reach  the  ground. 
One  general  burst  of  rain  reigns  o'er  all ; 
The  burning  city  thunders  to  its  fall ! 
O'er  mingled  noises  the  vast  ruin  sounds, 
Spectators  weep  !  eai-th  from  her  center  groans  ! 
Beneath  prodigious  unextinguished  fires 
Ill-fated  Charlestown  welters  and  expires." 

EuLOGiuM  ON  Warren,  1781. 

•'  It  was,"  said  Burgoyne,  who,  with  Gage  and  other  British  officers,  was  looking  on  from  a 
secure  place  near  Copp's  Hill  in  Boston,  "  a  complication  of  horror  and  importance,  beyond 
any  thing  that  ever  came  to  my  lot  to  witness.      Sure,  T  am  that  nothing  ever  can  or  has 


been  more  dreadfully  ter- 
rible than  what  was  to 
be  seen  or  heard  at  this 
time."  But  it  is  profit- 
less to  dwell  upon  the 
gloomy  scene.  Time 
hath  healed  the  grief 
and  heart-sickness  that 
were  born  there ;  and 
art,  in  the  hands  of  busy 
men,  has  covered  up  for- 
ever all  vestiges  of  the 
conflict. 

Many  gallant,  many 
noble  men  perished  on 
the  peninsula  upon  that 
sad  day  ;  but  none  was 
so  widely  and  deeply 
lamented,  because  none 
was  so  widely  and  truly 
loved,  as  the  self-sacri- 
ficing and  devoted  War- 
ren. He  was  the  imper- 
sonation of  the  spirit  of 


-^^ 


/■> 


generous  and  disinterest- 
ed patriotism  that  inspir- 
ed the  colonies.  In  ev- 
ery relation  in  life  he  was 
a  model  of  excellence. 
"  Not  all  the  havoc  and 
devastation  they  have 
made  has  wounded  me 
like  the  death  of  War- 
ren," wrote  the  wife 
of  John  Adams,  juiys, 
three  weeks  aft-  ^'^'^^■ 
erward.  "  We  want 
him  in  the  Senate  ;  we 
want  him  in  his  profes- 
sion ;  we  want  him  in 
the  field.  We  mourn 
for  the  citizen,  the  sen- 
ator, the  physician,  and 
the  warrior."  General 
Howe  estimated  his  in- 
fluence, when  he  declar- 
ed to  Dr.  Jeffries,  who 
recognized   the  body  of 


'  Joseph  Warren,  son  of  a  Massachusetts  farmer,  was  born  in  Roxbury  in  1740,  and  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College  in  1759.  He  studied  the  science  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Lloyd,  and  rapidly  rose  to  the  head, 
or,  at  least,  to  the  front  rank  of  that  profession  in  Boston.     Sentiments  of  patriotism  seemed  to  form  a  part 


OF   TPIE   REVOLUTION. 


549 


The  Energy,  Boldness,  and  Patriotism  of  Warren.         Masonic  Honors  to  his  Memory.         'i  tie  old  Monument  on  Breed's  Hill 

Warren  on  the  field  the  next  day,  that  his  death  was  worth,  to  the  British,  five  hundred  of  the 
provincial  privates.      Eulogy  and  song  have  aided  history  in  embalming  his  memory  with  the 

of  his  moral  nature,  and  courafjc  to  avow  them  was  always  prompting  him  to  action.  He  became  neces- 
sarily a  pi>litieian,  at  a  time  when  all  men  were  called  upon  to  act  in  public  matters,  or  be  looked  upon  as 
drones.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  association  in  Boston  known  as  the  Sons  of  Liberty, 
and  from  1768  was  extremely  etlicient  in  fostering  the  spirit  of  rational  liberty  and  independence  in  the 
wide  and  influential  circle  in  which  he  moved.  His  mind,  suggestive  and  daring,  planned  many  measures, 
ill  secret  caucus  with  Adams  and  others,  for  resisting  the  encroachments  of  British  power.  In  1771  he 
delivered  the  oration  on  the  anniversar}'  of  the  Boston  Massucre.  He  solicited  the  honor  of  performing  a 
like  duty  on  the  5th  of  March,  1775,  in  consequence  of  a  threat  of  some  of  the  British  officers  that  they 
would  take  the  life  of  any  man  who  should  dare  to  speak  on  that  occasion.  The  old  South  meeting-house 
was  crowded  on  the  appointed  day,  and  the  aisles,  stairs,  and  pulpit  were  filled  with  armed  British  soldiers. 
The  intrepid  young  orator  entered  a  window  by  a  ladder,  back  of  the  pulpit,  and,  in  the  midst  of  a  pro- 
found silence,  commenced  his  exordium  in  a  firm  tone  of  voice.  His  friends,  though  determined  to  avenge 
any  attempt  at  assassination,  trembled  for  his  safety.  He  dwelt  eloquently  upon  the  early  struggles  of  the 
New  England  people,  their  faith  and  loyalty,  and  recounted,  in  sorrowful  tones,  the  oppressions  that  had 
been  heaped  upon  them.  Gradually  he  approached  the  scene  on  the  5th  of  March,  and  then  portrayed  it 
in  such  language  and  pathos  of  expression,  that  even  the  stern  soldiery  that  came  to  awe  him  wept  at  his 
words.  He  stood  there  in  the  midst  of  that  multitude,  a  striking  symbol  of  the  revolt  which  he  was  lead- 
ing, firm  in  the  faith  of  that  .sentiment,  "Resistance  to  tyrants  is  obedience  to  God."  Looking  at  him,  it 
might  be  said,  as  Magoon  remarks,  in  classic  quotation, 

"  Thou  hast  seen  Mount  Athos ; 

While  storms  and  tempests  thunder  at  its  brows 
•  And  oceans  beat  their  billows  at  its  t'oet, 

It  stands  unmoved,  and  glories  in  its  height. 

Such  is  that  haughty  man  ;  his  towering  soul, 

Mid  all  the  shocks  and  injuries  of  fortune, 

Rises  superior,  and  looks  down  on  Cajsar." 

V\Tien  John  Hancock  went  to  the  Continental  Congress,  Warren  was  elected 
to  fill  his  place  as  president  of  the  Provincial  Congress.  Four  days  previous 
to  the  action  on  Breed's  Hill,  that  body  gave  him  the  commission  of  major 
general,  and  he  was  the  only  officer  of  that  rank  engaged  in  the  conflict ;  yet 
he  was  without  command,  and  fought  as  a  volunteer.  "  He  fell,"  as  Everett 
has  beautifully  expressed  it,  "  with  a  numerous  band  of  kindred  spirits — the 
gray-haired  veteran,  the  stripling  in  the  flower  of  youth — who  had  stood  side 
by  side  on  that  dreadful  day,  and  fell  together,  like  the  beauty  of  Israel  in 
their  high  places !"  Warren's  body  was  identified,  on  the  morning  after  the 
battle,  by  Dr.  Jen"ries,  who  was  his  intimate  acquaintance.  He  was  buried 
where  he  fell,  and  the  place  was  marked.  After  the  evacuation  of  Boston  in 
1776,  his  remains  were  disinterred,  and,  on  the  8th  of  April,  were  carried  in 
procession  from  the  Representatives'  chamber  to  King's  Chapel,  and  buried 
with  military  and  masonic  honors.  The  Reverend  Dr.  Cooper  oflfered  pray- 
ers, and  Perez  Morton  pronounced  an  oration  on  the  occasion.  Warren's  re- 
mains now  rest  beneath  St.  Paul's  Church.  He  was  Grand  Master  of  Free- 
masons for  North  America  at  the  time  of  his  death.  A  lodge  in  Charlestown 
erected  a  monument  to  his  memory  in  1794,  on  the  spot  where  he  fell.  It 
was  composed  of  a  brick  pedestal  eight  feet  square,  rising  ten  feet  from  the 
ground,  and  supporting  a  Tuscan  pillar  of  wood  eighteen  feet  high.  This 
was  surmounted  by  a  gilt  urn,  bearing  the  inscription  "  J.  W.,  aged  35,"  en- 
twined with  masonic  emblems.     On  the  south  side  of  the  pedestal  was  the  following  inscription 

"Erected  A.D.  MDCCXCIV., 

By  King  Solomon's  Lodge  of  Free-masons, 

constituted  in  Charlestown,  1783, 

In  jNIcmory  of 

Major-general  Joseph  Warren 

and  his  associates, 

who  were  slain  on  this  memorable  spot  June  17, 

1775. 

None  but  they  who  set  a  just  value  upon  the  blessings  of  libert)'  are  worthy  to  enjoy  her.    In  vain  we  toilea 

in  vain  we  fought ;  we  bled  in  vain,  if  you,  our  oflTspring,  want  valor  to  repel  the  assault  of  her  invaders. 

Charlestown  settled,  1628.     Burned,  1775.     Rebuilt,  1776." 

This  monument  stood  forty  years,  and  then  -was  removed  to  give  place  to  the  present  granite  structure, 
known  as  Bunker  Hill  Monument.  A  beautiful  model  of  Warren's  monument  stands  within  the  colossal 
obelisk,  from  which  I  made  the  accompanying  sketch. 


Wabken's  Monument 


550 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Character  of  the  Troops  engaged  in  the  Battle  on  Breed's  Hill.  Monument  to  Warren  ordered  by  Congress. 


immortality  that  rests  upon  the  spot  where  he  fell.  He  was  a  hero  in  the  highest  sense  of 
the  term,  and  so  were  Prescott  and  other  compatriots  in  the  struggle  ;  but  all  were  not  he- 
roes who  surrounded  them.  Unused  to  war  ;  some  entirely  ignorant  of  the  sound  of  a  can- 
non ;  inferior,  by  two  thirds,  in  number,  and  vastly  so  in  discipline,  to  the  enemy,  the  won. 
der  is  that  the  provincials  fought  so  well,  not  that  so  many  used  their  heels  more  expertly 
than  their  hands.  Many  officers,  chosen  by  the  men  whom  they  commanded,  were  totally 
unfitted  in  knowledge  and  spirit  for  their  stations,  and  a  few  exhibited  the  most  arrant  cow- 
ardice. They  were  tried  by  court  martial,  and  one  was  cashiered  for  disobedience  and  for 
being  a  poltroon.*  But  they  have  all  passed  away  ;  let  us  draw  the  curtain  of  charity 
around  their  resting-places,  remembering  that 

"  Hero  motives,  placed  in  judgment's  scale, 
Outweigh  all  actions  where  the  heart  is  wrong." 

Here  let  us  close  the  volume  of  history  for  a  time,  and  while  the  gentle  breeze  is  sweepmg 
the  dust  and  smoke  of  battle  from  Bunker  Hill,"  and  the  tumult  of  distress  and  alarm  is  sub- 
siding in  Boston,  let  us  ride  out  to  Lexington  and  Concord,  to  visit  those  places  consecrated 
by  the  blood  of  the  first  patriot  martyrs.  We  have  had  a  long,  but,  I  trust,  profitable  con- 
sultation of  the  records  of  the  past.  I  have  endeavored  to  point  out  for  consideration  the 
most  prominent  and  important  links  in  the  chain  of  events,  wherein  is  remarkably  manifest- 
ed the  spirit  of  true  liberty  which  finally  wrought  out  the  independence  of  these  American 
states.  In  brief  outlines  I  have  delineated  the  features  of  those  events,  and  traced  the  prog- 
ress of  the  principles  of  freedom  from  the  little  conventicles  of  despised  and  persecuted,  but 
determined  men,  toward  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  who  assembled  to  assert  the  most 
undoubted  natural  right,  that  of  worshiping  God  as  the  conscience  of  the  creature  shall  dic- 
tate, to  the  uprising  of  nearly  two  millions  of  the  same  people  in  origin  and  language,  in  de- 
fiance of  the  puissance  of  the  mightiest  arm  upon  earth  ;  and  the  assembling  of  a  council  in 
iheir  midst,  of  which  the  great  Pitt  was  constrained  to  say,  "I  must  declare  and  avow  that 
in  all  my  reading  and  study — and  it  has  been  my  favorite  study  ;  I  have  read  Thueydides, 
and  have  studied  and  admired  the  master  states  of  the  world — that  for  solidity  of  reasoning, 
force  of  sagacity,  and  wisdom  of  conclusion,  under  such  a  complication  of  circumstances,  no 
nation  or  body  of  men  can  stand  in  preference  to  the  general  Congress  of  Philadelphia." 

On  the  8th  of  April,  1777,  Congress,  by  resolution,  ordered  "that  a  monument  be  erected  to  the  mem- 
ory of  General  Warren,  iii  the  town  of  Boston,  with  the  following  inscription  : 

In  honor  of 

Joseph  Warren, 

]Major  General  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 

He  devoted  his  life  to  the  liberties 

Of  his  country ; 

And  in  bravely  defending  them,  fell 

An  early  victim. 

In  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 

June  17th,  1775. 

The  Congress  of  the  United  States, 

As  an  acknowledgment  of  his  services, 

Have  erected  this  monument  to  his  memory. 

Congress  also  ordered  "that  his  eldest  son  be  educated  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States."*  The  patri- 
otic order  for  the  erection  of  a  monument  has  never  been  obeyed. 

'  This  was  Captain  Callander.  The  court  sentenced  him  to  be  cashiered,  and,  in  an  order  of  July  7th, 
Washington  declared  him  to  be  "dismissed  fi-om  all  further  service  in  the  Continental  arm}^"  Callender 
felt  much  aggrieved,  and,  confronting  the  charge  of  cowardice,  remained  in  the  array  as  a  volunteer,  and 
fought  so  bravely  at  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  the  next  year,  that  Washington  commanded  his  sentence  to 
be  erased  from  the  orderl)'-book. 

'  This  battle  should  properly  be  called  the  battle  of  Breed's  Hill,  for  there  the  great  events  of  the  day 
occurred.  There  was  much  fighting  and  slaughter  upon  Bunker  Hill,  where  Putnam  chiefly  commanded, 
but  ii  was  not  the  main  theater  of  action. 

*  Journals  of  Congress,  iii.,  98 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  551 

Boaton  Common.  Trip  to  Concord.  Major  Barrett  His  Connection  with  the  Kevolutioa 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

"  How  suddenly  that  straifrht  and  glittering  shaft 
Shot  thwart  the  earth  !  in  crown  of  living  fire 
Up  conies  the  day  !     As  if  they  conscious  quafT'd 
The  sunny  flood,  hill,  forest,  city  spire 
Laugh  in  the  waking  light." 

Richard  H.  Dana. 

"  War,  fierce  war,  shall  break  their  forces ; 
Nerves  of  Tory  men  shall  fail ; 
Seeing  Howe,  with  alter'd  courses, 

Bending  to  the  Western  gale. 
Thus  from  every  bay  of  ocean 

Flying  back  with  sails  unfurl'd, 
Toss'd  with  ever-troubled  motion, 
They  shall  quit  this  smiling  world." 

Military  Song,  1776.' 

T  was  a  glorious  October  morning',  mild  and  brilliant,  when  I  left 
Boston  to  visit  Concord  and  Lexington.  A  gentle  land-breeze  dur- 
ing the  night  had  borne  the  clouds  back  to  their  ocean  birth-place,  and  not 
a  trace  of  the  storm  was  left  except  in  the  saturated  earth.  Health  re- 
turned M'ith  the  clear  sky,  and  I  felt  a  rejuvenescence  in  every  vein  and 
muscle  when,  at  dawn,  I  strolled  over  the  natural  glory  of  Boston,  its 
4^.^C;.^  broad  and  beautifully-arbored  Common.  I  breakfasted  at  six,  and  at  half 
K  ^^-r'-^^^.i:     past  seven  left  the  station  of  the  Fitchburg  rail- way  for  Concord,  seven- 


teen miles  northwest  of  Boston.      The  country  through  which  the  road 
^^^fr^/''!  •       passed  is  rough  and  broken,  but  thickly  settled.     I  arrived  at  the  Concord 
^;^v  "  ■,  ,  '  -      station,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  center  of  the  village,  before  nine  o'clock, 
y       and  procuring  a  conveyance,  and  an  intelligent  young  man  for  a  guide, 
i\''\         proceeded  at  once  to  visit  the  localities  of  interest  in  the  vicinity.      We 
rode  to  the  residence  of  Major  James  Barrett,  a  surviving  grandson  of  Col- 
onel Barrett,  about  two  miles  north  of  the  village,  and  near  the  residence  of  his  venerated 
October      ancestor.      Major  Barrett  was  eighty-seven  years  of  age  when  I  visited  him,  and 
^848.        his  -wife,  with  whom  he  had  lived  nearly  sixty  years,  was  eighty.      Like  most  of 
the  few  survivors  of  the  Pi-evolution,  they  were  remarkable  for  their  mental  and  bodily  vigor. 
Both,  I  believe,  still  live.      The   old  lady — a  small,  well-formed  woman — was   as 
sprightly  as  a  girl  of  twenty,  and  moved  about  the  house  with  the  nimbleness  of  foot 
of  a  matron  in  the  prime  of  life.     I  was  charmed  with  her  vivacity,  and  the  sunny  radiance 
which  it  seemed  to  shed  throughout  her  household  ;   and  the  half  hour  that  I  passed  with 
that  venerable  couple  is  a  green  spot  in  the  memory. 

Major  Barrett  was  a  lad  of  fourteen  when  the  British  incursion  into  Concord  took  place. 
He  was  too  young  to  bear  a  rnusket,  but,  with  every  lad  and  woman  in  the  vicinity,  he  la- 
bored in  concealing  the  stores  and  in  making  cartridges  for  those  who  went  out  to  fight. 
With  oxen  and  a  cart,  himself,  and  others  about  his  age,  removed  the  stores  deposited  at 
the  house  of  his  grandfather  into  the  woods,  and  concealed  them,  a  cart-load  in  a  place,  un- 
der pine  boughs.      In  such  haste  were  they  obliged  to  act  on  the  approach  of  the  British 

'  This  song  of  forty-eight  lines,  by  an  anonymous  writer,  is  entitled  "  A  Military  Song,  by  the  Army,  on 
General  Washington's  victorious  entry  into  the  town  of  Boston." 


552 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Concealment  of  Stores  at  Concord. 


Concord  Monument. 


The  Village. 


Ride  to  Lexington. 


M0^a'iIKNT   AT    CONCOBD. 


from  Lexington,  that,  when  the  cart  was  loaded,  lads  would  march  on  each  side  of  the  oxen 
and  goad  them  into  a  trot.      Thus  all  the  stores  were  efi'ectually  concealed,  except  some 
carriage- wheels.     Perceiving  the  enemy  near,  these 
were  cut  up  and  burned  ;   so  that  Parsons  found 
nothing  of  value  to  destroy  or  carry  away. 

From  Major  Barrett's  we  rode  to  the  monument 
erected  at  the  site  of  the  old  North  Bridge,  where 
the  skirmish  took  place,  and  I  sketched,  on  my  way, 
the  residence  of  Colonel  Barrett,  depicted  on  page 
52  G.  The  road  crosses  the  Concord  River  a  little 
above  the  site  of  the  North  Bridge.  The  monu- 
ment stands  a  few  rods  westward  of  the  road  lead- 
ing to  the  village,  and  not  far  from  the  house  of 
the  Reverend  Dr.  Ripley,  who  gave  the  ground  for 
the  purpose.  The  monument  is  constructed  of 
granite  from  Carlisle,  and  has  an  inscription  upon 
a  marble  tablet  inserted  in  the  eastern  face  of  the 
pedestal.'  The  view  is  from  the  green  shaded  lane 
which  leads  from  the  highway  to  the  monument, 

looking  westward.  The  two  trees  standing,  one  upon  each  side,  without  the  iron  railing, 
were  saplings  at  the  time  of  the  battle  ;  between  them  was  the  entrance  to  the  bridge. 
The  monument  is  reared  upon  a  mound  of  earth  a  few  yards  from  the  left  bank  of  the  river. 
A  little  to  the  left,  two  rough,  uninscribed  stones  from  the  field  mark  the  graves  of  the  two 
British  soldiers  who  were  killed  and  buried  upon  the  spot. 

We  returned  to  the  village  at  about  noon,  and  started  immediately  for  Lexington,  six 
miles  eastward. 

Concord  is  a  pleasant  little  village,  including  within  its  borders  about  one  hundred  dwell- 
ings. It  lies  upon  the  Concord  River,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Merrimac,  near  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Assabeth  and  Sudbury  Ptivers.  Its  Indian  name  M^as  Musketaquid.  On  account 
of  the  peaceable  manner  in  which  it  was  obtained,  by  purchase,  of  the  aborigines,  in  1635, 
it  was  named  Concord.  At  the  north  end  of  the  broad  street,  or  common,  is  the  house  of 
■^  Colonel  Daniel  Shattuck,  a  part  of  which,  built  in  1774,  was  used  as  one  of  the  depositories- 
of  stores  when  the  British  invasion  took  place.  It  has  been  so  much  altered,  that  a  view 
.  (if  it  would  have  but  little  interest  as  representing  a  relic  of  the  past. 

The  road  between  Concord  and  Lexington  passes  through  a  hilly  but  fertile  country.  It 
is  easy  for  the  traveler  to  conceive  how  terribly  a  retreating  army  might  be  galled  by  the 
lire  of  a  concealed  enemy.  Hills  and  hillocks,  some  wooded,  some  bare,  rise  up  every  where, 
and  formed  natural  breast-works  of  protection  to  the  skirmishers  that  hung  upon  the  flank 
and  rear  of  Colonel  Smith's  troops.  The  road  enters  Lexington  at  the  green  whereon  the 
old  meeting-house  stood  when  the  battle  occurred.  The  town  is  upon  a  fine  rolling  plain, 
and  is  becoming  almost  a  suburban  residence  lor  citizens  of  Boston.  Workmen  were  in- 
closing the  Green,  and  laying  out  the  grounds  in  handsome  plats  around  the  monument, 


The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  inscription  : 


Here, 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1775, 

was  made  the  first  forcible  resistance  to 

British   Aggression. 

On  the  opposite  bank  stood  the  American 

militia,  and  on  this  spot  the  first  of  the  enemy  fell 

in  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 

which  gave  Independence  to  these  United  States. 

In  gratitude  to  God,  and  in  the  love  of  Freedom, 

This  Monument  was  erected, 

A.D.  1836. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


553 


The  Lexington  Monument         The  "Clark  House'' and  its  Associations.         Tradition  otHje  Surprise  Abijab  Harrington. 


Monument  at  Lexington.' 


which  stands  a  few  yards  from  the  street.      It  is  upon  a 

spacious  mound  ;   its  material  is  granite,  and  it  has  a  mar- 
ble tablet  on  the  south  front  of  the  pedestal,  with  a  long 

inscription.'      The  design  of  the  monument  is  not  at  all 

graceful,  and,  being  surrounded  by  tall  trees,  it  has  a  very 

"  dumpy"  appearance.     The  people  are  dissatisfied  with  it, 

and  doubtless,  ere  long,  a  more  noble  structure  will  mark 

the  spot  where  the  curtain  of  the  revolutionary  drama  was 

first  lifted. 

After  making  the   drawings  here  given,  I  visited  and 

made  the  sketch  of  "  Clark's  House,"  printed  on  page  523. 

There  I  found  a  remarkably  mtelligent  old  lady,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Chandler,  aged  eighty-three  years.     She  has  been  an 

occupant  of  the  house,  I  believe,  ever  since  the  Revolution, 

and  has  a  perfect  recollection  of  the  events  of  the  period. 

tier  version  of  the  escape  of  Hancock  and  Adams  is  a  little 

different  from  the  published  accounts,  which  I  have  adopted 

in  the  historical  sketch.      She  says  that  on  the  evening  of  the  18th  of  April,  some 

Briti.sh  ofRcers,  who  had  been  informed  where 
these  patriots  were,  came  to  Lexington,  and  inquir- 
ed of  a  woman  whom  they  met,  for  "  Mr.  Clark's 
house."  She  pointed  to  the  parsonage  ;  but  in  a 
moment,  suspecting  their  design,  she  called  to  them 
and  inquired  if  it  was  Clark's  tavern  that  they 
were  in  search  of  Uninformed  whether  it  was  a 
tavern  or  a  parsonage  where  their  intended  vic- 
tims were  staying,  and  supposing  the  former  to  be 
the  most  likely  place,  the  officers  replied,  "  Yes  ; 
Clark's  tavern."  "  Oh,"  she  said,  "  Clark's  tav- 
ern is  in  that  direction,"  pointing  toward  East  Lex- 
ington. As  soon  as  they  departed,  the  woman 
hastened  to  inform  the  patriots  of  their  danger,  and 
they  immediately  arose  and  fled  to  Woburn.  Dor- 
othy Quincy,  the  intended  wife  of  Hancock,  who 

was  at  Mr.  Clark's,  accompanied  them  in  their  flight.      Paul  Revere  soon  afterward  arriv- 
ed, and  the  events  already  narrated  then  occurred. 

I  next  called  upon  the  venerable  Abijah  Harrington,  who  was  living  in  the  village.     He 

was  a  lad  of  fourteen  at  the  time  of  the  engagement.     Two  of  his  brothers  were  among  the 

'  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  inscription  : 

"  Sacred  to  the  Liberty  and  the  Rights  of  Mankind  ! ! !  The  Freedom  and  Independence  of  America — 
sealed  and  defended  with  the  blood  of  her  sons — This  Monument  is  erected  by  the  Inhabitants  of  Lexing- 
ton, under  the  patronage  and  at  the  expense  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  to  the  memory  of 
their  Fellow-citizens,  Ensign  Robert  Monroe,  Messrs.  Jonas  Parker,  Samuel  Hadley,  Jonathan  Harrington, 
Junr.,  Isaac  Muzzy,  Caleb  Harrington,  and  John  Brown,  of  Lexington,  and  Asahel  Porter,  of  Woburn,  who 
fell  on  this  Field,  the  first  victims  of  the  Sword  of  British  Tyranny  and  Oppression,  on  the  morning  of  the 
ever-memorable  Nineteenth  of  Ai)ril,  An.  Dom.  1775.  The  Die  was  Cast ! ! !  The  blood  of  these  3Iart3'rs 
in  the  Cause  of  God  and  their  Country  was  the  Cement  of  the  Union  of  these  States,  then  Colonies,  and  gave 
the  Spring  to  the  Spirit,  Firmness,  and  Resolution  of  their  Fellow-citizens.  They  rose  as  one  man  to  re- 
venge their  Brethren's  blood,  and  at  the  point  of  the  Sword  to  assert  and  defend  their  native  Rights.  They 
nobly  dared  to  be  Free ! ! !  The  contest  was  long,  bloody,  and  affecting.  Righteous  Heaven  approved 
the  Solemn  Appeal ;  Victory  crowned  their  Arms,  and  the  Peace,  Liberty,  and  Independence  of  the  United 
States  of  America  was  their  glorious  Reward.     Built  in  the  year  1799." 

*  This  view  is  from  the  Concord  Road,  looking  eastward,  and  shows  a  portion  of  the  inclosure  of  the 
Green.  The  distant  building  seen  on  the  ri^ht  is  the  old  "  Buckman  Tavern,"  delineated  in  Doolittle's  en- 
iiraving  on  page  524.  It  now  belongs  to  Mrs.  ]\Ierriam,  and  exhibits  many  sears  made  by  the  bullets  on 
the  morninjj  of  the  skirmish. 


Near  View  of  the  Monument. 


554 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Incidents  of  the  Battle  at  Lexington.        Jonathan  Harrington  and  his  Brother.        Annivcisary  Celebration  at  Concord  in  1850. 

minute  men,  but  escaped  unhurt.  Jonathan  and  Caleb  Harrington,  near  relatives,  were 
killed  The  former  was  shot  in  front  of  his  own  house,  while  his  wife  stood  at  the  window 
in  an  aguny  of  alarm.  She  saw  her  husband  fall,  and  then  start  up,  the  blood  gushing 
from  his  breast.  He  stretched  out  his  arms  toward  her,  and  then  fell  again.  Upon  his 
hands  and  knees  he  crawled  toward  his  dAvelling,  and  expired  just  as  his  wife  reached  him. 
Caleb  Harrington  was  shot  while  run- 
ning from  the  meeting-house.  My  inform- 
ant saw  almost  the  whole  of  the  battle, 
having  been  sent  by  his  mother  to  go  near 
enough,  and  be  safe,  to  obtain  and  convey 
to  her  information  respecting  her  othei 
sons,  who  were  with  the  minute  men. 
His  relation  of  the  incidents  of  the  morn- 
ing was  substantially  such  as  history  has 
recorded.  He  dwelt  upon  the  subject 
with  apparent  delight,  for  his  memory  of 
the  scenes  of  his  early  years,  around  which 
cluster  so  much  of  patriotism  and  glory, 
was  clear  and  full.  I  would  gladly  have 
listened  until  twilight  to  the  voice  of  such 
experience,  but  time  was  precious,  and  ] 
hastened  to  East  Lexington,  to  visit  his  • 
cousin,  Jonathan  Harrington,  an  old  man 
of  ninety,  who  played  the  fife  when  the 
minute  men  were  marshaled  on  the  Green 
upon  that  memorable  April  morning.  He 
was  splitting  fire-wood  in  his  yard  with  a 
vigorous  hand  when  I  rode  up  ;  and  as  he 
sat  in  his  rocking-chair,  while  I  sketched  his 
placid  features,  he  appeared  no  older  than  a 
man  of  seventy.  His  brother,  aged  eighty- 
eight,  came  in  before  my  sketch  was  finished, 
and  I  could  not  but  gaze  with  wonder  upon 
these  strong  old  men,  children  of  one  moth- 
er, who  were  almost  grown  to  manhood  when  the  first  battle  of  our  Revolution  occurred! 
Frugality  and  temperance,  co-operating  with  industry,  a  cheerful  temper,  and  a  good  con- 
stitution, have  lengthened  their  days,  and  made  their  protracted  years  hopeful  and  happy.' 
The  aged  fifer  apologized  for  the  rough  appearance  of  his  signature,  which  he  kindly  wrote 
for  me,  and  charged  the  tremulous  motion  of  his  hand  to  his  labor  with  the  ax.  How  te- 
naciously we  cling  even  to  the  appearance  of  vigor,  when  the  whole  frame  is  tottering  to 
its  fall  I  Mr.  Harrington  opened  the  ball  of  the  Pvevolution  with  the  shrill  war-notes  of  the 
fife,  and  then  retired  from  the  arena.  He  was  not  a  soldier  in  the  war,  nor  has  his  life, 
passed  in  the  quietude  of  rural  pursuits,  been  distinguished  except  by  the  glorious  acts  which 
constitute  the  sum  of  the  achievements  of  a  good  citizen. 

I  left  Lexington  at  about  three  o'clock,  and  arrived  at  Cambridge  at  half  past  four.  It 
was  a  lovely  autumnal  afternoon.      The  trees  and  fields  were  still  green,  for  the  frost  had 

*  The  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord  was  celebrated  at  the  latter 
place  on  the  19th  of  April,  1850.  In  the  procession  was  a  carriage  containing  these  venerable  brothers, 
aged,  respectively,  nearly  ninetj'-one  and  ninety-three  ;  Amos  Baker,  of  Lincoln,  ag^d  ninety-four ;  Thomas 
Hill,  of  Danvers,  aged  ninety-two ;  and  Dr.  Preston,  of  Billerica,  aged  eighty-eight.  The  Honorable  Ed- 
ward Everett,  among  others,  made  a  speech  on  the  occasion,  in  which  he  very  happily  remarked,  that  "  it 
pleased  his  heart  to  see  those  venerable  men  beside  him ;  and  he  was  very  much  pleased  to  assist  Mr.  Jon- 
athan Harrington  to  put  on  his  top  coat  a  few  minutes  ago.  In  doing  so,  he  was  ready  to  sa}',  with  the 
eminent  man  of  old,  '  Very  pleasant  art  thou  to  me,  my  brother  Jonathan  !'  "      He  died  in  March,  1854. 


^A^^e^.^p' 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


555 


Ride  to  Cambridge. 


Early  History  of  the  Town. 


VVaeliington's  Head-quarters. 


not  yet  been  busy  with  their  foliage  and  blades.  The  road  is  Macadamized  the  whole  dis- 
tance ;  and  so  thickly  is  it  lined  with  houses,  that  the  village  of  East  Lexington  and  Old 
Cambridge  seem  to  embrace  each  other  in  close  union. 

Cambridge  is  an  old  town,  the  first  settlement  there  having  been  planted  in  1631,  co- 
temporaneous  with  that  of  Boston.  It  was  the  original  intention  of  the  settlers  to  make  it 
the  metropolis  of  Massachusetts,  and  Governor  Winthrop  commenced  the  erection  of  his 
dwelling  there.  It  was  called  New  Town,  and  in  1632  was  palisaded.  The  Reverend 
Mr.  Hooker,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Connecticut,  was  the  first  minister  in  Cambridge. 
In  1636,  the  General  Court  provided  for  the  erection  of  a  public  school  in  New  Town,  and 
appropriated  two  thousand  dollars  for  that  purpose.  In  1638,  the  Reverend  John  Har- 
vard, of  Charlestown,  endowed  the  school  with  about  four  thousand  dollars.  This  endow- 
ment enabled  them  to  exalt  the  academy  into  a  college,  and  it  was  called  Harvard  Univers- 
ity in  honor  of  its  principal  benefactor. 

Cambridge  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  place  where  the  first  printing-press  in  America 
was  established.  Its  proprietor  was  named  Day,  and  the  capital  that  purchased  the  mate- 
rials was  furnished  by  the  Reverend  Mr.  Glover.  The  first  thing  printed  was  the  "  Free- 
man's Oath,"  in  1636  ;  the  next  was  an  almanac;  and  the  next  the  Psalms,  in  meter.' 
Old  Cambridge  (West  Cambridge,  or  Menotomy,  of  the  Revolution),  the  seat  of  the  Uni- 
versity, is  three  miles  from  West  Boston  Bridge,  which  connects  Cambridge  with  Boston. 
Cambridgeport  is  about  half  way  between  Old  Cambridge  and  the  bridge,  and 
East  Cambridge  occupies  Lechmere's  Point,  a  promontory  fortified  during  the  -c^ 
siege  of  Boston  in  1775. 

Arrived  at  Old  Cambridge,  I  parted  company  with  the  vehicle  and  driver  ^    „ 

that  conveyed  me  from  Concord  to  Lexington,  and  hither  ;   and,  as  the  day 
was  fast  declining,  I  hastened  to  sketch  the  head-quarters  of  Washington,  an 
elegant  and  spacious  edifice,  standing  in  the  midst  of  shrubbery  and  stately 
elms,  a  little  distance  from  the  street,  once  the  highway  from  Har- 
vard University  to  Waltham.      At  this  mansion,  and   at  Winter 
Hill,  Washington  passed   most  of  his  time,  after  taking 
command  of  the  Continental  army,  until  the  evacuation 
of  Boston  in  the  folio  win":  sprinjj 

its    present    owner    is    Henry  "  z^-' 

Wadsworth  Longfellow,  pro-       '^  i  ""*■ 

lessor   of  modern    languages  in  ^ 

Harvard  University,  and  widely 
known  in  the  world  of  litera- 
ture as  one  of  the  most  gifted 
men  of  the  age.      It  is  a  spot 
worthy  of  the  residence 
of  an  American  bard  so 
endowed,  for  the  associ- 
ations which  hallow  it 
are  linked  with  the  no- 
blest  themes   that    ever 
awakened  the  inspiration 
of  a  child  of  son?. 


Washington's  IlEAD-QUAHTicns. 


"  When  the  hours  of  Day  are  number'd, 

And  the  voices  of  the  Night 
Wake  the  better  soul  that  slumbered 

To  a  holy,  calm  delight ; 
Ere  the  evening  lamps  are  lighted, 

And,  like  phantoms  grim  and  tall, 
Shadov^\s  from  the  fitful  fire-light 

Dance  upon  the  parlor  wall," — Longfellow, 


'  Record.s  of  Harvard  College. 


556 


PICTORIAL    FIELL-BOOK 


Deicription  of  Washington's  Head  quarters  at  Cambridge.  Phillia,  the  black  Poet.  Washington's  Letter  to  Phillis- 

then  to  the  thoughtful  dweller  must  come  the  spirit  of  the  place  and  hour  to  weave  a  gor- 
geous  tapestry,  rich  with  pictures,  illustrative  of  the  heroic  age  of  our  young  republic.  My 
tarry  was  brief  and  busy,  for  the  sun  was  rapidly  descending — it  even  touched  the  forest 
tops  before  I  finished  the  drawing — but  the  cordial  reception  and  polite  attentions  which  J 
received  from  the  proprietor,  and  his  warm  approval  of,  and  expressed  interest  for  the  suc- 
cess of  my  labors,  occupy  a  space  in  memory  like  that  of  a  long,  bright  summer  day. 

This  mansion  stands  upon  the  upper  of  two  terraces,  which  are  ascended  each  by  five 
stone  steps.  At  each  front  corner  of  the  house  is  a  lofty  elm — mere  saplings  when  Wash- 
ington beheld  them,  but  now  stately  and  patriarchal  in  appearance.  Other  elms,  with 
flowers  and  shrubbery,  beautify  the  grounds  around  it ;  while  within,  iconoclastic  innovation 
has  not  been  allowed  to  enter  with  its  mallet  and  trowel  to  mar  the  work  of  the  ancient 
builder,  and  to  cover  with  the  vulgar  stucco  of  modern  art  the  carved  cornices  and  paneled 
wainscots  that  first  enriched  it.  1  might  give  a  long  list  of  eminent  persons  whose  former 
presence  in  those  spacious  rooms  adds  interest  to  retrospection,  but  they  are  elsewhere  iden- 
tified with  scenes  more  personal  and  important.  I  can  not  refrain,  hoAvever,  from  noticing 
the  visit  of  one,  who,  though  a  dark  child  of  Africa  and  a  bond- woman,  received  the  most 
poUte  attention  from  the  commander-in-chief  This  was  Phillis,  a  slave  of  Mr.Wheatley, 
of  Boston.  She  was  brought  from  Africa  when  between  seven  and  eight  years  old.  She 
seemed  to  acquire  knowledge  intuitively  ;  became  a  poet  of  considerable  merit,  and  corre- 
.sponded  with  such  eminent  persons  as  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon,  Earl  of  Dartmouth,  Rev- 
erend George  Whitefield,  and  others.  AVashington  invited  her  to  visit  him  at  Cambridge, 
which  she  did  a  few  days  before  the  British  evacuated  Boston  ;  her  master,  among  others, 
having  left  the  city  by  permission,  and  retired,  with  his  family,  to  Chelsea.  She  passed 
half  an  hour  with  the  commander-in-chief,  from  whom  and  his  officers  she  received  marked 
attention.' 

'  Phillis  wrote  a  letter  to  General  Washington  in  October,  1775,  in  which  she  inclosed  a  poem  eulogistic 
cf  his  character.  In  February  following  the  general  answered  it.  I  give  a  copy  of  his  letter,  in  illustration 
of  the  excellence  of  the  mind  and  heart  of  that  great  man,  always  so  kind  and  courteous  to  the  most  hum- 
ble, even  when  pressed  with  arduous  public  duties. 

"  Cambridge,  February  28, 1776. 

"  MiKS  Phillis, — Your  favor  of  the  26th  of  October  did  not  reach  my  hands  till  the  middle  of  Decem- 
ber. Time  enough,  you  will  say,  to  have  given  an  answer  ere  this.  Granted.  But  a  variety  of  import- 
ant occurrences,  continually  interposing  to  distract  the  mind  and  withdraw  the  attention,  I  hope  will  apol- 
ogize for  the  delay,  and  plead  my  excuse  for  the  seeming,  but  not  real  neglect.  I  thank  you  most  sincerely 
for  your  polite  notice  of  me  in  the  elegant  lines  you  inclosed  ;*  and  however  undeserving  I  may  be  of  such 
encomium  and  panegyric,  the  style  and  manner  exhibit  a  striking  proof  of  your  poetical  talents ;  in  honor 
of  which,  and  as  a  tribute  justly  due  to  j^ou,  I  would  have  published  the  poem,  had  I  not  been  apprehensive 
that,  while  I  only  meant  to  give  the  world  this  new  instance  of  your  genius,  I  might  have  incurred  the  im- 
putation of  vanity.  This,  and  nothing  else,  determined  me  not  to  give  it  a  place  in  the  public  prints.  If 
you  should  ever  come  to  Cambridge,  or  near  head-quarters,  I  shall  be  happy  to  see  a  person  so  favored  by 
the  Muses,  and  to  whom  nature  has  been  so  liberal  and  beneficent  in  her  dispensations.  I  am,  with  great 
respect,  your  obedient,  humble  servant,  Geo.  Washington." 

*  "I  have  not  been  able  to  find,"  says  Mr.  Sparks,  "among  Washington's  papers,  the  letter  and  poem  addressed  to  him."  Her 
lines  "  On  the  Death  of  Whitfield,"  "  Farewell  to  America,"  and  kindred  pieces,  exhibit  considerable  poetic  talelit.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  specimen  of  her  verse,  written  before  she  was  twenty  years  of  age.    It  is  extracted  from  a  poem  on  "  Imagination.' 

"Though  winter  frovnis,  to  fancy's  raptured  eyes 
The  fields  may  flourish  and  gay  scenes  arise; 
The  frozen  deeps  may  break  their  iron  bands, 
And  bid  their  waters  murmur  o'er  their  sands ; 
Fair  Flora  may  resume  her  fragrant  reign, 
And  with  her  flowery  riches  deck  the  plain  ; 
Sylvanus  may  diffuse  his  honors  round. 
And  all  the  forests  may  with  leaves  be  crown'd  ; 
Showers  may  descend,  and  dews  their  gems  disclose, 
And  nectar  sparkle  on  the  blooming  rose." 

in  1773,  when  she  was  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  a  volume  of  her  poems  was  published  in  London,  dedicated  to  the  Countess  of 
tluntinsdon.  They  give  evidence  of  quite  extensive  reading  and  remarkable  tenacity  of  memory,  many  of  them  abounding 
with  fine  allusions  to  freedom,  her  favorite  theme.  After  the  death  of  her  master,  in  1776,  she  married  a  man  of  her  own  color, 
but  who  was  greatly  her  inferior.  His  name  was  Peters.  She  died  in  Boston,  in  extreme  poverty,  on  the  5th  of  December, 
1781,  aged  nearly  thirty-one  years. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


557 


The  RrEDESEi,  Housi;,  Cambkidge.' 


The  "  Rjedesel  House."     Description  of  the  Place  by  the  Baroness  Riedescl.    Attestation  of  the  genuineness  of  PhUlis's  Poetry. 

A  few  rods  above  the  residence  of  Professor  Longfellow  is  the  house  in  which  the  Bruns- 
wick general,  the  Baron  Riedesel,  and 
his  family  were  quartered,  during  the 
stay  of  the  captive  army  of  Burgoynt^ 
in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  I  was  not 
aware,  when  I  visited  Cambridge,  that 
the  old  mansion  was  still  in  existence; 
but,  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Long- 
fellow, I  am  able  to  present  the  feat- 
ures of  its  southern  front,  with  a  de- 
scription. In  style  it  is  very  much 
like  that  of  Washington's  head-quar- 
ters, and  the  general  appearance  of 
the  grounds  around  is  similar.  It  is 
shaded  by  noble  linden -trees,  and 
adorned  with  shrubbery,  presenting  to  the  eye  all  the  attractions  noticed  by  the  Baroness  of 
Riedesel  in  her  charming  Letters.'     Upon  a  window-pane  on  the    west  side  of  the  house 

*  This  is  from  a  pencil  sketch  by  INIr.  Longfellow.  I  am  also  indebted  to  him  fur  the  fac-simile  of  the 
autograph  of  the  Baroness  of  Riedescl.  It  will  be  perceived  that  the  i  is  placed  before  the  e  in  spelling  the 
name.  I  have  heretofore  given  it  with  the  e  first,  which  is  accordmg  to  the  orthography  m  Burgoyne's 
State  of  the  Expedition,  Sec,  wherein  I  supposed  it  was  spelled  correctly.  This  autograph  shows  it  to  be 
erroneous.     Mr.  Longfellow's  beautiful  poem,  "  The  Open  Window,"  refers  to  this  mansion. 

"  She  thus  writes  respecting  her  removal  from  a  peasant's  house  on  Winter  Hill  to  Cambridge,  and  her 
residence  there : 

"  We  passed  three  weeks  in  this  place,  and  were  then  transferred  to  Cambrid<ie,  where  we  were  lodged 
in  one  of  the  best  houses  of  the  place,  which  belonged  to  Royalists.  Seven  families,  who  were  connected 
by  relationship,  or  lived  in  great  intimacy,  had  here  farms,  gardens,  and  sptendid  mansions,  and  not  far  off' 
orchards,  and  the  buildings  were  at  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from  each  other.  The  owners  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  assembling  every  afternoon  in  one  or  another  of  these  houses,  and  of  diverting  themselves  with 
music  or  dancing,  and  lived  in  affluence,  in  good  humor,  and  without  care,  until  this  unfortunate  war  at  once 
dispersed  them,  and  transformed  all  their  houses  into  solitary  abodes,  except  two,  the  proprietors  of  which 
were  also  soon  obliged  to  make  their  escape. 

"On  the  3d  of  June,  1778,  I  gave  a  ball  and  supper,  in  celebration  of  my  husband's  birth-day.  I  had 
invited  all  our  generals  and  offlcers,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter.  General  Burgoyne  sent  us  an  apology,  after 
he  had  made  us  wait  for  him  till  eight  o'clock.  He  had  always  some  excuse  for  not  visiting  us,  until  he 
was  about  departing  for  England,  when  he  came  and  made  me  many  apologies,  to  which  I  made  no  other 
reply  than  that  I  should  be  extremely  sorry  if  he  had  put  himself  to  any  inconvenience  for  our  sake.  The 
(lance  lasted  long,  and  we  had  an  excellent  supper,  to  which  more  than  eighty  persons  sat  down.  Our 
yard  and  garden  were  illuminated.  The  king's  birth-day  falling  on  the  next  day,  it  was  resolved  that  the 
company  should  not  separate  before  his  majesty's  health  was  drank ;  which  was  done,  with  feelings  of  the 
liveliest  attachment  to  his  person  and  interests.  Never,  I  believe,  was  '  God  Save  the  King'  sung  with 
more  enthusiasm,  or  with  fcelinus  more  sincere.     Our  two  eldest  jjirls  were  brought  into  the  room  to  sec 


The  following  curious  attestation  of  the  genuineness  of  the  poems  of  Phillis  is  printed  in  the  preface  to  the  volume.  Many  of 
the  names  will  be  recognized  as  prominent  in  the  Revolution. 

"To  THE  Public. — As  it  has  been  repeatedly  sugtrested  to  the  publi-ihcr,  by  persons  who  have  seen  the  manuscript,  that 
numbers  would  be  ready  to  suspect  they  were  not  really  the  writint's  of  Phillis,  he  has  procured  the  following  attestation  from 
the  most  respectable  characters  in  Boston,  that  none  might  have  the  least  ground  for  disputing  their  original :  •  We,  whosi' 
names  are  underwritten,  do  assure  the  world  that  the  poems  specified  in  the  following  page  were  (as  we  verily  believe)  written 
by  Phillis,  a  young  negro  girl,  who  was,  but  a  few  years  since,  brought  an  uncultivated  barbarian  from  Africa,  and  has  ever 
since  been,  and  now  is,  under  the  disadvantage  of  serving  as  a  slave  in  a  family  in  this  town.  She  has  been  examined  by  sonn: 
of  the  best  judges,  and  is  thought  qualified  to  write  thcra. 

" '  His  Excellency  Thomas  HrrcHursoN,  Oorernor 
"'The  Hon.  Andrew  Oliver,  Lieut.  Gorernor 
"  '  The  Hon.  Thomas  Hubbard,  The  Rev.  Charles  Chauncey,  D.D., 

The  Hon.  John  Krving,  The  Rev.  Mather  Bylcs,  D.D., 

The  Hon.  James  Pitts,  The  Rev.  Edward  Pcmberton,  D.D., 

The  Hon.  Harrison  Gray,  The  Rev.  Andrew  Eliot,  D.D., 

The  Hon.  James  Bowdoin,  The  Rev.  Samuel  Cooper,  D.D., 

John  Hancock,  Esq.,  The  Rev.  Mr.  Samuel  Mather, 

Joseph  Green,  Esq.,  The  Rev.  Mr.  John  Moorhcad, 

Richard  Carey,  Esq.,  Mr.  John  Wheatlcy  (her  mastort.'  " 


558 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Autograph  of  Riedeael. 


The  "  Washington  Elm." 


Bunker  Hill  Monument. 


Desecration  of  the  Spot 


KsJ'Q^'Ui^ 


may  be  seen  the  undoubted  autograph  of  the  accomplished  general, 
inscribed  with  a  diamond  point.  It  is  an  interesting  memento,  and  is 
preserved  with  great  care.      The  annexed  is  a  fac  simile  of  it. 

During  the  first  moments  of  the  soft  evening  twilight  I  sketched  the 
"Washington  elm,"  one  of  the  ancient  anakim  of  the  primeval  forest, 

older,  probably,  by  a  half  century  or  more,  than  the  welcome  of  Samoset  to  the  white  set- 
tlers.    It  stands  upon  Washington  Street,  near  the  westerly  corner  of  the  Common, 
and  is  distinguished  by  the  circumstance  that,  beneath  its  broad  shadow.  General 
Washington  first  drew  his  sword  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  Continental 
!  army. a'      Thin  lines  of  clouds,  glowing  in  the  light  of  the  setting  sun    njuiy3 

y-^;  like  bars  of  gold,  streaked  the  western  sky,  and  so  prolonged  the       '^''''^■ 

gr     '  twilight  by  reflection,  that  I  had  ample  time  to  finish  my  drawing  before 

W  the  night  shadows  dimmed  the  paper. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  I  procured  a  chaise  to  visit  Charles- 
town  and  Dorchester  Heights.      I  rode  first  to  the  former  place,  and 
climbed  to  the  summit  of  the  great  obelisk  that  stands  upon  the  site 
of  the  redoubt  upon  Breed's  Hill.      As  I  ascended  the  steps  which 
lead  from  the  street  to  the  smooth  gravel-walks  upon  the  eminence 
whereon  the  "  Bunker  Hill  Monument"  stands,  I  experienced  a  feel- 
ing of  disappointment  and  regret,  not  easily  to  be  expressed.      Be- 
fore me  was  the  great  memento,  huge  and  grand — all  that  patriotic 
reverence  could  wish — but  the  ditch  scooped  out  by  Prescott's 
toilers  on  that  starry  night  in  June,  and  the  mounds  that  were 
upheaved  to  protect  them  from  the  shots  of  the  astonished  Brit- 
ons, were  effaced,  and  no  more  vestiges  remain  of  the  handi- 
work of  those  in  whose  honor  and  to  whose  memory  this  obelisk 
was  raised,  than  of  Roman  conquests  in  the  shad 
ow  of  Trajan's  Column — of  the  naval  battles  of 
Nelson  around  his  monument 


Bttnkkr  Hill  MomjMKNT.* 


in   Trafalgar    Square,    or  of 

French  victories  in  the  Place 

Vendome.      The  fosse  and 

■■        the  breast- works  were 

~    'all    quite    prominent 

when     the 

foundation 

"'-~^'.       stone  of  the 

monument 

was    laid, 


the  illumination.  We  were  all  deeply  moved,  and  proud  to  have  the  courage  to  display  such  sentiments  in 
the  midst  of  our  enemies.  Even  Mr.  Carter*  could  not  forbear  participating  in  our  enthusiasm." — Letters 
and  Memoirs  relating  to  the  War  of  American  Indejiendencc,  and  the  Capture  of  the  German  Troops  at  Sar- 
atoga :   By  Madame  De  Riedcsel. 

'  This  important  event  is  recorded  on  page  564,  where  a  picture  of  the  tree  is  given. 

*  This  monument  stands  in  the  center  of  the  grounds  included  within  the  breast-works  of  the  old  redoubt 
on  Breed's  Hill.  Its  sides  are  precisely  parallel  with  those  of  the  redoubt.  It  is  built  of  Quincy  granite, 
and  is  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  feet  in  height.  The  foundation  is  composed  of  six  courses  of  stones, 
and  extends  twelve  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  and  base  of  the  shaft.     The  four  sides  of  the  foun- 

*  Mr.  Carter  was  the  soninlaw  of  General  Schuyler.  Remembering  the  kindness  which  she  had  received  from  that  gentle- 
man while  in  Albany,  the  baroness  sought  out  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  (who  were  living  in  Boston)  on  her  arrival  at  Cambridge. 
"  Mrs.  Carter,"  she  says,  "  resembled  her  parents  in  mildness  and  goodness  of  heart,  but  her  husband  was  revengeful  and  false." 
The  patriotic  zeal  of  Mr.  Carter  had  given  rise  to  fooUsh  stories  respecting  him.  "  They  seemed  to  feel  much  friendship  for 
us,"  says  Madame  Do  Riedesel ;  •  though,  at  the  same  time,  this  wicked  Mr.  Carter,  in  consequence  of  General  Howe's  havino 
burned  several  villages  and  small  towns,  suggested  to  his  countrymen  to  cut  off  our  generals'  heads,  to  picklo  them,  and  to  pu' 
them  in  small  barrels,  and,  as  often  as  the  English  should  again  burn  a  village,  to  send  them  one  of  these  barrels ;  but  that  cru 
city  was  not  adopted." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  559 


UcacripUon  of  Bunker  HillMomuncnt    View  from  its  Chamber.    Ita  Construction  and  Dcdicntion.    "Hancock"  and  "Adums." 

and  a  little  care,  directed  by  good  taste,  might  have  preserved  them  in  their  interesting 
state  of  half  ruin  until  the  passage  of  the  present  century,  or,  at  least,  until  the  sublime 
centenary  of  the  battle  should  be  celebrated.  Could  the  visitor  look  upon  the  works  of  the 
patriots  themselves,  associations  a  hundred-fold  more  interesting  would  crowd  the  mind,  for 
wonderfully  suggestive  of  thought  are  the  slightest  relics  of  the  past  when  linked  with  noble 
deeds.  A  soft  green-sward,  as  even  as  the  rind  of  a  fair  apple,  and  cut  by  eight  straight 
gravel-walks,  diverging  from  the  monument,  is  substituted  by  art  for  the  venerated  irregu- 
larities made  by  the  old  mattock  and  spade.  The  spot  is  beautiful  to  the  eye  untrained  by 
appreciating  affection  for  hallowed  things  ;  nevertheless,  there  is  palpable  desecration  that 
may  hardly  be  forgiven. 

The  view  from  the  top  of  the  monument,  for  extent,  variety,  and  beauty,  is  certainly  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  world.  A  "York  shilling"  is  charged  for  the  privilege  of  ascending  the 
monument.  The  view  from  its  summit  is  "  a  shilling  show"  worth  a  thousand  miles  of 
travel  to  see.  Boston,  its  harbor,  and  the  beautiful  country  around,  mottled  with  villages, 
are  spread  out  like  a  vast  painting,  and  on  every  side  the  eye  may  rest  upon  localities  of 
great  historical  interest.  Cambridge,  Roxbury,  Chelsea,  Quincy,  Medford,  Marblehead, 
Dorchester,  and  other  places,  where 

dation  extend  about  fifty  feet  horizontally.  There  are  in  the  whole  pile  ninety  courses  of  stone,  six  of  them 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  eighty-four  above.  The  foundation  is  laid  in  lime  mortar ;  the  other 
parts  of  the  structure  in  lime  mortar  mixed  with  cinders,  iron  filings,  and  Springfield  hydraulic  cement. 
The  base  of  the  obelisk  is  thirty  feet  square  ;  at  the  spring  of  the  apex,  fifteen  feet.  Inside  of  the  shaft  is 
a  round,  hollow  cone,  the  outside  diameter  of  which,  at  the  bottom,  is  ten  feet,  and  at  the  top,  six  feet. 
Around  this  inner  shaft  winds  a  spiral  flight  of  stone  steps,  two  hundred  and  ninety-five  in  number.  In  both 
the  cone  and  shaft  are  numerous  little  apertures  for  the  purpi^es  of  ventilation  and  lif^ht.  The  observatory 
or  chamber  at  the  top  of  the  monument  is  seventeen  feet  in  height  and  eleven  feet  in  diameter.  It  has  four 
windows,  one  on  each  side,  which  are  provided  with  iron  shutters.  The  cap-piece  of  the  apex  is  a  single 
stone,  three  feet  six  inches  in  thickness  and  four  feet  square  at  its  base.     It  weighs  two  and  a  half  tons. 

Almost  fifty  years  had  elapsed  from  the  time  of  the  battle  before  a  movement  was  made  to  erect  a  com- 
memorative monument  on  Breed's  Hill.  An  association  for  the  purpose  was  founded  in  1824  ;  and  to  give 
eclat  to  the  transaction,  and  to  excite  enthusiasm  in  favor  of  the  work,  General  La  Fayette,  then  "  the  na- 
tion's guest,"  was  invited  to  lay  the  corner-stone.  Accordingly,  on  the  17th  of  June,  182-5,  the  fiftieth  an- 
niversary of  the  battle,  that  revered  patriot  performed  the  interesting  ceremony,  and  the  Honorable  Daniel 
Webster  pronounced  an  oration  on  the  occasion,  in  the  midst  of  an  immense  concourse  of  people.  Forty 
survivors  of  the  battle  were  present ;  and  on  no  occasion  did  La  Fayette  meet  so  many  of  his  fellow-soldiers 
in  our  Revolution  as  at  that  time.  The  plan  of  the  monument  was  not  then  decided  upon  ;  but  one  by  Solo- 
mon Willard,  of  Boston,  having  been  approved,  the  present  structure  was  commenced,  in  1827,  by  James 
Savage,  of  the  same  city.  In  the  course  of  a  little  more  than  a  year,  the  work  was  suspended  on  account 
of  a  want  of  funds,  about  fifty-six  thousand  dollars  having  then  been  collected  and  expended.  The  work 
was  resumed  in  1834,  and  asrain  suspended,  within  a  year,  for  the  same  cause,  about  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars more  having  been  expended.  In  1840,  the  ladies  moved  in  the  matter.  A  fair  was  announced  to  be 
held  in  Boston,  and  every  female  in  the  United  States  was  invited  to  contribute  some  production  of  her  own 
hands  to  the  exhibition.  The  fair  was  held  at  Faneuil  Hall  in  September,  1840.  The  proceeds  amounted 
to  sufiicient,  in  connection  with  some  private  donations,  to  complete  the  stnicture,  and  within  a  few  weeks 
subsequently,  a  contract  was  made  with  Mr.  Savage  to  finish  it  for  forty-three  thousand  dollars.  The  last 
stone  of  the  apex  was  raised  at  about  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  July,  1842.  Edward  Games, 
Jr.,  of  Charlestown,  accompanied  its  ascent,  waving  the  American  flag  as  he  went  up,  while  the  interest- 
ing event  was  announced  to  the  surrounding  country  by  the  roar  of  cannon.  On  the  17th  of  June,  1843, 
the  monument  was  dedicated,  on  which  occasion  the  Honorable  Daniel  Webster  was  again  the  orator,  and 
vast  was  the  audience  of  citizens  and  military  assembled  there.  The  President  of  the  United  States  (Mr. 
Tyler),  and  his  whole  cabinet,  were  present. 

In  the  top  of  the  monument  are  two  cannons,  named,  respectively,  "  Hancock"  and  "  Adams,"  which 
formerly  belonged  to  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company.  The  "Adams"  was  burst  by  them 
in  firing  a  salute.     The  following  is  the  inscription  upon  the  two  guns : 

"SACRED  TO  LIBERTY. 

"  This  is  one  of  four  cannons  which  constituted  the  whole  train  of  field-artillery  possessed  by  the  British 
colonies  of  North  America  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  This  cannon 
and  its  fellow,  belonging  to  a  number  of  citizens  of  Boston,  were  used  in  many  enfjagements  during  the 
war.     The  other  two,  the  property  of  the  government  of  ^Massachusetts,  were  taken  by  the  enemy 

"  By  order  of  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  May  19th,  1788." 


560 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Viow  from  Bunker  Hill  Manument.  The  Past  and  the  Present.         Dorchester  Heights.         Condition  of  the  Fortifications 


"  The  old  Continentals, 
In  their  ra<T<Ted  regimentals, 
Falter'd  not,'"' 

and  the  numerous  sites  of  small  fortifications  which  the  student  of  history  can  readily  call 
to  mind.  In  the  far  distance,  on  the  northwest,  rise  the  higher  peaks  of  the  White  Mount- 
ains of  New  Hampshire  ;  and  on  the  northeast,  the  peninsula  of  Nahant,  and  the  more  re 
mote  Cape  Anne  may  be  seen.  Wonders  which  present  science  and  enterprise  are  devel- 
oping and  forming  are  there  exhibited  in  profusion.  At  one  glance  from  this  lofty  observa- 
tory may  be  seen  seven  rail-roads,'  and  many  other  avenues  connecting  the  city  with  the 
country  ;  and  ships  from  almost  every  region  of  the  globe  dot  the  waters  of  the  harbor. 
Could  a  tenant  of  the  old  grave-yard  on  Copp's  Hill,  who  lived  a  hundred  years  ago,  when 
the  village  upon  Tri-mountain  was  fitting  out  its  little  armed  flotillas  against  the  French  in 
Acadia,  or  sending  forth  its  few  vessels  of  trade  along  the  neighboring  coasts,  or  occasionally 
to  cross  the  Atlantic,  come  forth  and  stand  beside  us  a  moment,  what  a  new  and  wonderful 
world  would  be  presented  to  his  vision  I     A  hundred  years  ago  I 

"  Who  peopled  all  the  city  streets 
A  hundred  years  a^o  ? 
Who  fill'd  the  church  with  faces  meek 
A  hundred  years  ago?" 

They  were  men  wise  in  their  generation,  but  ignorant  in  practical  knowledge  when  com- 
pared with  the  present.  In  their  wildest  dreams,  incited  by  tales  of  wonder  that  spiced  the 
literature  of  their  times,  they  never  fancied  any  thing  half  so  wonderful  as  our  mighty  dray 
horse, 

"  The  black  steam-engine  !  steed  of  iron  power — 
The  •wond'rous  steed  of  the  Arabian  tale, 
Lanch'd  on  its  course  by  pressure  of  a  touch — 
The  war-horse  of  the  Bible,  with  its  neck 
Grim,  clothed  with  thunder,  swallowing  the  way 
In  fierceness  of  its  speed,  and  shouting  out, 
'  Ha !  ha  !'*     A  little  water,  and  a  grasp 
Of  wood,  sufficient  for  its  nerves  of  steel, 
Shooting  away,  '  Ha !  ha !'  it  shouts,  as  on 
It  gallops,  dragging  in  its  tireless  path 
Its  load  of  fire."  Steeet. 

I  linsrered  in  the  chamber  of  the  Bunker  Hill  monument  as  long  as  time  would  allow, 
and  descending,  rode  back  to  the  city,  crossed  to  South  Boston,  and  rambled  for  an  hour 
among  the  remains  of  the  fortifications  upon  the  heights  of  the  peninsula  of  Dorchester. 
The  present  prominent  remains  of  fortifications  are  those  of  intrenchments  cast  up  during  the 
war  of  1812,  and  have  no  other  connection  with  our  subject  than  the  circumstance  thc^ 
they  occupy  the  site  of  the  works  constructed  there  by  order  of  Washington.  These  were 
greatly  reduced  in  altitude  when  the  engineers  began  the  erection  of  the  forts  now  in  ruins, 
which  are  properly  preserved  with  a  great  deal  of  care.  They  occupy  the  summits  of  two 
hills,  which  command  Boston  Neck  on  the  left,  the  city  of  Boston  in  front,  and  the  harbor 
on  the  right.  Southeast  from  the  heights,  pleasantly  situated  among  gentle  hills,  is  the 
village  of  Dorchester,  so  called  in  memory  of  a  place  in  England  of  the  same  name,  whence 
many  of  its  earliest  settlers  came.  The  stirring  events  which  rendered  Dorchester  Heights 
famous  will  be  noticed  presently. 

I  returned  to  Boston  at  about  one  o'clock,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  visit- 
ing places  of  interest  within  the  city — the  old  South  meeting-house,  Faneuil  Hall,  the  Prov- 
ince House,  and  the  Hancock  House,  all  delineated  and  described  in  preceding  pages.     I  am 

'■  When  I  visited  Boston,  in  1848,  it  was  estimated  that  two  hundred  and  thirty  trains  of  cars  went  daily 
over  the  roads  to  and  from  Boston,  and  that  more  than  six  millions  of  passengers  were  conveyed  in  them 
during  the  preceding  year. 

*  Job,  xxxix.,  24.  25. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


561 


Memenlces  of  John  Hancock. 


The  State  House. 


Chantrey's  Washington. 


Copp's  Hill. 


The  Mather  Tomb 


indebted  to  John  Hancock,  Esq.,  nephew  of  the  patriot,  and  present  proprietor  and  occupant 
of  the  "Hancock  House,"  on  Beacon  Street,  for  polite  attentions  while  visiting  his  interesting 


mansion,  and  for  information  con- 
cerning matters  that  have  passed 
under  the  eye  of  his  experience  of 
threescore  years.  He  has  many 
mementoes  of  his  eminent  kins- 
man, and  among  them  a  beauti- 
fully-executed miniature  of  him, 
painted  in  London,  in  1 7  G 1 ,  while 
he  was  there  at  the  coronation  of 
George  HI.  He  also  owns  the 
original  portrait  of  Governor  Han- 
cock, of  whicn  the  engraving  on 
page  515  is  a  copy. 

Near  Mr.  Hancock's  residence 
is  the  State  House,  a  noble  struc- 
ture upon  Beacon  Hill,  the  cor- 
ner-stone of  which  was  laid  in 
1795,  by  Governor  Samuel  Ad- 
ams, assisted  by  Paul  Revere, 
master  of  the  Masonic  grand  lodge. 
There  I  sketched  the  annexed 
picture  of  the  colossal  statue  of 
Washington,  by  Chantrey,  which 


Washi.ngton.2 


stands  in  the  open  center  of  the 
first  story ;  also  the  group  of 
trophies  from  Bennington,  that 
hang  over  the  door  of  the  Senate 
chamber.'  Under  these  trophies, 
in  a  gilt  frame,  is  a  copy  of  the 
reply  of  the  Massachusetts  Assem- 
bly to  General  Stark's  letter,  that 
accompanied  the  presentation  of 
the  trophies.  It  was  written  fifty 
years  ago. 

After  enjoying  the  view  from 
the  top  of  the  State  House  a 
while,  1  walked  to  Copp's  Hill,  a 
little  east  of  Charlestown  Bridge, 
at  the  north  end  of  the  town, 
where  I  tarried  until  sunset  m 
the  ancient  burying-ground.  The 
earliest  name  of  this  eminence 
was  Snow  Hill.  It  was  subse- 
quently named  after  its  owner, 
William  Copp.'  It  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  Ancient  and 


Honorable  Artillery  Company  by  mortgage,  and  when,  in  1775,  they  were  forbidden  by 
Gage  to  parade  on  the  Common,  they  went  to  this,  their  own  ground,  and  drilled  in  defi- 
ance of  his  threats.  The  fort,  or  battery,  that  was  built  there  by  the  British,  just  before 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  stood  near  its  southeast  brow,  adjoining  the  burying-ground.  The 
remains  of  many  eminent  men  repose  in  that  little  ceme- 
tery. Close  by  the  entrance  is  the  vault  of  the  Mather 
family.  It  is  covered  by  a  plain,  oblong  structure  of 
brick,  three  feet  high  and  about  six  feet  long,  upon  which 
is  laid  a  heavy  brown  stone  slab,  with  a  tablet  of  slate, 
bearing  the  names  of  the  principal  tenants  below.* 
Qct  7  I  passed  the  forenoon  of  the  next  day  in  the 

rooms   of  the   Massachusetts   Historical    Society, 


1848. 


Mathers'  Vault. 


-J-^'^ 


where  every  facility  was  afforded  me  by  Mr.  Felt,  the 
librarian,  for  examining  the  assemblage  of  things  curious 
collected  there.'     The  printed  books  and  manuscripts,  relating  principally  to  American  his- 

'  See  map  on  page  395. 

'  This  is  a  picture  of  Chantrey's  statue,  which  is  made  of  Italian  marble,  and  cost  fifteen  thousand  dollars. 
^  On  some  of  the  old  maps  of  Boston  it  is  called  Corpse  Hill,  the  name  supposed  to  have  been  derived 
from  the  circumstance  of  a  burj'ing-ground  being  there. 

*  The  following  is  the  inscription  upon  the  slate  tablet :  "  The  Reverend  Doctors  Increase,  Cotton,  and 
Samuel  Matlier  were  interred  in  this  vault. 

"Increase  died  August  27,  1723,  JE.  84. 
Cotton  "     Feb.       13,  1727,    "    65. 

Samuel         "     Jan.       27,  1785,    "    79."* 

*  This  society  was  incorporated  in  February',  1794.  The  avowed  object  of  its  organization  is  to  collect, 
preserve,  and  communicate  materials  for  a  complete  history  of  this  country,  and  an  account  of  all  valuable 
efforts  of  human  industry  and  ingenuity  from  the  beginning  of  its  settlement.  Between  twenty  and  thirty 
octavo  volumes  of  its  "  Collections"  have  been  published. 

•  The  library  of  Dr.  Samuel  Mather  waa  burned  at  Charlestown,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  the  British  in  1775. 

N  N 


562 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Collections  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 


Colonial  and  other  Relics. 


Departure  from  Boston. 


tory,  are  numerous,  rare,  and  valuable. 

of  the  Pilgrim  fathers  and 

their  immediate  descend-     -  ,i-i„ 


There  is  also  a  rich  depository  of  the  autographs 


iftjh^  LLy»oyi    'h^^j    B^  tvrJ  y^^JCL£eOi 


ants.  There  are  no  less 
than  twenty-five  large  folio  volumes  of 
valuable  manuscript  letters  and  other 
documents  ;  besides  which  are  six  thick 
quarto  manuscript  volumes — a  comment- 
ary on  the  holy  Scriptures — in  the  hand-writing  of  /K^ov-x^  ,  1 6-^1 » 
Cotton  Mather.      From  an  autograph  letter  of  that    ^^1  ^ 

singular  man  the   annexed  fac-simile  of  his  writing    \     (j'^{T7^    //X<X^k2-'W^ 
and  signature  is  given.      Among  the  portraits  in  the  Mather's  Wkiting. 

cabinet  of  the  society  are  those  of  Governor  Winslow, 

supposed  to  have  been   painted   by  Vandyke,  Increase  Mather,   and  Peter  Faneuil,  the 
founder  of  Faneuil  Hall. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting,  at  the  rooms  of  the  society,  that  indefatigable  antiquary, 
Dr.  Webb,  widely  known  as  the  American  correspondent  of 
the  "  Danish  Society  of  Northern  Antiquarians"  at  Copenha- 
gen. He  was  sitting  in  the  chair  that  once  belonged  to  Gov- 
ernor Winslow,  writing  upon  the  desk  of  the  speaker  of  the 
colonial  Assembly  of  Massachusetts,  around  which  the  warm 
debates  were  carried  on  concerning  American  liberty,  from  the 
time  when  James  Otis  denounced  the  Writs  of  Assistance,  un- 
til Governor  Gage  adjourned  the  Assembly  to  Salem,  in  1774. 
Hallowed  by  such  associations,  the  desk  is  an  interesting  rehc. 
Dr.  Webb's  familiarity  with  the  collections  of  the  society,  and 
his  kind  attentions,  greatly  facilitated  my  search  among  the  six 
thousand  articles  for  things  curious  connected  with  my  subject, 
and  made  my  brief  visit  far  more  profitable  to  myself  than  it 
would  otherwise  have  been.  Among  the  relics  preserved  are 
the  chair  that  belonged  to  Governor  Carver,  very  similar  in  its  appearance  to 
the  ancient  one  delineated  on  page  438  ;  the  sword  of 
Miles  Standish  ;  the  huge  key  of  Port  Royal  gate  ;  a 
samp-jJaji,  that  belonged  to  Metacomet,  or  King  Philip  ; 
and  the  sword  reputed  to  have  been  used  by  Captain 
Church  when  he  cut  off  that  unfortunate  sachem's  head. 
The  dish  is  about  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  wrought 
out  of  an  elm  knot  with  great  skill.  The  sword  is  very 
rude,  and  was  doubtless  made  by  a  blacksmith  of  the  colony.  The  handle  is 
a  roughly-wrought  piece  of  ash,  and  the  guard  is  made  of  a  wrought-iron 
plate.  The  circumstances  connected  with  the  death  of  Philip  will  be  noticed 
hereafter. 

I  lingered  in  the  rooms  of  the  society,  copying  and  sketching,  with  busy 
hands,  until  after  one  o'clock.  An  urgent  call  beckoning  me  homeward,  I  de- 
parted in  the  cars  for  Norwich  and  New-London  between  two  and  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  regretting  that  my  tarry  in  the  city  of  the  Pilgrims 
was  necessarily  so  brief,  and  that  I  was  obliged  to  forego  the  pleasures  of  a 
visit  to  the  neighboring  villages,  all  of  which  are  associated  with  events  of  the  ^ 
Revolution.  Before  departure  let  us  revert  to  the  history  of  Boston  subse- 
quent to  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  That  event  was  but  the  beginning  of  the  stirring  scenes 
of  the  siege,  which  terminated  in  success  for  the  Americans. 

'  This  desk  is  made  of  ash.     The  semicircular  front  is  about  three  feet  in  diameter      The  chair,  whicb 
belonged  to  Governor  Winslow,  is  of  English  oak.     It  was  made  in  1614. 


Speaker's  Desk  and  Winslow's 
Chair.' 


Philip's  Samp-pan. 


Chitkch  S  6W0BD. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  503 


Appiintment  of  a  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Continental  Army.  Washington's  acceptance  of  the  Office.  Ilia  Modesty. 

On  the  15th  of  June,  1775,  two  days  before  the  Bunker  Hill  battle,  the  Continental 
Congress,  in  session  in  Philadelphia,  resolved  "  That  a  general  be  appointed  to  command  all 
the  Continental  forces,  raised  or  to  be  raised  for  the  defense  of  American  liberty ;"  also,  "  That 
five  hundred  dollars  per  month  be  allowed  for  the  pay  and  expenses  of  the  general."'  The 
most  difficult  question  then  to  be  decided  was  the  choice  of  the  man  for  the  responsible  of- 
fice. Military  men  of  much  experience  were  then  in  the  field  at  the  head  of  the  army  be- 
leaguring  Boston,  and  by  the  common  consent  of  the  New  England  colonies  General  Arte- 
mus  Ward  was  the  commander-in-chief  It  was  conceded  that  he  did  not  possess  all  the 
requisites  of  a  skillful  and  judicious  commander,  so  essential  for  the  service  ;  yet,  it  being 
doubtful  how  the  New  England  people,  and  particularly  the  soldiery,  would  relish  the  su- 
percession  of  General  Ward  by  another.  Congress  was  embarrassed  respecting  a  choice. 
The  apparent  difficulty  was  soon  overcome  by  the  management  of  the  New  England  dele- 
gation. The  subject  of  the  appointment  had  been  informally  discussed  two  or  three  days 
before,  and  John  Adams  had  proposed  the  adoption  of  the  provincial  troops  at  Boston  as  a 
Continental  Army.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  remarks,  he  expressed  his  intention  to  pro- 
pose a  member  from  Virginia  for  the  office  of  generalissimo.  All  present  understood  the 
person  alluded  to  to  be  Colonel  George  Washington,  whose  commanding  military  talents,  as 
displayed  in  the  service  of  Virginia,  and  his  capacity  as  a  statesman,  as  exhibited  in  the 
Congress  of  1774,  had  made  him  exceedingly  popular  throughout  the  land.  Acting  upon 
this  suggestion,  Thomas  Johnson,  a  delegate  from  Maryland,  nominated  Colonel  Washing- 
ton, and  by  a  unanimous  vote  he  was  elected  commander-in-chief  On  the  opening  of  the 
session  on  the  following  morning,  President  Hancock  communicated  to  Washington,  j„]  yj 
officially,  a  notice  of  his  appointment.  He  rose  in  his  place,  and  signified  his  ac-  ^'^'^^^ 
ceptance  in  a  brief  and  truly  patriotic  reply. ^  Richard  Henry  Lee,  Edward  Rutledge,  and 
John  Adams  were  appointed  a  committee  to  draught  a  commission  and  instructions  for  the 
general ;   these  were  given  to  him  four  days  afterward.'     Four  major  generals,  eight  brig- 

'  Journals  of  Congress,  i.,  Ill,  112. 

'  The  following  is  a  copy  of  his  reply : 

"I\Ir.  President, — Though  I  am  truly  sensible  of  the  high  honor  done  me  in  this  appointment,  yet  I  feel 
preat  distress,  from  a  consciousness  that  my  abilities  and  military  experience  may  not  be  equal  to  the  ex- 
tensive and  important  trust.  However,  as  the  Congress  desire  it,  I  will  enter  upon  the  momentous  duty, 
and  exert  every  power  I  possess  in  their  service,  and  for  the  support  of  the  glorious  cause.  I  beg  they  will 
accept  my  most  cordial  thanks  for  this  distinguished  testimony  of  their  approbation.  But,  lest  some  unlucky 
event  should  happen  unfavorable  to  my  reputation,  I  beg  it  may  be  remembered,  by  every  gentleman  in 
this  room,  that  I  this  day  declare,  with  the  utmost  sincerity,  I  do  not  think  myself  equal  to  the  command  I 
am  honored  with.  As  to  pay,  sir,  I  beg  leave  to  assure  the  Congress  that,  as  no  pecuniary  consideration 
could  have  tempted  me  to  accept  the  arduous  employment  at  the  expense  of  my  domestic  ease  and  happi- 
ness, I  do  not  wish  to  make  any  profit  from  it.  I  will  keep  an  exact  account  of  my  expenses.  Those,  1 
doubt  not,  they  will  discharge,  and  that  is  all  I  desire." 

His  expressions  of  distrust  in  his  own  ability  to  perform  the  duties  imposed  by  the  acceptance  of  the  ap- 
pointment were  heartfelt  and  sincere.  In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  dated  the  day  after  his  appointment,  he  said, 
"  You  may  believe  me,  my  dear  Patsy  [the  familiar  name  of  Martha],  when  I  assure  you,  in  the  most  sol- 
emn manner,  that,  so  far  from  seeking  the  appointment,  I  have  used  every  endeavor  in  my  power  to  avoid 
it,  not  only  from  my  unwillingness  to  part  with  you  and  the  family,  but  from  a  consciousness  of  its  being  a 
trast  too  great  for  my  capacity ;  and  that  I  should  enjoy  more  real  happiness  in  one  month  with  you  at 
home  than  I  have  the  most  distant  prospect  of  finding  abroad,  if  my  stay  were  to  be  seven  times  seven 
years."     Washington  was  at  this  time  forty-three  years  of  age. 

*  His  commission  w^as  in  the  following  words : 

"  To  George  Washington,  Esq. — We,  reposing  special  trust  and  confidence  in  your  patriotism,  valor, 
conduct,  and  fidelity,  do,  by  these  presents,  constitute  and  appoint  you  to  be  general  and  commander-in- 
»;hief  of  the  army  of  the  United  Colonies,  and  of  all  the  forces  now  raised,  or  to  be  raised  by  them,  and  of 
all  others  who  shall  voluntarily  offer  their  services,  and  join  the  said  army  for  the  defense  of  American  lib- 
erty, and  for  repelling  every  hostile  invasion  thereof;  and  you  are  hereby  vested  with  full  power  and  au- 
thority to  act  as  you  shall  think  for  the  good  and  welfare  of  the  service.  And  we  do  hereby  strictly  charge 
and  require  all  officers  and  soldiers  under  your  command  to  be  obedient  to  your  orders,  and  diligent  in  the 
exercise  of  their  several  duties.  And  we  do  also  enjoin  and  require  you  to  be  careful  in  executing  the 
great  trust  reposed  in  you,  by  causing  strict  discipline  and  order  to  be  observed  in  the  army,  and  that  the 
soldiers  be  duly  exercised,  and  provided  with  all  convenient  necessaries.     And  you  are  to  regulate  your 


564 


PICTORIAL   FIELI    BOOK 


Departure  of  Wasliington  for  the  Camp.    Reception  at  New  York,  Watertown,  and  Cambridge.    Takes  Command  of  the  Army 

adiers,  and  one  adjutant  general  weie  appointed,^  and  the  pay  of  the  several  officers  was 
agreed  upon." 

Washington  left  Philadelphia  for  the  camp  at  Cambridge  on  the  21st  of  June, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  2d  of  July.  Ho  was  every  where  greeted  with  enthusiasm 
by  crowds  of  people,  and  public  bodies  extended  to  him  all  the  deference  due  to  his  exalted 
rank.  He  arrived  at  New  York  on  the  25th,  escorted  by  a  company  of  light  horse  from 
Philadelphia.  Governor  Tryon  arrived  from  England  on  the  same  day,  and  the  same  es- 
cort received  both  the  distinguished  men.  There  Washington  first  heard  of  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill.  He  held  a  brief  conference  with  General  Schuyler,  and  gave  that  officer 
directions  concerning  his  future  operations.  Toward  evening,  on  the  26th,  he  left  New 
York,  under  the  escort  of  several  military  companies,  passed  the  night  at  Kingsbridge,  at 
the  upper  end  of  Manhattan  or  York  Island,  and  the  next  morning,  bidding  adieu  to  the 
Philadelphia  light  horse,  pressed  on  toward  Boston.  He  reached  Watertown  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  2d  of  July.  The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  presided  over  by  James 
Warren,  was  in  session,  and  voted  him  a  congratulatory  address.      Major-general  Lee,  who 

accompanied  him,  also  received  an 
address  from  that  body.    They  ar-  ■ 
rived  at  Cambridge  at  two  o'clock i 
''  ■—'  in  the  afternoon,  and  Washington) 

established  his  head-quarters  at  the 
house  prepared  for  him,  delineated  I 
on  page  555. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of 

^--j-^fe     July,  at  about  nine   o'clock,  thei 

H   ^T^  ^troops  at  Cambridge  were  drawn,; 

up  in  order  upon  the  Common  toe 

leceive  the  commander-in-chief      Accom- 

-  panied  by  the  general  officers  of  the  army\ 

\  ^  who  were  present,  Wa-shington  walked  frorm 

„  ^   '''*his  quarters  to  the  great  elm-tree  that  nowi 

'    stands  at  the  north  end  of  the  Common,  and,  under 

the  shadow  of  its  broad  covering,  stepped  a  few 

paces  in  front,  made  some  remarks,  drew  his  sword,! 

and  formally  took  command  of  the  Continental  army. 

That  was  an  auspicious  act  for  America  ;   and  the  love  and  reverence' 

The  Washington  Elm.3     which  all  felt  for  him  on  that  occasion  never  waned  during  the  eight 

long  years  of  the  conflict.     When  he  resigned  that  commission  into  the 

hands  of  Congress  at  Annapolis,  not  a  blot  was  visible  upon  the  fair  escutcheon  of  his  char-i 

acter  ;   like  Samuel,  he  could  boldly  "  testify  his  integrity"*  in  all  things. 

conduct  in  every  respect  by  the  rules  and  discipline  of  war  (as  here  given  you),  and  punctually  to  observe 
and  follow  such  orders  and  directions,  from  time  to  time,  as  you  shall  receive  from  this  or  a  future  Con-i 
gress  of  these  United  Colonies,  or  committee  of  Cengress.  This  commission  is  to  continue  in  force  unti; 
revoked  by  this  or  a  future  Congress.     Signed,  John  Hancock,  President.'^ 

The  original  of  this  commission,  with  other  relics  of  the  illustrious  chief,  is  carefully  preserved  in  a  glaat' 
case,  in  a  room  of  the  Patent  Office  building  at  Washington  City. 

'  The  names  of  these  several  officers  are  contained  in  a  note  on  page  190. 

*  The  pay  of  the  several  officers  was  as  follows,  per  month:  major  general,  Si  66,  and  when  acting  ill 
a  separate  department,  $330  ;  brigadier  general,  $125  ;  adjutant  general,  $125  ;  commissary  general, 
quarter-master  general,  $80;  his  deputy,  $40;  paymaster  general,  $100;  his  deputy,  $50;  chief  engl 
neer,  $60 ;  three  aids-de-camp  for  the  general,  each,  $33 ;  his  secretary,  $66 ;  commissary  of  the  mu* 
ters,  $40. 

'  The  house  seen  in  this  sketch  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Cambridge,  having  been  built  about  1750.  I 
has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Moore  family  about  seventy-five  years.  Since  I  visited  Cambridge  I  haw 
been  informed  that  a  Mrs.  Moore  was  still  living  there,  who,  from  the  window  of  that  house,  saw  the  cer© 
mony  of  Washington  taking  command  of  the  army.  *  1  Samuel,  xii.,  I 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


565 


Council  of  War.      Character  of  the  Army.       Punishments.      Riflemen.       Number  of  Troops  in  tlie  Field.      A  model  Order. 

Washington  called  a  council  of  war  on  the  9th.  It  was  composed  of  the  major  j^, 
generals  and  the  brigadiers,  and  the  object  of  the  council  was  to  consult  upon  future  ^''''^■ 
operations.  The  commander-in-chief  found  himself  at  the  head  of  an  army  composed  of  a 
mixed  multitude  of  men  of  every  sort,  from  the  honest  and  intelligent  citizen,  possessed  of 
property  and  station,  to  the  ignorant  knave,  having  nothing  to  lose,  and  consequently  every 
thing  to  gain.  Organization  had  been  effected  in  a  very  slight  degree,  and  thorough  disci- 
pline was  altogether  unknown.  Intoxication,  peculation,  falsehood,  disobedience,  and  disre- 
spect were  prevalent,  and  the  punishments  which  had  been  resorted  to  were  quite  inelTectual 
to  produce  reform.'  It  was  estimated  by  the  Council  that,  from  the  best  information  which 
could  be  obtained,  the  forces  of  the  enemy  consisted  of  eleven  thousand  five  hundred  efl'ect- 
ive  men,  while  the  Americans  had  only  about  fourteen  thousand  fit  for  duty."  It  was  unan- 
imously decided  by  the  Council  to  maintain  the  siege  by  strengthening  the  posts  around  Bos- 
ton, then  held  by  the  Americans,  by  fortifications  and  recruits.  It  was  also  agreed  that,  if 
the  troops  should  be  attacked  and  routed  by  the  enemy,  the  places  of  rendezvous  should  be 
Wales's  Hill,  in  the  rear  of  the  Roxbury  lines  ;  and  also  that,  at  the  present,  it  was  "  in- 
expedient to  fortify  Dorchester  Point,  or  to  oppose  the  enemy  if  he  should  attempt  to  take 
possession  of  it." 

Some  riflemen  from  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  Western  Pennsylvania,  enlisted  under  the 
orders  of  Congress,  and  led  by  Daniel  Morgan,  a  man  of  powerful  frame  and  sterling  cour- 
age, soon  joined  the  camp.'  Upon  their  breasts  they  wore  the  motto  "Liberty  or  Death." 
A  large  proportion  of  them  wei"e  Irishmen,  and  were  not  very  agreeable  to  the  New  En- 
glanders.  Otho  Williams,  afterward  greatly  distinguished,  was  lieutenant  of  one  of  the 
Maryland  companies.      Both  these  men  rose  to  the  rank  of  brigadier. 

The  first  care  of  the  commander-in-chief  was  to  organize  the  army.^  He  arrangod  it 
into  three  grand  divisions,  each  division  consisting  of  two  brigades,  or  twelve  regiments,  in 


'  These  punishments  consisted  in  pecuniary  fines,  standing  in  the  pillory,  confinement  in  stocks,  riding 
a  wooden  horse,  whipping,  and  drumming  out  of  the  regiment. 

*  The  following  return  of  the  army  was  made  to  Adjutant-general  Gates  on  the  19th  of  July : 


No.  of 

ed  officers 

Non-com- 
missioned 

Rnn 

k  and  file. 

Total. 

Present  fit  lor 

Sick 

Sick 

On  fur- 

On  com- 

merits. 

and  staff. 

officers. 

d  uty. 

present. 

absent. 

loUgll. 

mand. 

Massachusetts 

26 

789 

1,326 

9,396. 

757 

450 

311 

774 

11,688 

Connecticut 

3 

125 

174 

2,105 

212 

2 

14 

2.333 

New  Hampshire . . . 

3 

98 

160 

1,201 

115 

20 

49 

279 

1,664 

Rhode  Island 

Total 

3 

107 

lOS 

1,041 

24 

18 

2 

1,085 

35 

1,119 

1,768 

13,743 

1,108 

490 

376 

1,053 

16,770 

^  These  men  attracted  much  attention,  and  on  account  of  their  sure  and  deadly  aim,  they  became  a  ter- 
ror to  the  British.  Wonderful  stories  of  their  exploits  went  to  England,  and  one  of  the  riflemen,  who  was 
carried  there  a  prisoner,  was  gazed  at  as  a  great  curiosity. 

*  The  following  general  order  was  issued  on  the  4th  of  July,  the  day  after  Washington  took  command 
of  the  army : 

"  The  Continental  Congress  having  now  taken  all  the  troops  of  the  several  colonies,  which  have  been 
raised,  or  which  may  be  hereafter  raised  for  the  support  and  defense  of  the  liberties  of  America,  into  their 
pay  and  service,  they  are  now  the  troops  of  the  United  Provinces  of  North  America;  and  it  is  hoped 
that  all  distinction  of  colonies  will  be  laid  aside,  so  that  one  and  the  same  spirit  may  animate  the  whole, 
and  the  only  contest  be,  who  shall  render,  on  this  great  and  trying  occasion,  the  most  essential  service  to 
the  great  and  common  cause  in  which  we  are  all  enfraged.  It  is  required  and  expected  that  exact  disci- 
pline be  observed,  and  due  subordination  prevail  through  the  whole  army,  as  a  failure  in  these  most  essen- 
tial points  must  necessarily  produce  extreme  hazard,  disorder,  and  confusion,  and  end  in  shameful  disap- 
pointment and  disgrace.  The  general  most  earnestly  requires  and  expects  a  due  observance  of  those  article? 
of  war,  established  for  the  government  of  the  army,  which  forbid  profane  cursing,  swearing,  and  drunken- 
ness ;  and  in  like  manner,  he  requires  and  expects  of  all  officers  and  soldiers,  not  engaged  on  actual  duty. 
a  punctual  attendance  on  divine  service,  to  implore  the  blessings  of  Heaven  upon  the  means  used  for  our 
safety  and  defense." 

This  brief  order  may  be  regarded  as  a  model.  In  a  few  words,  it  evokes  harmony,  order,  the  exercise 
of  patriotism,  morality,  sobriety,  and  an  humble  reverence  for  and  reliance  upon  Divine  Providence.  It 
includes  all  the  essential  elements  of  good  government.  Thest  principles  were  the  moral  bonds  of  union 
that  kept  the  little  Continental  army  together  during  the  dreary  years  of  its  struggle  for  the  mastery. 


566 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Arrangement  of  the  Army. 


Location  of  the  several  Divisions. 


Oificers  of  the  same. 


General  Joseph  Spencer. 


which  the  troops  from  the  same  colony,  as  far  as  practicable,  were  brought  together.  The 
right  wing,  under  Major-general  Ward,  consisted  of  two  brigades,  commanded  by  Generals 
Thomas  and  Spencer,'  and  was  stationed  at  Roxbury  and  its  southern  dependencies.  The 
left  wing  was  placed  under  the  command  of  General  Lee,  and  consisted  of  the  brigades  of 
Sullivan  and  Greene.  The  former  was  stationed  upon  Winter  Hill ;  the  latter  upon  Pros- 
pect Hill.  The  center,  stationed  at  Cambridge,  was  commanded  by  General  Putnam,  and 
consisted  of  two  brigades,  one  of  which  was  commanded  by  Heath,  and  the  other  by  a  sen- 
ior officer,  of  less  rank  than  that  of  brigadier.  Thomas  Mifflin,  who  accompanied  Wash- 
ington from  Philadelphia  as  aid-de-camp,  was  made  quarter-master  general.     Joseph  Trum- 


BOSTON,WITH    ITS  ENVIRONS. 1776  L 


^  Joseph  Spencer  served  as  a  major  and  colonel  during  the  Seven  Years'  War.  He  was  a  native  of  East 
Haddam,  in  Connecticut,  where  he  was  born  in  1714.  He  was  with  the  Continental  army  in  the  expedi- 
tion against  Rhode  Island,  in  1778,  and  assisted  in  Sullivan's  retreat.  He  soon  afterward  resigned  his 
commission,  and  left  the  army,  when  he  was  chosen  to  be  a  delegate  in  Congress  from  his  native  state.  He 
died  at  East  Haddam  in  January,  1789,  aged  seventy-five  years.  General  Seth  Pomeroy,  who  was  ap- 
pointed with  Spencer  and  others,  refused  to  serve,  and  Spencer  took  rank  next  to  Putnam  in  the  army  at . 
Boston.  This  removed,  in  a  degree,  the  difficulty  that  was  apprehended  in  settling  the  rank  of  some  of  the 
officers.  By  this  arrangement,  General  Thomas,  who  was  Wai-d's  lieutenant  general;  was  made  the  firsx 
brigadier 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  567 

Relative  Posfcon  of  the  bellisereut  Aniiics.  American  Fortifications.  Emerson's  Picture  of  the  Cnmp. 

bull,  a  son  of  the  patriot  governor  of  Connecticut,  was  appointed  commissary  general,  and 
upon  Joseph  Reed,  of  Philadelphia,  was  bestowed  the  post  of  secretary  to  the  commander- 
in-chief.  In  the  course  of  a  few  months  Reed  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and  was  succeeded' 
in  office  by  Robert  II.  Harrison,  a  Maryland  lawyer. 

The  relative  position  of  the  belligerent  armies  was,  according  to  a  letter  written  by  Wash- 
ington to  the  President  of  Congress,  on  the  10th  of  July,  as  follows  :  the  British  were 
strongly  intrenched  on  Bunker  Hill,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  chief  place  of  action 
on  the  17th  of  June,  with  their  sentries  extending  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  beyond 
the  narrowest  point  of  Charlestown  Neck.  Three  British  floating  batteries  were  in  the 
Mystic  River  near  Bunker  Hill,  and  a  twenty-gun  ship  was  anchored  below  the  ferry-place 
between  Boston  and  Charlestown.  They  had  a  battery  upon  Copp's  Hill  in  Boston,  and 
the  fortifications  upon  the  Neck,  toward  Roxbury,  were  strengthened.  Until  the  7th,  the 
British  advance  guards  occupied  Brown's  Buildings,  about  a  mile  from  Roxbury  meeting- 
house. On  that  day  a  party  from  General  Thomas's  camp  surprised  the  guard,  drove  them 
in,  and  burned  the  houses.  The  bulk  of  the  army,  commanded  by  General  Howe,  lay  upon 
Bunker  Hill ;   and  the  light  horse,  and  a  corps  of  Tories,  remained  in  Boston. 

The  Americans  had  thrown  up  intrenchments  on  Winter  and  Prospect  Hills,  in  full  view 
of  the  British  camp,  which  was  only  a  mile  distant.  Strong  works  were  also  thrown  up  at 
Roxbury,  two  hundred  yards  above  the  meeting-house.  Strong  lines  were  made  across 
from  the  Charlestown  Road  to  the  Mystic  River,  and  by  connecting  redoubts,  there  was  a 
complete  line  of  defense  from  that  river  to  Roxbury.^ 

A  letter  •written  by  the  Pi.everend  WilUam  Emerson,  a  chaplain  in  the  army,  a  few  days 
after  Washington's  arrival,  gives  the  following  life-like  picture  of  the  camp  :  "New  lords, 
new  laAvs.  The  generals,  Washington  and  Lee,  are  upon  the  lines  every  day.  New  orders 
from  his  excellency  are  read  to  the  respective  regiments  every  morning  after  prayers.  The 
strictest  government  is  taking  place,  and  great  distinction  is  made  between  officers  and  sol- 
diers. Every  one  is  made  to  know  his  place,  and  keep  in  it,  or  to  be  tied  up  and  receive 
thirty  or  forty  lashes,  according  to  his  crime.  Thousands  are  at  work  every  day  from  four 
till  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  It  is  surprising  how  much  work  has  been  done.  The 
lines  are  extended  almost  from  Cambridge  to  the  Mystic  River  ;  so  that  very  soon  it  will  be 
morally  impossible  for  the  enemy  to  get  between  the  works,  except  in  one  place,  which  is 
supposed  to  be  left  purposely  unfortified,  to  entice  the  enemy  out  of  their  fortresses.  Who 
would  have  thought,  twelve  months  past,  that  all  Cambridge  and  Charlestown  would  be 
covered  over  with  American  camps,  and  cut  up  into  forts  and  intrenchments,  and  all  the 
lands,  fields,  and  orchards  laid  common — horses  and  cattle  feeding  in  the  choicest  mowing 
land,  whole  fields  of  corn  eaten  down  to  the  ground,  and  large  parks  of  well-regulated  lo- 
custs cut  down  for  fire-wood  and  other  public  uses.  This,  I  must  say,  looks  a  little  melan- 
choly. My  quarters  are  at  the  foot  of  the  famous  Prospect  Hill,  where  such  preparations 
are  made  for  the  reception  of  the  enemy.  It  is  very  diverting  to  walk  among  the  camps. 
They  are  as  different  in  their  form  as  the  owners  are  in  their  dress,  and  every  tent  is  a  por- 
traiture of  the  temper  and  taste  of  the  persons  who  encamp  in  it.  Some  are  made  of  boards, 
and  some  of  sail-cloth  ;  some  partly  of  one  and  partly  of  the  other.  Again,  others  are  made 
of  stone  or  turf,  brick  or  brush.  Some  are  thrown  up  in  a  hurry  ;  others  are  curiously 
wrought  with  doors  and  windows,  done  with  wreaths  and  withes,  in  the  manner  of  a  basket. 
Some  are  your  proper  tents  and  marquees,  looking  like  the  regular  camp  of  the  enemy.  In 
these  are  the  Pthodc  Islanders,  who  are  furnished  with  tent  equipage  and  every  thing  in 
the  most  exact  English  style.  However,  I  think  this  great  variety  rather  a  beauty  than  a 
blemish  in  the  army.'"" 

While  Washington  was  organizing  the  Continental  'army.  Congress  was  active  in  tho 

'  The  reader  will  more  clearly  understand  the  relative  position  of  the  hostile  forces  and  their  respective 
fortifications,  by  a  careful  examination  of  the  map  on  the  preceding  page.  It  shows  the  various  workj 
thrown  up  during  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1775,  and  at  the  bcfiinning  of  1776. 

*  Spark's  Life  and  Writings  of  Washington  (Appendix),  iii.,  491. 


568  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Action  of  Congress.  Treason  of  Dr.  Church.  The  New  England  Colonies.  Franklin's  Post-office  Book. 

adoption  of  measures  to  strengthen  his  hands,  and  to  organize  civil  government.  Acting 
upon  the  suggestion  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New  York,  we  have  already  observed 
June  23  (cintc,  page  316)  that  Congress  authorized  the  emission  of  bills  of  credit.  Articles 
1775.  of  war  were  agreed  to  on  the  30th  of  June,  and  on  the  6th  of  July  a  Declaration 
was  issued,  setting  forth  the  cause  and  necessity  for  taking  up  arms.  A  firm  but  respectful 
petition  to  the  king  was  drawn  up  by  John  Dickinson,  the  author  of  "  Letters  of  a  Penn- 
sylvania Farmer,"  &c.,  and  adopted  on  the  8th  ;  and  addresses  to  the  inhabitants  of  Great 
Britain,  Ireland,  Canada,  and  Jamaica,  were  adopted  in  the  course  of  the  month.  The  In- 
dians were  not  overlooked  ;  it  was  important  to  secure  their  neutrality  at  least ;  and  three 
boards  for  Indian  affairs  were  constituted  :  one  for  the  Six  Nations  and  other  northern 
tribes  ;  a  second  for  the  Cherokees,  at  the  South ;  and  a  third  for  the  intervening  nations, 
on  the  borders  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  Already  some  Stockbridge  Indians,  from 
Massachusetts,  near  the  New- York  line,  the  last  remnant  of  the  tribes  of  Western  New  En- 
gland, were  in  the  camp  at  Boston  ;  and  Kirtland,  the  missionary  among  the  Six  Nations  of 
New  York,  was  making  overtures  to  .the  Oneidas  and  the  Mohawks.  Congress  also  estab- 
lished a  post-office  system  of  its  own,  extending  in  its  operations  from  Falmouth  (now  Port- 
land, Maine)  to  Savannah,  and  westward  to  remote  settlements.  Dr.  Franklin  was  ap- 
pointed post-master  general.'  An  army  hospital  for  the  accommodation  of  twenty  thousand 
men  was  established.  At  its  head  was  placed  Dr.  Benjamin  Church,  of  Boston,  till  this 
time  a  brave  and  zealous  compatriot  of  Warren  and  his  associates.  Soon  after  his  appoint- 
ment he  was  detected  in  secret  correspondence  with  Gage.  He  had  intrusted  a  letter, 
written  in  cipher,  with  his  mistress,  to  be  forwarded  to  the  British  commander.  It  was 
found  upon  her  ;  she  was  taken  to  head-quarters,  and  there  the  contents  of  the  letter  were 
deciphered,  and  the  defection  of  Dr.  Church  established.  He  was  found  guilty,  by  a  court 
martial,  of  criminal  correspondence  with  the  enemy.  Expulsion  from  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  Massachusetts,  and  close  confinement  in  Norwich  Jail,  in  Connecticut,  by  order 
of  the  general  Congress,  speedily  followed.  His  health  failing,  he  was  allowed  to  leave  the 
country.  He  sailed  for  the  West  Indies  ;  but  the  vessel  that  bore  him  was  never  afterward 
heard  from.  His  place  in  the  hospital  was  filled  by  Dr.  John  Morgan,  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Medical  School  in  Philadelphia.  Church  was  the  first  traitor  to  the  American  cause. 
The  New  England  colonies,  sustained  by  the  presence  of  a  strong  army,  labored  energet- 
ically in  perfecting  their  civil  governments.  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  as  we  have 
observed,  were  always  democratic,  and  through  the  energy  of  Trumbull,  the  governor  of  the 
former,  that  colony  took  an  early,  bold,  and  commanding  stand  for  freedom.  Nor  was  the 
latter  colony  much  behind  her  democratic  colleague.  Benning  Wentworth,  governor  of 
New  Hampshire,  having  lost  all  political  power,  shut  himself  up,  for  two  months,  in  Fort 
William  and  Mary  at  Portsmouth,  during  which  time  his  house  was  pillaged  by  a  mob. 
He  prorogued  the  Assembly  in  July,  and  then  fled  to  Boston  for  safety.  Massachusetts 
organized  a  House  of  Representatives  under  the  original  charter ;  and  as,  according  to  the 
provisions  of  that  charter,  the  executive  authority  devolved  upon  the  Council  in  the  absence 
of  the  governor  and  his  lieutenant,  that  body,  chosen  on  the  21st  of  July,  assumed 

1775  .  .  ■ 

such  authority.  Such  continued  to  be  the  government  of  the  colony  until  the  adop- 
tion of  a  state  constitution  in  1780.  A  single  executive  committee  was  constituted,  vested 
with  all  the  powers  hitherto  exercised  by  the  several  committees  of  correspondence,  inspec- 
tion, and  safety.  This  consolidation  produced  far  greater  efficiency.  Of  the  civil  and  mil- 
itary operations  of  other  colonies  I  shall  write  hereafter ;  for  the  present,  let  us  view  the 
progress  of  events  at  Boston. 

'  In  the  General  Post-office  at  Washington  city  I  saw,  several  years  ago,  the  book  in  which  Franklin 
icept  his  post-office  accounts.  It  is  a  common,  half-bound  folio,  of  three  quires  of  coarse  paper,  and  con- 
tained all  the  entries  for  nearly  two  years.  The  first  entiy  was  November  17,  1776.  Now  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  of  the  largest-sized  ledgers  are  required  annually  for  the  same  purpose  ;  the  number  of  con- 
tractors and  other  persons  having  accounts  with  the  office  being  over  thirty  thousand.  There  are  about 
one  hundred  clerks  employed  in  the  department. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  '  569 


Tlie  belligerent  Armies  at  Boston.     Skirmishes  and  other  hostile  Movements.    Naval  Operations  on  the  Coast.    Navy  Boards. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  summer,  and  throughout  the  autumn,  the  belligerents  con- 
tinually menaced  each  other,  but  neither  appeared  ready  for  a  general  engagement.  The 
British  M'ere  awaiting  re-enforcements,  and  the  Americans  were  too  feeble  in  men,  disci- 
pline, and  munitions  of  war,  to  make  an  assault  with  a  prospect  of  success.  Several  skir- 
mishes occurred,  and  on  two  or  three  occasions  a  general  battle  was  apprehended. 

The  declaration  of  Congress,  setting  forth  the  causes  and  the  necessity  for  taking  up  arms, 
was  read  by  President  Langdon,"  of  Harvard,  before  the  army  at  Cambridge,  on  the  15lh 
of  July.  On  the  18th,  it  was  read  to  the  division  under  General  Thomas,  at  Rox- 
bury,  and  also  to  the  troops  under  Putnam,  upon  Prospect  Hill.  At  the  close  of  the 
reading  a  cannon  was  fired,  three  hearty  cheers  were  given  by  the  army,  and  the  flag  that 
was  presented  to  Putnam  a  few  days  before  was  unfurled.''  "  The  Philistines  on  Bunker 
Hill,"  said  the  Essex  Gazette,  in  its  account  of  the  affair,  "  heard  the  shouts  of  the  Israel- 
ites, and  being  very  fearful,  paraded  themselves  in  battle  array."  The  20th  was  observed 
as  a  day  of  fasting  by  the  whole  army.  On  the  30th  (Sunday),  five  hundred  British  troops 
marched  over  Charlestown  Neck,  and  built  a  slight  breast-work  ;  at  the  same  time  a  Brit 
ish  floating  battery  was  rowed  up  the  Charles  River.  Another  party  of  troops  sallied  out 
toward  Roxbury,  drove  in  the  American  sentinels,  and  set  fire  to  a  tavern.  Frequent  ex- 
cursions were  made  by  both  parties  to  the  islands  in  the  harbor,  and  skirmishes,  sometimes 
severe,  were  the  consequences.  These  things  kept  the  two  armies  on  the  alert,  and  disci- 
plined them  in  habits  of  vigilance. 

British  cruisers  kept  the  New  England  coast,  from  Falmouth  to  New  London,  in  a  state 
of  continual  alarm.  They  were  out  in  every  direction,  seeking  plunder  and  endeavoring  to 
supply  the  camp  with  fresh  provisions.  Lieutenant  Mowatt,  commander  of  a  British  brig, 
made  a  descent  upon  Gloucester,  Cape  Anne,  and  attempted  to  land.  He  was  repulsed, 
after  he  had  thrown  several  bombs  into  the  town  without  serious  efl^ect.  Sto-  August  13. 
nington,  in  Connecticut,  was  bombarded  for  a  day  ;  two  men  were  killed,  and  September  30. 
the  houses  were  much  shattered.  In  October,  Mowatt  was  sent  to  Falmouth  (now  Port- 
land, in  Maine),  to  obtain  a  supply  of  provisions  from  the  inhabitants,  and  to  demand  a  sur- 
render of  their  arms.  They  refused  obedience,  and  boldly  defied  him  ;  whereupon,  after 
giving  time  suflScient  for  the  women  and  children  to  leave  the  town,  he  bombarded  and  set 
it  on  fire.  It  contained  about  five  hundred  buildings,  and  presently  a  large  portion  of  them 
were  in  flames.  One  hundred  and  thirty-nine  houses,  and  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-eight stores  and  other  buildings  were  destroyed  ;  but  the  resolute  inhabitants 
maintained  their  ground,  repulsed  the  enemy,  and  prevented  his  landing.  Bristol,  on  the 
east  side  of  Narragansett  Bay,  and  other  towns  in  the  neighborhood,  were  visited  in  like 
manner  by  the  depredators.  These  wanton  cruelties  excited  intense  indignation,  and  the 
American  troops  that  environed  Boston  could  hardly  be  restrained  from  attacking  the  op- 
pressors of  their  countrymen. 

The  Americans,  as  a  countervailing  measure,  fitted  out  cruisers,  and  in  a  short  time  each 
colony  had  a  navy  board.  These  privateers  became  very  formidable  to  the  enemy,  and  the 
extent  of  British  depredations  along  the  coast  was  greatly  lessened.  Washington  sent  out 
five  or  six  armed  vessels  to  intercept  supplies  coming  into  the  port  of  Boston,  and  some  im- 
portant captures  were  made.  Some  of  the  American  naval  officers  proved  very  ineflicient. 
Captain  Manly,  almost  alone,  at  that  time,  sustained  the  character  of  a  bold  and  skillful 
commander,  and  he  and  his  crew  did  good  service  to  the  cause.  They  bravely  maintained 
their  position  off'  Boston  Harbor,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  captured  three  valuable 

'  Reverend  Samuel  Langdon  was  a  native  of  Boston,  and  graduated  at  Han-ard  in  1740.  He  succeeded 
Mr.  Locke  as  president  of  that  institution,  in  1774.  On  account  of  a  lack  of  urbanity,  he  was  disliked  by 
the  students,  who  made  his  situation  so  disagreeable  that  he  resigned  the  presidency  in  1780.  In  1781, 
at  Hampton  Fall,  New  Hampshire,  he  resumed  his  ministerial  laljors,  in  which  he  continued  faithful  until 
his  death.     This  event  occurred  on  the  29th  of  November,  1797,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 

*  This  was  the  flag  before  alluded  to,  which  bore  on  one  side  the  motto  "^«  appeal  to  Hravrn,'^  and  on 
the  other  "  Qui  transtulUjSustinet.'^ 


570 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Capture  of  Ammunition.  Attempt  to  seize  Manly.  Repulse  of  Linzee.  Scarcity  of  Powder.  Expected  Sortie. 


1775. 


vessels,  one  of  which  was  laden  with  heavy  guns,  mortars,  and  intrenching  tools a  valu- 
able prize  for  the  Americans  at  that  time.  Only  thirteen  days  before,  Washington  wrote  to 
Congress,  "  I  am  in  very  great  want  of  powder,  lead,  mortars,  indeed  most  sorts  of  militarv 
stores."  Captain  Manly  supplied  him  more  promptly  and  bountifully  than  Congress  could 
do.  The  finest  of  the  mortars  was  named  Congress,  and  placed  in  the  artillery  park  nt 
Cambridge. 

Manly  soon  became  a  terror  to  the  British, 
and  the  Falcon  sloop-of-war.  Captain  Linzee, 
was  sent  out  to  attempt  to  seize  him.  He 
was  chased,  in  company  with  a  schooner,  into 
Gloucester  Harbor.  The  schooner  was  seiz- 
ed by  the  enemy.  Manly  ran  his  brig  ashore. 
Linzee  fired  more  than  three  hundred  guns, 
and  sent  barges  of  armed  men  to  take  the 
brig  ;  but  the  crew  and  the  neighboring  mili- 
tia behaved  so  bravely  that  Linzee  was  re- 
pulsed, having  lost  nearly  half  his  men.  Mau- 
ly's  vessel  was  got  ofi' without  much  damage, 
and  was  soon  cruising  again  beneath  the  pine- 
tree  flag.* 

Early  in  August,  Washington  discov- 
ered that  a  great  mistake  had  been 
made  in  reporting  to  him  the  condition  of  the 
commissariat,  in  the  article  of  powder.  "Our 
situation,"  he  said,  in  a  letter  to  Congress,  "in 
the  article  of  powder,  is  much  more  alarming 
than  I  had  the  most  distant  idea  of"  "  In- 
stead of  three  hundred  quarter-casks,"  wrote 
Reed,  "we  have  but  thirty-two  barrels." 
Powder-mills  were  not  yet  in  successful  oper- 
ation in  the  province,  and  great  uneasiness  prevailed  lest  the  enemy  should  become  acquaint- 
ed with  their  poverty.  Vessels  were  fitted  out,  on  private  account,  to  go  to  the  West  In- 
dies for  a  supply  of  powder.  The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  passed  a  law  pro- 
hibiting a  waste  of  powder  in  shooting  birds  or  for  sports  of  any  kind,  and  every 
precaution  was  adopted  to  husband  the  meager  supply  on  hand. 
Although  Washington  did  not  feel  strong  enough  to  make  an  assault  upon  Boston,  he  was 
prepared  to  receive  an  attack  from  the  enemy,  and  was  anxious  for  such  an  event.  For 
weeks  it  had  been  rumored  that  the  British  intended  to  make  a  sortie  in  full  force ;  and, 
finally,  the  25th  of  August  was  designated  as  the  day  selected  for  the  demonstration.  It 
was  understood  that  Earl  Percy  was  to  have  the  command  of  Boston  Neck,  where  ho  ex- 
pected to  retrieve  the  honors  which  he  lost  in  his  retreat  from  Lexington.  In  the  mean 
while,  the  British  were  daily  practicing  the  maneuvers  of  embarking  and  debarking,  and 
every  movement  indicated  an  intention  to  make  an  eSbvt  to  break  up  the  circumvallating 
line  of  provincials  that  hemmed  them  so  closely  in. 

On  Saturday  night,  the  26th  of  August,  General  Sullivan,  with  a  fatigue  party  of 
one  thousand  men,  and  a  guard  of  two  thousand  four  hundred,  marched,  in  imitation 
of  the  feat  of  Prescott's,  to  Plowed  Hill  (now  Mount  Benedict),  within  point  blank  shot  of 


The  Pine-tkke  Flag. 2 


August  12. 


1775. 


*  Bradford's  History  of  Massachusetts,  page  75. 

*  This  engraving  is  a  reduced  copy  of  a  vignette  on  a  map  of  Boston,  published  in  Paris  in  1776.  The 
London  Chronicle,  an  anti-rainisterial  paper,  in  its  issue  for  January,  1776,  gives  the  following  description 
of  the  flag  of  an  American  cruiser  that  had  been  captured  :  "In  the  Admiralty  office  is  the  flag  of  a  provin- 
cial privateer.  The  field  is  white  bunting ;  on  the  middle  is  a  green  pine-tree,  and  upon  the  opposite  side 
Ls  the  motto,  ^Appeal  to  Heaven.^  " 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  571 

Fortifications  on  Plowed  Hill.  Heavy  Bombardment  Condition  of  Troops  and  People  m  Boston. 

the  enemy's  batteries  on  Bunker  Hill,  and  before  morning  cast  up  such  intrenchments  as  af- 
forded excellent  protection  against  the  cannons  of  the  British.  Washington  hoped  this  ma- 
neuver would  bring  on  a  general  action,  and  he  rejoiced  to  hear  the  cannonade  that  opened 
upon  the  American  works  in  the  morning,  from  Bunker  Hill  and  a  ship  and  two  floating 
batteries  in  the  Mystic.  More  than  three  hundred  shells  were  thrown  by  the  enemy  on  that 
occasion.*  On  account  of  the  scarcity  of  powder  the  cannonade  was  not  returned.  A  nine 
pounder,  planted  on  a  point  at  the  Ten  Hills  Farm,  played  so  eflectually  against  the  float- 
ing batteries  that  one  of  them  was  sunk  and  the  other  silenced.  The  British  cannonade 
ceased  at  night.  In  the  morning,  troops  were  observed  to  be  drawn  up  on  Bunker  Hill,  as 
if  for  marching.  Washington  now  expected  an  attack,  and  sent  five  thousand  men  to  Plowed 
HilP  and  to  the  Charlestown  Road.  It  was  a  bold  challenge  for  the  enemy,  but  he  pru- 
dently refused  to  accept  it.  For  several  days  he  fired  a  few  cannon  shots  against  the  Amer- 
ican works,  but,  perceiving  them  to  be  inefTectual,  he  ceased  all  hostilities  on  the  10th  of 
September.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  Continental  army  received  seven  hundred 
pounds  of  powder  from  Rhode  Island  ;  "  probably  a  part,"  says  Gordon,  "  of  what  had  been 
brought  from  Africa."^ 

The  close  investment  of  Boston  by  troops  on  land  and  privateers  at  sea  began  to  have  a 
serious  effect  upon  the  officers,  troops,  and  people  in  the  city.*  They  had  an  abundance  of 
salt  provision,  but,  being  unaccustomed  to  such  diet,  many  fell  sick.  Gage,  doubtless,  spoke 
in  sentiment,  if  not  in  words,  as  Freneau  wrote  : 

"  Three  weeks,  ye  gods  !  nay,  three  long  years  it  seems 
Since  roast  beef  I  have  touched,  except  in  dreanas. 
In  sleep,  choice  dishes  to  my  view  repair ; 
Waking,  I  gape,  and  champ  the  empty  air. 
Say,  is  it  just  that  I,  who  rule  these  bands, 
Should  live  on  husks,  like  rakes  in  foreign  lands  ? 
Come,  let  us  plan  some  project  ere  we  sleep, 
And  drink  destruction  to  the  rebel  sheep. 
On  neighboring  isles  uncounted  cattle  stray ; 
Fat  beeves  and  swine — an  ill-defended  prey — 
These  are  fit  'visions  for  my  noonday  dish ; 
These,  if  my  soldiers  act  as  I  could  wish, 
In  one  short  week  would  glad  your  maws  and  mine ; 
On  mutton  we  will  sup — on  roast  beef  dine." 

Midnight  Musings;  or,  a  Trip  to  Boston,  1775. 

In  daily  apprehension  of  an  attack  from  the  provincials,  and  the  chances  for  escape  hourly 
diminisliing,  they  exerienced  all  the  despondency  of  a  doomed  people.  Gage  was  convinced 
that  the  first  blow  against  American  freedom  had  been  struck  in  the  wrong  place,  and  that 
the  position  of  his  troops  was  wholly  untenable.  He  had  been  re-enforced  since  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  but  the  new-comers  were  a  burden  rather  than  an  aid  ;  for  he  had  the  sa- 
gacity to  perceive  that  twice  the  number  of  troops  then  under  his  command  were  insufficient 
to  efTectually  disperse  the  Continental  army,  backed,  as  it  was,  by  other  thousands  ready  to 
step  from  the  furrow  to  the  intrenchment  when  necessity  should  call.  Idleness  begat  vice, 
in  various  forms,  in  his  camp,  and  inaction  was  as  likely  as  the  weapons  of  his  enemy  to 
decimate  his  battalions."     Much  annoyance  to  the  British  officers  was  produced  by  the  cir- 

^  During  this  cannonade,  Adjutant  Mumford,  of  Colonel  Varnum's  Rhode  Island  regiment,  and  another 
soldier,  had  their  heads  shot  off,  and  a  rifleman  was  mortally  wounded. 

^  Bunker  Hill,  Plowed  Hill,  and  Winter  Hill  are  situated  in  a  range  from  east  to  west,  each  of  them  on 
or  near  the  Mystic  River. 

'  Early  in  1775,  two  vessels,  laden  with  New  England  rum,  sailed  from  Newport  to  the  coast  of  Africa. 
The  rum  was  exchanged,  at  the  British  forts,  for  powder;  and  so  completely  did  this  traffic  strip  the  for- 
tresses of  this  article,  that  there  was  not  an  ounce  remaining  that  could  be  taken  from  the  use  of  the  gar- 
risons.    This  maneuver  produced  a  seasonable  supply  for  the  provincials. 

■•  The  number  of  inhabitants  in  Boston,  on  the  28th  of  July,  was  six  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty- 
three.     The  number  of  the  troops  was  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred. 

*  Most  of  the  soldiers  were  encamped  on  the  Common,  which  was  not,  as  now,  shaded  by  large  trees, 


572 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


American  Hand-bills  in  the  British  Camp. 


Opinions  concerning  the  Provincials. 


Plan  for  relieving  Boston 


culation  of  hand-bill  addresses  among  the  soldiers.  They  found  their  way  into  the  British 
camp  ;  how,  no  one  could  tell.^  They  were  secret  and  powerful  emissaries  ;  for  the  soldiers 
pondered  much,  in  their  idle  moments,  upon  the  plain  truths  which  these  circulars  contained. 
Every  thing  now  betokened  ruin  to  the  royal  cause.  Even  as  early  as  the  25th  of 
June,  Gage  said,  in  a  letter  to  Dartmouth,  when  giving  an  account  of  the  battle  of 
the  19th,  "  The  trials  we  have  had  show  the  rebels  are  not  the  despicable  rabble  too  many 
have  supposed  them  to  be  ;  and  I  find  it  owing  to  a  military  spirit  encouraged  among  them 
for  a  few  years  past,  joined  with  an  imcommon  degree  of  zeal  and  enthusiasm,  that  they  are 
not  otherwise."  Toward  the  close  of  July  he  wrote  despairingly  to  Lord  Dartmouth.  After 
averring  that  the  rebellion  was  general,  he  said,  "  This  province  began  it — I  might  say  this 
town  ;  for  here  the  arch  rebels  formed  their  scheme  long  ago."  He  spoke  of  the  disadvan- 
tageous position  of  the  troops,  and  suggested  the  propriety  of  transferring  the  theater  of  oper- 
ations to  New  Yorkj  where  "  the  friends  of  government  were  more  numerous." 

The  few  patriots  who  remained  in  Boston  were  objects  of  continual  suspicion,  and  sub- 
ject to  insults  daily.  They  were  charged  with  sketching  plans  of  the  military  works,  tele- 
graphing with  the  provincials  by  signals  from  steeples,  and  various  other  acts,  for  which 
some  were  thrown  into  prison.  At  length  provisions  became  so  scarce,  and  the  plundering 
expeditions  sent  out  by  Gage  to  procure  fresh  food  were  so  unsuccessful,^  that  the  commander 
determined  to  make  arrangements  for  the  removal  of  a  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  from 
the  town.  It  was  notified  that  James  Urquhart,  the  town  major,  would  receive  the  names 
July  24  of  those  who  wished  to  leave.  Within  two  days  more  than  two  thousand  names 
1775.  were  handed  in,  notwithstanding  there  was  a  restriction  that  no  plate  was  to  be  car- 
ried away,  and  no  more  than  five  pounds  in  cash  by  each  person.  Many  people  of  property, 
who  would  gladly  have  left,  were  unwilling  to  do  so,  for  they  knew  that  what  property  re- 
mained would  become  a  prey  to  the  soldiery.  Of  those  who  departed,  many  women  quilted 
silver  spoons  into  their  garments.  Coin  was  smuggled  out  of  the  city  in  the  same  way. 
These  refugees  landed  principally  at  Chelsea,  and  scattering  over  the  country,  were  all  re- 


but exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  summer  sun.  "It  is  not  to  be  wondered,"  said  a  letter-writer,  in  August, 
"  that  the  fatigue  of  duty,  bad  accommodations,  and  the  use  of  too  much  spirits,  should  produce  fever  in 
the  camp.  The  soldiers  can  not  be  kept  from  rum.  Six-pence  will  buy  a  quart  of  West  India  rum,  and 
four-pence  is  the  price  of  a  quart  of  New  England  rum.  Even  the  sick  and  the  wounded  have  often  noth- 
ing to  eat  but  salt  pork  and  fish." 

'  I  saw  one  of  these  hand-bills  among  the  Proclamations,  &c.,  in  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 
It  was  an  address  to  the  soldiers  who  were  about  embarking  for  America,  and  was  printed  in  London.  The 
writer,  in  speaking  of  the  course  of  the  provincials,  emphasizes,  by  italics,  printed  in  a  single  conspicuous 
line,  the  expression, 

"  Before  God  and  man  they  arc  right .'" 

On  the  back  of  this  address  is  the  following  endorsement,  which  was  evidently  printed  in  this  country,  the 
type  and'  ink  being  greatly  infei'ior  to  the  other.  It  alludes  to  the  two  camps  :  the  one  on  Prospect  Hill, 
under  Putnam ;  the  other  on  Bunker  Hill,  imder  Howe. 


Prospect  Hill. 
I.  Seven  dollars  a  month. 
II.  Fresh  provisions,  and  in  plenty. 

III.  Health. 

IV.  Freedom,  ease,  affluence,  and  a  good  farm. 


BuNKKR  Hill. 
I.  Three-pence  a  day. 
II.  Rotten  salt  pork. 

III.  The  scurvy. 

IV.  Slavery,  beggary,  and  want. 


*  One  of  these,  in  August,  was  quite  successful.  In  the  neighborhood  of  New  London,  a  small  British 
fleet  obtained  eighteen  hundred  sheep  and  more  than  one  hundred  head  of  oxen.  Frothingham  (page  236) 
quotes  a  letter  from  Gage  to  Lord  Dartmouth,  in  which  this  important  fact  is  announced.  This  letter  was 
published,  and  in  the  anti-ministerial  London  Chronicle  the  following  impromptu  appeared  : 

"In  days  of  yore  the  British  troops 
Have  taken  warlike  kings  in  battle ; 
But  now,  alas  I  their  valor  droops, 
For  Gage  takes  naught  but — harmless  cattle. 

"  Britons,  with  grief  your  bosoms  strike  I 
Your  faded  laurels  loudly  weep  ! 
Behold  your  heroes,  Quixotte  like, 
Driving  a  timid  flock  of— sheep  1' 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  573 


Council  of  War.  Situation  of  the  .^rmy.  Washington's  Complaints.  Gage  recalled.  His  Life  and  Character. 

ceived  with  the  open  arms  of  hospitahty  every  where,  except  a  few  Tories  who  ventured  to 
leave  the  city.  These  were  treated  with  bitter  scorn,  and  there  were  many  martyrs  for 
opinion's  sake.  This  measure  was  a  great  reUef  to  Gage  ;  and  the  capture,  about  that 
time,  of  an  American  vessel  laden  with  fresh  provisions,  made  food  quite  plentiful  in  the 
city  for  a  while. 

The  inactive  and  purely  defensive  policy  pursued  by  both  armies  became  exceedingly  on- 
erous to  Washington,  and  he  resolved,  if  expedient,  to  endeavor  to  put  an  end  to  it.  Con- . 
gress,  too,  became  impatient,  and  requested  Washington  to  attack  the  enemy  if  he  perceivea 
any  chance  for  success.  The  commander-in-chief,  accordingly,  called  a  council  of  war  od 
the  1 1th  of  September.  In  view  of  the  rapid  approach  of  the  time  when  the  term  of 
enlistment  of  many  of  the  troops  would  expire,  and  also  of  the  general  unfavorable  con- 
dition of  the  array,  Washington  desired  to  make  an  immediate  and  simultaneous  attack  upon 
the  city  and  the  camp  of  the  enemy  on  Bunker  Hill.  But  his  officers  dissented ;  and  the 
decision  of  the  Council  was  "  that  it  is  not  expedient  to  make  the  attempt  at  present."  Ten 
days  afterward,  Washington  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the  President  of  Congress,  in  which,  after 
making  a  statement  which  implied  a  charge  of  neglect  on  the  part  of  that  body,  he  drew  a 
graphic  picture  of  the  condition  of  the  army.  "But  my  situation,"  he  said,  "is  inexpress- 
ibly distressing,  to  see  the  winter  fast  approaching  upon  a  naked  army,  the  time  of  their 
service  within  a  few  weeks  of  expiring,  and  no  provisions  yet  made  for  such  important  events. 
Added  to  these,  the  military  chest  is  totally  exhausted  ;  the  paymaster  has  not  a  single  dollar 
in  hand  ;  the  commissary  general  assures  me  that  he  has  strained  his  credit  for  the  subsist- 
ence of  the  army  to  the  utmost ;  the  quarter-master  general  is  in  precisely  the  same  situa- 
tion ;  and  the  greater  part  of  the  troops  are  in  a  state  not  far  from  mutiny,  upon  a  deduc- 
tion from  their  stated  allowance.  I  know  not  to  whom  I  am  to  impute  this  failure  ;  but  I 
am  of  opinion  that,  if  the  evil  is  not  immediately  remedied,  and  more  punctuality  observed 
in  future,  the  army  must  absolutely  break  up."  Thus  we  perceive,  that  within  three  months 
after  his  appointment  to  the  chief  command,  Washington  had  cause  to  complain  of  the  tardy 
movements  of  the  general  Congress.  Throughout  the  war,  that  body  often  pressed  like  a 
dead  weight  upon  the  movements  of  the  army,  embarrassing  it  by  special  instructions,  and 
neglecting  to  give  its  co-operation  when  most  needed.  It  was  only  during  the  time  when 
Washington  was  invested  with  the  powers  of  a  military  dictator,  that  his  most  brilliant  mil- 
itary achievements  were  accomplished. 

It  was  in  September  that  the  expedition  to  Quebec,  under  Arnold,  by  the  way  of  the  Ken- 
nebec, was  planned.  This  important  measure,  and  the  progress  and  result  of  the  expedition, 
have  already  been  noticed  on  pages  190  to  194  inclusive. 

Convinced  of  the  inefficiency  of  Gage,  and  alarmed  at  the  progress  of  the  rebellion,  the 
king  summoned  that  officer  to  England  to  make  a  personal  explanation  of  the  state  of  af- 
fairs at  Boston.      Gage  sailed  on  the  10th  of  October,  leaving  affairs  in  the  hands  of 
General  Howe.^     Before  his  departure,  the  Mandamus  Council,  a  number  of  the  prin- 

'  Thomas  Gage,  the  last  royal  governor  of  Massachusetts,  was  a  native  of  England,  and  was  an  active 
ofiicer  during  the  Seven  Years'  War.     He  was  appointed  Governor  of  Montreal  in  1760,  and,  at  the  de- 
parture of  Amherst  from  America,  in  1763,  was  commissioned  command- 
er-in-chief of  the  British  forces  in  America.     He  superseded  Hutchinson 

as  Governor  of  ^Massachusetts,  and  had  the  misfortune  to  enter  upon  the  CJ^  ^  ^y^f^  Py^ 
duties  of  his  office  at  a  time  when  it  became  necessary  for  him,  as  a  fiith-  /7'lyC  •  '%/  7^  3"*^ 
ful  servant  of  his  king,  to  execute  laws  framed  expressly  for  the  infliction 
of  chastisement  upon  the  people  of  the  capital  of  the  colony  over  which  ho 
was  placed.  From  that  date  his  public  acts  are  interwoven  with  the  his- 
tory of  the  times.  He  possessed  a  naturally  amiable  disposition,  and  his 
benevolence  often  outweighed  his  justice  in  the  scale  of  duty.  Under  other  circumstances  his  name  mitrht 
have  been  sweet  in  the  recollection  of  the  Americans;  now  it  is  identified  with  oppression  and  hatred  of 
freedom.  He  went  to  England  in  the  autumn  of  1775,  where  he  died  in  April,  1787.  Ga^e  expected  to 
return  to  America  and  resume  the  command  of  the  army ;  but  ministers  determined  otherwise,  and  appointed 
General  Howe  in  his  place.  The  situation  was  offered  to  the  veteran  Oglethorpe,  the  founder  of  Georgia, 
but  as  he  would  not  accept  the  conamission  unless  he  could  go  to  the  Americans  with  assurances  from  "ov- 


574 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Loyal  Address  to  Gage.     Superiority  of  Howe.     Fortificationa  in  Boston.     The  "  Old  South"  desecrated.     Officers  frightened. 

cipal  inhabitants  of  Boston,  and  several  who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  country,  in  all  about 
seventy  persons,  addressed  him  in  terms  of  loyal  affection,  amounting  to  panegyric.  It  was 
certainly  unmerited  ;  for  his  civil  administration  had  been  weak,  and  his  military  operations 
exceedingly  inefficient.  This  was  felt  by  all  parties.  His  departure  was  popular  with  the 
army  ;  and  the  provincials,  remembering  the  spirit  displayed  by  General  Howe  in  the  battle 
on  Breed's  Hill,  anticipated  a  speedy  collision.  Howe  was  superior  to  Gage  in  every  par- 
ticular, and  possessed  more  caution,  which  was  generally  found- 
ed upon  logical  deductions  from  fact.  Governed  by  that  cau- 
tion, he  was  quite  as  unwilling  as  Gage  to  attack  the  Amer- 
icans. He  remembered  the  disparity  in  numbers  on  the  17th 
of  June,  and  the  bravery  of  the  provincials  while  fighting  be- 
hind breast-works  cast  up  in  a  single  night.  He  properly  ar- 
gued that  an  army  of  the  same  sort  of  men,  fifteen  thousand 
strong,  intrenched  behind  breast-works  constructed  by  the  labor 
of  weeks,  was  more  than  a  match  for  even  his  disciplined  troops 
of  like  number,  and  prudently  resolved  to  await  expected  re-en- 
-forcements  from  Ireland  before  he  should  attempt  to  procure 
that  "  elbow-room"  which  he  coveted.'  In  the  mean  while,  he 
strengthened  his  defenses,  and  prepared  to  put  his  troops  into 
comfortable  winter  quarters.  He  built  a  strong  fort  on  Bunker 
Hill,^  and  employed  six  hundred  men  in  making  additional  for- 
tifications upon  Boston  Neck.  In  the  neighborhood  of  the  hay- 
market,  at  the  south  end  of  the  city,  many  buildings  were  pull- 
ed doM'n,  and  works  erected  in  their  places.  Strong  redoubts 
were  raised  upon  the  different  eminences  in  Boston,  and  the  old 
South  meeting-house  was  stripped  of  its  pews  and  converted 
into  a  riding-school  for  the  disciplining  of  the  cavalry.'  This 
last  act  took  place  on  the  1 9th  of  October,  and  the  desecration 
greatly  shocked  the  feelings  of  the  religious  community.  On 
October  ^^^  28th,  Howe  issued  three  proclamations,  which 
created  much  indignation,  and  drew  forth  retaliatory 


1775. 


Bkitish  Fokt  on  Bunkeb  Hill 


ernment  that  strict  justica  should  be  done  them,  the  post  was  assigned  to  Howe.     This  was  a  tacit  admis- 
sion, on  the  part  of  ministers,  that  justice  to  the  Americans  formed  no  part  of  their  scheme. 

^  It  is  said  that  both  officers  and  soldiers  regarded  the  Americans  with  a  degree  of  superstitious  fear,  for 
many  highly  exaggerated  tales  of  their  power  had  been  related.  Dr.  Thatcher  says  (Journal,  p.  38)  that, 
according  to  letters  written  by  British  officers  from  Boston,  some  of  them,  while  walking  on  Beacon  Hill  in 
the  evening,  soon  after  the  arrival  of  Gage,  were  frightened  by  noises  in  the  air,  which  they  took  to  be  the 
whizzing  of  bullets.  They  left  the  hill  with  great  precipitation,  and  reported  that  they  were  shot  at  with 
air-guns.  The  whizzing  noise  -which  so  much  alarmed  these  valiant  officers  was  no  other  than  the  whiz- 
zing of  bugs  and  beetles  while  flying  in  the  air.  Trumbull,  in  his  MTingall,  thus  alludes  to  this  ludicrous 
eii-cunistance : 

"  No  more  the  British  colonel  runs 

From  whizzing  beetles  as  au'-guns  ; 

Thinks  horn-bugs  bullets,  or,  through  fears, 

Mosquitoes  takes  for  musketeers ; 

Nor  'scapes,  as  if  you'd  gain'd  supplies 

From  Beelzebub's  whole  host  of  flies. 

No  bug  these  warlike  hearts  appals ; 

They  better  know  the  sound  of  balls." 

'  This  was  a  well-built  redoubt.  The  parapet  was  from  six  to  fifteen  feet  broad ;  the  ditch  from  four- 
teen to  eighteen  feet  wide,  and  the  banquet  about  four  feet  broad.  The  galleries  and  parapet  before  them 
were  raised  about  twenty  feet  high,  and  the  merlons  at  the  six-gun  battery  in  the  center  were  about  twelve 
feet  high,  a  a,  two  temporary  magazines ;  b  b,  barracks ;  c,  guard-houses ;  d^  magazine ;  e,  advanced 
ditch ;   h  h,  bastions. 

^  A  Mr.  Carter,  quoted  by  Frothingham,  writing  on  the  19th  of  October,  says,  "We  are  now  erecting 
redoubts  on  the  eminences  on  Boston  Common ;  and  a  meeting-house,  where  sedition  has  been  often  preach- 
ed, is  clearing  out  to  be  made  a  riding-school  for  the  light  dragoons."  Gordon  says,  "  In  clearing  every 
thing  away,  a  beautiful  carved  pew,  with  silk  furniture,  formerly  belonging  to  a  deceased  gentleman  [Dea- 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  575 


Harsh  Measures,  and  Retaliarion.         Congress  Comraittee  at  Head-quarters.         Little  Navy  organized.         Floating  Batteries 

measures  from  Washington.  The  first  forbade  all  persons  leaving  the  town  without  per- 
mission, under  pain  of  military  execution  ;  the  second  prohibited  persons  who  were  permit- 
ted to  go  from  carrying  with  them  more  than  twenty-five  dollars  in  cash,  under  pain  of  for- 
feiture— one  half  of  the  amount  to  be  paid  to  the  informer  ;  and  the  third  ordered  all  the 
inhabitants  within  the  town  to  associate  themselves  into  military  companies.  Washington 
retaliated  by  ordering  General  Sullivan,  who  was  about  departing  for  Portsmouth,  New 
Hampshire,  to  seize  all  officers  of  government  unfriendly  to  the  patriots.  Similar  orders 
were  sent  to  Governor  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  and  Deputy-governor  Cooke,  of  Rhode 
Island. 

While  Howe  was  thus  engaged,  Washington  was  not  idle.  A  committee  of  Congress, 
consisting  of  Dr.  Franklin,  Thomas  Lynch,  and  Benjamin  Harrison  (father  of  the  late  Pres- 
ident Harrison),  arrived  at  head-quarters  on  the  18  th  of  October,  to  confer  with  the  com- 
mander-in-chief respecting  future  operations.  Deputy-governor  Griswold  and  Judge  Wales, 
of  Connecticut ;  Deputy-governor  Cooke,  of  Rhode  Island  ;  several  members  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Council,  and  the  President  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New  Hampshire,  were 
present  at  the  conference,  which  lasted  several  days,  and  such  a  system  of  operations  was 
matured  as  was  satisfactory  to  General  Washington.'  A  plan  was  agreed  upon  for  an  en- 
tirely new  organization  of  the  army,  which  provided  for  the  enlistment  of  twenty-six  regi- 
ments of  eight  companies  each,  besides  riflemen  and  artillery.  Already  measures  had  been 
adopted  to  organize  a  navy.  As  early  as  June,  Rhode  Island  had  fitted  out  two  armed 
vessels  to  protect  the  waters  of  that  colony  ;  Connecticut,  at  about  the  same  time, 
one  or  two  armed  vessels  ;  and,  on  the  26th  of  June,  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachu- 
setts resolved  to  provide  six  armed  vessels.  None  of  the  latter  had  been  got  in  readiness  as 
late  as  the  12  th  of  October,  as  appears  by  a  letter  from  Washington  to  the  President  of  the 
Continental  Congress. 

Having  received  no  instructions  from  Congress  on  the  subject,  Washington  took  the  re- 
ijponsibility,  under  his  general  delegated  powers,  of  making  preparations  to  annoy  the  enemy 
oy  water.  Agents  were  appointed  to  superintend  the  construction  of  vessels,  and  to  furnish 
supplies.  Captain  Broughton,  of  Marblehead,  received  a  naval  commission  from  Washing- 
ton, dated  September  2d,  1775,  the  first  of  the  kind  issued  by  the  Continental  Congress 
through  its  authorized  agent.  Before  the  close  of  October,  six  vessels  of  small  size^  had  been 
armed  and  manned,  and  sent  to  cruise  _ 

within   the   capes   of  Massachusetts  ^.-^r   — —  >*^=^~_  /?,»/ 

Bay.      Two  strong  floating  batteries  '=am^«^ -^f^^    l'^ 

were  launched,  armed,  and  manned  -i--—  '.""  -'^  ■  -:-^S3p5S9l85iJ|^ 

in  the   Charles  River ;   and,  on  the  '.^^^^^^--^~7==<^_''_  «    ..      »';J_^gpPBR_, 

26th  of  October,  they  opened  a  fire  -— r^^^^^^^^^^^^i^T.^^^^J.  ; ';    -_ jcj^^f"  -, 

upon  Boston  that  produced  great  alarm  :=^^^^^^^^^^^gife-T?V-r  :sii^~~ 

and  damaged  several  houses.      The 
six  schooners  commissioned  by  Wash- 


Ajiekican  Floating  Batti 


con  Hubbard]  in  high  estimation,  wa.s  taken  down  and  canied  to  IVIr.  John  Armory's  house,  by  the  order 
of  an  officer,  who  applied  the  carved  work  to  the  erection  of  a  hog-stye." 

'  While  Dr.  Franklin  was  at  head-quarters,  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts  paid  him  the  re- 
maining moneys  due  him  for  services  as  agent  for  the  colony  in  England,  amounting  to  nine  thousand  two 
hundred  and  seventy  dollars.  Five  hundred  dollars  had  been  sent  to  him  from  London  as  a  charitable  do- 
nation for  the  relief  of  the  Americans  wounded  in  the  .skirmishes  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  and  for  the 
widows  and  orphans  of  those  who  were  killed.     This  sum  he  paid  over  to  the  proper  committee. 

*  The  names  of  five  of  these  vessels  were  Hannah,  Harrison,  Lee,  Washington,  and  Lynch.  The  six 
commanders  were  Broughton,  Selman,  Manly,  Martindale,  Coit,  and  Adams. 

'  I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Peter  Force,  Esq.,  of  Washington  city  (editor  of  "  The  American  Ar- 
chives"), for  this  drawing  of  one  of  the  American  floating  batteries  used  in  the  siege  of  Boston.  It  is  copied 
from  an  English  manu.script  in  his  possession,  and  is  now  published  for  the  first  time.  I  have  never  met 
with  a  description  of  those  batteries,  and  can  judge  of  their  construction  only  from  the  drawing.  They  ap- 
pear to  have  been  made  of  strong  planks,  pierced,  near  the  water-line,  for  oars ;  along  the  sides,  higher  up, 
for  light  and  musketry.     A  heavy  giin  was  placed  in  each  end,  and  upon  the  top  were  four  swivels      The 


I 


,5  76  PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 

Vessels  of  War  authorized  by  Congiesa.  Letters  of  Mai-que  and  Reprisal.  Condition  of  the  Anny  before  Boston. 

ington,  and  the  floating  batteries,  sailed  under  the  pine-tree  flag.  The  Continental  Congress 
» October  13,      authorized  two  vessels  to  be  fitted  out  and  manned  :^  aftervi^ard  two  others,  one 

1775 

b  October  30.  of  twenty  and  one  of  thirty-six  guns.  Were  ordered.'^  On  the  28th  of  November, 
a  code  of  naval  regulations  was  adopted.  On  the  1st  of  February  following  (1776),  the 
navy,  if  so  it  might  be  properly  called,  was  formed  into  a  new  establishment,  being  composed 
of  four  vessels — the  Hancock,  Captain  Manly  ;  the  Warner,  Captain  Burke ;  the  Lynch, 
Captain  Ayres  ;  and  the  Harrison,  Captain  Dyer.  Captain  Manly  was  the  commodore  of 
the  little  fleet.'  In  November,  the  Massachusetts  Provincial  Congress  issued  letters  of 
marque  and  reprisal,  and  established  courts  of  admiralty.  Such  was  the  embryo  of  the  navy 
of  the  United  States.  A  more  detailed  account  of  the  organization  of  the  navy  and  its  oper- 
ations during  the  Pvevolution,  will  occupy  a  chapter  in  another  portion  of  this  work.  I  have 
mentioned  here  only  so  much  as  related  to  operations  connected  with  the  siege  of  Boston. 

The  term  of  enlistment  of  many  of  the  troops  was  now  drawing  to  a  close,  and  Washing- 
ton felt  great  apprehensions  for  the  result.  Nearly  six  months  had  elapsed  since  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  yet  nothing  had  been  done,  decisively,  to  alter  the  relations  in  which  the 
belligerents  stood  toward  each  other.  The  people  began  to  murmur,  and  the  general  Con- 
gress fretted.  New  enlistments  were  accomplished  tardily,  and  in  December  not  more  than 
five  thousand  recruits  had  joined  the  army.  It  became  excessively  weakened  in  numbers 
and  spirit,  and  as  the  cold  increased,  want  of  comfortable  clothing  and  fuel  became  an  almost 
insupportable  hardship.  Many  regiments  were  obliged  to  eat  their  provisions  raw,  for  the 
want  of  wood  to  cook  them.  Fences,  and  the  fruit  and  shade  trees  for  more  than  a  mile 
around  the  camp,  were  used  for  fuel.  The  various  privations  in  the  camp  produced  frequent 
desertions.  The  Connecticut  troops  demanded  a  bounty,  and  being  refused,  resolved  to  leave 
the  camp  in  a  body  on  the  6th  of  December.  Measures  were  taken  to  prevent  the  move- 
ment, yet  many  went  off'  and  never  returned.  The  commander-in-chief  was  filled  with  the 
greatest  anxiety.  Still,  he  hopefully  worked  on  in  preparation  for  action,  either  offensive 
or  defensive.  A  strong  detachment  under  Putnam  broke  ground  at  Cobble  Hill  (now 
M'Lean  Asylum)  ;  the  works  on  Lechmere's  Point  were  strengthened,  and  a  call  that  was 
made  upon  the  New  England  militia  to  supply  the  places  of  the  troops  that  left  the  army 
in  its  hour  of  peril,  was  nobly  responded  to. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  most  of  the  regiments  were  full ;  and  about  ten  thousand  minute 
men,  chiefly  in  Massachusetts,  were  held  in  ready  reserve  to  march  when  called  upon.  The 
camp  was  well  supplied  with  provisions  f  order  was  generally  observed,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  fortnight  a  wonderful  change  for  the  better  v/as  wrought.  The  ladies  of  several  of  the 
officers  arrived  in  camp  ;  and  the  Christmas  holidays  were  spent  at  Cambridge  quite  agree- 
ably, for  hope  gave  joy  to  the  occasion.^ 

ensio-n  was  the  pine-tree  flag,  according  to  Colonel  Reed,  who,  in  a  letter  from  Cambridge  to  Colonels  Glover 
and  Moylan,  dated  October  20th,  1775,  said,  "  Please  to  fix  some  particular  color  for  a  flag,  and  a  signal 
by  which  our  vessels  may  know  one  another.  What  do  you  think  of  a  flag  with  a  white  ground,  a  tree  in 
the  middle,  the  motto  'Appeal  to  Heaven?'     This  is  the  flag  of  our  floating  batteries." 

'■  Sparks's  Life  and  Writings  of  Washington,  iii.,  516. 

*  The  rations  for  the  soldiers  were  as  follows :  corned  beef  and  pork  four  days  in  the  week,  salt  fish  one 
day,  and  fresh  beef  two  days.  Each  man  had  a  pound  and  a  half  of  beef,  or  eighteen  ounces  of  pork  a  day; 
one  quart  of  strong  beer,  or  nine  gallons  of  molasses,  to  one  hundred  men  per  week ;  six  pounds  of  candles 
to  one  hundred  men  per  week  ;  six  ounces  of  butter,  or  nine  ounces  of  hogs'  lard  per  week ;  three  pints  of 
beans  or  pease,  per  man,  a  week,  or  vegetables  equivalent ;  one  pound  of  flour  per  day,  and  hard  bread  to 
be  dealt  out  one  day  in  the  week. 

^  Mrs.  Washington  arrived  on  the  11th  of  December,  accompanied  by  her  son,  John  Parke  Custis,  and  his 
wife.  Some  persons  thought  her  in  danger  at  Mount  Vernon,  as  Lord  Dunmore  was  making  the  most  de- 
termined hostile  movements  against  republicanism  in  Virginia.  It  was  feared  that  he  might  attempt  to 
seize  the  person  of  Lady  Washington,  to  be  held  as  a  hostage.  As  the  commander-in-chief  could  not  leave 
the  army,  she  was  requested  to  pass  the  winter  with  him  at  Cambridge.  The  expenses  incm-red  by  the 
occasional  visits  of  Mrs.  Washington  to  the  camp  during  the  war  were  charged  to  the  government.  Wash- 
ington was  careful  to  call  attention  to  this  fact,  and  in  the  rendition  of  his  accounts  for  settlement  he  refers 
to  it,  and  expresses  a  hope  that  the  charges  will  be  considered  right,  inasmuch  as  he  had  not  visited  his 
home  during  his  time  of  service,  a  privilege  which  he  was  allowed  by  the  terms  of  his  appointment. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


577 


first  unfurling  of  the  Union  Hag. 


Return  of  t^olonel  Knox,  with  heavy  artillery. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

"  When  Freedom,  from  her  mountain  height, 
Unfurl'd  her  standard  to  the  air, 
She  tore  the  azure  rohe  of  night. 

And  set  the  stars  of  glory  there. 
She  mingled  with  its  gorgeous  dyes 
The  milky  baldric  of  the  skies, 
And  striped  its  pure  celestial  white 
With  streakings  of  the  morning  light ; 
Then   from  his  mansion  in  the  sun 
She  call'd  her  eagle-bearer  down. 
And  gave  into  his  mighty  hand 
The  symbol  of  her  choscYi  land." 

Joseph  Rodman  Drake. 


7~  ■  N  the  first  of  January,  1776,  the 
1^'.  ^  new  Continental  army  was  organ- 
^S><^/'^      ized,  and  on  that  day  the  Union 

,:    V'       •>-r^'         FLAG   OF   THIRTEEN   STRIPES  waS  UH- 

'-V' ;    furled,  for  the  first  time,  in  the  American 
,       '■       camp   at   Cambridge.      On   that    day    the 
ing  s  speech  (of  which  I  shall  presently  write)  was 
received  in  Boston,  and  copies  of  it  were  sent,  by  a 
flag,  to  Washington.     The  hoisting  of  the  Union  en- 
sign was  hailed  by  Howe  as  a  token  of  joy  on  the  re- 
ceipt of  the  gracious  speech,  and  of  submission  to  the 
crown.'  ^  This  \vas  a  great  mistake,  for  at  no  time  had 
Washington   been  more  determined   to    attack  the  king's 
troops,  and  to  teach  oppressors  the  solemn  lesson  that  "  Re- 
':■"      sistance  to  tyranny  is  obedience  to  God." 
After  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Knox  with  military  stores  from  the 
north,  whither  he  had  been  sent  in  November,  the  commander-in-chief 
resolved  to  attack  the  enemy,  either  by  a  general  assault,  or  by  bombard- 
ment and  cannonade,  notwithstanding  the  British  force  was  then  near- 
ly equal  to  his  in  numbers,  and  greatly  superior  in  experience.      Knox 
brought  with  him  from  Fort  George,  on  forty-two  sleds,  eight  brass  mor- 
tars, six  iron  mortars,  two  iron  howitzers,  thirteen  brass  cannons,  twenty- 
six  iron  cannons,  two  thousand  three  hundred  pounds  of  lead,  and  one 

'  Washington,  in  a  letter  to  Joseph  Reed,  written  on  the  4th  of  January,  1776,  said,  "  The  speech  I  send 
you.  A  volume  of  them  was  sent  out  by  the  Boston  gentry,  and,  farcical  enough,  we  gave  great  joy  to 
them  without  knowing  or  intending  it ;  for  on  that  day,  the  day  which  gave  being  to  the  new  army,  but  be- 
fore  the  proclamation  came  to  hand,  we  had  hoisted  the  Union  flag,  in  compliment  to  the  United  Colonie.«. 

*  This  flag  bore  the  device  of  the  English  I'nion,  which  distinguishes  the  Royal  Standard  of  Great  Britain.  It  is  compcsed 
of  the  cross  of  Si.  George,  to  denote  England,  and  St.  Andrew's  cross,  in  the  form  of  an  X,  to  denote  Scotland.  This  device 
was  placed  in  the  corner  of  the  Royal  Flag,  after  the  accession  of  James  the  Sixth  of  Scotland  to  the  throne  of  England  an 
James  the  First.  A  picture  of  this  device  may  be  seen  on  page  321,  Vol.  II.  It  must  be  remembered  that  at  this  lime  the  Amer- 
ican Congress  had  not  declared  the  colonies  "free  and  independent"  states,  and  that  even  yet  the  Americans  BrolTered  their 
warmest  loyalty  to  British  justice,  when  it  should  redress  their  grievances.  The  British  ensign  was  therefore  not  yet  dis- 
carded, but  It  was  used  upon  their  flags,  as  in  this  instance,  with  the  field  composed  of  thirteen  stripes,  alternate  red  and  while, 
as  emblematic  of  the  union  of  the  thirteen  colonies  in  the  struggle  for  freedom.  Ten  months  befon-,  "a  I'liion  flag  with  a  red 
field"  was  hoisted  at  New  York,  upon  the  Liberty-pole  on  the  "Common,"  bearing  the  inscription— "  George  Rex,  and  tlia 
Liberties  of  America,"  and  upon  the  other  side,  "  No  I'opery."  It  was  this  British  I'nion,  on  the  American  flag,  which  caused 
the  misappreherviion  of  the  British  in  Boston,  alluded  to  by  Washington.  It  was  a  year  and  a  half  later  (and  a  year  after  thu 
colonies  were  declared  to  be  independent  states),  that,  by  official  orders,  "thirteen  while  stars  upon  a  blue  field"  was  a  devicti 
substituted  for  the  British  I'nion,  and  then  the  "stripes  and  stars"  became  our  national  banner. 

I.  2  0 


578  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Plan  of  Attack  on  Boston.     Re-enforcement  of  the  Army.     Council  of  War.    Number  of  the  Troops.    Situation  of  Washingtoa 

barrel  of  flints.  In  the  harbor  of  Boston  the  enemy  had  several  vessels  of  war,'  and  upon 
Bunker  Hill  his  works  were  very  strong. 

Washington's  plan  depended,  in  its  execution,  upon  the  weather,  as  it  was  intended  to 
pass  the  troops  over  to  Boston,  from  Cambridge,  on  the  ice,  if  it  became  strong  enough. 
The  Neck  was  too  narrow  and  too  well  fortified  to  allow  him  to  hope  for  a  successful  effort 
to  enter  the  town  by  that  way.  The  assault  was  to  be  made  by  the  Americans  in  two  divi- 
sions, under  Brigadiers  Sullivan  and  Greene,  the  whole  to  be  commanded  by  Major-general 
Putnam.  Circumstances  prevented  the  execution  of  the  plan,  and  January  passed  by  with- 
out any  decisive  movement  on  the  part  of  either  army.  The  American  forces,  however, 
were  daily  augmenting,  and  they  were  less  annoyed  by  the  British  cannon  than  they  had 
oeen,  for  Howe  was  more  sparing  of  powder  than  Gage.' 

The  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  at  its  winter  session,  organized  the  militia  of 
the  province  anew.  John  Hancock,  James  Warren,  and  Azor  Orne  were  appointed  major 
generals,  and  thirteen  regiments  were  formed.  A  new  emission  of  paper  money,  to  a  large 
amount,  was  authorized,  and  various  measures  were  adopted  to  strengthen  the  Continental 
army.  Early  in  February,  ten  of  the  militia  regiments  arrived  in  camp  ;  large  supplies  of 
ammunition  had  been  received  ;  intense  cold  had  bridged  the  waters  with  ice,  and  Washing- 
ton was  disposed  to  commence  operations  immediately  and  vigorously.  He  called  a  council 
February     ^^  ^^^  ^^  *^®  1 6^^'  ^^  whom  he  Communicated  the  intelligence,  derived  from  care- 

1776.  fui  returns,  that  the  American  army,  including  the  militia,  then  amounted  to  a 
little  more  than  seventeen  thousand  men,  while  that  of  the  British  did  not  much  exceed  five 
thousand  fit  for  duty.  Many  of  them  were  sick  with  various  diseases,  and  the  small-pox 
was  makings  terrible  havoc  in  the  enemy's  camp.^  E,e-enforcements  from  Ireland,  Halifax, 
and  New  York  were  daily  expected  by  Howe,  and  the  present  appeared  to  be  the  proper 
moment  to  strike.  But  the  council  again  decided  against  attempting  an  assault,  on  account 
of  the  supposed  inadequacy  of  the  undisciplined  Americans  for  the  task.  They  estimated 
the  British  forces  at  a  much  higher  figure  ;  considered  the  fact  that  they  were  double  offi- 
cered and  possessed  ample  artillerj',  and  that  the  ships  in  the  harbor  would  do  great  execu- 
tion upon  an  army  on  the  ice,  exposed  to  an  enfilading  fire.  It  was  resolved,  however,  to 
bombard  and  cannonade  the  town  as  soon  as  a  supply  of  ammunition  should  arrive,  and  that, 
in  the  mean  time,  Dorchester  Heights  and  Noddle's  Island  (now  East  Boston)  should  be 
taken  possession  of  and  fortified.  The  commander-in-chief  was  disappointed  at  this  decision, 
for  he  felt  confident  of  success  himself  "I  can  not  help  acknowledging,"  he  said,  in  a  letter 
February  18      *°  Congress,  "that  I  have  many  disagreeable  sensations  on  account  of  my  situ- 

^'^'^^-  ation  ;  for,  to  have  the  eyes  of  the  whole  Continent  fixed  with  anxious  expecta- 

tion of  hearing  of  some  great  event,  and  to  be  restrained  in  every  military  operation  for  the 
want  of  the  necessary  means  for  carrying  it  on,  is  not  very  pleasing,  especially  as  the  means 

But  behold  !  it  was  received  in  Boston  as  a  token  of  the  deep  impression  the  speech  had  made  upon  us,  and 
as  a  signal  of  submission.  So  we  hear  by  a  person  out  of  Boston  last  night.  By  this  time,  I  presume,  they 
begin  to  think  it  strange  that  we  have  not  made  a  formal  surrender  of  our  lines."  The  principal  flag  hith- 
erto used  by  the  army  was  pkin  crimson.  Referring  to  the  reception  of  the  king's  speech,  the  Annual 
Register  (1776)  says,  "So  great  was  the  rage  and  indignation  [of  the  Americans],  that  they  burned  the 
speech,  changed  their  colors  from  a  plain  red  ground  which  they  had  hitherto  used,  to  a  flag  with  thirteen 
stripes,  as  a  symbol  of  the  number  and  union  of  the  colonies."  The  blue  field  in  one  corner,  with  thirteen 
stars,  M'as  soon  afterward  adopted ;  and  by  a  resolution  of  the  Continental  Congress,  already  referred  to, 
passed  on  the  14th  of  June,  1777,*  this  was  made  the  national  flag  of  the  United  States. 

'  The  Boyne,  sixty-four  guns ;  Preston,  fifty  guns ;  Scarborough,  and  another  sloop,  one  of  twenty  and 
the  other  of  sixteen  guns,  and  the  Mercury. 

*  From  the  burning  of  Charlestown  to  Christmas  day,  the  enemy  had  fired  more  than  two  thousand  shot 
and  shells,  one  half  of  the  former  being  twenty-four  pounders.  They  hurled  more  than  three  hundred  bombs 
at  Plowed  Hill,  and  one  hundred  at  Lechmere's  Point.  By  the  whole  firing  on  the  Cambridge  side  they 
killed  only  seven  men,  and  on  the  Roxbury  side  just  a  dozen  ! — Gordon,  i.,  418. 

'  Quite  a  number  of  people,  sick  with  this  loathsome  disease,  were  sent  out  of  Boston  ;  and  General  Howe 
was  charged  w'th  the  wicked  design  of  attempting  thus  to  infect  the  American  army  with  the  malady. 

»  Journals,  iii.,  194. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  579 


Condition  of  the  British  IVoops  in  Boston.     A  Farce  and  its  Termination.     Bombardment  of  Boston.    Industry  of  the  Patriots. 

used  to  conceal  my  weakness  from  the  enemy  conceal  it  also  from  our  friends,  and  add  to  their 
wonder."     In  the  midst  of  these  discouragements  Washington  prepared  for  a  bombardment. 

The  British  troops  in  Boston  were  beginning  to  be  quite  contented  with  their  lot,  and 
Howe  felt  almost  as  secure  as  if  he  was  on  the  shores  of  Old  England.  He  wrote  to  Dart- 
mouth that  he  was  under  no  apprehension  of  an  attack  from  the  rebels  ;  and  so  confident 
were  the  Tories  of  the  triumph  of  British  arms,  that  Crean  Brush,  a  conceited  and  syco- 
phantic Loyalist  from  New  York,  oflered  to  raise  a  body  of  volunteers  of  three  January  10, 
hundred  men,  to  "  occupy  the  main  posts  on  the  Connecticut  River,  and  open  a  ^"''• 
line  of  communication  westward  toward  Lake  Champlain,"  after  "  the  subduction  of  the 
main  body  of  the  rebel  force."'  The  enemy  had  also  procured  a  plentiful  supply  of  provi- 
sions, and  the  winter,  up  to  the  1st  of  February,  was  tolerably  mild.  "  The  bay  is  open," 
wrote  Colonel  Moylan,  from  Roxbury.  "  Every  thing  thaws  here  except  Old  Put.  He  is 
still  as  hard  as  ever,  crying  out,  '  Powder  I  powder  I  ye  gods,  give  me  powder  I' "  The 
British  officers  established  a  theater  ;  balls  were  held,  and  a  subscription  had  been  opened 
for  a  masquerade,  when  Washington's  operations  suddenly  dispelled  their  dream  of  security, 
and  called  them  to  lay  aside  the  "  sock  and  buskin,"  the  domino,  and  the  dancing-slipper, 
for  the  habiliments  of  real  war.  They  had  got  up  a  farce  called  "  Boston  Blockaded  ;"* 
they  were  now  called  to  perform  in  the  serio-comic  drama  of  Boston  bombarded,  with  appro- 
priate costume  and  scenery. 

The  design  of  Washington  to  fortify  Dorchester  Heights  was  kept  a  profound  secret,  and, 
to  divert  the  attention  of  Howe,  the  Americans  opened  a  severe  bombardment  and  cannon- 
ade, on  the  night  of  the  2d  of  March,  from  the  several  batteries  at  Lechmere's  Point, 
Roxbury,  Cobble  and  Plov/ed  Hills,  and  Lamb's  Dam.  Several  houses  in  the  city 
were  shattered,  and  six  British  soldiers  killed.  The  fire  was  returned  with  spirit,  but  with 
out  serious  eflect.  In  the  course  of  the  bombardment,  the  Americans  burst  the  "Congress'' 
thirteen  inch  mortar,  another  of  the  same  size,  and  three  ten  inch  mortars. 

On  Sunday  and  Monday  nights  a  similar  cannonade  was  opened  upon  the  city.  n^Tch  3, 4, 
At  seven  o'clock  on  Monday  evening.  General  Thomas,  with  two  thousand  men,  ^'^^■ 
and  intrenching  tools,  proceeded  to  take  possession  of  Dorchester  Heights.  A  train  of  three 
hundred  carts,  laden  with  fascines  and  hay,  followed  the  troops.  Within  an  hour,  march- 
ing in  perfect  silence,  the  detachment  reached  the  heights.  It  was  separated  into  two  divi- 
sions, and  upon  the  two  eminences  already  mentioned  they  commenced  throwing  up  breast- 
works. Bundles  of  hay  were  placed  on  the  town  side  of  Dorchester  Neck  to  break  the  rum- 
ble of  the  carts  passing  to  and  fro,  and  as  a  defense  against  the  guns  of  the  enemy,  if  they 
should  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  troops  passing  the  Neck.  Notwithstanding  the  moon 
was  shining  brightly  and  the  air  was  serene,  the  laborers  were  not  observed  by  the  British 
sentinels.  Under  the  direction  of  the  veteran  Gridley,  the  engineer  at  Bunker  Hill,  they 
worked  wisely  and  well.  Never  was  more  work  done  in  so  short  a  time,  and  at  dawn  two 
forts  were  raised  sufficiently  high  to  afford  ample  protection  for  the  forces  within.  They 
presented  a  formidable  aspect  to  the  alarmed  Britons.  Howe,  overwhelmed  with  astonish- 
ment, exclaimed,  "  I  know  not  what  I  shall  do.  The  rebels  have  done  more  in  one  night 
than  my  whole  army  would  have  done  in  a  month."  They  had  done  more  than  merely 
raise  embankments  ;  cannons  were  placed  upon  them,  and  they  now  completely  commanded 
the  town,  placing  Britons  and  Tories  in  the  utmost  peril. 

'  Frothinfrham  ;  from  manuscripts  in  the  oflice  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  Ma.ssachusetts. 

'  This  play  was  a  burletta.  The  figure  desifrned  to  represent  Washington  enters  with  uncouth  gait, 
wearing  a  large  wig,  a  long,  rusty  sword,  and  attended  by  a  country  servant  with  a  rusty  gun.  While  this 
farce  was  in  course  of  performance  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  January  (1776),  a  sergeant  entered  sud- 
denly, and  exclaimed,  "  The  Yankees  are  attacking  our  works  on  Bunker  Hill !"  The  audience  thought 
this  was  part  of  the  play,  and  laughed  immoderately  at  the  idea ;  but  they  were  soon  undeceived  by  the 
voice  of  the  burly  Howe  shouting,  "  Officers,  to  your  alarm-posts  !"  The  people  dispersed  in  great  confu- 
sion. The  cause  of  the  fright  was  the  fact  that  Majors  Knowlton,  Carey,  and  Henly  had  crossed  the  mill- 
tlam  from  Cobble  Hill,  and  set  fire  to  some  houses  in  Charlestown  occupied  by  British  soldiers.  Thcj-  burnei 
tight  dwellings,  killed  one  man,  and  brought  ofT  five  prisoners. 


580  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Astonishment  of  the  British.  Insecurity  of  the  Fleet  and  Army.  Preparations  for  Bombarding  Boston. 

The  morning  on  which  these  fortresses  were  revealed  to  the  enemy  was  the  memorable 
oth  of  March,  the  anniversary  of  the  Bo$t07i  Massacre.^  The  associations  connected  with 
the  day  nerved  the  Americans  to  more  vigorous  action,  and  they  determined  to  celebrate  and 
signalize  the  time  by  an  act  of  retributive  vengeance.  Howe  saw  and  felt  his  danger  ;  and 
nis  anxiety  was  augmented  when  Admiral  Shuldham  assured  him  that  the  British  fleet  in 
the  harbor  must  be  inevitably  destroyed  when  the  Americans  should  get  their  heavy  guns 
and  mortars  upon  the  heights.  Nor  was  the  army  in  the  city  secure.  It  was  therefore  re- 
solved to  take  immediate  measures  to  dislodge  the  provincials.  Accordingly,  two  thousand 
four  hundred  men  were  ordered  to  embark  in  transports,  rendezvous  at  Castle  William,  and, 
under  the  gallant  Earl  Percy,  make  an  attack  that  night  upon  the  rebel  works."  Wash- 
ington was  made  acquainted  with  this  movement,  and,  supposing  the  attack  was  to  be  made 
immediately,  sent  a  re-enforcement  of  two  thousand  men  to  General  Thomas.  Labor  con- 
stantly plied  its  hands  in  strengthening  the  works.  As  the  hills  on  which  the  redoubts  were 
reared  were  very  steep,  rows  of  barrels,  filled  with  loose  earth,  were  placed  outside  the  breast- 
works, to  be  rolled  down  upon  the  attacking  column  so  as  to  break  their  ranks ;  a  measure 
said  to  have  been  suggested  by  Mifflin.  All  was  now  in  readiness.  It  was  a  mild,  sunny 
day.  The  neighboring  heights  were  crowded  with  people,  expecting  to  see  the  bloody  trag- 
edy of  Breed's  Hill  acted  again.  Washington  himself  repaired  to  the  intrenchments,  and 
encouraged  the  men  by  reminding  them  that  it  was  the  5th  of  March.  The  commander- 
in-chief  and  the  troops  were  in  high  spirits,  for  they  believed  the  long-coveted  conflict  and 
victory  to  be  near. 

While  these  preparations  were  in  progress  on  Dorchester  Heights,  four  thousand  troops, 
in  two  divisions,  under  Generals  Sullivan  and  Greene,  were  parading  at  Cambridge,  ready 
to  be  led  by  Putnam  to  an  attack  on  Boston  when  Thomas's  batteries  should  give  the  signal. 
They  were  to  embark  in  boats  in  the  Charles  River,  now  clear  of  ice,  under  cover  of  three 
floating  batteries,  and,  assaulting  the  city  at  two  prominent  points,  to  force  their  way  to  the 
works  on  the  Neck,  open  the  gates,  and  let  in  the  troops  from  Hoxbury. 

Both  parties  were  ready  for  action  in  the  afternoon  ;  but  a  furious  wind  that  had  arisen 
billowed  the  harbor,  and  rolled  such  a  heavy  surf  upon  the  shore  M'here  the  boats  of  the  en- 
emy were  obliged  to  land,  that  it  was  unsafe  to  venture.  During  the  night  the  rain  came 
down  in  torrents,  and  a  terrible  storm  raged  all  the  next  day.  Howe  abandoned  his  plan, 
and  Washington,  greatly  disappointed,  returned  to  his  camp,  leaving  a  strong  force  to  guard 
the  works  on  Dorchester  Heights. 

The  situation  of  Howe  was  now  exceedingly  critical.  The  fleet  and  army  were  in  peril, 
and  the  loyal  inhabitants,  greatly  terrified,  demanded  that  sure  protection  which  Howe  had 
March  ^^  often  confidently  promised.  He  called  a  council  of  officers  on  the  7th,  when  it 
1776.  ■y^ras  resolved  to  save  the  army  by  evacuating  the  town.  This  resolution  spread 
great  consternation  among  the  Tories  in  the  city,  for  they  dreaded  the  just  indignation  of  the 
patriots  when  they  should  return.  They  saw  the  power  on  which  they  had  leaned  as  almost 
invincible  growing  weak,  and  quailing  before  those  whom  it  had  affected  to  despise.  They 
well  knew  that  severe  retribution  for  miseries  which  they  had  been  instrumental  in  inflict- 
ing, surely  awaited  them,  when  British  bayonets  should  leave  the  peninsula  and  the  excited 
patriots  should  return  to  their  desolated  homes.  The  dangers  of  a  perilous  voyage  to  a 
strange  land  seemed  far  less  fearful  than  the  indignation  of  the  oppressed  Americans,  and 
the  Loyalists  resolved  to  brave  the  former  rather  than  the  latter.  They  began,  therefore, 
to  prepare  for  a  speedy  departure ;  merchandise,  household  furniture,  and  private  property 
of  every  kind  were  crowded  on  board  the  ships.     Howe  had  been  advised  by  Dartmouth,  in 

^  The  day,  usually  observed  in  Boston,  was  now  commemorated  at  Watertown,  notwithstanding  the  ex- 
citing events  occurring  in  the  city  and  vicinity.  The  Reverend  Peter  Thacher  delivered  an  oration  on  the 
occasion. — Bradford^  94. 

^  Three  weeks  previously^  suspecting  that  the  Americans  were  about  to  take  possession  of  Dorchester 
Neck,  Howe  sent  a  detachment  from  Castle  William,  under  Lieutenant-colonel  Leslie,  and  some  grenadiers 
and  light  infantry,  under  Major  Musgrove,  to  destroy  every  house  and  other  cover  on  the  peninsula.  They 
passed  over  on  the  ice,  executed  their  orders,  and  took  six  of  the  American  guard  prisoners. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  581 


Coiiditioa  of  the  Patriots  in  Boston.      Tacit  Agreement  to  spare  the  Town.      Cannonade  renewed.      Commission  to  plunder. 

November,  to  evacuate  Boston,  but  excused  himself  by  pleading  that  the  shipping  was  inad- 
equate. He  was  now  obliged  to  leave  with  less,  and,  in  addition  to  his  troops,  take  with 
him  more  than  one  thousand  refugee  Loyalists,  and  their  eflects.  Ammunition  and  war- 
like magazines  of  all  kinds  were  hurried  on  board  the  vessels  ;  heavy  artillery,  that  could 
not  be  carried  away,  was  dismounted,  spiked,  or  thrown  into  the  sea,  and  some  of  the  forti- 
fications were  demolished.  The  number  of  ships  and  transports  was  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  ;  but  these  were  insufficient  for  the  conveyance  of  the  multitude  of  troops  and  inhabit- 
ants, their  most  valuable  property,  and  the  quantity  of  military  stores  to  be  carried  away.' 

The  few  patriots  who  remained  in  Boston  now  felt  great  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  the  town. 
They  saw  the  preparations  for  departure,  and  were  persuaded  that  the  enemy,  smarting  un- 
der the  goadings  of  disappointed  pride  and  ambition,  would  perform  some  signal  act  of  venge- 
ance before  leaving — probably  set  fire  to  the  city.''  Actuated  by  these  surmises  (which  were 
confirmed  by  the  threat  of  Howe  that  he  would  destroy  the  town  if  his  army  was  molested 
in  departing),  and  by  the  fearful  array  of  ships  which  the  admiral  had  arranged  around  the 
city,  a  delegation  of  the  most  influential  citizens  communicated  with  the  British  commander, 
through  General  Robertson.  The  conference  resulted  in  a  promise,  on  the  part  of  Howe, 
that,  if  Washington  would  allow  him  to  evacuate  quietly,  the  town  should  be  spared.  A 
communication  to  this  effect,  signed  by  four  leading  men — John  Scoliay,  Timothy  Newell, 
Thomas  Marshall,  and  Samuel  Austin — was  sent  to  the  camp  at  Pvoxbury  without  any  spe- 
cial address.  It  was  received  by  Colonel  Learned,  who  carried  it  to  Washington.  The 
commander-in-chief  observed,  that  as  it  was  an  unauthenticated  paper,  without  an  address, 
and  not  obligatory  upon  General  Howe,  he  would  take  no  notice  of  it.  Learned  commu- 
nicated this  answer  to  the  persons  through  whom  the  address  from  Boston  was  received. 
Although  entirely  non-committal,  it  was  received  as  a  favorable  answer,  and  both  parties 
tacitly  consented  to  the  arrangement. 

Washington,  however,  did  not  relax  his  vigilance,  and  continued  his  preparations  for  an 
assault  upon  Boston  if  the  enemy  did  not  speedily  leave.  A  battery  was  placed  near  the 
water  on  Dorchester  Neck  on  the  9th,  to  annoy  the  British  shipping.  On  the  same  March, 
night  a  detachment  marched  to  Nooks'  Hill,  a  point  near  the  city  completely  com-  i"''^- 
manding  it,  and  planted  a  battery  there.  A  fire  imprudently  kindled  revealed  their  labor 
in  progress  to  the  enerny.  A  severe  cannonade  was  immediately  opened  upon  the  patriots 
from  the  British  batteries  in  the  city.  This  was  a  signal  for  a  general  discharge  of  cannons 
and  mortars  from  the  various  American  batteries,  and  until  dawn  there  was  a  continual  roar 
of  heavy  guns.  More  than  eight  hundred  shot  were  fired  during  the  night.  It  was  a  fear- 
ful hour  for  the  people  of  Boston,  and  all  the  bright  anticipations  of  a  speedy  termination  of 
the  dreadful  suspense  in  which  for  months  they  had  lingered  were  clouded.  But  the  bellig- 
erents were  willing  to  avoid  bloodshed.  Washington  determined  to  have  possession  of  Bos- 
ton at  all  events,  but  preferred  to  take  it  peaceably ;  while  Howe,  too  cautious  to  risk  a  gen- 
eral action,  and  desirous  of  employing  his  forces  in  some  quarter  of  the  colonies  where  better 
success  might  be  promised,  withheld  his  cannonade  in  the  morning,  and  hastened  his  prep- 
arations for  evacuation. 

And  now  a  scene  of  great  confusion  ensued.  Those  who  were  about  to  leave  and  could 
not  p.arry  their  furniture  with  them,  destroyed  it ;  the  soldiers  broke  open  and  pillaged  many 
stores ;  and  Howe  issued  an  order  to  Crean  Brush, ^  who  had  fawned  at  his  feet  ever  since 
the  siege  began,  to  seize  all  clothing  and  dry  goods  not  in  possession  of  Loyalists,  and  place 

'  General  Howe's  official  account. 

'  Concrcss  cave  Washington  instructions  in  the  Autumn  to  destroy  Boston  if  it  should  be  necessary  to  d(i 
so  in  order  to  dislodjre  the  enemy.  This  instruction  was  given  with  the  full  sanction  of  many  patriots  who 
owned  much  property  in  the  city.  John  Hancock,  who  wa.s  probably  the  lartrest  property  holder  in  Boston, 
wrote  to  Washington,  that,  notwithstanding  such  a  measure  would  injure  him  greatly,  he  was  anxious  the 
thing  should  be  done,  if  it  would  benefit  the  cause.  Never  were  men  more  devoted  than  those  who  would 
be  the  greatest  suflerers. 

'  This  order,  which  is  dated  March  10th,  1776,  is  in  the  office  of  the  Secretaiy  of  State  of  Massachusetts, 
and  bears  Howe's  autograph. — Frothingham. 


582 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Bad  Conduct  of  the  British  Troops.  The  Embarkation.  Entrance  of  the  Americana  into  the  City.  The  RefugKeSk 

them  on  board  two  brigantines  in  the  harbor.      This  authorized  plunder  caused  great  dis- 
tress, for  many  of  the  inhabitants  were  completely  stripped.      Shops  and  dwellings  were  bro- 
ken open  and  plundered,  and  what  goods  could  not  be  carried  away  were  wantonly  destroyed. 
These  extremes  were  forbidden  in  general  order  the  next  day,  but  the  prohibition 
was  little  regarded. 

On  the  15th,  the  troops  paraded  to  march  to  the  vessels,  the  inhabitants  being  ordered 
to  remain  in  their  houses  until  the  army  had  embarked.  An  easterly  breeze  sprang  up,  and 
the  troops  were  detained  until  Sunday,  the  17th.  In  the  mean  while,  they  did  much  mis- 
chief by  destroying  and  defacing  furniture,  and  throwing  valuable  goods  into  the  river. 
They  acted  more  like  demons  than  men,  and  had  they  not  been  governed  by  officers  possessed 
of  some  prudence  and  honor,  and  controlled  by  a  fear  of  the  Americans,  the  town  would 
doubtless  have  sufiered  all  the  horrors  of  sack  and  pillage. 

Early  on  Sunday  morning,  the  embarkation  of  the  British  army  and  of  the  Loyalists  com- 
menced. The  garrison  on  Bunker  Hill  left  it  at  about  nine  o'clock.  Washington  observed 
these  movements,  and  the  troops  in  Cambridge  immediately  paraded.  Putnam  with  six 
regiments  embarked  in  boats  on  the  Charles  River,  and  landed  at  Sewall's  Point.  The  sen- 
tinels on  Bunker  Hill  appeared  to  be  at  their  posts,  but,  on  approaching,  they  were  observed 
to  be  nothing  but  effigies  ;  not  a  living  creature  was  within  the  British  works.  With  a 
loud  shout,  that  startled  the  retreating  Britons,  the  Americans  entered  and  took  possession. 
When  this  was  effected,  the  British  and  Tories  had  all  left  Boston,  and  the  fleet  that  was 
to  convey  them  away  was  anchored  in  Nantasket  Roads,  where  it  remained  ten  days.^  A 
detachment  of  Americans  entered  the  city,  and  took  possession  of  the  works  and  the  military 
stores  that  were  left  behind.^  The  gates  on  Boston  Neck  were  unbarred,  and  General  Ward, 
with  five  thousand  of  the  troops  at  Roxbury,  entered  in  triumph.  Ensign  Richards  bearing 
the  Union  flag.  General  Putnam  assumed  the  command  of  the  whole,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  Thirteen  United  Colonies  took  possession  of  all"  the  forts  and  other  defenses  which  the 
=> March  18     retreating  Britons  had  left  behind. a-     On  the  20th,  the  main  body  of  the  army, 

1776.  with  Washington  at  the  head,  entered  the  city,  amid  the  joyous  greetings  of  hund- 
reds, who  for  ten  months  had  suffered  almost  every  conceivable  privation  and  insult.  Their 
friends  from  the  country  flocked  in  by  hundreds,  and  joyful  was  the  reunion  of  many  fam- 
ilies that  had  been  separated  more  than  half  a  year.  On  the  28th,  a  thanksgiving  sermon 
was  preached  by  the  Reverend  Dr.  Elliot,  from  the  words  of  Isaiah,  "  Look  upon  Zion,  the 
city  of  our  solemnities  :  thine  eye  shall  see  Jerusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle  that 
shall  not  be  taken  down  :  not  one  of  the  stakes  thereof  shall  be  removed,  neither  shall  any 
of  the  cords  thereof  be  broken.'"     It  was  a  discourse  full  of  hope  for  the  future,  and  con- 

'  The  whole  effective  British  force  that  withdrew,  including  seamen,  was  about  eleven  thousand.  The 
Loyalists,  classed  as  follows,  were  more  than  one  thousand  in  number :  132  who  had  held  official  stations  ; 
18  clergymen;  105  persons  from  the  country;  213  merchants;  382  farmers,  traders,  and  mechanics: 
total  924.  These  returned  their  names  on  their  arrival  at  Halifax,  whither  the  fleet  sailed.  There  were 
nearly  two  hundred  more  whose  names  were  not  registered.  It  was  a  sorrowful  flight  to  most  of  them : 
for  men  of  property  left  all  behind,  and  ahuost  every  one  relied  for  daily  food  upon  rations  from  the  army 
stores.  The  troops,  in  general,  were  glad  to  depart.  Frothingham  (page  312)  quotes  from  a  letter  written 
by  a  British  officer  while  lying  in  the  harbor.  It  is  a  fair  exhibition  of  the  feelings  of  the  troops  :  "  Expect 
no  more  letters  from  Boston ;  we  have  quitted  that  place.  Washington  played  upon  the  town  for  several 
days.  A  shell  which  burst  while  we  were  preparing  to  embark  did  very  great  damage.  Our  men  have 
suffered.  We  have  one  consolation  left.  You  know  the  proverbial  expression,  '  Neither  Hell,  Hull,  nor 
Halifax  can  afford  worse  shelter  than  Boston.'  To  fresh  provision  I  have  for  many  months  been  quite  an  " 
utter  stranger.     An  egg  was  a  rarity.     The  next  letter  from  Halifax." 

*  So  crowded  were  the  vessels  with  the  Loyalists  and  their  effects  that  Howe  was  obliged  to  leave  some 
of  his  niagazines.  The  principal  articles  which  were  left  at  Castle  Island  and  Boston  were  250  pieces  oi 
cannon,  great  and  small ;  four  thirteen  and  a  half  inch  mortars  ;  2500  chaldrons  of  sea  coal ;  2500  bushel.' 
of  wheat ;  2300  bushels  of  barley ;  600  bushels  of  oats  ;  100  jars  of  oil,  containing  a  barrel  each,  and  150 
horses.  Some  of  the  ordnance  had  been  thrown  into  the  water,  but  were  recovered  b)'  the  Americans.  In 
the  hospital  at  Boston  a  large  quantity  of  medicine  was  left,  in  which  it  was  discovered  that  white  and  yel- 
low arsenic  was  mixed  !     The  object  can  be  easily  guessed. — Gordon,  ii.,  32. 

*  Isaiah,  xxxiii.,  20. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  533 


Condition  of  Boston  after  the  Evacuation.         Troops  sent  to  New  York.         Lingering  of  British  Vessels.         Final  Departure. 

firmed  the   strong  faith  of  the  hundreds   of  hsteners   in  the  final  triumph  of  liberty  in 
America. 

Sadness  settled  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  when  the  first  outburst  of  joyous  feeling  had 
subsided,  for  Boston,  the  beautiful  city — the  metropolis  of  New  England — was  a  desolation. 
Many  of  the  finest  houses  were  greatly  injured  ;  shade-trees  were  cut  down  ;  churches  were 
disfigured  ;  ornamental  inclosures  were  broken  or  destroyed  ;  and  the  public  buildings  were 
shamefully  defaced.  The  spacious  old  South  meeting-house,  as  we  have  seen,  was  changed 
into  a  riding-school ;  and  in  the  stove  that  was  put  up  within  the  arena  were  burned,  foi 
kindling,  many  rare  books  and  manuscripts  of  Prince's  fine  library.  The  parsonage  house 
belonging  to  this  society  was  pulled  down  for  fuel.  The  old  North  Chapel  was  demolished 
for  the  same  purpose,  and  the  large  wooden  steeple  of  the  West  Church  was  converted  to 
the  same  use.  Liberty  Tree,  noticed  on  page  46G,  vol.  i.,  furnished  fourteen  cords  of  wood. 
Brattle  Street  and  Ilollis  Street  churches  were  used  for  barracks,  and  Faneuil  Hall  was  con- 
verted into  a  neat  theater.'  A  shot  from  the  American  lines,  which  struck  the  tower  of 
Brattle  Street  Church,  was  picked  up,  and  subsequently  fastened  at  the  point  where  it  first 
struck,  and  there  it  remains. 

Ignorant  of  the  destination  of  Howe,  and  supposing  it  to  be  New  York,  Washington  sent 
off  five  regiments,  and  a  portion  of  the  artillery,  under  General  Heath,  for  that  March  is, 
city.  They  marched  to  New  London,  where  they  embarked,  and  proceeded  to  ^"''^■ 
New  York  through  the  Sound.  On  the  departure  of  the  main  body  of  the  British  fleet  from 
Nantasket  Roads,  Washington  ordered  the  remainder  of  the  army  to  New  York,  except  five 
regiments,  which  were  left  for  the  protection  of  Boston,  under  General  Ward.  Sullivan 
marched  on  the  27th  ;  another  brigade  departed  on  the  1st  of  April  ;  and  the  last  brigade, 
under  Spencer,  marched  on  the  4th.      Washington,  also,  left  Cambridge  for  New 

,.     ,         \,  ',  April  4. 

lork  on  that  day. 

A  portion  of  the  British  fleet,  consisting  of  five  vessels,  still  lingered  in  the  harbor,  and 
was  subsequently  joined  by  seven  transports,  filled  with  Highlanders.  The  people  of  Boston 
were  under  great  apprehension  of  Howe's  return.  All  classes  of  people  assisted  in  building 
a  fortification  on  Noddles  Island  (now  East  Boston)  and  in  strengthening  the  other  defenses. 
These  operations  were  carried  on  under  the  general  direction  of  Colonel  Gridley.  In  May, 
Captain  Mugford,  of  the  schooner  Franklin,  a  Continental  cruiser,  captured  the  Brit- 
ish ship  Hope,  bound  for  Boston,  with  stores,  and  fifteen  hundred  barrels  of  powder. 
On  the  19th,  the  Franklin  and  Lady  Washington  started  on  a  cruise,  but  got  aground  at 
Point  Shirly.  Thirteen  armed  boats  from  the  British  vessels  attacked  them,  and  a  sharp 
engagement' ensued.  Captain  Mugford,  while  fighting  bravely,  received  a  mortal  wound. 
His  last  words  were  those  used  nearly  forty  years  afterward  by  Lawrence,  "  Don't  give  up 
the  ship  I  You  will  beat  them  off!"  And  so  they  did.  The  cruisers  escaped,  and  put 
to  sea. 

In  June,  General  Lincoln  proposed  a  plan  for  driving  the  British  fleet  from  the  harbor. 
It  was  sanctioned  by  the  Massachusetts  Assembly,  and  was  put  in  execution  on  the  Mth. 
He  summoned  the  neighboring  militia,  and,  aided  by  some  of  General  Ward's  regular  troops, 
took  post  on  Moon  Island,  Hoff's  Neck,  and  at  Point  Anderton.  A  large  force  also  collected 
at  Pettick's  Island,  and  Hull ;  and  a  detacliment  with  two  eighteen  pounders  and  a  thirteen 
inch  mortar  took  post  on  Long  Island.N.  Shots  were  first  discharged  at  the  enemy  from  the 
latter  point.  The  fire  was  briskly  returned  ;  but  the  commander.  Commodore  Banks,  per- 
ceiving the  perilous  situation  of  his  little  fleet,  made  signals  for  weighing  anchor.  After 
blowing  up  the  light-house,  he  spread  his  sails  and  went  to  sea,  leaving  Boston  harbor  and 
vicinity  entirely  free  from  an  enemy,  except  in  the  few  dissimulating  Tories  who  lurked  in 
secret  places.  Through  a  reprehensible  want  of  foresight,  no  British  cruisers  were  left  in 
the  vicinity  to  warn  British  ships  of  the  departure  of  the  troops  and  fleet.  The  consequence 
was,  that  several  store-ships  from  England  soon  afterward  arrived,  and,  sailing  into  the  harbor 


Frothingham,  page  328. 


584 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Capture  of  Campbell  and  Store-ships. 


Effect  of  the  Evacuation  of  Boston. 


Medal  awarded  to  Washington 


M'ithout  suspicion,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.      In  this  way,  Lieutenant-colont 
Campbell  and  seven  hundred  men  were  made  prisoners  in  June. 

The  evacuation  of  Boston  diffused 
great  joy  throughout  the  colonies,  and 
congratulatory  addresses  were  receiv- 
ed by  Washington  and  his  officers 
from  various  legislative  bodies,  assem- 
blages of  citizens,  and  individuals. 
The  Continental  Congress  received 
intelligence  of  the  evacuation,  by  ex- 
press, on  the  25th  of  March,  and  im- 
mediately, on  motion  of  John  Adams, 
passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief and  the  soldiers  under 
his  command,  and  also  ordered  a  gold 
medal  to  be  struck  and  presented  to 
the  general.  John  Adams,  John  Jay, 
and  Stephen  Hopkins  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  prepare  a  letter  of 
thanks  and  a  proper  device  for  the 
modal.' 

The  intelligence  of  this  and  other 
events  at  Boston  within  the  preceding 
ten  months  produced  great  excitement 
in  England,  and  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  all  Europe.  The  British  Par- 
liament exhibited  violent  agitations, 
and  party  lines  began  to  be  drawn  al- 
most as  definitely  among  the  English 
people,  on  American  affairs,  as  in  the 
colonies.  In  the  spring,  strong  meas- 
ures had  been  proposed,  and  some 
were  adopted,  for  putting  down  the 
rebellion,  and  these  had  been  met  by 
counter  action  on  the  part  of  the 
American  Congress.*  During  the 
summer,  John  Wilkes,  then  Lord 
Mayor  of  London,  and  his  party,  rais- 
ed a  storm  of  indignation  against  gov- 
ernment in  the  English  capital.  He 
presented  a  violent  address  to  the  king 
in  the  name  of  the  livery  of  London, 


Gold  Medax  awakded  to  VVashinoton.^ 


^  Journals  of  Congress,  ii.,  104. 

^  Congress  issued  a  proclamation,  declaring  that  "  whatever  punishment  shall  be  inflicted  upon  any  per- 
sons in  the  power  of  their  enemies  for  favoring,  aiding,  or  abetting  the  cause  of  American  liberty,  shall  be 
retaliated  in  the  same  kind,  and  in  the  same  degree,  upon  those  in  their  power,  who  had  favored,  aided,  or 
abetted,  or  shall  favor,  aid,  or  abet  the  system  of  ministerial  oppression."  This  made  the  Tories  and  the 
British  officers  cautious  in  their  proceedings  toward  patriots  in  their  power. 

''  This  drawing  is  the  size  of  the  medal.  It  was  struck  in  Paris,  from  a  die  cut  by  Duvivier.  The  device 
is  a  head  of  Washington,  in  profile,  with  the  Latin  legend  "Georgio  Washington,  supremo  duci  exer- 
ciTiJUM  ADSERTORi  LiBERTATis  coMiTiA  Americana  ;"  "  The  American  Congress  to  George  Washington, 
commander-in-chief  of  its  armies,  the  assertors  of  freedom."  Reverse  :  troops  advancing  toward  a  town; 
others  marching  toward  the  water ;  ships  in  view ;  General  Washington  in  front,  and  mounted,  with  his 
staff,  whose  attention  he  is  directing  to  the  embarking  enemy.     The  legend  is  "  Hostibus  primo  fugaxis;" 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  58  5 


Denunciations  by  John  Wilkes.    Tlic  King  tensed.    Boldness  of  the  Common  Council.     Governor  Penn.     John  Home  Tooko 

in  which  it  was  asserted  that  it  was  plainly  to  be  perceived  that  government  intended  to  es- 
tablish arbitrary  rule  in  America  without  the  sanction  of  the  British  Constitution,  and  that 
they  were  also  determined  to  uproot  the  Constitution  at  home,  and  to  establish  despotism 
upon  the  ruins  of  English  freedom.  The  address  concluded  by  calling  for  an  instant  dis- 
missal of  the  ministers.  The  king  was  greatly  irritated,  and  refused  to  receive  the  address, 
unless  presented  in  the  corporate  capacity  of  "  mayor,  aldermen,  livery,"  Sea.  This  refusal 
Wilkes  denounced  as  a  denial  of  the  right  of  the  city  to  petition  the  throne  in  any  respectful 
manner  it  pleased  ;  "  a  right,"  he  said,  "  which  had  been  respected  even  by  the  accursed  race 
of  Stuarts."  Another  address,  embodying  a  remonstrance  and  petition,  was  prepared,  and 
inquiry  was  made  of  the  king  whether  he  would  receive  it  while  sitting  on  the  throne,  it  be- 
ing addressed  by  the  city  in  its  corporate  capacity.  The  king  replied  that  he  would  receive 
it  at  his  next  levee,  but  not  on  the  throne.  One  of  the  sheriffs  sent  by  Wilkes  to  ask  the 
question  of  his  majesty,  assured  the  king  that  the  address  would  not  be  presented  except  when 
he  was  sitting  upon  the  throne.  The  king  replied  that  it  was  his  prerogative  to  choose 
where  he  would  receive  communications  from  his  subjects.  The  livery  of  London  declared 
this  answer  to  be  a  denial  of  their  rights,  resolved  that  the  address  and  remonstrance  should 
be  printed  in  the  newspapers,  and  that  the  city  members  in  the  House  of  Commons  should 
be  instructed  to  move  for  "  an  impeachment  of  the  evil  counselors  who  had  planted  popery 
and  arbitrary  power  in  America,  and  were  the  advisers  of  a  measure  so  dangerous  to  his 
majesty  and  to  his  people  as  that  of  refusing  to  hear  petitions."*  The  common  council  adopted 
a  somewhat  more  moderate  address  and  remonstrance  which  the  king  received,  but  whether 
sitting  upon  the  throne  or  at  his  levee  is  not  recorded.'' 

On  the  23d  of  August,  the  government,  informed  of  the  events  of  the  17th  of  June 
at  Charlestown,  issued  a  proclamation  for  suppressing  rebellion,  preventing  seditious 
correspondences,  et  cetera.  Wilkes,  as  lord  mayor,  received  orders  to  have  this  proclama- 
tion read  in  the  usual  manner  at  the  Royal  Exchange.  He  refused  full  obedience,  by  caus- 
ing it  to  be  read  by  an  inferior  officer,  attended  only  by  a  common  crier  ;  disallowing  the 
officers  the  use  of  horses,  and  prohibiting  the  city  mace  to  be  carried  before  them.  The  vast 
assembly  that  gathered  to  hear  the  reading  replied  with  a  hiss  of  scorn. 

A  few  days  afterward  the  respectful  petition  of  the  Continental  Congress  was  laid  before 
the  king  by  Richard  Penn.  Earl  Dartmouth  soon  informed  Penn  that  the  king  had  resolved 
to  take  no  notice  of  it;  and  again  the  public  mind  was  greatly  agitated,  particularly  in  Lon- 
don, at  what  was  denominated  "  another  blow  at  British  liberty."  The  strict  silence  of 
ministers  on  the  subject  of  this  petition  gave  color  to  the  charge  that  they  had  a  line  of 
policy  marked  out,  from  which  wo  action  of  the  Americans  could  induce  them  to  .deviate 
short  of  absolute  submission.  The  Duke  of  Richmond  determined  to  have  this  silence  bro- 
ken, and  procured  an  examination  of  Governor  Penn  before  the  House  of  Lords.  That  ex- 
amination brought  to  light  many  facts  relative  to  the  strength  and  union  of  the  colonies 
which  ministers  would  gladly  have  concealed.     It  revealed  the  truth  that  implicit  obedience 

I"  The  enemy  for  the  first  time  put  to  flight."  The  exergue  under  the  device — ''Bostoxiom  recuperatum 
XVII  MARTii  MDccLxxvi;"  "  Boston  rccovcrcd,  17th  March,  1776." 
'  Pictorial  History  of  England,  v.,  235. 
*  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  celebrated  John  Home  Tooke,  a  vigorous  writer  and  active  politician, 
was  involved  in  a  proceeding  which,  in  November,  1775,  caused  him  to  receive  a  sentence  of  imprisonment 
for  one  year,  pay  a  fine  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  find  security  for  his  good  behavior  for  three  years.  His 
alleged  crime  was  "a  libel  upon  the  king's  troops  in  America."  The  libel  was  contained  in  an  advertise- 
ment, signed  by  him,  from  the  Constitutional  Society  (supposed  to  be  revolutionary  in  its  character),  re- 
specting the  Americans.  That  society  called  the  Lexington  affair  a  "  wwrt/cr,"  and  agreed  that  the  sum  of 
five  hundred  dollars  should  be  rai.sed  "to  be  applied  to  the  relief  of  the  widows,  orphans,  and  aged  parents 
of  our  beloved  American  fellow-subjects"  who  had  preferred  death  to  slavery.  This  was  a  set-off  against 
subscriptions  then  being  raised  in  England  for  the  widows  and  orphans  of  the  British  soldiers  who  had  per- 
ished. The  sum  raised  by  this  society  was  sent  to  Dr.  Franklin,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  paid  it  over  to  the 
proper  committee,  when  he  visited  the  army  at  Cambridge,  in  October,  under  the  direction  of  Congress. 
Out  of  the  circumstance  of  Home  Tooke's  imprisonment  arose  his  letter  to  Counselor  Dunning,  which  formed 
the  basis  of  his  subsequent  philological  work,  The  Diversions  of  PurUy,  published  in  I'^'SO. 


586 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Strength  of  the  Americans. 


Political  Change  in  the  London  Common  Council. 


Persecution  of  Stephen  Sajre. 


to  Congress  was  paid  by  all  classes  of  men  ;  that  in  Pennsylvania  alone  there  were  twenty 
thousand  efiective  men  enrolled  for  raiUtary  service,  and  four  thousand  minute  men  ;  that 
the  Pennsylvanians  perfectly  understood  the  art  of  making  gunpowder  ;  that  the  art  of  cast- 
ing cannon  had  been  carried  to  great  perfection  in  the  colonies  ;  that  small  arms  were  also 
manufactured  in  the  best  manner  ;'  that  the  language  of  Congress  was  the  voice  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  that  the  people  considered  the  petition  as  an  olive  branch ;  and  that  so  much  did  the 
Americans  rely  upon  its  effect,  that  if  rejected,  or  treated  with  scorn,  they  would  abandon 
all  hope  of  a  reconciliation. 

On  the  11th  of  October  an  address,  memorial,  and  petition,  signed  by  eleven  hundred  and 
seventy-one  "  gentlemen,  merchants,  and  traders  of  London,"  was  laid  before  his  majesty,  in 
which  it  was  charged  that  all  the  troubles  in  America,  and  consequent  injury  to  trade,  arose 
from  the  bad  policy  pursued  by  Parliament ;  and  the  new  proposition  which  had  just  leaked 
out,  to  employ  foreign  soldiers  against  the  Americans,  was  denounced  in  unmeasured  terms. 
A  counter  petition,  signed  by  nine  hundred  and  twenty  citizens  of  London,  was  presented 
three  days  afterward,  in  which  the  conduct  of  the  colonists  was  severely  censured.  This 
was  followed  by  another  on  the  same  side,  signed  by  ten  hundred  and  twenty-nine  persons, 
including  the  livery  of  London,  who,  a  few  months  previously,  under  Wilkes,  had  spoken  out 
so  boldly  against  government.  This  address  glowed  with  loyalty  to  the  king  and  indigna- 
tion against  the  rebels  !  Like  petitions  from  the  provincial  towns,  procured  by  ministerial 
agency,  came  in  great  numbers,  and  the  government,  feeling  strengthened  at  home,  contem- 
plated the  adoption  of  more  stringent  measures  to  be  pursued  in  America.  Suspected  per^ 
sons  in  England  were  closely 
watched,  and  several  were 
arraigned  to  answer  various 
charges  against  them."  Lord 
North  became  the  idol  of 
the  government  party,  and, 
in  addition  to  \i&vt\g  feted  by 
the  nobility,  and  thoroughly 
bespattered  with  fulsome  ad- 
ulation by  corporate  bodies 
and  the  ministerial  press, 
the  University  of  Oxford  had 
a  medal  struck  in  his  honor. 

Parliament  assembled  on  the  26th  of  October,  much  earlier  than  common,  on  ac- 
count of  the  prevalent  disorders.      The  king,  in  his  speech  at  the  opening,'  after  men- 
tioning the  rebellious  position  of  the  American  colonies,  expressed  (as  he  had  done  before)  his 
determination  to  act  decisively.      He  alleged  that  the  course  of  government  hitherto  had 
been  moderate  and  forbearing  !  but  now,  as  the  rebellion  seemed  to  be  general,  and  the  ob- 


Medal  stuuck  in  honor  of  Lord  North. 


'  I  have  in  ray  possession  a  musket  manufactured  here  in  1774,  that  date  being  engraved  upon  the 
breech.  It  is  quite  perfect  in  its  construction.  It  was  found  on  the  battle  field  of  Hubbardton,  in  Vermont, 
and  was  in  the  possession  of  the  son  of  an  American  officer  (Captain  Barber)  who  was  in  that  action.  See 
page  146,  of  this  volume. 

*  On  the  23d  of  October  (1775),  Stephen  Sa)Te,  a  London  banker,  an  American  by  birth,  was  arrested 
on  a  charge  of  high  treason,  made  against  him  by  a  sergeant  in  the  Guard  (also  a  native  of  America),  named 
Richardson.  He  charged  Sayre  with  having  asserted  that  he  and  others  intended  to  seize  the  king  on  his 
way  to  Parliament,  to  take  possession  of  the  town,  and  to  overturn  the  present  government.  Sayre  was 
known  to  be  a  friend  to  the  patriots,  and  on  this  charge  Lord  Rochford,  one  of  the  secretaries  of  state,  caused 
his  papers  to  be  seized  and  himself  to  be  arrested.  Sayre  was  committed  to  the  Tower,  from  which  he  was 
released  by  Lord  Mansfield,  who  granted  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  Sayre  was  subsequently  tried  and  ac- 
quitted. He  prosecuted  Lord  Rochford  for  seizing  his  papers,  and  the  court  awarded  him  a  conditional 
verdict  of  five  thousand  dollars  damages.  The  conditions  proved  a  bar  to  the  recovery  of  the  money,  and 
Sayre  was  obliged  to  suffer  a  hea\y  pecuniary  loss  in  costs,  besides  the  personal  indignity. 

^  This  is  the  speech  alluded  to  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  which  the  British  officers  in  Boston  sup- 
posed had  produced  a  determination  on  the  part  of  the  Americans  to  .submit 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  5S7 


Tenor  of  the  King's  Speech.  His  falae  Hopes.  Warm  Debates  in  Parliament  Duke  of  Grafton  in  opposition. 

jects  of  the  insurgents  an  independency  of  empire,  they  must  be  treated  as  rebels.  He  in- 
formed Parliament  that  he  had  increased  the  naval  establishment,  and  greatly  augmented 
the  land  forces,  "  yet  in  such  a  maimer  as  to  be  least  expensive  or  burdensome  to  the  king- 
dom." This  was  in  reference  to  the  employment  of  German  troops,  which  I  shall  presently 
notice.  He  professed  a  desire  to  temper  his  severity  with  mercy,  and  for  this  purpose  pio- 
posed  the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  ofler  the  olive  branch  of  peace  and  pardon  t->  all 
ofienders  among  "  the  unhappy  and  deluded  multitude"  who  should  sue  for  forgiveness,  as 
well  as  for  whole  communities  or  provinces.  He  also  expressed  a  hope  that  his  friendly  re- 
lations with  other  European  governments  would  prevent  any  interference  on  their  part  with 
his  plans.* 

The  address  of  Parliament  responsive  to  the  king's  speech  was,  of  course,  but  an  echo  of 
that  document.  It  was  firmly  opposed  by  all  the  old  leaders  of  opposition,  and  the  man- 
agement of  the  summer  campaign  in  America  was  severely  commented  upon.  Ministers 
were  charged  with  placing  their  sovereign  in  a  most  contemptible  position  before  the  world, 
and  with  wresting  from  him  the  scepter  of  colonial  power  in  the  "West.  "  They  have  acted 
like  fools  in  their  late  summer  campaign,"  said  Colonel  Barre.  "  The  British  army  at  Bos- 
ton," he  said,  "is  a  mere  wen — an  excrescence  on  the  vast  continent  of  America.  Certain 
defeat  awaits  it.  Not  the  Earl  of  Chatham,  nor  Frederic  the  Great,  nor  even  Alexander 
the  Great,  ever  gained  so  much  in  one  campaign  as  ministers  have  lost."  "  They  have  lost 
a  whole  continent,"  said  Fox ;  and  at  the  same  time  he  characterized  North  as  "  the  blun- 
dering pilot  who  had  brought  the  vessel  of  state  into  its  present  difficulties."  "  It  is  a  hor- 
rible idea,  that  the  Americans,  our  brethren,  shall  be  brought  into  submission  to  ministerial 
will  by  fleets  and  armies,"  said  General  Conway  ;  and  other  members  were  equally  severe 
upon  ministers.  In  the  Upper  House,  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  Lords  Shelburne,  Camden, 
Richmond,  Gower,  and  Cavendish,  and  the  Marquis  of  Rockingham,  took  decided  ground 
against  ministers.  Chatham  was  very  ill,  and  could  not  leave  his  country  seat.  The  Duke 
of  Grafton,  one  of  the  minority,  was  bold  in  his  denunciations,  and  in  the  course  of  an  able 
speech  declared  that  he  had  been  greatly  deceived  in  regard  to  the  Americans,  and  that 
nothing  short  of  a  total  repeal  of  every  act  obnoxious  to  the  colonists  passed  since  1763 
could  now  restore  peace.  The  Cabinet,  of  course,  did  not  concur  with  his  grace,  and  he  re- 
signed the  seals  of  office,  and  took  a  decided  stand  with  the  opposition.^  Dr.  HinchclifTe, 
bishop  of  Peterborough,  followed  Grafton,  and  also  became  identified  with  the  opposition. 
Thurlow  and  Wedderburne  were  North's  chief  supporters.  The  address  was  carried  in  both 
houses  by  large  majorities. 

Burke  again  attempted  to  lead  ministers  into  a  path  of  common  sense  and  common  jus- 
tice, by  proposing  a  conciliatory  bill.  It  included  a  proposition  to  repeal  the  November  16, 
Boston  Port  Bill ;   a  promise  not  to  tax  America  ;   a  general  amnesty  ;   and  the  i'^^^- 

calling  of  a  Congress  by  royal  authority  for  the  adjustment  of  remaining  difficulties.  North 
was  rather  pleased  with  the  proposition,  for  he  foresaw  heavy  breakers  ahead  in  the  course 

'  The  king  did  not  reckon  wisely  when  he  relied  upon  the  implied  or  even  expressed  promises  of  non- 
inter\'ention  on  the  part  of  other  powers.  He  had  made  application  to  all  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe 
to  prevent  their  subjects  from  aiding  the  rebel  colonics  by  sending  them  arms  or  ammunition ;  and  they  all 
professed  a  friendship  for  England,  while,  at  the  same  time,  she  was  the  object  of  their  bitterest  jealousy 
and  hate,  on  account  of  her  proud  commercial  eminence  and  political  sway.  The  court  of  Copenhagen 
(Denmark)  had  issued  an  edict  on  the  4th  of  October  against  carrying  warlike  articles  to  America.  The 
Dutch,  soon  afterward,  took  similar  action ;  the  punishment  for  a  violation  of  the  edict  being  a  fine  of  only 
four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  too  small  to  make  shipping  merchants  long  hesitate  about  the  risk  where  such 
enormous  profits  were  promised.  lu  fact,  large  quantities  of  gunpowder  were  soon  afterward  shipped  to 
America  from  the  ports  of  Holland  in  gla«s  bottles  invoiced  "  gin."  France  merely  warned  the  people  that 
what  thcv  did  for  the  Americans  they  must  do  upon  their  own  risk,  and  not  expect  a  release  from  trouble, 
if  they  should  get  into  any,  by  the  French  admiralty  courts.     Spain  flatly  refused  to  issue  any  order. 

*  His  olFice  of  Lord  of  the  Privy  Seal  was  given  to  Lord  Dartmouth,  and  the  office  of  that  nobleman  was 
filled  by  his  opponent,  Lord  George  Germaine — "the  proud,  imperious,  unpopular  Sackville."  Germaine 
had  taken  an  active  part  in  favor  of  all  the  late  coercive  measures,  and  bo  was  considered  the  fit  instniment 
to  carry  out  the  plans  of  govo"vnent  toward  the  Americans,  in  the  capacity  of  Colonisd  Secretary. 


588  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

The  Colonies  placed  under  Martial  Law.         Augmentation  of  the  Army  and  Navy.  Proposition  to  employ  foreign  Troops 

of  the  vessel  of  state  ;  but  he  had  abhorred  concession,  and  this  appeared  too  much  hke  it. 
A  large  majority  voted  against  Burke's  proposition. 

Lord  North  introduced  a  bill  a  few  days  afterward,  prohibiting  all  intercourse 

November  22.  .  .         .  .  . 

or  trade  with  the  colonies  till  they  should  submit,  and  placing  the  whole  country 
imder  martial  law.  This  bill  included  a  clause,  founded  upon  the  suggestion  in  the  king's 
speech,  to  appoint  resident  commissioners,  with  discretionary  powers  to  grant  pardons  and 
effect  indemnities.'  The  bill  was  passed  by  a  majority  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  to 
sixty-four  in  the  Commons,  and  by  seventy-eight  to  nineteen  in  the  House  of  Lords.  Eight 
peers  protested.      It  became  a  law  by  royal  assent  on  the  21st  of  December. 

Having  determined  to  employ  sufficient  force  to  put  down  the  rebellion,  the  next  necessary 
step  was  to  procure  it.  The  Committee  of  Supply  proposed  an  augmentation  of  the  navy  to 
twenty-eight  thousand  men,  and  that  eighty  ships  should  be  employed  on  the  American  sta- 
tion. The  land  forces  necessary  were  estimated  at  twenty-five  thousand  men.  The  king, 
as  Elector  of  Hanover,  controlled  the  troops  of  that  little  kingdom.  Five  regiments  of  Han- 
overian troops  were  sent  to  Gibraltar  and  Minorca,  to  allow  the  garrisons  of  English  troops 
there  to  be  sent  to  America.  It  was  also  proposed  to  organize  the  militia  of  the  kingdom, 
so  as  to  have  an  efficient  force  at  home  while  the  regulars  should  go  across  the  Atlantic. 
For  their  support  while  in  actual  service  it  was  proposed  to  raise  the  land-tax  to  four  shill- 
ings in  the  pound.  This  proposition  touched  the  pockets  of  the  country  members  of  Parlia- 
ment, and  cooled  their  warlike  ardor  very  sensibly. 

The  peace  establishment  at  home  being  small,  it  was  resolved,  in  accordance  with  sug- 
gestions previously  made,  to  employ  foreign  troops.  The  king  wrote  an  autograph  letter  to 
the  States  General  of  Holland,  soliciting  them  to  dispose  of  their  Scotch  brigade  for  service 
against  the  Americans.  The  request  Avas  nobly  refused.  A  message  was  sent  to  the  Par- 
liament of  Ireland  requesting  a  supply  of  troops  ;  that  body  complied  by  voting  four  thousand 
men  for  the  American  service.  They  servilely  agreed  to  send  men  to  butcher  their  brethren 
and  kinsmen  for  a  consideration  ;  while  the  noble  Hollanders,  with  a  voice  of  rebuke,  dis- 
sented, and  refused  to  allow  their  soldiers  to  fight  the  strugglers  for  freedom,  though  stran- 
gers to  them  in  blood  and  language.^ 

The  king  was  more  successful  with  some  of  the  petty  German  princes.  He  entered  into 
a  treaty  with  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse-Cassel,  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  the  Prince  of  Hesse, 
and  the  Prince  of  Waldeck,  for  seventeen  thousand  men,  to  be  employed  in  America.  On 
the  29th  of  February,  1776,  Lord  North  moved  "  that  these  treaties  be  referred  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  Supply."  A  most  vehement  debate  ensued  in  the  House  of  Commons.  Ministers 
pleaded  necessity  and  economy  as  excuses  for  such  a  measure.  "  There  was  not  time  to  fill 
the  army  with  recruits,  and  hired  soldiers  would  be  cheaper  in  the  end,  for,  after  the  war, 
if  native  tiroops  were  employed,  there  would  be  nearly  thirty  battalions  to  claim  half  pay." 
Such  were  the  ostensible  reasons  ;  the  real  object  was,  doubtless,  not  so  much  economy,  as 
the  fear  that  native  troops,  especially  raw  recruits,  unused  to  the  camp,  might  affiliate  with 
the  insurgents.  The  opposition  denounced  the  measure  as  not  merely  cruel  toward  the 
Americans,  but  disgraceful  to  the  English  name  ;  that  England  was  degrading  herself  by 
applying  to  petty  German  princes  for  succors  against  her  own  subjects  ;  and  that  nothing 
would  so  effectually  bar  the  way  for  reconciliation  with  the  colonists  as  this  barbarous  prep- 

'  This  bill  became  a  law,  and  under  that  clause  General  Howe,  and  his  brother,  Lord  Howe,  were  ap- 
pointed commissioners. 

2  1  can  not  forbear  quoting  the  remarks  of  John  Derk  van  der  Chapelle,  in  the  Assembly  of  the  States  of 
Overyssel,  against  the  proposition.  '•  Though  not  as  principals,  yet  as  auxiliaries  i.ur  troops  would  be  em- 
ployed in  suppressing  (what  some  please  to  call)  a  rebellion  in  the  American  colonies ;  for  which  purpose 
I  would  rather  see  janisaries  hired  than  troops  from  a  free  state.  In  what  an  odious  light  must  this  unnat- 
ural civil  war  appear  to  all  Europe — a  war  in  which  even  savages  (if  credit  can  be  given  to  newspaper  in- 
formation) refuse  to  engage.  More  odious  still  would  it  appear  for  a  people  to  take  a  part  therein  who 
were  themselves  once  slaves,  bore  that  hateful  name,  but  at  last  had  spirit  to  fight  themselves  free.  But, 
above  all,  it  must  appear  superlatively  detestable  to  me,  who  think  the  Americans  worthy  of  every  man's 
esteem,  and  look  upon  them  as  a  brave  people,  defending,  in  a  becoming,  manly,  and  religious  manner,  t.hope 
rights  which,  as  men,  they  derive  from  God,  and  not  from  the  Legislature  of  Great  Britain." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  589 


Reasous  for  employing  German  Troops.         Opposition  to  it  in  Parliament.         Terms  on  which  the  Mercenaries  were  hired. 

aration  to  enslave  them.  It  was  also  intimated  that  the  soldiers  to  be  hired  would  desert 
as  soon  as  they  reached  America  ;  for  their  countrymen  were  numerous  in  the  colonies,  were 
all  patriots,  and  would  have  great  influence  over  them  ;'  that  they  would  accept  land, 
sheathe  their  swords,  and  leave  the  English  soldiers  to  do  the  work  which  their  German 
masters  sent  them  to  perform.  On  the  other  hand,  ministers  counted  largely  upon  the  valor 
of  their  hirelings,  many  of  whom  were  veterans,  trained  in  the  wars  of  Frederic  the  Great, 
and  that  it  would  be  only  necessary  for  these  blood-hounds  to  show  themselves  in  America 
to  make  the  rebellious  people  lay  down  their  arms  and  sue  for  pardon.  The  opposition,  act- 
uated by  a  sincere  concern  for  the  fair  fame  of  their  country,  pleaded  earnestly  against  the 
consummation  of  the  bargain,  and  used  every  laudable  endeavor  to  arrest  the  incipient  ac- 
tion. But  opposition  was  of  little  avail ;  North's  motion  for  reference  was  carried  by  a  ma- 
jority of  two  hundred  and  forty-two  to  eighty-eight. 

Another  warm  debate  ensued  when  the  committee  reported  on  the  4th  of  March  ; 
and  in  the  House  of  Lords  the  Duke  of  Hichmond  moved  not  only  to  countermand 
the  order  for  the  mercenaries  to  proceed  to  America,  but  to  cease  hostilities  altogether.  The 
Earl  of  Coventry  maintained  that  an  acknowledgment  of  the  independence  of  the  colonics 
was  preferable  to  a  continuance  of  the  war.  "Look  on  the  map  of  the  globe,"  he  said; 
"  view  Great  Britain  and  North  America  ;  compare  their  extent,  consider  the  soil,  rivers, 
climate,  and  increasing  population  of  the  latter  ;  nothing  but  the  most  obstinate  blindness 
and  partiality  can  engender  a  serious  opinion  that  such  a  country  will  long  continue  under 
subjection  to  this.  The  question  is  not,  therefore,  how  we  shall  be  able  to  realize  a  vain, 
delusive  scheme  of  dominion,  but  liovv  we  shall  make  it  the  interest  of  the  Americans  to  con- 
tinue faithful  allies  and  warm  friends.  Surely  that  can  never  be  effected  by  fleets  and  ar- 
mies. Instead  of  meditating  conquest  and  exhausting  our  strength  in  an  ineffectual  struggle, 
we  should,  wisely  abandoning  wild  schemes  of  coercion,  avail  ourselves  of  the  only  substan- 
tial benefit  we  can  ever  expect,  the  profits  of  an  extensive  commerce,  and  the  strong  support 
of  a  firm  and  friendly  alliance  and  compact  for  mutual  defense  and  assistance."^  This  \vas 
the  language  of  wise  and  sagacious  statesmanship  —  of  just  and  honorable  principles  —  oi" 
wholesome  and  vigorous  thought ;  yet  it  was  denounced  as  treasonable  in  its  tendency,  and 
encouraging  to  rebellion.  The  report  recommending  the  ratification  of  the  bargain  was 
adopted,  and  the  disgraceful  and  cruel  act  was  consummated.  The  Landgrave  of  Hesse- 
Cassel  agreed  to  furnish  twelve  thousand  one  hundred  and  four  men  ;  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick, four  thousand  and  eighty-four  •  the  Prince  of  Hesse,  six  hundred  and  sixty-eight,  and 
the  Prince  of  Waldeck,  six  hundred  and  seventy  ;  making  in  all  seventeen  thousand  five 
hundred  and  twenty-six  soldiers,  including  the  officers.  Perceiving  the  stern  necessity  which 
compelled  the  British  government  to  negotiate  with  them,  these  dealers  in  fighting  machines 
drove  a  hard  bargain  with  Lord  George  Germaine  and  Lord  Barrington,  making  their  price 
in  accordance  with  the  principle  of  trade,  where  there  is  a  small  supply  for  a  great  demand. 
They  asked  and  received  thirty-six  dollars  for  each  man,  and  in  addition  were  to  receive  a 
considerable  subsidy.  The  whole  amount  paid  by  the  British  government  was  seven  hund- 
red and  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  I  The  British  king  also  guarantied  the  dominions  of 
these  princes  against  foreign  attack.  It  was  a  capital  bargain  for  the  sellers  ;  for,  while 
they  pocketed  the  enormous  poll-price  for  their  troops,  they  were  released  from  the  expense 
of  their  maintenance,  and  felt  secure  in  their  absence.  Early  in  the  spring  these  mercena- 
ries, with  a  considerable  number  of  troops  from  England  and  Ireland,  sailed  for  America, 
under  convoy  of  a  British  fleet  commanded  by  Admiral  Lord  Howe.'     The  fierce  German 

*  It  was  estimated  that,  when  the  Revolution  broke  out,  there  were  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
German  emi<Trants  in  the  American  colonies,  most  of  whom  had  taken  sides  with  the  patriots. 

^  Cavendish's  Debates. 

'  Admiral  Howe,  who  was  a  man  of  fine  feelings,  hesitated  long  before  he  would  accept  the  command  of 
the  fleet  destined  to  sail  against  his  fellow-subjects  in  America.  In  Parliament,  a  few  days  before  he  sailed, 
he  spoke  with  much  warmth  upon  the  horrors  of  civil  war,  and  "  declared  that  he  knew  no  stniggle  so  pain- 
ful as  that  betv/een  a  soldier's  duties  as  an  officer  and  a  man.  If  left  to  his  own  choice,  he  should  decline 
serving ;  but  if  commanded,  it  became  his  duty,  and  he  should  not  refuse  to  obey."     General  Conway  said 


590  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Parliament  alarmed  by  a  Rumor.        French  Emissary  in  Philadelphia.        OflScial  Announcement  of  the  Evacuation  of  Boston. 

warriors  —  fierce,  because  brutish,  unlettered,  and  trained  to  bloodshed  by  the  continental 
butchers — were  first  let  loose  upon  the  patriots  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island,'  and  thence- 
forth the  HessiaTis  bore  a  prominent  part  in  many  of  the  conflicts  that  ensued. 

During  the  residue  of  the  session  of  Parliament  under  consideration,  American  affairs  oc- 
cupied a  good  portion  of  the  time  of  the  Legislature,  but  nothing  of  great  importance  was 
done.  The  Duke  of  Grafton  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  have  an  address  to  the  king 
adopted,  requesting  that  a  proclamation  might  be  issued  to  declare  that  if  the  colonists  should, 
within  a  reasonable  time,  show  a  willingness  to  treat  with  the  commissioners,  or  present  a 
petition,  hostilities  should  be  suspended,  and  their  petition  be  received  and  respected.  He 
assured  the  House  that  both  France  and  Spain  were  arming ;  and  alarmed  them  by  the  as- 
sertion that  "  two  French  gentlemen  had  been  to  America,  had  conferred  with  Washington 
at  his  camp,  and  had  since  been  to  Philadelphia  to  confer  with  Congress.'  The  duke's  prop- 
osition was  negatived. 

A  very  brief  official  announcement  of  the  evacuation  of  Boston  appeared  in  the  London 
Gazette  of  the  3d  of  May,  1776.'  Ministers  endeavored  to  conceal  full  intelligence  of  the 
transaction,  and  assumed  a  careless  air,  as  if  the  occurrence  were  of  no  moment.  But  Col- 
onel Barre  would  not  allow  them  to  rest  quietly  under  the  cloak  of  mystery,  but  moved  in 
the  House  of  Commons  for  an  address  to  his  majesty,  praying  that  copies  of  the  dispatches 
of  General  Howe  and  Admiral  Shuldham  might  be  laid  before  the  House.  There,  and  in 
the  House  of  Lords,  the  ministry  w-ere  severely  handled.  Lord  North  declared  that  the 
army  was  not  compelled  to  abandon  Boston,  when  he  well  knew  to  the  contrary  ;  and  Lord 
George  Gerraaine's  explanation  was  Aveak  and  unsatisfactory.  The  thunders  of  Burke's  elo- 
quent denunciations  were  opened  against  the  government,  and  he  declared  that  "  every  meas- 
ure which  had  been  adopted  or  pursued  was  directed  to  impoverish  England  and  to  eman- 
cipate America  ;   and  though  in  twelve  months  nearly  one  thousand  dollars  a  man  had  been 

a  war  with  our  fellow-subjects  in  America  differed  very  widely  from  a  war  with  foreign  nations,  and  that 
before  an  officer  drew  his  sword  against  his  fellow-subjects  he  ought  to  examine  well  his  conscience  whether 
the  cause  were  just.  Thurlow  declared  that  such  sentiments,  if  once  established  as  a  doctrine,  must  tend 
to  a  dissolution  of  all  governments. — Pictorial  History  of  England,  v.,  248. 

^  I  intended  to  defer  a  notice  of  these  German  troops  (generally  called  Hessians,  because  the  greater  por- 
tion came  from  Hesse  and  Hesse-Cassel)  until  the  battle  of  Long  Island  should  be  imder  consideration ;  but 
the  action  relative  to  their  employment  occupies  such  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  proceedings  of  the  session 
of  Parliament,  where  the  most  decided  hostile  measures  against  America  were  adopted,  that  here  seemed 
the  most  appropriate  place  to  notice  the  subject  in  detail.     See' note  2,  page  164,  vol.  ii. 

-  Some  time  in  the  month  of  November,  1775,  Congress  was  informed  that  a  foreigner  was  in  Philadel- 
phia who  was  desu'ous  of  making  to  them  a  confidential  communication.  At  first  no  notice  was  taken  of 
it,  but  the  intimation  having  been  several  times  repeated,  a  committee,  consisting  of  John  Jay,  Dr.  Franklin, 
and  Thomas  Jefferson,  was  appointed  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say.  They  agreed  to  meet  him  in  a  room  in 
Carpenters'  Hall,  and,  at  the  time  appointed,  they  found  hun  there — an  elderly,  lame  gentleman,  and  appar- 
ently a  wounded  French  officer.  He  told  them  that  the  French  king  was  greatl}'^  pleased  with  the  exer 
tions  for  liberty  which  the  Americans  were  making ;  that  he  wished  them  success,  and  would,  whenever  it 
should  be  necessarv,  manifest  more  openly  his  friendly  sentiments  toward  them.  The  committee  requested 
to  know  his  authoritv  for  giving  these  assurances.  He  answered  only  by  d^a^^•ing  his  hand  across  his  throat, 
and  saving.  "  Gentlemen,  I  shall  take  care  of  my  head."  They  then  asked  what  demonstrations  of  friend- 
ship they'miffht  expect  from  the  King  of  France.  "Gentlemen,"  he  answered,  "if  you  want  arms,  you 
shall  have  them  ;  if  vou  want  ammunition,  you  shall  have  it ;  if  you  want  money,  you  shall  have  it."  The 
committee  obser\-ed  that  these  were  important  assurances,  and  again  desired  to  know  by  what  authority 
thev  were  made.  "Gentlemen,"  said  he,  again  drawing  his  hand  across  his  throat,  "I  shall  take  care  of 
mv'head;"  and  this  was  the  only  answer  they  could  obtain  from  him.  He  was  seen  in  Philadelphia  no 
more. — See  Life  of  John  Jay,  written  by  his  son,  William  Jay. 

'  The  official  announcement  in  the  Gazette  was  as  follows  :  "  General  Howe,  commander-in-chief  of  his 
majesty's  forces  in  North  America,  having  taken  a  resolution  on  the  7th  of  March  to  remove  from  Boston 
to  Halifax  with  the  troops  under  his  command,  and  such  of  the  inhabitants,  with  their  effects,  as  were  de- 
sirous to  continue  under  the  protection  of  his  majesty's  forces ;  the  embarkation  was  effected  on  the  17th  of 
the  same  month,  with  the  greatest  order  and  regularit}^  and  without  the  least  interruption  from  the  rebels 
When  the  packet  came  awav,  the  first  division  of  transports  was  under  sail,  and  the  remainder  were  pre- 
paring to  follow  in  a  few  davs,  the  admiral  leaving  behind  as  many  men-of-war  as  could  be  spared  from 
the  convoy  for  the  security  and  protection  of  such  vessels  as  might  be  bound  to  Boston." 


OF  THE   REV^OLUTION.  /  o9l 


Royal  Approval  of  Howe's  Course.       Opinions  of  the  People.      Position  of  the  ColoHes.      Coant  Rumford.       Fortificationa. 

spent  for  salt  beef  and  sour-krout,*  the  troops  could  not  have  remained  ten  days  longer  if  the 
heavens  had  not  rained  down  manna  and  quails."  \.^ 

The  majority  voted  down  every  proposition  to  eUcit  full  information  respecting  operations 
in  America,  and  on  the  23d  of  May  his  majesty,  after  expressing  a  hope  "that  his 
rebellious  subjects  would  yet  submit,"  prorogued  Parliament. 

The  evacuation  of  Boston  was  approved  by  the  king  and  his  ministers,  and  on  the  day 
when  the  announcement  of  the  event  was  inade  in  London,  Lord  George  Germaine  jjay  3- 
wrote  to  Howe,  deploring  the  miscarriage  of  the  general's  dispatches  for  the  minis-  ^''^^• 
ters,^  praising  his  prudence,  and  assuring  him  that  his  conduct  had  "  given  the  fullest  proofs 
of  his  majesty's  wisdom  and  discernment  in  the  choice  of  so  able  and  brave  an  officer  to  com- 
mand his  troops  in  America." 

Thus  ended  the  Siege  of  Boston,  where  the  first  decided  triumph  of  American  arms  over 
the  finest  troops  of  Great  Britain  was  accomplished.  The  departure  of  Howe  was  regarded 
in  England  as  a  flight ;  the  patriots  viewed  it  as  a  victory  for  themselves.  Confidence  in 
their  strength  to  resist  oppression  was  increased  ten-fold  by  this  event,  and  doubt  of  final  and 
absolute  success  was  a  stranger  to  their  thoughts.  "  When  the  siege  of  Boston  commenced, 
the  colonies  were  hesitating  on  the  great  measures  of  war  ;  were  separated  by  local  inter- 
ests ;  were  jealous  of  each  other's  plans,  and  appeared  on  the  field,  each  with  its  independent 
army  under  its  local  colors.  When  the  siege  of  Boston  ended,  the  colonies  had  drawn  the 
sword  and  nearly  cast  away  the  scabbard.  They  had  softened  their  jealousy  of  each  other  : 
they  had  united  in  a  political  association  ;  and  the  Union  flag  of  thirteen  stripes  waved  over 
a  Continental  army."^ 

Few  events  of  more  importance  than  those  at  other  large  sea-port  towns  occurred  at  Bos- 
ton after  the  flight  of  the  British  army.  The  Americans  took  good  care  to  keep  their  for- 
tifications in  order,  and  a  full  complement  of  men  to  garrison  them  sufficiently.*     This  fact 

'  A  Dutch  or  German  dish,  made  of  cabbage. 

^  It  appears  that  Howe  sent  dispatches  to  England  on  the  23d  of  October,  1775,  by  the  hands  of  Major 
Thompson,  and  those  were  the  last  from  him  that  reached  the  ministry  before  the  army  left  Boston  for  Hal- 
ifax. Major  Thompson  was  afterward  the  celebrated  philosopher,  Count  Rumford.  He  was  a  native  of 
Wobum,  in  Massachusetts,  and  was  born  on  the  26th  of  ilarch,  1753.  He  early  evinced  a  taste  for  phi 
losophy  and  the  mechanic  arts,  and  obtained  permission  to  attend  the  philosophical  lectures  of  Professoi 
Winthrop  at  Cambridge.  He  afterward  taught  school  at  Rumford  (now  Concord),  IS'ew  Hampshire,  where 
he  married  a  wealthy  young  widow.  In  consequence  of  his  adhesion  to  the  British  cause,  he  left  his  family 
in  the  autumn  of  1775,  went  to  England,  and  became  a  favorite  of  Lord  Georofe  Germaine,  who  made  him 
under  secretary  in  the  Northern  Department.  Near  the  close  of  the  Revolution  he  was  sent  to  New  York, 
where  he  commanded  a  regiment  of  dragoons,  and  returning  to  England,  the  king  knighted  him.  He  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  minister  of  the  Duke  of  Bavaria,  who  induced  him  to  go  to  Munich,  where  he  be- 
came active  in  public  affairs.  The  duke  raised  him  to  a  high  military  rank,  and  made  him  a  count  of  the 
empire.  He  added  to  his  title  the  place  of  his  marriage,  and  became  Count  Rumford.  He  was  in  London 
in  1800,  and  projected  the  Royal  Institution  of  Great  Britain.  His  wife,  whom  he  abandoned,  died  in  1794 
in  New  Hampshire.  Count  Rumford  died  August  20th,  1814,  aged  sixty-one  years.  His  scientific  dis- 
coveries have  made  his  name  inomortal.     He  bequeathed  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  Harvard  College. 

^  Frothingham,  page  334. 

*  With  the  exception  of  Dorchester,  Bunker  Hill,  and  Roxbury,  I  believe  there  are  few  traces  of  the  for- 
tifications of  the  Revolution  that  can  be  certainly  identified :  and  so  much  altered  has  been  the  fortress  on 
Castle  Island  that  it  exhibits  but  Httle  of  the  features  of  1776.  Every  year  the  difficulty  of  properly  loca- 
ting the  several  forts  becomes  greater,  and  therefore  to  preserve,  in  this  work,  a  record  of  those  landmarks 
by  which  they  may  be  identified.  I  condense  from  Silliman"s  Journal  for  1822  an  interesting  article  on  the 
subject  which  was  communicated  by  J.  Finch,  Esq.,  with  such  references  as  later  writers  have  made.  A 
recurrence  to  the  map  on  page  566,  vol.  i..  will  assist  the  reader. 

I.  Breed's  Hill  and  Bunker  Hill. — These  works  were  on  the  summits  and  slopes  of  the  hills,  looking 
toward  Boston.     Bunker  Hill  INIonument  now  stands  upon  the  spot  where  Prescott's  redoubt  was  thrown  up. 

II.  Plowed  Hill. — This  fort  was  upon  the  summit  of  the  eminence,  commanding  the  Mvstic  River  and 
the  Penny  Ferrj-.     It  was  in  a  direct  line  from  Charlestown  Neck  to  Winter  HUl,  i\irther  northward. 

III.  Cobble  or  Barrell's  Hill. — In  consequence  of  its  strength,  the  fort  on  this  hill  was  called  Put- 
nam's impregnable  fortress.  This  was  on  the  north  side  of  Willis's  Creek,  in  full  view  of  Bunker  and 
Breed's  Hills,  and  commanding  the  whole  western  portion  of  the  peninsula  of  Charlestown. 

IV.  Lechmere's  Point  was  strongly  fortified  at  a  spot  one  hundred  yards  from  AVest  Boston  Bridge 


592  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Boston  Harbor.  Remains  of  the  Revolutionary  FortiflcationB  around  Boston 

seemed  to  be  well  known  to  the  enemy;  for  M'liile  Newport  and  the  places  adjacent  suffered 
from  the  naval  operations  of  British  vessels,  Boston  Harbor  was  shunned  by  them.      Some 

There  was  a  causeway  across  the  marsh,  and  a  line  of  works  along  Willis's  Creek  to  connect  with  those  on 
Cobble  Hill. 

V.  Winter  Hill. — The  works  at  this  point,  commandinor  the  Mystic  and  the  country  northward  from 
Charlestown,  were  more  extensive  than  any  other  American  fortification  around  Boston.  There  rested  the 
left  wing  of  the  army  under  General  Lee,  at  the  time  of  the  siege  of  Boston.  There  was  a  redoubt  near, 
upon  the  Ten  Hill  Farm,  that  commanded  the  Mystic ;  and  between  Winter  and  Prospect  Hills  was  a  re- 
doubt, where  a  quarry  was  opened  about  the  year  1819.  This  was  called  While  House  Redoubt,  in  the 
rear  of  which,  at  a  farm-house,  Lee  had  his  quarters. 

VI.  Prospect  Hill  has  two  eminences,  both  of  which  were  strongly  fortified,  and  connected  by  a  ram- 
part and  fosse,  or  ditch.     These  forts  were  destroyed  in  1817.     There  is  an  extensive  view  from  this  hill. 

VII.  The  Cambridge  Lines,  situated  upon  Butler's  Hill,  consisted  of  six  regular  forts  connected  by  a 
strong  intrenchment.  These  were  in  a  state  of  excellent  preservation  when  Mr.  Finch  wrote.  The  Secoml 
Line  of  Defense  might  then  be  traced  on  the  College  Green  at  Cambridge. 

VIII.  A  semicircular  Battery,  with  three  embrasures,  was  situated  on  the  northern  shore  of  Charles 
River,  near  its  entrance  into  the  bay.     It  was  rather  above  the  level  of  the  marsh. 

IX.  Brookline  Fort,  on  Sewall's  Point,  was  very  extensive.  The  ramparts  and  irregular  bastion,  which 
commanded  Charles  River,  were  very  strong.     The  fort  was  nearly  quadrangular. 

X.  There  was  a  battery  on  the  southern  shore  of  Muddy  River,  with  three  embrasures.  Westward  of 
this  position  was  a  redoubt ;  and  between  Stony  Brook  and  Roxbury  were  three  others. 

XI.  Roxbury. — There  were  strong  fortifications  at  this  point,  erected  upon  eminences  which  command- 
ed Boston  Neck,  sometimes  called  Roxbury  Neck.  About  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  advance  of  these 
redoubts  were  The  Roxbury  Lines,  situated  north- 
ward of  the  town.  There  were  two  lines  of  intrench- 
ments,  which  extended  quite  across  the  peninsula ; 
and  the  ditch,  filled  at  high  water,  made  Boston  an 
island.  The  works  thrown  up  by  Gage  when  he  for- 
tified Boston  Neck  were  near  the  jtresent  Dover  Street. 

Upon  a  higher  emi- 

4|p|^.  ^,    ^^,  ^,,.  J^|ll»|       the  Roxbury  lines  (at 

B%f    '     '  '         •'        present    [1850]    west 

^^1^7  of    Highland    Street, 

,""/"',  i'  ,  •  on  land  owned  by  the 

-=^('  '  "  Honorable  B.  F.  Cope- 

'     '  J't^-  land),  was   Roxbury   Fort,^  a   strong   quadi angular 

•i.^^Ni"       work,  with  bastions  at  each  angle.     The  magazine 

^'  '     4  f        appears  to  have  been  on  the  southwest  side,  near  which  was  a  covered  way 

4       and  sally-port.     I  have  nowhere  seen  a  fortification  of  the  Revolution  so  well 

'■       preserved  as  this,  except  the  old  quadrangular  fort  or  castle  at  Chambly,  o:i 

Geound  Plan  of  the  Foet.3     the  Sorel ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  patriotic  reverence  will  so  consecrate 

the  ground  on  which  this  relic  lies,  that  imhallowed  gain  may  never  lay  upon 

the  old  ramparts  the  hand  of  demolition. 

The  history  of  the  construction  of  JRoxbivnj  Fort  is  somewhat  obscure.  It  is  known  to  have  been  the 
first  regular  work  erected  by  the  Americans  when  they  nearly  circumvallated  Boston.  Tradition  avers, 
that  when  the  Rhode  Island  "Army  of  Observation,"  which  hastened  toward  Boston,  under  Greene,  after 
the  skirmishes  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  encamped  at  Jamaica  Plains,  a  detachment  was  sent  forward  and 
commenced  this  redoubt  at  Roxbury.  General  Ward,  who,  by  common  consent,  was  captain-general  of  the 
accumulating  forces,  ordered  them  to  desist,  as  he  was  about  to  commence  a  regular  line  of  fortifications 
under  the  direction  of  Gridley.  The  Rhode  Islanders,  acknowledging  no  authority  but  their  own  Pro\'incial 
Assembly,  proceeded  in  their  work ;  and  when  Washington  took  command  of  the  ami)',  he  regarded  this 
fort  as  the  best  and  most  eligibly  located  of  all  the  works  then  in  course  of  construction.     During  the  siege 

1  TMs  view  is  from  tVie  soutliwest  angle  of  the  fort.  In  the  foreground  a  portion  of  the  ramparts  is  seen.  These  are  now 
overgrown,  in  part,  with  shrubbery.  On  the  right  is  seen  the  house  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Perkins,  on  Highland  Street,  and  extending 
across  the  picture,  to  the  left,  is  the  side  of  the  fort  toward  Boston,  exhibiting  prominent  traces  of  the  embrasures  for  the  can- 
nons. It  was  a  fogiry  day  in  autumn  when  I  visited  the  fort,  in  company  with  Frederic  Kidder,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  to  whose  ccur^ 
esy  and  antiquarian  taste  I  am  indebted  for  the  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  this  well-ijreserved  fortification.  No  distant  view 
could  be  procured,  and  I  was  obliged  to  be  content  with  the  above  sketch,  made  in  the  intervals  of  "sun  and  shower."  The 
bald  rocks  on  which  the  fort  stands  are  huge  bowlders  of  puddhig-stone,  and  upon  three  sides  these  form  natural  revetments, 
which  would  be  difficult  for  an  enemy  to  scale.  The  embankments  are  from  eight  to  fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  within,  the 
terre-plein,  on  which  the  soldiers  and  cannons  were  placed,  is  quite  perfect. 

^  .See  map  on  page  56G,  vol.  i. 

3  This  is  a  ground  plan  of  the  fort  as  it  now  appears.  A  is  the  parade ;  B,  the  magazine ;  C,  the  sally-port  D,  the  siie  toward 
Boston. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION  59:; 


The  "  Convention  Troops."  Their  Parole  of  Honor.  Picture  of  the  Captives.  Burgoyne  In  Boston 

of  the  Tories  who  went  with  Howe  to  Halifax  returned,  and  cast  themselves  upon  the  clem- 
ency of  the  new  government.  Those  who  possessed  influence  that  might  be  dangerous  were 
immediately  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison,  where  they  were  confined  for  several  months, 
until  satisfactory  arrangements  were  made  for  their  release. 

Boston  was  the  place  whither  the  captured  troops  of  Burgoyne  were  sent  in  1777,  to 
embark  for  England  on  parole.'      They  entered  Cambridge  on  the  7th  of  November, 
during  the  prevalence  of  a  severe  northeast  storm.      A  graphic  description  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  Hessians  is  given  in  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Winthrop  to  Mrs.  Warren,  printed 
on  page  82.      Speaking  of  the  British  portion  of  the  captive  army,  the  same  writer  says  : 
"Their  baggage-wagons  were  drawn  by  poor  half-starved  horses  ;   but  to  bring  up  the  rear 
was  a  noble-looking  guard  of  American,  brawny,  victorious  j'eomanry,  who  assisted  in  bring 
ing  these  sons  of  slavery  to  terms.      Some  of  our  wagons,  drawn  by  fat  oxen,  driven  by  joy 
ous-looking  Yankees,  closed  the  cavalcade.      The  generals  and  other  officers  went  to  Brad 
ish's,  where  they  quarter  at  present.      The  privates  trudged  through  thick  and  thin  to  the 
hills,  where  we  thought  they  were  to  be  confined  ;  but  what  was  our  surprise  when,  in  the 
morning,  we  beheld  an  inundation  of  these  disagreeable  objects  filling  our  streets."      These 
captive  troops  were  quartered  in  some  of  the  best  private  houses,  and  the  students  of  Har- 
vard College  were  dismissed  to  make  room  for  these  foreign  soldiers.     Alluding  to  this  fact. 
Mrs.  Winthrop  writes,  "  Is  there  not  a  degree  of  unkindness  in  loading  poor  Cambridge, 

almost  ruined  before  this  great  army  seemed  to  be  let  loose  upon  us  ?^ Surprising 

that  our  general  [Gates],  or  any  of  our  colonels,  should  insist  on  the  first  university  in  Amer- 
ica being  disbanded  for  their  genteel  accommodation,  and  we,  poor  oppressed  people,  seek  an 

asylum  in  the  woods  against  a  piercing  winter General  Burgoyne  dined  on  Sunday 

in  Boston  with  General .      He  rode  through  the  town  properly  attended,  down  Courl 

Street  and  through  the  Main  Street,  and  on  his  return  walked  to  Charlestown  ferry,  followed 
by  as  great  a  number  of  spectators  as  ever  attended  a  pope."  There  must  have  been  a 
iireat  contrast  between  the  feelings  of  Burgoyne  at  that  time  and  when  he  walked  the  same 
streets  two  years  before,  a  general  covered  with  fresh  laurels  won  upon  the  Spanish  Penin- 
sula.^    The  captive  army  were  sent  to  Charlottesville,  in  Virginia,  at  the  beginning  of  1770. 

of  Boston,  RoxBURY  Fort  was  considered  superior  to  all  others  for  its  strength  and  its  power  to  annoy  the 
enemy. 

XII.  Dorchester  Heights. — The  ancient  fortifications  there  are  covered  by  the  remains  of  those  erected 
in  1812,  and  have  little  interest  except  as  showing  the  locality  of  the  forts  of  the  Revolution. 

XIII.  At  Nook's  Hill,  near  South  Boston  Bridge,  the  last  breast-work  was  thrown  up  by  the  Americans 
before  the  flight  of  the  British.  It  was  the  menacing  appearance  of  this  suddenly-erected  fort  that  caused 
Howe  to  hasten  his  departure.  The  engineers  employed  in  the  construction  of  these  works  were  Colonel 
Richard  Gridley,  chief;  Lieutenant-colonel  Rufus  Putnam,  Captain  Josiah  Waters,  Captain  Baldwin,  ot 
Brookfield,  and  Captain  Henry  (afterward  general)  Knox,  assistants.  These  were  the  principal  works 
erected  and  occupied  by  the  Americans  at  Boston.  When  Mr.  Finch  wrote  in  1822,  many  of  these  were 
well  preserved,  and  he  expressed  a  patriotic  desire  that  they  should  remain  so.  But  they  are  gone,  and  ar: 
has  covered  up  the  relics  that  were  left.  But  it  is  not  yet  too  late  to  carry  out  a  portion  of  his  recommend- 
ation, by  which  to  preserve  the  identity  of  some  of  the  localities.  "The  laurel,  planted  on  the  spot  where 
Warren  fell,  would  be  an  emblem  of  unfading  honor ;  the  white  birch  and  pine  might  adorn  Prospect  Hill ; 
at  Roxbury,  the  cedar  and  the  oak  might  yet  retain  their  eminence  ;  and  upon  the  heights  of  Dorchester  we 
would  plant  the  laurel,  and  the  finest  trees  which  adorn  the  forest,  because  there  was  achieved  a  glorious 
victory,  without  the  sacrifice  of  life  !" 

'  I  have  before  me  the  original  paroles  q/Aonor.- signed  by  all  the  surviving  officers  of  Burgoyne's  cap- 
tured army.  They  are  the  property  of  J.  Wingate  Thornton,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  who  kindly  placed  them  in 
my  hands  for  use.  The  paroles  are  dated  at  Cambridge,  December  13th,  1777.  One  is  signed  by  18o 
English  officers,  headed  by  Burgoyne ;  the  other  by  95  German  officers,  headed  by  Riedesel,  the  Bruns- 
wick general.     Their  names  may  be  found  in  the  Supplement,  page  672. 

^  This  sudden  influx  menaced  the  country  about  Boston  with  famine,  for  the  five  thousand  prisoners  of  war 
had  to  be  fed.     Every  article  rapidly  rose  in  price  ;  wood  was  sold  at  twenty-seven  and  a  half  dollars  a  cord. 

'  When  Burgoyne  left  Boston  for  England,  General  Phillips  was  left  in  chief  command  of  the  captive 
troops,  quartered  on  Prospect  Hill.  He  was  a  conceited,  irritable  person,  and  often  his  haughty  pride  made 
him  forget  the  relation  in  which  he  stood  to  the  victorious  Americans,  whom  he  had  been  taught  to  despise. 
On  one  occasion,  one  of  his  officers  was  returning  from  Boston,  with  two  females,  to  the  British  camp,  and 
refused  to  answer  the  challenge  of  the  sentinel.     He  was  shot  dead,  and  the  act  was  justified  by  the  rults 

I.  Pp 


.594  PI  CTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Expedition  against  Penobscot.       Its  Failure.       General  Phillips.       General  Wadsworth.       Close  of  the  Chronicles  of  Boston. 

In  July,  1779,  the  State  of  Massachusetts  fitted  out  an  expedition  at  Boston  to  go  against 
the  British  troops  at  Penobscot,  a  small  town  on  the  east  side  of  Penobscot  River  in  Maine. 
The  enemy  were  estimated  to  be  one  thousand  strong.  Fifteen  hundred  men  were  ordered 
to  be  raised  for  the  expedition,  but  only  about  nine  hundred  were  actually  employed,  and 
some  of  these  were  pressed  into  the  service.  Some  were  conveyed  thither  by  a  fleet,  con- 
sisting of  several  sloops  of  war,  carrying  from  sixteen  to  twenty-eight  guns,  one  of  thirty-two 
guns,  seven  armed  brigs,  and  twenty-four  other  vessels,  which  served  as  transports.  Other 
portions  of  the  militia  marched  from  the  lower  counties  of  Maine.  Commodore  Salstonstall 
commanded  the  fleet,  and  Generals  Lovell  and  Wadsworth  led  the  land  forces.  A  disagree- 
ment arose  between  the  commanders  of  the  fleet  and  army,  which  greatly  weakened  the 
power  of  the  expedition  It  was  agreed,  however,  to  attack  the  enemy.  The  American 
land  force  debarked,  and  rushed  to  the  assault  of  the  fort  up  a  steep  declivity,  in  the  face  of 
a  storm  of  shot  from  the  enemy.  The  marines  did  not  come  to  their  support,  and  a  large 
naval  re-enforcement  for  the  British  arriving  at  that  moment,  the  assailants  were  repulsed 
and  forced  to  abandon  the  expedition.  The  Americans  destroyed  many  of  their  vessels  to 
prevent  them  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  in  scattered  detachments,  the 
troops,  marines,  and  sailors,  made  their  way  back  to  their  homes,  suffering  great  hardships 
in  their  route  through  the  almost  unbroken  wilderness.  It  was  a  most  unfortunate  affair 
The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  instituted  an  inquiry,  which  resulted  in  censuring  the 
naval  commander,  and  commending  Lovell  and  Wadsworth.* 

Here  let  us  close  the  chronicles  of  Boston.  Henceforth  we  shall  only  refer  to  them  inci- 
dentally, as  the  elucidation  of  prominent  events  elsewhere  shall  make  this  necessary.  We 
have  seen  the  discontents  of  the  colonies  ripen  into  open  rebellion  in  this  hot-bed  of  patriot- 
ism ;  we  have  seen  a  Continental  army  organized,  disciplined,  and  prepared  for  action,  and 
those  yeomanry  and  artisans,  drawn  from  the  fields  and  workshops,  piling,  with  seeming 
Titan  strength,  huge  fortifications  around  a  well-disciplined  British  army,  and  expelling  it 
from  one  of  the  most  advantageous  positions  on  the  continent.  Let  us  now  proceed  to  places 
where  other  scenes  in  the  great  drama  were  enacted. 

of  war.     General  Phillips  was  greatly  enraged,  anu  wrote  the  following  impudent  letter  to  General  Heath, 
the  commanding  officer  : 

"  Cambridge,  June  17,  1778. 
"  Murder  and  death  have  at  length  taken  place.  An  officer,  riding  out  from  the  barracks  on  Prospect 
Hill,  has  been  shot  b}"^  an  American  sentinel.  I  leave  the  horrors  of  that  bloody  disposition,  which  has  joined 
itself  to  rebellion  in  these  colonies,  to  the  feelings  of  all  Europe.  I  do  not  ask  for  justice,  for  I  believe  every 
principle  of  it  has  fled  from  this  province.  I  demand  liberty  to  send  an  officer  to  General  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, by  way  of  the  head-quarters  of  General  Washington.  Wm.  Phillips,  Major  General." 

This  was  strange  language  for  a  prisoner  of  war  to  use  toward  his  keeper !  Before  the  insulting  note 
had  been  received  by  Heath,  the  sentry  had  been  put  under  guard  to  await  the  decision  of  a  jury  of  inquest. 
Heath  had  also  written  a  polite  note  to  Phillips,  informing  him  of  the  fact.  As  I  have  observed  before,  the 
haughty  insolence  of  the  British  functionaries,  civil  and  military,  toward  the  Americans,  did  more  to  engen- 
der hatred  and  foster  the  rebellion  than  any  other  single  cause.  Phillips's  conduct  is  a  fair  picture,  among 
many  others,  of  the  haughty  bearing  of  the  Britons  in  authority.  I  have  before  me  an  autograph  letter  to 
General  Heath,  written  at  about  the  same  time,  by  Lieutenant  Kingston,  Burgoyne's  deputy  adjutant  gen- 
eral.    It  is  marked  by  flippant  insolence,  although  a  little  more  polite  than  Phillips's  letter. 

^  Peleg  Wadsworth  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1769.  After 
his  unsuccessful  attempt  against  the  British  fort  at  Penobscot  in  177.9,  where  his  bravery  was  acknowledged, 
he  was  sent  to  command  in  the  district  of  Maine,  whither  he  took  his  family.  In  Februar}',  1781,  a  party 
of  the  enemy  captured  him  in  his  own  house,  and  conve3-ed  him  to  the  British  quarters  at  Bagaduce  or  Cas- 
tin.  In  company  with  Major  Burton,  he  effected  his  escape  from  the  fort  in  June,  crossed  the  Penobscot  in 
a  canoe,  and  traveled  through  the  wilderness  to  his  home.  Of  his  capture,  sufferings,  and  escape,  I>r. 
Dwight  has  given  a  long  and  interesting  account  in  the  second  volume  of  his  Travels  in  New  England.  For 
many  years  Wadsworth  was  a  member  of  Congress  from  Cumberland  district.  He  died  at  Hiram,  in  Maine, 
in  November,  1829,  aged  eighty  years.  His  son.  Lieutenant  Henry  Wadsworth,  was  blown  up  in  a  fire- 
-hip  in  the  harbor  at  Tripoli  in  September,  1804. — Allen's  ..^mcr-iran  Biography. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


5\)3 


Dcpart'jTe  from  Boston. 


Scenery  on  the  Route. 


Cochituate. 


The  Quinebaug. 


Tradition  of  Maahepaug. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

"  Day  wanes  ;  'tis  autumn's  eventide  again  ; 
And,  sinkiniT  on  tlie  blue  hill's  breast,  the  sun 
Spreads  the  large  bounty  of  his  level  blaze, 
Len<Tthening  the  shades  of  mountains  and  tall  trees, 
And  throwing  blacker  shadows  o'er  the  sheet 
Of  the  dark  stream,  in  whose  unruffled  tide 
Waver  the  bank-shrub  and  the  graceful  elm. 
As  the  gray  branches  and  their  trembling  leaves 
Catch  the  soft  whispers  of  the  evening  air." 

George  Lunt. 


T  was  in  the  afternoon  of  a  Avarm,  bright  day  in  October,  that  I  left 
Boston  for  Norwich  and  New  London,  upon  the  Thames,  in  Connecticut, 
where  I  purposed  to  pass  two  or  three  days  in  visiting  the  interesting  lo- 
calities in  their  respective  neighborhoods.  I  journeyed  upon  the  great 
Western  rail-way  from  Boston  to  Worcester,  forty-four  miles  westward, 
where  the  Norwich  road  branches  ofT  in  the  direction  of  Long  Island 
Sound,  and  courses  down  the  beautiful  valleys  of  the  French  and  Quine- 
baug Rivers.  Every  rood  of  the  way  is  agreeably  diversified.  Hill  and 
'l'\  mountain,  lake  and  streamlet,  farm-house  and  village,  charmed  the  eye 
with  a  kaleidoscope  variety  as  our  train  thundered  over  the  road  at  the 
rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour.  Yet  memory  can  fix  upon  only  a  few  prom- 
■  "■'  -"^".'  •'  '^  inent  points,  and  these  appear  to  make  the  sum  of  all  which  the  eye  gazed 
upon.  Thus  I  remember  the  sweet  Lake  Cochituate,  whose  clear  waters  now  bless  the  city 
of  Boston  with  limpid  streams.  I  remember  it  stretching  away  north  from  the  rail-way, 
pierced  with  many  green  headlands,  and  rippled  by  the  wings  of  waterfowl.  Thus,  too,  I 
remember  the  beautiful  little  Mashapaug,'  lying  in  a  bowl  of  the  wooded  hills  of  Killingly, 
sparkling  in  the  slant  rays  of  the  evening  sun  as  we  swept  by  and  became  lost  among  the 
rugged  heights  and  dark  forests  at  twilight. 

The  Quinebaug  is  dotted  with  pretty  factory  villages  at  almost  every  rift  in  its  course  : 
and,  as  we  halted  a  moment  at  the  stations,  the  serried  lights  of  the  mills,  and  the  merry 
laughter  of  troops  of  girls  just  released  from  labor,  joyous  as  children  bursting  from  school, 
agreeably  broke  the  monotony  of  an  evening  ride  in  a  close  car.  We  reached  the  Shetucket 
Valley  at  about  half  past  seven  o'clock,  and  at  eight  I  was  pleasantly  housed  at  the  Mer- 

*  This  sheet  of  water  is  now  known  by  the  unpoetical  name  of  Alexander's  Lake,  from  the  circumstance 
that  a  Scotchman,  named  Neil  Alexander,  settled  there,  and  owned  all  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  in  the  year 
1720.  The  Indians,  who  called  it  Mashapaug,  had  a  curious  tradition  respecting  the  origin  of  the  lake.  I 
quote  from  Barber's  Historical  Collections  of  Connecticut,  p.  431  :  "In  ancient  times,  when  the  red  men  of 
this  quarter  had  long  enjoyed  prosperity,  that  is,  when  they  had  found  plenty  of  game  in  the  woods  and  fish 
in  the  ponds  and  rivers,  they  at  length  fixed  the  time  for  a  general  poivwow — a  sort  of  festival  for  eating, 
drinking,  smoking,  singing,  and  dancing.  The  spot  chosen  for  this  purpose  was  a  sandy  hill,  or  mountain, 
covered  with  tall  pines,  occupying  the  situation  where  the  lake  now  lies.  The  potcwow  lasted  fouf  days  in 
succession,  and  was  to  continue  longer,  had  not  the  Great  Spirit,  enraged  at  the  licentiousness  that  prevailed 
there,  resolved  to  punish  them.  Accordingly,  while  the  red  people,  in  immense  numbers,  were  capering 
about  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  it  suddenly  gave  way  beneath  them  and  sunk  to  a  great  depth,  when 
the  waters  from  below  nishcd  up  and  covered  them  all,  except  one  good  old  squaw,  who  occupied  the  peak 
which  now  bears  the  name  of  Loon's  Island.  Whether  the  tradition  is  entitled  to  credit  or  not,  we  will  do 
it  justice  by  affirming  that  in  a  clear  day,  when  there  is  no  wind,  and  the  surface  of  the  lake  is  smooth,  the 
huge  trunks  and  leafless  branches  of  gigantic  pines  may  be  occasionally  .seen  in  the  deepest  part  of  the  wa 
ter,  some  of  them  reaching  almost  to  the  surface,  in  such  huge  and  fantastic  forms  as  to  cause  the  beholder 
to  startle  !" 


o9G  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Arrival  at  Norwich.  A  literary  Friend.  Indian  History  of  Norwich.  Uncas  and  Miantonflmoh. 

chants'  Hotel  in  Norwich,  a  city  beautifully  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Yantic  and 
Shetucket  Pi-ivers,  whose  wedded  waters  here  form  the  broa^'  and  navigable  Thames. 

Early  in  the  morning  I  started  in  search  of  celebrities,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet 
with  Edwin  Williams,  Esq.,  the  widely-known  author  of  the  "  Statesman's  Manual"  and 
other  standard  works.  Norwich  is  his  birth-place,  and  was  his  residence  during  his  youth, 
and  he  is  as  familiar  with  its  history  and  topography  as  a  husbandman  is  Math  that  of  his 
fa'-m.  With  such  a  guide,  accompanied  by  his  intelligent  little  son,  an  earnest  delver  among 
ibe  whys  and  wherefores  in  the  mine  of  knowledge,  I  anticipated  a  delightful  journey  of  a 
ilay.  Nor  was  I  disappointed  ;  and  the  pleasures  and  profit  of  that  day's  ramble  form  one 
of  the  brightest  points  in  my  interesting  tour.  I  procured  a  span  of  horses  and  a  barouche 
to  convey  us  to  Lebanon,  twelve  miles  northward,  the  residence  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  the 
patriot  governor  of  Connecticut  during  the  Revolution.  While  the  hostler  is  harnessing  our 
team,  let  us  open  the  chronicles  of  Norwich  and  see  what  history  has  recorded  there. 

Like  that  of  all  the  ancient  New  England  towns,  the  Indian  historj''  of  Norwich,  com- 
mencing with  the  advent  of  the  English  in  that  neighborhood  about  1643,  is  full  of  romance, 
and  woos  the  pen  to  depict  it ;  but  its  relation  to  my  subject  is  only  incidental,  and  I  must 
pass  it  by  with  brief  mention. 

Norwich  is  in  the  midst  of  the  ancient  Mohegan  country,  and  Mohegan  was  its  Indian 
name.  Uncas  was  the  chief  of  the  tribe  when  the  English  first  settled  at  Hartford,  and 
built  a  fort  at  Saybrook,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Connecticut  River.  He  formed  a  treaty  of 
amity  with  the  whites  ;  and  so  fair  were  his  broad  acres  upon  the  head  waters  of  the  Pequot 
River,  now  the  Thames,  that  the  sin  of  covetousness  soon  pervaded  the  hearts  of  the  Puritan 
settlers.  Wawekus  Hill,  now  in  the  center  of  Norwich,  was  a  famous  observatory  for  his 
warriors,  for  eastward  of  them  were  the  powerful  Narragansets,  sworn  enemies  of  the  Mo- 
hegans,  and  governed  by  the  brave  Miantonomoh,  also  a  friend  of  the  white  men.  In  the 
spring  of  1643  the  flame  of  war  was  lighted  between  these  po-werful  tribes,  and  Miantono- 
moh led  his  warriors  to  an  invasion  of  the  Mohegan  country.  His  plans  were  secretly  laid, 
and  he  hoped  to  take  Uncas  by  surprise.  For  this  purpose  six  hundred  of  his  bravest  war- 
riors were  led  stealthily,  by  night  marches,  toward  the  head  waters  of  the  Pequot.  At 
dawn,  one  morning,  they  were  discovered  at  the  Shetucket  Fords,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Quinebaug,  by  some  of  the  vigilant  Mohegan  scouts  upon  the  Wawekus.  From  the  rocky 
nooks  near  the  falls  of  the  Yantic,  a  canoe,  bearing  a  messenger  with  the  intelligence,  shot 
down  the  Thames  to  Shantock  Point,  where  Uncas  was  strongly  fortified.  With  three  or 
four  hundred  of  his  best  warriors  he  marched  to  meet  Miantonomoh.  They  confronted  at 
the  Great  Plains,  a  mile  and  a  half  below  Norwich,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Thames.  A 
fierce  conflict  ensued.  The  advantage  gained  by  Uncas  by  strategy'  was  maintained,  and 
the  Narragansets  were  put  to  flight,  closely  pursued  by  the  Mohegans.  Through  tangled 
woods  and  over  rocky  ledges,  across  the  Yantic,  and  over  the  high  plain  of  Norwich  toward 
the  Shetucket  Fords,  the  pursued  and  pursuers  swept  like  a  blast.  Two  swift-footed  Mo- 
hegans pursued  Miantonomoh  with  unwearied  pertinacity,  and  finally  outstripped  him,  he 
being  encumbered  with  a  heavy  corselet.  They  impeded  his  progress,  but  did  not  attempt 
to  seize  him,  that  honor  being  reserved  for  their  chief  As  soon  as  Uncas  touched  Mianto- 
nomoh, the  latter  halted  and  sat  down  in  silence.  He  was  conducted  in  triumph  to  Shan- 
tock, where  Uncas  treated  him  with  generous  kindness  and  respect.  The  conflict  had  been 
brief,  but  thirty  of  the  Narragansets  were  slain.  Among  the  prisoners  were  a  brother  of 
the  captive  king,  and  two  sons  of  Canonicus,  his  uncle. 

Uncas,  probably  fearing  that  the  Narragansets  would  make  an  attempt  to  recapture  their 

'  When  Uncas  saw  the  superior  number  of  Miantonoraoh's  warriors,  he  sent  a  messenger  to  that  chief 
to  say,  in  the  name  of  Uncas,  "  Let  us  two  fight  single-handed.  If  you  kill  me,  my  men  shall  be  yours ;  if 
I  kill  you,  your  men  shall  be  mine."  Miantonomoh,  suspecting  treachery,  disdainfully  rejected  the  propo- 
sition. Uncas  then  fell  on  his  face,  a  signal  previously  agreed  upon  with  his  warriors,  who,  with  bent  bows, 
rushed  upon  the  Narragansets.  who  were  carelessly  awaiting  the  result  of  the  conference,  and  thus  put  them 
to  flijTht 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  597 


Surrender  of  Mlantonomoh  to  the  English.         Unjust  Decision.         Murder  of  Miantonomoh.         Settlement  of  New  London 

chief,  sent  him  to  Hartford,  and  surrendered  him  into  the  custody  of  the  English,  agreeing 
to  be  governed  in  his  future  conduct  toward  his  prisoner  by  their  advice.  Mianton5moh 
was  imprisoned  until  September,  when  the  commissioners  of  the  United  Colonies,  at  their 
meeting  in  Boston,  after  debating  the  question  whether  it  would  be  lawful  to  take  the  life 
of  Miantonomoh,  referred  his  case  to  an  ecclesiastical  tribunal,  composed  of  five  of  the  prin- 
cipal ministers  of  the  colonies.  Their  decision  was  in  favor  of  handing  him  over  to  Uncas 
for  execution,  ivithout  torture,  within  the  dominions  of  that  sachem.  Delighted  with  the 
verdict  of  his  Christian  allies,  the  equally  savage  Mohegan,  with  a  few  trusty  followers,  con-, 
ducted  Miantonomoh  to  the  spot  where  he  was  captured,  and,  while  marching  unsuspicious 
of  present  danger,  a  brother  of  Uncas,  at  a  sign  from  that  chief,  buried  his  hatchet  in  the 
head  of  the  royal  prisoner.  Uncas  cut  a  piece  of  jElesh  from  the  shoulder  of  the  slain  cap' 
tive  and  ate  it,  saying,  "  It  is  very  svi'^eet ;  it  makes  my  heart  strong."  Satisfied  revenge 
made  it  sweet ;  and  no  doubt  his  heart  felt  stronger  when  he  saw  his  powerful  enemy  lying 
dead  at  his  feet.  The  whole  transaction  was  base  treachery  and  ingratitude.  Miantono- 
moh  had  been  the  firm  friend  of  the  whites  on  Rhode  Island,  and  his  sentence  was  a  fla- 
grant ofiense  against  the  principles  of  common  justice  and  Christianity.  He  was  buried 
where  he  was  slain,  and  from  these  circumstances  the  place  has  since  been  called  the  Sa  ■ 
chem's  Plain.' 

The  Narragansets,  burning  with  revenge,  and  led  by  Pessacus,  a  brother  of  Miantono- 
moh, invaded  the  Mohegan  country  in  the  spring  of  1645.  Plantations  were  laid  waste, 
and  Uncas,  with  his  principal  warriors,  was  driven  into  his  strong  fortress  at  Shantock. 
There  he  was  closely  besieged,  but  found  means  to  send  a  messenger  to  Captain  Mason,  the 
destroyer  of  the  Pequots,  then  commanding  the  fort  at  Say  brook.  As  in  duty  bound,  that 
officer  sent  succor  to  his  ally,  not  in  men,  for  they  were  not  needed,  but  in  provisions. 
Thomas  Leffingwell,  a  young  man  of  undaunted  courage,  paddled  a  eanoe  up  the  Pequot  at 
night,  laden  with  many  hundred  weight  of  beef,  corn,  pease,  &c.,  and  deposited  them  safely 
within  the  fort  at  Shantock.  This  timely  relief  was  made  known  to  the  besiegers  by  hoist 
ing  a  piece  of  beef  upon  a  pole  above  the  ramparts  of  the  fort.  Unable 
to  break  down  the  fortress,  the  Narragansets  raised  the  siege  and  returned 
to  their  own  country.  This  invasion  was  repeated,  and  with  almost  fatal 
efiect  to  Uncas.  The  English  saved  him,  and,  finally,  after  nearly  twenty 
years  of  strife,  the  hatchet  was  buried  between  these  tribes. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  hostilities  that  the  younger  Winthrop  and 
others  commenced  a  settlement  at  Pequot  Harbor,  now  New  Lon- 
don ;   and  in  1659  Uncas  and  his  two  sons  signed  a  deed  at  Say- 
brook,  conveying  a  tract  of  land,  "  lying  at  the  head  of  the  Great  River,"  ^^^  vazik. 
nine  miles  square,  to  Thomas  Leffingwell  and  others,  for  a  value  consid-         Attawauhood, 
eration  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.      Leffingwell  had  thirty-     ~^-0-tt— TT*-^^ 
five  associates,  and  there  founded  the  city  of  Norwich,  at  the  head  of  the  , .        f 

•'  ,  ,  his  mark. 

plain  now  known  as  the  old  toion,  or  up  town.  It  is  not  my  province  to  signatures  of  Uncas 
trace  the  progress  of  settlement,  but  simply  to  note  the  prominent  points         ^^^  ^^^  Sons.2 

*  The  spot  where  Miantonomoh  was  buried  is  a  little  northward  of  the  village  of  Greenville,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Shetucket,  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Norwich.  A  pile  of  stones  was  placed  upon  his 
grave,  and  for  many  years  a  portion  of  his  tribe  came,  in  the  season  of  flowers,  and  mourned  over  his  re- 
mains, each  one  adding  a  stone  to  the  tumulus.  At  length  their  visits  ceased,  and  the  voice  of  tradition 
being  seldom  heard  at  that  isolated  spot,  the  proprietor  of  the  land,  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  pile  of 
stones  was  sepulchral  and  sacred  to  patriotism,  used  them  in  the  construction  of  the  foundation  of  a  barn. 
On  the  4th  of  July,  1841,  the  people  of  Greenville  celebrated,  by  a  festival,  the  erection  of  a  monument  to 
Miantonomoh,  on  the  spot  where  he  was  slain.  It  is  a  block  of  granite  eight  feet  high,  and  about  five  feet 
square  at  the  base,  bearing  the  inscription 

Miantonomoh. 
1643. 

I  did  not  visit  the  spot,  but,  from  description,  I  think  the  initial  letter  I,  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter, 
is  a  fair  representation  of  it. 

*  Owaneko  was  a  bold  warrior  in  his  youth,  and  was  distinguished  in  King  Philip's  War.     In  maturity, 


598 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Settlement  of  Norwich. 


Mohegan  Cemetery. 


Uncas'a  Monument. 


Revolutionary  Spirit. 


Owaneko 


Uncas's  Monument.3 


in  the  colonial  history  of  a  people  who  were  among  the  earliest  and  most  ardent  supporters 

of  the  Revolution.' 

It  was  a  charming  spot  where  the  Puritan  settlers  founded  the  city  of  Norwich,  a 
name  given  to  it  in  honor  of  the  English  birth-place  of  some  of  them.      "  Birds  and 

animals  of  almost  every  species  belonging  to  the  climate  were  numerous  to  an  uncommon 

degree ;   and  the  hissing  of  snakes,  as  well  as  the  howling  of  wolves  and  bears  must  soon 

have  become  familiar  to  their  ears.      To  complete  the  view, 

it  may  be  added,  that  the  streams  swarmed  with  fish  and  wild 

fowl ;  in  the  brooks  and  meadows  were  found  the  beaver  and 

the  otter,  and  through  the  whole  scene  stalked  at  intervals 

the  Indian  and  the  deer.""     The  planting  of  this  settlement 

greatly  pleased  Uncas,  but  irritated  the  Narragansets  ;   the 

former  regarding  it  with  pleasure,  as  the  latter  did  with  anger, 

as  a  barrier  to  the  meditated  invasions  of  the  Mohegan  country 

by  the  tribe  of  Miantonomoh.     Uncas  remained  a  firm  friend 

to  the  whites  until  his  death,  which  occurred  soon  after  the 

close  of  King  Philip's  War,  probably  in  1683.      He  died  at 

Mohegan  (Norwich),  and  was  interred  in  the  burial-ground  of 

his  family,  situated  upon  the  high  plain  just  above  the  falls  of 

the  Yantic.      The  royal  cemetery  has  been  inclosed,  and  a 

granite  monument  erected  therein  to  the  memory  of  the  cele- 
brated sachem. 

November  1  "^^^  ^^^^  male  white  child  born  in  Norwich  was 

1660.         Christopher  Huntington,  afterward  recorder  of  the  town.      The  name  of  Hunt- 

mgton  is  intimately  connected  with  the  whole  history  of  that  settlement,  and  is  prominent 

in  our  revolutionary  annals.      Several  of  that  name  were  engaged  in  the  army,  and  one, 

Samuel  Huntington,  was  President  of  Congress.  Indeed,  the  whole  population  seemed  to  be 
thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  freedom,  and  from  the  Stamp  Act  era  until  the 
close  of  the  war  for  independence,  almost  every  patriotic  measure  adopted  was  an  act 

of  the  town,  not  of  impromptu  assemblages  of  the  friends  of  liberty  or  of  committees."     Like 

having  lost  the  stimulus  of  war,  "  he  used  to  wander  about  with  his  blanket,  metonep,  and  sandals,  his  gun, 
and  his  squaw,"  says  Miss  Caulkins,  "to  beg  in  the  neighboring  towns,  quartering  himself  in  the  kitchens 
and  outhouses  of  his  white  friends,  and  presenting  to  strangers,  or  those  who  cpuld  not  well  understand  his 
imperfect  English,  a  brief,  which  had  been  written  for  him  by  Mr.  Richard  Bushnell.     It  M'as  as  follows 

" '  Oneco  king,  his  queen  doth  bring 

To  beg  a  little  food ; 
As  they  go  along  their  friends  among 

To  try  hove  kind,  how  good. 
Some  pork,  some  beef,  for  their  relief; 

And  if  you  can't  spare  bread, 
She'll  thank  you  for  your  pudding,  as  they  go  a  gooding, 

And  carry  it  on  her  head.' " 

^  The  reader  is  referred  to  a  well-written  volume  of  360  pages,  ^  History  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  from 
its  Settlement  in  1660,  to  January,  1845  :  by  Miss  F.  M.  Caulkins.  It  is  carefully  compiled  from  the  town 
records,  old  newspapers,  and  well-authenticated  traditions,  many  of  the  latter  being  derived  from  then  living 
witnesses  of  the  scenes  of  the  Revolution.  I  am  indebted  to  this  valuable  little  work  for  much  interesting 
matter  connected  with  Norwich.  *  Miss  Caulkins,  page  40. 

^  This  monument  is  on  the  south  side  of  Prospect  Street,  and  stands  within  a  shaded  inclosure  surrounded 
by  a  hedge  of  prim,  upon  the  estate  of  Judge  Goddard.  The  obelisk  is  a  single  block  of  granite,  and,  with  the 
pedestal,  is  about  twenty  feet  high.  The  monument  was  erected  by  the  citizens  of  Norwich.  The  founda- 
tion-stone was  laid  by  President  Jackson,  while  visiting  Norwrch  during  his  Eastern  tour  in  1832.  Several 
small  tomb-stones  of  those  of  the  royal  line  of  Uncas  are  within  the  inclosure.  The  name  has  now  become 
extinct,  the  last  Uncas  having  been  buried  there  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  A  descendant 
of  Uncas,  named  Mazeon,  was  buried  there  in  1827,  on  which  occasion  the  wife  of  Judge  Goddard  (he  being 
absent)  invited  the  remnant  of  the  Mohegan  tribe,  then  numbering  about  sixty,  to  partake  of  a  cold  collation. 

••  On  the  7th  of  April,  1765,  on  the  receipt  of  intelligence  of  the  passage  of  the  Stamp  Act,  the  people,  in 
town-meeting  assembled,  voted  unanimously  "  that  the  town  clerk  shall  proceed  in  his  office  as  usual,  and 
the  town  will  save  him  harmless  from  all  damage  that  he  may  sustain  thereby." 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  599 


Norwich  Liberty  Tree.    Celebration  under  it.     Honors  to  John  Wilkes.     Patriotic  Town  Meeting.    Benevolence  of  the  Peopla 

those  of  Boston,  the  people  of  Norwich  had  ihc'iT  Libcrtj/  Tree,  under  which  pubHc  meetings 
wei'e  held  in  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act.  It  was  brou2;ht  from  the  forest,  and  erected  in 
the  center  of  the  open  plain.  IngersoU,  the  stamp  distributor  for  Connecticut,  was  burned 
in  effigy  upon  the  high  liill  overlooking  the  plain,  just  above  the  site  of  the  old  meeting- 
house. The  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  was  celebrated,  on  the  first  anniversary  of  the  event, 
on  the  18th  of  March,  1767,  with  great  festivity,  under  Liberty  Tree,  which  was  decked 
with  standards  and  appropriate  devices,  and  crowned  with  a  Phrygian  cap.  A  tent,  or 
booth,  was  erected  under  it,  called  a  pavilion.  Here,  almost  daily,  people  assembled  to  hear 
news  and  encourage  each  other  in  the  determination  to  resist  every  kind  of  oppression.' 

The  inhabitants  of  Norwich  entered  heartily  into  the  scheme  of  non-importation  from 
Great  Britain.  The  pledge  was  generally  signed,  and  almost  all  were  strictly  faithful.  On 
the  7th  of  June,  1768,  an  entertainment  was  given  at  Peck's  tavern,'  to  celebrate  the  elec- 
tioii  of  John  Wilkes  to  a  seat  in  Parliament.  Every  thing  was  arranged  in  excellent  taste. 
All  the  table  furniture,  such  as  plates,  bowls,  tureens,  tumblers,  and  napkins,  were  marked 
"45,"  the  number  of  the  North  Briton,  Wilkes's  paper,  that  drew  down  upon  his  head  the 
ire  of  the  British  government,  and,  consequently,  as  a  ]')erseciited  2Mtriot,  obtained  for  him 
a  seat  in  the  House  of  Commons.  The  Tree  of  Liberty  was  decorated  with  new  banners 
and  devices,  among  which  was  a  flag  inscribed  "No.  45,  Wilkes  and  Liberty."  Another 
celebration  was  held  there  in  September,  avowedly  to  ridicule  the  commissioners  of  customs 
at  Boston  ;  and  in  various  ways  the  people  manifested  their  defiance  of  British  power,  where 
it  wielded  instruments  of  oppression.  The  margins  of  their  public  records,  for  a  series  of 
years,  were  emblazoned  with  the  words  Liberty  I  Liberty  I  Liberty  !  Every  man  was 
a  self-constituted  member  of  the  committee  of  vigilance,  and  none  could  drink  tea,  or  use 
other  proscribed  articles  with  impunity.  Some  who  offended  were  forced  publicly  to  recant. 
The  conduct  of  such  persons  was  under  the  special  inspection  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  of  whom 
Captain  Joseph   Trumbull,  eldest  sou  of  Grovernor   Trumbull,  was  one  of  the  most  active. 

Ou  the  6th  of  June,  1774,  a  town  meeting  was  held  in  Norwich,  to  take  into  considera- 
tion "the  melancholy  state  of  affairs."  Honorable  Jabez  Huntington  was  chosen  modera- 
tor ;  a  series  of  resolutions,  drawn  up  by  Captain  Trumbull  and  Samuel  Huntington,  were 
adopted,^  and  a  standing  committee  of  correspondence,  composed  of  some  of  the  leadinir  pa 
triots  of  the  town,  was  appointed.''  The  people  of  Boston,  in  their  distress,  consequent  upoii 
the  closing  of  the  port,a-  received  substantial  testimonies  of  the  sympathy  of  those  of  « June  i 
Norwich;^  and  when  the  rumor  which  went  abroad  that  the  British  soldiers  were  massa- 
cring the  people  of  Boston,  reached  Norwich,  a  multitude  gathered  around  the  September  3, 
Liberty  Tree,  and  the  next  morning  (Sunday)  four  hundred  and  sixty-four  men,  i'^"'*- 

'  Miss  Caulkins,  page  208. 

^  This  building,  though  somewhat  altered,  is  yet  standing  on  one  side  of  the  green  in  the  upper  town,  noi 
far  from  the  court-house.  Belah  Peck,  Esq.,  son  of  the  proprietor  of  the  house  at  that  time,  and  then  a  half- 
grown  bo}-,  was  yet  living.  I  met  him  upon  the  road,  when  returning  from  Lebanon,  sitting  in  his  wagoi. 
as  erect  as  most  men  at  seventy.     He  died  toward  the  close  of  1850,  in  the  nincty-tifth  year  of  his  age. 

"^  One  of  these  resolutions,  looking  favorably  to  a  general  Congress,  was  as  follows  :  "  That  we  will,  to  the 
liimost  of  our  abilities,  assert  and  defend  the  liberties  and  immunities  of  British  America  ;  and  that  we  will 
co-operate  with  our  other  brethren,  in  this  and  the  other  colonies,  in  such  reasonable  measures  as  shall,  ii. 
general  Congress  or  otherwise,  be  judged  most  proper  to  release  us  from  burdens  we  now  feel,  and  secure 
u..  from  greater  evils  we  fear  \vi\\  follow  from  the  principles  adopted  by  the  British  Parliament  respectini; 
the  town  of  Boston."  This  was  one  of  the  earliest  movements  in  the  colonies  favorable  to  a  general 
Congress. 

••  The  committee  consisted  of  Captain  Jedediah  Huntington,  C.  Leffingwell,  Dr.  Theophilus  Rogers,  Cap- 
tain William  Hubbard,  and  Captain  Joseph  Trumbull.  Captain  Huntington  was  afterward  aid  to  Genera! 
\\'a.shington,  and  brigadier  general  in  the  Continental  army.  Captain  Trumbull  was  made  a  commissar} 
in  the  army. 

*  The  inhabitants  of  Norwich  sent  cash,  wheat,  corn,  and  a  flock  of  three  hundred  and  ninety  sheep,  foi 
the  relief  of  the  suffering  poor  of  Boston.  This  liberality  was  greatly  applauded  in  the  public  pruits  of  the 
day.  A  further  instance  of  the  liberal  devotion  of  the  people  of  Norwich  to  the  cause  may  be  mentioned. 
The  Connecticut  Gazette  for  January,  1778,  publi.>ihed  at  New  London,  says,  "On  the  last  Sabbath  of  De- 
cember, 1777,  a  contribution  was  taken  up  in  the  several  parishes  of  Norwich  for  the  benefit  of  the  ofEcer*i 


GOO 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


March  of  Militia  to  Boston. 


General  Huntington. 


Tlie  French  Officers. 


Benjamin  Huntington. 


a  large  proportion  of  them  well  mounted,  started  for  the  oppressed  city,  under  Major  John 
Durkee.  The  report  proved  to  be  false  ;  but  the  following  year,  when  the  skirmish  at  Lex 
mgton  inflamed  all  Anglo-America,  a  large  proportion  of  these  same  men  hastened  to  Cam 
bridge,  and  Durkee  and  others  were  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.'  A  company  of  one  hund- 
red choice  men,  raised  by  Durkee  in  Norwich,  marched  thither  under  Lieutenant  Joshua 
Huntington,  and  were  annexed  to  Putnam's  brigade. 

In  the  spring  of  1776,  the  Continental  army  that  left  Boston  for  New  York  after  the 
British  evacuation  of  the  former  place,  passed 
through  Norwich  to  embark  for  New  London. 
There  General  Washington  met  Governor 
Trumbull  by  appointment,  and  both  dined  to- 
srether  at  the  table  of  Colonel  Jedediah  Hunt- 
ington. The  dwelling  of  that  active  patriot, 
pictured  in  the  engraving,  is  well  preserved  in 
its  original  character.  It  is  in  the  present 
possession  of  his  nieces,  the  daughters  of  Col- 
■jnel  Ebenezer  Huntington.  Its  roof  at  difi^er- 
snt  times  sheltered  several  of  the  foreign  offi- 
cers— La  Fayette,  Steuben,  Pulaski,  the  Duke 
de  Lauzun,  and  the  Marquis  de  Chastellux. 
While  Lauzun's  legion  was  cantoned  at  Leb- 
anon, in  the  winter  of  1780—81,  General  Huntington  invited  that  nobleman  and  his  officers 
to  a  banquet  at  his  house.  The  noble  and  brilliant  appearance  of  these  men  when  they 
rode  into  the  town  attracted  great  attention.  After  the  dinner  was  over,  the  whole  party  went 
into  the  yard,  now  adorned  with  flowering  shrubs,  and  gave  three  loud  huzzas  for  liberty  ' 

Our  vehicle  is  at  the  door  ;   let  us  take  the  reins  and  depart  for  Lebanon. 

Before  leaving  Norwich,  we  called  upon  Jonathan  G.  W.  Trumbull,  Esq.,  a  grandson  of 
the  patriot  governor  of  that  name,  who  kindly  furnished  us  with  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
•'  the  oldest  inhabitant"  of  Lebanon,  Captain  Hubbard  Dutton.  Mr.  Trumbull  is  a  lineal 
descendant,  through  his  grandmother,  of  the  Reverend  John  Hobinson,  the  Puritan  divint; 
whose  flock  were  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.     Among  other  relics,  Mr.  Trumbull  showed  us  a 


Residenck  of  Genebai.  Huntington 


and  soldiers  who  belonged  to  said  town,  when  they  collected  386  pairs  of  stockings,  227  pairs  of  shoes,  118 
•shirts,  78  jackets,  48  pairs  of  overalls,  208  pairs  of  mittens,  11  buff  caps,  15  pairs  of  breeches,  9  coats,  22 
rifle  frocks,  19  handkerchiefs,  and  c£258  17s.  8d.  [about  $1295],  which  was  forwarded  to  the  army.  Also 
collected  a  quantity  of  pork,  cheese,  wheat,  rye,  Indian  corn,  sugar,  rice,  flax,  wood,  &c.,  &c.,  to  be  dis- 
iributed  to  the  needy  families  of  the  officers  and  soldiers.  The  whole  amounted  to  the  sum  of  661400,"  or 
about  87000. 

'  This  was  the  Colonel  Durkee  engaged  in  affairs  at  Wyoming,  and  known  as  "  the  bold  Bean  Hiller  ' 
See  note,  page  345, 

'^  This  pleasant  mansion  is  situated  in  Old  Norwich,  or  "up  to"WTi,"  a  few  rods  eastward  of  that  of  Gov- 
ernor Huntington.  The  original  owner,  Jedediah  Huntington,  was  one  of  five  sons  of  General  Jabez  Hunt- 
in<Ttan,  who  were  in  the  Continental  army  'at  different  times  during  the  war.  He  was  born  at  Norwich, 
August  15,  1745,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1763.  The  address  which  he  delivered  upon  that 
occasion  was  "  the  first  English  oration  ever  heard  upon  the  commencement  boards"  of  that  institution. 
When  opposition  to  British  rule  began,  young  Huntington  was  aroused,  and  at  once  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  colonists.  He  was  an  active  Son  of  Liberty,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  captains  of  militia  in  his  native 
town.  He  raised  a  regiment,  and  with  it  joined  the  Continental  army  in  1775.  In  1777,  Congress  com- 
missioned him  a  brigadier,  which  office  he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Washington  highly  esteemed 
him,  and  appointed  him  collector  of  the  port  of  New  London  in  1789.  He  resided  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  25th  of  September,  1818.  His  first  wife  was  daughter  of  Governor  Trumbull.  She 
died  at  Dedham,  while  her  husband  was  on  his  way  to  Cambridge,  in  1775.  His  second  wife  was  sister  tx? 
the  late  Bishop  Moore  of  Virginia.     She  died  in  1831. 

Benjamin  Huntington,  of  another  family,  was  the  first  mayor  of  Norwich,  and  was  a  representative  in  the 
Continental  Congress  from  1784  to  1787  inclusive  ;  also  during  Washington's  administration.  His  son  Ben- 
jamin married  a  daughter  of  General  Jedediah  Huntington,  who  became  the  mother  of  Huntington,  our  dis- 
tinguished artist.  He  was  at  one  time  one  of  the  most  eminent  of  New  York  brokers.  He  died  on  the  3d 
of  August,  1850,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


601 


A  precious  Heir-loom.         The  Road  to  Lebanon.         Bozrah  and  Fitchville.         Situation  of  Lebanon.        Governor  Trumbull 

silver  cup,  with  a  richly-'w^rought  handle,  and  bearing  the  initials  I.  R.,  which  belonged  to 
Mr.  Robinson.      It  is  properly  preserved  as  a  most  precious  heir-loom. 

The  road  to  Lebanon  passes  through  a  broken  but  fertile  country,  every  where  thoroughly 
cultivated  where  tillage  is  practicable.  We  passed  through  Old  Norwich  and  ovei  Bean 
Hill,  but,  mistaking  the  Colchester  road  for  the 
Lebanon  turnpike,  found  ourselves  at  Fitch- 
ville, in  Bozrah,  nearly  two  miles  from  our 
most  direct  way.'  The  ride  along  the  high 
banks  of  the  winding  Yantic,  coursing  in  a 
deep  bed  among  stately  trees,  was  ample  com- 
pensation for  the  loss  of  time,  and  we  had  no 
inclination  to  chide  the  road-fork  that  deceiv- 
ed us. 

The  gentle  hills  rise  one  above  another  to- 
ward Lebanon,  until  they  are  lost  in  a  high, 
rolling  plain,  on  which  the  old  town  is  situ- 
ated. The  land  throughout  that  region  has 
ever  been  held  in  the  highest  estimation  for 
its  fertility  ;  and  around  Lebanon,  the  focus 
of  Connecticut  patriotism  and  vigilance  during 
the  Revolution,  cluster  associations  of  the  deep- 
est interest.  Here  was  the  residence  of  Gov- 
ernor Trumbull,  whose  name  and  deeds  are 
worthily  associated  with  those  of  Washington, 
on  the  records  of  our  war  for  independence. 
No  man  during  that  contest  acted  Mdth  more 


^  The  origin  of  this  name  is  a  little  amusing.  A  plain  man,  who  lived  where  Fitchville  now  is,  was  not 
remarkable  for  quoting  Scripture  correctly.  On  one  occasion,  in  quoting  the  passage  from  Isaiah,  "  Who  is 
this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah,"  &c.,  he  stated  that  the  Prophet  Bozrah 
said  thus  and  so.  He  was  afterward  called  the  Prophet,  and  the  place  of  his  residence  Bozrah.  When  the 
town  was  incorporated,  that  name  was  given  to  it. — Barber,  302. 

-  Jonathan  TrambuU  was  born  at  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  on  the  10th  of  June  (0.  S.),  1710.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Harvard  in  1727,  and  commenced  the  study  of  theology  with  the  Reverend  Solomon  Williams,  of 
Lebanon.  The  death  of  an  elder  brother,  who  was  engaged  in  a  mercantile  business  with  his  father  at  Leb- 
anon, caused  him  to  become  a  merchant  instead  of  a  clergyman.  At  the  age  of  twentj^-three  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Connecticut  Assembly,  where  his  business  capacities  raised  him  rapidly  in  public  estima- 
tion. He  was  elected  lieutenant  governor  of  the  colony  in  1766,  and  by  virtue  of  that  office  became  chief 
justice  of  the  Superior  Court.  His  first  bold  step  in  opposition  to  Great  Britain  was  in  refusing  to  take  the 
oath  enjoined  in  1768,  which  was  an  almost  unconditional  submission  to  all  the  power  claimed  by  Parlia- 
ment ;  nor  would  he  be  pi-esent  when  others,  moi-e  timorous  than  he,  took  it.  Because  of  his  firmness  he 
was  chosen  governor  of  the  colony  in  1769,  and  he  has  the  proud  distinction  of  being  the  only  colonial  gov- 
ernor at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  who  espoused  the  cause  of  the  colonies.  He  was  considered 
the  whig  leader  in  New  England  while  the  Adamses  and  Hancock  were  legislating  in  the  Continental  Con- 
gress ;  and  during  the  whole  contest  no  man  was  more  implicitly  relied  upon  as  a  firm,  consistent,  and  active 
friend  of  liberty  than  Governor  Trumbull.  "  General  Washington  relied  on  him,"  says  Sparks,  "  as  one  of 
his  main  pillars  of  support."  In  1783,  when  peace  for  the  colonies  returned,  Governor  Trumbull,  then  sev 
enty-thi-ee  years  old,  declined  a  re-election  to  the  office  of  governor,  which  he  had  held  fourteen  consecutive 
years.  He  retired  from  public  life,  but  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  the  quiet  he  so  much  coveted  in  the  bo- 
som of  his  iamily.  He  was  seized  with  a  malignant  fever  in  August,  1785,  and  on  the  17th  of  that  month 
(lied.  His  son  was  afterward  Governor  of  Connecticut,  and  in  1849  his  grandson  filled  that  responsible 
office. 

The  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  who  came  to  America  with  Rochambeau  in  1780,  has  left  behind  him  a 
charming,  life-like  description  of  his  sojourn  here.  He  thus  pleasantly  alludes  to  Governor  Trumbull.  "  1 
have  already  painted  Governor  Trumbull.  At  present  you  have  only  to  represent  to  yourself  this  little  old 
man,  in  the  antique  dress  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  colony,  approaching  a  table  surrounded  by  twenty  huz- 
zar  officers,  and,  without  either  disconcerting  himself  or  losing  any  thing  of  his  formal  stifihess,  pronouncing, 
in  a  loud  voice,  a  long  prayer  in  the  form  of  a  bcnedicite.  Let  it  not  be  imagined  that  he  excites  the  laugh- 
ter of  his  auditors  ;  they  are  too  well  trained  ;  you  must,  on  the  contrary,  figure  to  yourself  twenty  Amcns, 


G02 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Governor  Tbumuull's  War  Office.' 


Character  and  Services  of  Governor  Trumbull.  His  Dvirelling  and  War  Office.  Settlement  of  Lebanon.  Lauzun 

energy,  or  plied  his  talents  and  resources  with  more  industry  than  he.  During  the  whole 
war,  the  responsible  duties  and  services  of  governor  of  the  state  rested  upon  him,  yet  he  per- 
formed immense  labors  in  other  departments  of  the  field  to  which  he  was  called,  notwith- 
standing he  was  more  than  threescore  years 

old.      His  correspondence  was  very  extensive,  ^___a^^^fe^ 

and  he  sat  in  council  no  less  than  one  thou- 
sand days  during  the  war.  Washington  never 
applied  to  him  for  supplies  of  any  kind  with- 
out receiving  an  immediate  response.  It  is  a 
fact  worthy  of  record  that,  although  Connecti- 
cut can  not  point  to  any  brilliant  battle  field 
within  her  borders,  she  furnished  for  that  war 
more  troops  and  supplies  than  any  other  col- 
ony, except  Massachusetts.  If  the  old  ivar 
ojfice  of  Governor  Trumbull,  yet  standing  at 
Lebanon,  had  a  tongue  to  speak,  it  might  tell 

of  many  a  scheme  elaborated  there,  which,  in  its  consummation,  may  have  been  the  act  thai 
turned  the  scale  of  destiny  in  favor  of  the  Americans.     There  the  illustrious  owner  discussed 
with  Washington,  Franklin,  Pvochambeau,  and  others,  the  gravest  questions  which  then  oc 
cupied  the  attention  of  two  hemispheres.      Such  a  spot  is  like  consecrated  ground,  and  the 
shoes  of  irreverence  should  never  press  the  green-sward  around  it. 

We  dined  at  the  upper  end  of  the  village,  and 
-=^  then  proceeded  to  visit  the  relics  of  the  era  of  thf 

-^^^B^^p-  Revolution  which  remain.      I  have  called  Leba 

non  an  old  town.  A  portion  of  the  tract  was  pur 
chased  about  1G98,  of  Oicaneko,  the  son  of  Uncas 
There  were  several  tracts  purchased  by  the  whites 
in  the  vicinity,  all  of  which  were  united  in  the 
year  1700.  The  village  is  situated  principally 
upon  a  street  thirty  rods  wide,  and  more  than  a 
mile  in  length.  Several  well-built  houses  erected 
before  or  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution  yet  re- 
main. Among  them  is  that  of  Governor  Trum- 
bull. It  is  a  substantial  frame  building,  and  is  now 
(1849)  owned  by  Mrs.  Eunice  Mason,  a  widow 
eighty  years  of  age.  We  were  denied  the  pleas- 
ure of  an  interview  with  her  on  account  of  her  feeble  health.  The  house  is  on  the  west 
side  of  the  street,  near  the  road  running  westward  to  Colchester.  Sixty  or  seventy  rods 
southwest  from  the  Trumbull  House  is  the  "  barrack  lot,"  the  place  where  Lauzun's  legion 
of  cavalry  were  encamped.''     His  corps  consisted  of  about  five  hundred  horsemen.     Rocham- 

issuing  at  once  from  the  midst  of  forty  mustaches,  and  you  will  have  some  idea  of  the  little  scene." — Trav- 
els, i.,'"458. 

1  This  was  the  building  in  which  Governor  Trumbull  transacted  his  public  business.  It  formerly  stood 
near  his  dwelling,  but  is  now  several  rods  northwest  of  it,  on  the  same  side  of  the  Common.  For  many 
years  it  was  occupied  as  a  post-office.    This  sketch  was  taken  from  the  open  field  in  the  rear,  looking  north. 

^  The  Duke  de  Lauzun  was  an  accomplished,  but  exceedingly  voluptuous  and  unprincipled  man.  His 
personal  beauty,  talents,  wit,  wealth,  and  bravery  were  passports  to  the  friendship  of  men  who  abhorred  hi  s 
profligacy.  Why  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Americans  it  is  not  easy  to  determine,  unless,  surfeited  wit  li 
sensual  indulgences,  he  was  desirous  of  engaging  in  new  excitements,  where  he  might  regain  the  waniii" 
vigor  of  his  body.  His  conduct  here  made  him  very  popular.  After  his  return  to  Europe  he  became  ai?- 
quainted  with  Talleyrand,  and  accompanied  him  on  a  mission  to  England  in  1792.  There  one  of  his  fa 
miliar  associates  was  the  Prince  of  Wales,  afterward  George  IV.  On  the  death  of  his  uncle,  the  Duke  de 
Biron,  Lauzun  succeeded  to  the  title.  He  became  involved  in  the  stormy  movements  of  the  French  R'.n-o- 
lution,  and  being  found  guilty  of  secretly  favoring  theVendeans,  was  executed  on  the  31st  of  December,  1793. 
Two  officers  in  his  regiment  in  America,  named  Dillon,  brothers,  also  suffered  death  by  the  guillotine. 


The  Trumbull  House. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


603 


The  AlJen  Ttivem. 


General  Prescott  horsewhipped  there. 


The  Williama  House 


The  Trumbull  Vault 


The  Alden  Tavern. 


beau  was  there,  with  five  regiments,  for  about  three  weeks,  in  the  winter  of 
1780,  and  while  he  tarried  Washington  arrived,  stayed  a  few  days,  and  re- 
viewed the  French  troops.  A  French  soldier  was  shot  for  desertion,  a  few 
rods  north  of  the  "  barrack  lot." 

Nearly  opposite  the  Trumbull  mansion  is  the  old  tavern  kept  during  the 
Revolution  by  Captain  Alden.  It  is  famous  generally  as  a  place  of  rendez- 
vous of  the  French  officers,  for  drinking  and  playing,  and 
more  particularly  as  the  house  where  General  Prescott, 
the  British  officer  who  was  captured  on  Pwhode  Island, 
stopped  to  dine,  while  on  his  way,  under  an  escort,  to 
Washington's  camp,  and  received  a  horsewhipping  from 
the  landlord.'  Of  the  remarkable  circumstances  of  Pres- 
cott's  capture  I  shall  hereafter  write.  Mr.  Wattles,  the 
present  proprietor  of  the  old  tavern,  is  a  descendant  of 
Captain  Alden.  While  making  the  annexed  sketch  we 
were  joined  by  Captain  Dutton,  the  venerable  citizen  to 
whom  we  bore  a  letter  of  introduction,  but  who  was  ab- 
sent from  home  when  we  arrived  in  the  village.  He  has  a 
distinct  recollection  of  all  the  revolutionary  events  about  Leb- 
anon and  vicinity,  and  could  direct  us  to  every  spot  made  mem- 
orable by  those  events. 

On  the  corner  of  the  road  leading  from  Lebanon  to  Wind- 
ham is  the  house  once  occupied  by  William  W^illiams,  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  It  has  been 
slightly  modified,  but  its  general  appearance  is  the  same  as  it 
was  during  the  Revolution  Its  present  occupant  is  Mr.  Sim- 
.-:^  eon  Peckam.     A  bi- 

ographical sketch  of 
Mr.  Williams  will  be 
found  among  those 

of  the  Signers,  in  another  portion  of  this  work,  and 
the  most  prominent  events  of  his  life  are  also  no- 
ticed in  his  e2)itaph,  given  on  the  next  page. 

We  will  pass  on  to  the  sacred  inclosure  con- 
taining the  vault  of  the  Trumbull  family.  It  is 
in  a  cemetery  a  little  eastward  of  the  village,  and 
near  the  Windham  Road  —  a  cemetery  which 
probably  contains  the  remains  of  more  distinguish- 
ed men  of  the  Revolution  than  any  other  in  the 
country.  In  the  Trumbull  tomb  are  the  remains 
of  two  governors  of  Connecticut,  the  first  com- 
missary general  of  the  United  States,  and  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

'  While  at  table,  Mrs.  Alden  brought  on  a  dish  of  succotash  (boiled  beans  and  corn),  a  dish  much  valued 
in  America.  Prescott,  unused  to  such  food,  exclaimed  indignantly,  "  What !  do  you  treat  me  with  the 
food  of  hogs?"  and  taking  the  dish  from  the  table,  strewed  the  contents  over  the  floor.  Captain  Alden, 
being  infonned  of  this,  soon  entered  with  a  horsewhip,  and  flogged  the  general  severely.  After  Prescott 
was  exchanged  and  restored  to  his  command  on  Rhode  Island,  the  inhabitants  of  Newport  deputed  William 
Rotch,  Dr.  Tupper,  and  Timothy  Folger  to  negotiate  some  concerns  with  him  in  behalf  of  the  town.  They 
were  for  some  time  refused  admittance  to  his  presence,  but  the  doctor  and  Folger  finally  entered  the  room. 
Prescott  stormed  with  great  violence,  until  Folger  was  compelled  to  withdraw.  After  the  doctor  had  an- 
nounced his  business,  and  Prescott  had  become  calm,  the  general  said,  "  Was  not  my  treatment  to  Folger 
very  uncivil?"  "Yes,"  replied  the  doctor.  '"Then,"  said  Prescott,  "I  will  tell  you  the  reason;  ho 
looked  so  much  like  a  d — d  Connecticut  man  that  horsewhipped  me,  that  I  could  not  endure  his  presence." 
— Thatcher'' i  Journal,  p.  175. 

*  The  marble  monument  standing  in  front  of  the  torab  is  in  memory  of  William  Williams,  a  signer  of  the 


-^fi3^__ 


The  Williams  House. 


The  Teumbull  Vault.' 


G04  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Return  to  Norwich.       Destruction  of  the  Yantic  FallB.        Birth-place  of  Arnold.        Inscription  upon  the  Trumbull  Monument. 

The  day  was  waning  when  I  finished  my  sketches,  and  bidding  Lebanon  and  its  inter- 
esting associations  adieu,  we  returned  to  Norwich,  stopping  for  a  few  minutes  at  the  Sa- 
chem's Burial-ground,  pn  the  verge  of  the  city,  to  delineate  the  monument  of  Uncas,  printed 
on  page  30. 

On  the  following  morning,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Williams  and  his  son  in  a  light  dearborn, 
I  proceeded  to  visit  the  many  points  of  historic  interest  within  and  around  Norwich.  We 
went  to  the  plain  and  the  upper  town  by  the  road  that  passes  along  the  margin  of  the  Yan- 
tic, to  the  once  romantic  falls  near  the  mouth  of  that  river.  The  natural  beauties  of  this 
cascade  were  half  hidden  and  defaced  long  ago  by  towering  factories  ;  but  the  chief  spoiler 
\ya.%  public  improvement,  which,  with  pick  and  powder-blast,  hammer  and  trowel,  has  digged 
down  the  crown  of  the  waterfall,  and  bridged  it  by  a  rail-way  viaduct.  A  curve  of  a  few 
rods  might  have  spared  the  beautiful  Yantic  Falls ;  but  what  right  has  Nature  to  intrude 
her  charms  in  the  way  of  the  footsteps  of  Mammon  ?  I  saw  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Trumbull, 
in  Norwich,  a  fine  picture  of  these  romantic 
falls,  painted  by  the  eminent  artist  John 
Trumbull,  a  son  of  the  patriot  governor,  be- 
fore a  layer  of  brick  or  the  sound  of  an  ax  had 
desecrated  the  spot.  It  was,  indeed,  a  charm- 
ing scene. 

About  half  way  between  Norwich,  city  and 
the  upper  town,  on  the  right  or  south  side  of  the 
road,  was  the  birth-place  of  Benedict  Arnold, 
depicted  in  the  annexed  engraving.  The  view 
is  from  the  road,  looking  southeast.  The  house 
had  had  some  slight  additions  to  its  size  since 
Arnold  played  in  its  garden  in  petticoats  and 
bib,  yet  its  general  appearance  was  the  same  Bibth-place  of  Benedict  aenolu. 

as  at  that  time.     Several  circumstances  bord- 

Declaration  of  Independence,  and  bears  the  following  inscription  :  "  The  remains  of  the  Honorable  Will- 
iam Williams  are  deposited  in  this  tomb.  Born  April  8th,  1731  ;  died  the  2d  of  August,  1811,  in  tho 
81st  year  of  his  age.  A  man  eminent  for  his  virtues  and  piety.  For  more  than  50  }'ears  he  was  con- 
stantly employed  in  public  life,  and  served  in  many  of  the  most  important  offices  in  the  gift  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.  During  the  whole  period  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  he  was  a  firm,  steady,  and  ardent  friend  of 
his  country,  and  in  the  darkest  times  risked  his  life  and  wealth  in  her  defense.  In  1776  and  1777  he  was 
a  member  of  the  American  Congress,  and  as  such  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  His  public  and 
private  virtues,  his  piety  and  benevolence,  will  long  endear  his  memory  to  his  surviving  friends ;  above  all, 
he  was  a  sincere  Christian,  and  in  his  last  moments  placed  his  hope,  with  an  humble  confidence,  in  his  Re- 
deemer.    He  had  the  inexpressible  satisfaction  to  look  back  upon  a  long,  honorable,  and  well-spent  life." 

On  the  pedestal  upon  the  top  of  the  tomb  are  the  following  inscriptions  :  "  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Jon 
athan  Trumbull,  Esq.,  who,  unaided  by  birth  or  powerful  connections,  but  blessed  with  a  noble  and  virtuous 
mind,  arrived  to  the  highest  station  in  government.  His  patriotism  and  firmness  during  50  years'  employ- 
ment in  public  life,  and  particularly  in  the  very  important  part  he  acted  in  the  American  Revolution,  as 
Governor  of  Connecticut,  the  faithful  page  of  history  wtll  record.  Full  of  j'ears  and  honors,  rich  in  benev- 
olence, and  firm  in  the  faith  and  hopes  of  Christianity,  he  died,  August  9,  1785,  ^^i^tates  75." 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Madam  Faith  Trumbull,*  the  amiable  lady  of  Governor  Trumbull,  born  at  Dux- 
bury,  Mass.,  A.D.  1718.  Happy  and  beloved  in  her  connubial  state,  she  lived  a  virtuous,  charitable,  and 
Christian  life  at  Lebanon,  in  Connecticut,  and  died  lamented  by  numerous  friends  A.D.  1780,  aged  62  years." 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Joseph  Trumbull,  eldest  son  of  Governor  Trumbull,  and  first  commissary  gen- 
eral of  the  United  States  of  America ;  a  service  to  whose  perpetual  cares  and  fatigues  he  fell  a  sacrifice 
A.D.  1778,  aged  42  years.  Full  soon,  indeed !  may  his  person,  his  virtues,  and  even  his  extensive  benev- 
olence be  forgotten  by  his  friends  and  fellow-men.  But  blessed  be  God !  for  the  Hope  that  in  his  presence 
he  shall  be  remembered  forever." 

"  To  the  memory  of  Jonathan  Trumbull,  Esq.,t  late  Governor  of  the  State  of  Connecticut.  He  was  born 
March  26th,  1740,  and  died  August  7th,  1809,  aged  69  years.  His  remains  were  deposited  with  those  oi 
his  father." 

*  Her  maiden  name  was  Robinson,  and  she  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Robinson,  pastor  at  Leyden  of  many 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers. 
t  Son  of  the  first  governor 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  6  0. 


Arnold's  cnrly  Years.  Attempt  to  commit  Murder.         A  Ringleader  irf  Mischief.  His  Mother.  Scorching  Acrostic. 

ering  upon  the  marvelous,  and  viewed  Avith  a  little  superstition,  gave  the  house  an  unpleas- 
ant notoriety,  and  for  many  years  it  A\as  untenanted,  because  it  was  haunted  I  by  what  or 
whom  rumor  never  deigned  to  reveal.  When  I  visited  it,  only  two  or  three  rooms  were  oc- 
cupied, the  others  being  empty  and  locked.  The  room  in  which  Arnold  was  born,  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  second  story,  was  occupied,  and  the  people  seemed  to  be  familiar 
with  the  traditions  respecting  the  boyhood  of  that  distinguished  man.  Arnold  was  blessed 
with  a  mother  (Hannah  King,  of  Norwich),  who  was,  says  her  epitaph,  "  A  pattern  of  pa- 
tience, piety,  and  virtue,"  but  her  lessons  seem  to  have  been  fruitless  of  good  efiijct  upon  the 
headstrong  boy.'  He  was  wayward,  disobedient,  unscrupulous,  and  violent — traits  of  char- 
acter which  finally  worked  his  ruin.  He  even  attempted  r)iurder^  while  a  young  man  re- 
siding at  Norwich,  by  shooting  a  youthful  Frenchman,  who  paid  court  to  Arnold's  sister, 
Hannah,  by  whom  his  love  was  reciprocated.  Young  Arnold  disliked  him,  and  finding  per- 
suasion powerless  on  the  mind  of  his  sister  to  induce  her  to  break  ofTher  engagement  with 
the  foreigner,  vowed  vengeance  upon  him  if  he  ever  caught  him  in  the  house  again.  The 
opportunity  occurred,  and  Arnold  discharged  a  loaded  pistol  at  him  as  he  escaped  from  a 
window,  fortunately  without  efTect.  The  young  man  left  the  place  forever,  and  Hannah 
Arnold  lived  the  life  of  a  maiden.  Arnold  and  the  Frenchman  afterward  met  at  Honduras 
They  fought  a  duel,  in  which  the  latter  was  severely  wounded. 

When  a  mere  boy,  Arnold's  courage  was  remarkable,  and  among  his  playmates  he  was 
a  perfect  despot.  A  ringleader  in  every  mischievous  sport,  he  often  performed  astonishing 
feats  of  daring.  On  a  gala-day,  he  set  a  field-piece  upright,  poured  powder  into  it,  and 
dropped  from  his  own  hand  a  firebrand  into  the  muzzle.  On  another  occasion,  at  the  head 
of  a  number  of  boys,  he  rolled  away  some  valuable  casks  from  a  ship-yard  at  Chelsea,^  to 
make  a  thanksgiving  bonfire.  An  officer,  sent  by  the  owner  to  recover  them,  arrested  the 
casks  on  their  way.  The  stripling  Arnold  was  enraged,  and,  taking  ofT  his  coat  upon  the 
spot,  dared  the  constable,  a  stout  man,  to  fight  him  I  Such  was  the  boyhood  of  one  of  thf 
most  intrepid  generals  of  our  Revolution — such  w^as  the  early  type  of  the  unscrupulous,  vio- 
lent man  whose  memory  is  black  with  the  foulest  treason.^     We  have  met  him  in  preceding 

'  Miss  Caulkins  publishes  the  following  letter  from  Mrs.  Arnold  to  Benedict,  while  he  was  at  school  in 
(Janterbury.     It  exhibits  the  character  of  his  mother  in  strong  contrast  with  his  own  in  after  life. 

"  Norwich,  April  12, 1754. 

"  Dear  Child, — I  received  yours  of  the  1st  instant,  and  was  glad  to  hear  that  you  was  well.  Pray,  my 
dear,  let  your  first  concern  be  to  make  your  peace  with  God,  as  it  is  of  all  concerns  of  the  greatest  import- 
;ince.  Keep  a  steady  watch  over  your  thoughts,  words,  and  actions.  Be  dutiful  to  superiors,  obliging  to 
equals,  and  afiable  to  inferiors,  if  any  s»ch  there  be.  Always  choose  that  your  companions  be  your  betters, 
that  by  their  good  examples  you  may  learn. 

"  From  your  affectionate  mother,  Hannah  Arnold. 

"  P.S. — I  have  sent  you  50s.  Use  it  prudently,  as  you  are  accountable  to  God  and  your  father.  Your 
father  and  aunt  join  with  me  in  love  and  service  to  Mr.  Cogswell  and  lady,  and  yourself.  Your  sister  is 
from  home." 

-  Chelsea  is  the  old  port  of  Norwich.     The  houses  cluster  chiefly  at  the  mouth  of  the  Shctucket. 
•*  Oliver  Arnold,  a  cousin  of  Benedict,  and  also  a  resident  of  Norwich,  was  the  reputed  author  of  the  fol- 
owing  scorching  acrostic,  written  after  the  treason  of  his  kinsman.     It  is  bad  poetry  and  worse  sentiment. 

"  Bom  for  a  curse  to  virtue  and  mankind, 
Earth's  broadest  realm  ne'er  knew  so  black  a  mind. 
Night's  sable  veil  your  crimes  can  never  hide, 
Each  one  so  great,  'twould  glut  historic  tide. 
Defunct,  your  cursed  memory  will  live, 
In  all  the  glare  that  infamy  can  give. 
Curses  of  ages  will  attend  your  name, 
Traitors  alone  will  glory  iu  your  shame. 

"  Almighty  vengeance  sternly  waits  to  roll 
Rivers  of  sulphur  on  your  ti'cacherous  soul ; 
Nature  looks  shuddering  back  with  conscious  dread 
On  such  a  tarnish'd  blot  as  she  has  made. 
Let  hell  receive  you  riveted  in  chains, 
Doom'd  to  the  hottest  focus  of  its  flames  I" 

The  author  of  the  above  had  a  peculiar  talent  for  making  extempore  verses.    Joel  Barlow  once  met  him 


GOG 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Residence  of  Governor  Huntington. 


Unpublished  Letter  written  by  Washington 


Rxon  Huntinoton's  Mansion. 


pages  in  his  glorious  career  as  a  bold  patriot ;   we  shall  meet  him  again  presently  amid  the 
scenes  of  his  degradation. 

Leaving  the  Arnold  House,  we 
rode  to  the  upper  town,  and  halted 
at  the  spacious  mansion  of  Charles 
Spaulding,  Esq.,  formerly  the  resi- 
dence of  Governor  Samuel  Hunt- 
ington, who  was  also  a  signer  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
and  President  of  Congress.  It  was 
considered  the  finest  dwelling  in 
Norwich  when  occupied  by  the  gov- 
ernor, and  now  presents  an  excellent 
specimen  of  the  architecture  of  that 
era.  Surrounded  by  shade-trees  and 
adorned  with  shrubbery,  it  is  a  sum- 
mer residence  to  be  coveted  by  those 
who  love  spacious  rooms  and  a  quiet 
location.  I  saw  in  the  possession 
of  Mrs.  Spaulding  an  autograph  letter  of  General  Washington,  written  to  Governor  Hunt- 
ington, then  President  of  Congress.  It  has  never  been  published,  and  as  its  purport  is  of 
an  interesting  public  nature,  I  give  a  copy  of  it  here.' 

"Head-quarters,  New  Windsor,  10th  April,  1781. 

"  Sir, 

"I  beg  leave  to  introduce  to  your  excellency  Colonel  Menonville,  deputy  adjutant  general 
to  the  French  army.  This  gentleman,  who  is  charged  by  his  excellency  the  Count  de  Pvo- 
chambeau  with  matters  respecting  a  contract  entered  into  by  Dr.  Franklin,  in  behalf  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  supply  of  a  quantity  of  provision,  will,  through  your  excellency,  lay 
his  business  generally  before  Congress. 

"  He  will  also,  agreeably  to  the  wishes  of  Count  Rochambeau,  make  an  application  for 
some  heavy  iron  cannon  for  the  use  of  the  works  at  Newport,  which  he  understands  were 
imported  into  New  Hampshire  for  the  use  of  the  seventy-four  gun  ship  now  upon  the  stocks. 
The  brass  artillery  at  present  in  them  are  the  artillery  of  siege,  and  must  be  removed  should 
the  army  remove.  If  there  are  such  cannon  in  New  Hampshire,  and  there  is  no  probability 
of  their  being  soon  wanted  for  the  purpose  for  which  they%i^ere  intended,  I  think  a  part  of 
them  can  not  be  better  applied. 

"  I  recommend  Colonel  Menonville  to  your  excellency's  personal  attention  as  a  gentleman 
of  peculiar  merit. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect,  your  excellency's  most  obedient  and  humblo 
servant,  Geo.  Washington. 

"  His  Excellency  the  President  of  Congress." 

In  the  rear  of  the  Huntington  mansion  is  the  cemetery  of  the  first  Congregational  society 
of  Norwich.      Within  it  lie  the  remains  of  many  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  the  town,  and 

in  a  book-store  in  New  Haven,  and  asked  him  for  a  specimen  of  his  talent.     Arnold  immediately  repeatr'J 
the  following  : 

"  Yoa'vj  proved  yoursrlf  a  sinful  cre'tur-; 

You've  murder'd  Watts  and  spoil'd  the  meter, 

You've  tried  the  Word  of  God  to  alter, 

And  for  your  pains  deserve  a  halter." 

To  understand  the  witty  sarcasm  of  these  lines,  it  must  be  remembered  that  Barlow,  at  that  time,  was  en 
joyin<T  much  notoriety  by  a  publication  of  a  revised  and  altered  edition  of  Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns. 

'  The  only  letter  written  by  Washington  at  this  date,  and  published  in  his  "  Life  and  Writings"  by 
Sparks,  was  addressed  to  the  Count  de  Rochambeau,  on  the  subject  of  an  expedition  to  Penobscot.  See 
Sparks,  viii.,  8. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


GO) 


.NOK  Huntington's  Tomu. 


Fiunily  Vault  of  Governor  Huntington.        Tomb  of  General  Jabcz  Huntington.         His  five  Sons.         The  old  Burying-ground 

upon  the  steep  southern  slope  of  a  hill  is  the  family  vault  of  Governor  Huntington.  It  is 
substantially  built  of  brick.  On  tlie 
front,  over  the  entrance,  is  an  inscribed 
marble  tablet.'  The  tomb  is  some- 
what dilapidated,  and  the  ground  over- 
grown with  brambles.  In  the  south- 
em  portion  of  the  cemetery,  separated 
from  the  others  by  a  stone  fence,  is  the 
family  vault  of  General  Jabez  Hunt- 
ington,' formerly  one   of  the   leading 

men  of  Norwich,  and  peculiarly  honored  in  contributing  five  hardy  sons  to  the  Continental 
army.  Jedediah  was  a  brigadier  general  ;  Andrew  was  a  commissary  ;  Joshua  and  Eben- 
ezer  were  colonels.  Zachariah,  the  youngest,  was  still  living  with  his  son,  Thomas  M.  Hunt- 
ington, Esq.,  a  few  rods  north  of  the  residence  of  General  Jedediah  Huntington,  pictured  on 
page  32.  We  called  to  see  him,  but  indisposition  prevented  his  receiving  visitors.  He 
was  then  nearly  eighty-six  years  of  age.  He  was  drafted  in  the  militia  in  1780,  but  saw 
little  of  active  military  service.' 

General  Jabez  Huntington's  tomb,  like  that  of  the  governor,  is  constructed  of  brick,  having 

an  inscribed  marble  tablet  in  front ;'  but,  un- 
-^^.,,_  like  the  other,  it  was  not  covered  with  bram- 

bles, nor  was  there  a  blade  of  grass  upon  the 
old  graves  that  surround  it.     The  ground  had 
been  burned  over  to  clear  it  of  bushes  and  bri- 
ers, and  the  ancient  tomb-stones  were  shame- 
fully blackened  by  fire.      A  few  yards  from 
Huntington's  tomb  is  the  more  humble  grave 
of  Diah  Manning,  who  was  a  drummer  in  the 
Continental  army.     He  was  the  jailer  at  Nor- 
wich during  the  French  Revolution.     When 
Boyer,  afterward  President  of  Hay  ti,  was  brought  to  Norwich,  among  other  French  prison- 
ers, in  1797,  he  was  treated  with  great  kindness  by  Manning.     The  prisoner  did  not  forget 
it,  and  when  President  of  St.  Domingo,  he  sent  presents  to  Manning's  family. 

Leaving  the  ancient  cemetery,  we  returned  to  the  city,  and  called  upon  the  almost  cen- 
tenarian Captain  Erastus  Perkins,  residing  on  Shetucket  Street.  He  is  yet  living  (1850), 
in  the  ninety-ninth  year  of  his  age.  We  found  him  quite  strong  in  body  and  mind.  Many 
scenes  of  his  early  years  are  still  vivid  pictures  in  his  memory,  and  he  was  able  to  reproduce 
them  with  much  interest.  He  said  he  distinctly  remembered  the  circumstance  of  quite  a 
large  body  of  men  going  from  Norwich  to  New  Haven,  in  1765,  to  assist  in  compelling  In- 


Gexeral  Huntington's  Tomb 


'  The  following  i.s  a  copy  of  the  inscription :  "  Samuel  Huntington,  Esq.,  Governor  of  Connecticut, 
having  served  his  fellow-citizens  in  various  important  otfices,  died  the  5th  day  of  January,  A.D.  1796,  in  the 
Goth  year  of  his  affe." 

"  His  consort,  ]\Irs.  Martha  Huntington,  died  June  4th,  A.D.  1794,  in  the  57th  year  of  her  age." 

A  portrait  and  biographical  sketch  of  Governor  Huntington  will  be  found  among  those  of  the  signers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

'  Jabez  Huntinirton  was  born  in  Norwich,  in  1719.  He  f^raduated  at  Yale  College  in  1741,  and  soon 
aftei-ward  entered  into  mercantile  business.  At  one  time  himself  and  sons  owned  and  fitted  out  at  the  port 
of  Norwich  twenty  vessels  for  the  Weft  India  trade.  In  1750  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Connecticut 
Assembly,  was  speaker  lor  several  years,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Council.  He  lost  nearly  half  his  prop- 
erty by  the  capture  of  his  vessels  when  the  Revolution  broke  out.  He  was  an  ardent  patriot,  a  very  active 
member  of  the  Council  of  Safetv,  and  held  the  ofiice  of  major  general  in  the  militia.  He  died  at  Norwich 
in  1786. 

^  General  Zachariah  Huntington  is  no  more.  He  died  in  June,  1850,  at  the  ago  of  eighty-eight.  Thus 
one  after  another  of  those  whom  [  visited  has  since  fjone  to  rest  in  the  j^rave. 

*  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  inscription  :  "  The  family  tomb  of  the  Honorable  Jabez  Huntington, 
Eso..  ^sho  died  October  5,  1786,  aged  67  years." 


G08  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Captain  Perkina.  Old  Men  of  Norwich.  Greenville.  Tory  HiU.  Letter  of  General  Williams 

gersoll,  the  stamp  distributor,  to  resign  his  office.  Captain  Perkins  went  to  Roxbury  in 
1775,  and  was  a  sutler  in  Colonel  Huntington's  regiment  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  He  was  in  New  York  about  two  years  ago,  and  pointed  out  the  spot 
in  Wall  Street  where  he  stood  and  saw  Washington  take  the  oath  as  President  of  the 
United  States,  sixty-one  years  before.  For  many  years  Captain  Perkins  was  surveyor  of 
the  port  of  Norwich,  and  throughout  a  long  life  has  preserved  the  esteem  of  its  citizens 
He  is  now  the  honored  head  of  five  generations.'  A  few  friends  of  his  youth  are  still  living 
in  Norwich,  but  most  of  that  generation  have  long  since  departed.  I  was  informed  by  Dr. 
W.  P.  Eaton  that,  the  day  before  I  visited  Norwich,  Captain  Perkins  and  three  other  men 
were  in  his  store,  whose  united  ages  were  three  hundred  and  fifty-seven  years — an  average 
of  eighty-nine  I 

Toward  evening  we  strolled  up  the  Shetucket  to  Greenville,  visited  the  extensive  papei 
and  cotton  mills  there,  and  returning,  crossed,  at  Chelsea,  to  the  Preston  side  of  the  river, 
and  ascended  by  a  winding  road  to  the  lofty  summit  of  Tory  Hill,  so  called  from  the  cir- 
cumstance that  it  was  the  confiscated  property  of  a  Tory  of  the  Pvevolution.  A  magnificent 
prospect  opens  to  the  view  from  that  bald,  rocky  pinnacle.  Southward  was  visible  the  dark 
line  of  Long  Island  Sound  ;  on  the  west,  half  hidden  by  groves,  rolled  the  Thames  ;  north- 
ward and  eastward  lay  a  vast  amphitheater  of  cultivated  hills,  and  the  valleys  of  the  Yantic, 
Quinebaug,  and  the  Shetucket,  and  at  our  feet  was  Norwich  city,  in  crescent  form,  clasping 
a  high,  rocky  promontory,  like  the  rich  setting  of  a  huge  emerald,  for  in  the  midst  rose  the 
towering  Wawekus,  yet  green  with  the  lingering  foliage  of  summer.  A  more  picturesque 
scene  than  this  grand  observatory  afibrds  need  not  be  sought  for  by  the  student  and  lover 
of  nature.  There  we  lingered  until  the  sun  went  down  behind  the  hills  that  skirt  the  great 
Mohegan  Plain,  and  in  the  dim  twilight  we  made  our  way  back  to  the  city.  Between  eight 
and  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  I  bade  my  kind  friend  Mr.  Williams^  adieu,  and  left  Nor- 

'  It  is  a  rather  singular  fact  that  Captain  Perkins  and  his  wife  were  both  born  on  Sunday.  Their  first 
child  was  born  on  Sunday.  They  had  one  born  on  every  day  of  the  week — the  first  on  Sunday  morning, 
and  the  last  on  Saturday  evening ;  and  the  head  of  each  of  the  five  generations  of  which  he  is  the  eldes' 
was  born  on  Sunda)'. 

■  "  Mr.  Edwin  Williams,  and  his  elder  brother,  Mr.  Joseph  Williams,  of  Norwich,  are  sons  of  General  Jo- 
seph Williams,  who,  though  a  young  man,  was  an  active  patriot  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  was  a 
merchant,  and,  in  connection  with  his  partner,  William  Coit,  whose  daughter  he  married,  was  engaged  in 
fitting  out  armed  vessels  from  Norwich  and  New  London.  In  one  of  these  he  made  a  voyage  to  the  West 
Indies.  The  vessel  was  pursued  by  a  British  armed  ship,  and  an  action  ensued  in  which  the  American  vessel 
was  the  winner.  General  Williaiiis  spent  much  of  the  latter  portion  of  his  life  in  organizing  and  disciplin- 
ing the  militia  of  New  London  county ;  and  until  his  death  he  was  extensively  engaged  as  a  shipping  and 
importing  merchant.     He  died  in  October,  1800,  aged  forty-seven  years. 

Mrs.  Russell  Hubbard,  of  Norwich,  daughter  of  General  Williams,  permitted  me  to  have  a  copy  of  a  lettei 
of  his,  written  in  1776,  from  near  New  York,  to  his  business  partner,  Mr.  Coit.  Young  Williams  had  ac- 
companied the  Connecticut  Continental  troops  to  New  York,  taking  with  him  a  supply  of  articles  adapteo 
to  the  use  of  the  army.  He  was  then  only  twenty-three  years  of  age.  The  letter  is  interesting,  as  exhib 
iting  a  feature  in  the  business  life  of  the  day,  and  the  perfect  coolness  with  which  trade  was  carried  on  in 
the  midst  of  the  most  imminent  peril.     The  letter  is  written  on  the  blank  leaf  of  an  account  book. 

"  New  York,  seven  miles  from  the  city,  September  8,  1776. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"  Ever  since  I  wrote  you  by  Mr.  Walden  we  have  been  in  confusion.  The  enemy  opened  two  batteries 
opposite  to  our  fort  at  Hell  Gate  last  Saturday  evening,  and  began  cannonading  and  bombarding  early  on 
Sunday  morning.  They  fired  several  shot  into  the  house  where  we  kept  our  store.  We  thought  it  prudent 
to  move  a  little  back,  which  we  have  done,  but  have  not  got  clear  of  their  shot ;  they  are  flying  about  us 
continually.  We  have  about  <£140  in  value  on  hand,  besides  money  that  I  have  purchased  since  I  came 
here  with  what  was  on  hand  before. 

"  The  enemy  are  now  landing  on  the  inland  between  Hell  Gate  and  the  main,  and  'tis  supposed  they  mean 
to  make  a  push  for  Kingsbridge,  and  cut  us  off  from  the  main ;  but  I  believe  they  can  not  do  it,  as  we  are 
prepared  for  them  at  Kingsbx-idge ;  but  I  make  no  doubt  we  shall  soon  have  an  engagement. 

"  Colonel  Sergeant,  Dr.  Hamans,  and  I,  have  sent  what  money  we  have  to  West  Chester  by  Dr.  Hamans's 
boy.  I  have  sent  about  <£  150.  It  will  not  do  to  move  our  stores  till  the  regiment  is  obliged  to  go,  as  they 
cjui  not  do  without  some  necessaries  here. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


GOO 


New  London. 


lU  Settlement 


Fortifications. 


Revolutionary  Movements. 


wich,  in  the  cars,  for  Allyn's  Point,  seven  miles  below,  whence  I  embarked  for  New  London, 
eight  miles  further  down  the  Thames,  arriving  there  at  ten. 

New  London  is  pleasantly  situated  upon  a  rocky  slope  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Thames, 
three  miles  from  Long  Island  Sound,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  miles  eastward  of 
New  York  city.  From  the  high  ground  in  the  rear  of  the  city,  whereon  many  fine  resi 
(lences  are  built,  a  very  extensive  view  of  the  Sound  and  the  surrounding  country  is  obtained 
Its  earliest  Indian  name  was  Nmneaug  ;  but  the  first  English  settlers,  John  Winthrop  and 
iithers,  called  it  Pequot,  from  the  people  who  had  inhabited  the  country  on  the  banks  of  tho 
Pequot  or  Thames  River.  By  an  act  of  the  Assembly  of  Connecticut,  in  March,  1G58,  it 
was  named  New  London,  to  perpetuate  in  America  the  title  of  the  capital  of  England.  The 
river  was  also  named  Thames,  by  the  same  authority  and  for  a  similar  reason.  The  harbor 
is  one  of  the  best  in  the  United  States.  It  is  commanded  by  forts  Griswold  and  Trumbull, 
situated,  the  former  upon  its  east  bank,  at  Groton,  and  the 
latter  upon  the  west.  The  fortifications  are  upon  the  sites  of 
those  of  the  same  name  which  were  erected  there  in  the  time 
of  the  Revolution. 

New  London  and  Norwich  were  intimately  associated  in 
all  political  matters  when  the  controversy  with  Great  Britain 
arose.  The  latter,  included  within  New  London  county,  was 
regarded  as  the  chief  place  ;  while  the  former,  being  the  port 
of  entry,  became  the  point  of  most  importance  when  British 
fleets  and  armies  came  to  subdue  the  Americans.  From  an 
t^arly  period  the  harbor  of  New  London  was  a  favorite  resort 
tor  vessels  navigating  the  Sound,  on  account  of  the  depth  of 

water  and  its  sheltered  position.  Here  the  brigantines  and  other  vessels  of  the  famous  buc- 
caneers sometimes  sought  shelter  from  storms  ;  and  it  is  believed  that  therein  lay  the  vessel 
of  the  notorious  Captain  Kidd  about  the  time  when  his  treasures  were  concealed  on  Gardin- 
er's Island,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Sound.  Great  efforts  were  made  by  the  commanders 
of  British  ships  to  obtain  possession  of  the  city  and  harbor  during  the  Revolution,  and  for  a 
long  time  a  fleet  of  some  thirty  vessels  hovered  along  the  coast  in  the  vicinage,  chiefly  in 
Gardiner's  Bay  and  the  neighborhood  of  Fisher's  Island.  But  the  vigilant  authorities  and 
people  of  Connecticut  kept  them  at  bay.  From  the  time  of  the  Bunker  Hill  battle  until 
the  town  was  burned  by  British  troops,  headed  by  the  then  traitor,  Benedict  September  6, 
Arnold,  a  strong  military  force  was  kept  there,  and  every  attention  was  paid  to  '^'^^^• 

ibrtifying  the  harbor. 

In  1774  the  people  of  New  London  held  a  tovni  meeting,  and  passed  strong  res- 

.  ...  June  SH 

nlutions  in  reference  to  the  oppressive  acts  of  the  British  Parliament.      After  ex- 
pressing their  sincere  loyalty  to  .the  king,  they  resolved  that  "  the  cause  of  Boston  is  the 
common  cause  of  all  the  North  American  colonies  ;"  that  a  nnioyi  of  all  the  colonies  was  of 
the  greatest  importance  ;  that  they  earnestly  wished  for,  and  would  promote,  the  assembhng 

"  I  shall  send  Isaac*  out  to-day.    If  we  are  taken  or  killed,  you  can  send  for  the  money  I  have  sent  out. 
I  would  not  have  this  stop  your  sending  the  goods  I  \\Tote  for,  as  far  as  it  will  do  to  come  by  water. 

"  From  your  humble  servant, 

"  JosEPU  Williams. 
"  P.S. — Commandant  Serjeant  tells  me  he  has  just  received  intelligence  that  our  Congress  has  appointed 
a  committee  to  wait  on  Lord  Howe."t 


New  London  Hahbob. 


*  He  was  a  brother  of  the  writer  of  the  letter,  and  was  then  about  fifteen  ^-ears  old.  He  served  his  country  during  a  greatfi 
oortion  of  the  war,  and  was  finally  captured  by  the  English  and  pressed  into  their  naval  service,  in  which  he  lost  a  leg.  So  greii 
was  his  hatred  of  the  English,  that  he  engaged  in  the  French  marine  service  during  the  French  Revolution,  in  consequence  ol 
which  he  was  tried  for  violating  the  United  States  laws  of  neutrality,  was  found  guilty,  and  fined  and  imprisoned.  He  died  a 
Preston,  when  about  eighty  years  of  age.  General  Williams  had  two  other  brothers  in  the  Continental  army — Frederic,  whi 
died  or  was  killed  in  New  York  in  1776,  and  was  buried  in  St  Paul's  church-yard ;  and  Benjamin,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  Jersey 
prison-ship,  in  1781,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three. 

t  The  conference  of  this  committee  with  Lord  Howe  was  held  on  the  11th  of  September,  1776,  at  the  house  of  Colonel  Billop 
vet  standing  at  the  southwest  end  of  Staten  Island.     A  drawing  of  the  building  will  be  found  on  page  609,  vol.  ii 

I.  aQ 


610  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Forts  Griswold  and  Trumbull.  Prizes.  Clinton's  Designs.  Arnold's  Expedltiou.  Naval  Force  of  Connecticut. 

of  a  general  Congress  ;   and  that  they  would  religiously  observe  and  abide  by  the  resolves  of 
such  a  body.      They  also  appointed  a  committee  of  correspondence  for  the  town.' 


New  London  Hahbob,  looking  Nobth.^ 

In  1775  the  erection  of  two  forts  for  the  defense  of  the  harbor  of  New  London  was  begun, 
one  upon  the  rocky  extremity  of  a  peninsula  on  the  west  side  of  the  Thames,  about  a  mile 
below  the  city,  and  the  other  upon  Groton  Hill,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  harbor.  The 
former,  when  completed,  was  called  Fort  Trumbull,  and  the  latter  Fort  Griswold.  Several 
vessels  of  the  little  naval  armament  of  Connecticut  were  fitted  out  at  New  London  ;  and 
into  that  port  a  number  of  prizes  captured  by  American  cruisers  were  taken,  and  their  car- 
goes disposed  of^  In  1777,  a  frigate  of  thirty-six  guns,  ordered  by  the  Continental  Con- 
gress to  be  built  in  Connecticut,  was  constructed  in  the  Thames,  between  New  London  and 
Norwich,  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Joshua  Huntington.  Several  small  armed  vessels 
on  private  account  sailed  from  this  port,  and  greatly  annoyed  the  enemy  upon  the  coast, 
capturing  their  provision  vessels,  and  injuring  transports  that  happened  to  be  separated  from 
convoys.  These  things  so  irritated  the  British  commanders  here,  that  New  London  was 
marked  for  special  vengeance,  and  Benedict  Arnold  was  the  chosen  instrument  to  execute  it. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  the  junction  of  the  American  and  French  armies  upon  the  Hud- 
son, in  the  summer  of  1781,  and  their  departure  for  Virginia — the  original  design  of  attack- 
ing New  York  city  having  been  abandoned,  in  consequence  of  the  reception,  by  Clinton,  of 
re-enforcements  from  abroad,  and  the  intelligence  that  the  Count  de  Grasse  might  not  be  ex- 
pected from  the  West  Indies  in  time  for  such  an  operation.''  When  Sir  Henry  Clinton  be 
came  certain  of  the  destination  of  the  allied  armies,  and  perceived  that  they  w^ere  too  far  on 
their  way  for  him  to  hope  to  overtake  them  in  pursuit,  he  dispatched  Arnold,  who  had  just 
returned  from  a  predatory  expedition  in  Virginia,  to  make  like  demonstrations  upon  the  New- 
England  coast.  Clinton's  hoped-for  result  of  this  measure  was  to  deter  Washington  from 
his  purpose  of  pushing  southward,  or,  at  least,  to  make  him  weaken  his  army  by  sending 
back  detachments  for  the  defense  of  the  New  England  frontier  upon  the  Sound.  But  he 
failed  to  effect  his  purpose,  and  the  expedition  of  Arnold  was  fruitful  only  of  misery  for  a  few- 
inhabitants,  and  of  abundant  disgrace  and  contumely  for  the  perpetrators  of  the  outrage. 

At  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  September,  1781,  a  British  fleet,  under  Cap- 
tain Beasly,  consisting  of  twenty-four  sail,  bearing  a  considerable  land  and  marine  force  under 
the  general  command  of  Benedict  Arnold,  appeared  off  the  harbor  of  New  London,  having 
left  the  eastern  end  of  Long  Island  the  evening  previous.  A  large  proportion  of  the  land 
forces  consisted  of  Tories  and  some  Hessians,  the  instruments  employed  when  any  thing  cruel 

1  This  committee  consisted  of  Richard  Law,  Gurdon  Salstonstall,  Nathaniel  Shaw,  Jr.,  Samuel  H.  Par- 
sons, and  Guy  Richards.  The  little  village  of  Groton,  opposite,  also  held  a  town  meeting  the  week  pre- 
vioivs,  and,  after  passing  similar  resolutions,  appointed  a  committee  of  correspondence. — See  Hinman's  His- 
torical Collections,  p.  52-56. 

^  This  little  sketch  shows  the  relative  position  of  the  forts.  Fort  Trumbull  is  seen  on  the  left  of  the  pic- 
ture, and  Fort  Griswold,  with  the  Groton  Monument,  is  on  the  extreme  right. 

^  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  war-vessels  in  the  service  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  during  the 
Revolution :  Brigs  Minerva,  American,  Silliman ;  ship  Oliver  Cromwell ;  frigates  Tnambull,  Bourbon : 
schooners  Spy,  Defense  ;  sloops  Dolphin,  Mifflin,  Resistance,  Schuyler,  Stark,  Young  Cromwell,  Confederacy. 
Count  de  Grasse,  Tiger,  Alliance,  Phoenix;  and  row-galleys  Shark,  Whiting,  Crane,  The  Guilford,  New 
.Defense,  Putnam,  and  Revenge.  ■*  See  page  436,  vol.  i. 


OF    THE   REVOLUTIOiN. 


Gil 


Landing  of  the  Enemy.       March  toward  New  London.       DeBtruction  of  the  Town.        Property  destroyed.       "  Fire  Lands." 

was  to  be  performed.*  They  landed  in  two  divisions  of  about  eight  hundred  each  :  one  on 
the  cast  or  Groton  side  of  the  Thames,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-colonel  Eyre,  and  the  other 
on  the  New  London  side,  led  by  the  traitor  general,  who  debarked  in  the  cove  at  Brown's 


:-L 


View  of  the  Landinq-place  of  Arnold.2 


Farm,  near  the  light-house.  The  militia  hastened  in 
small  parties  to  oppose  them,  hut  were  too  few  to 
produce  much  effect  other  than  wound- 
ing some  of  the  enemy  on 
^^^^^^^  their  march  toward 
the  town.  The  ad- 
vance hattery,  situated 
about  half  way  be- 
tween Fort  Trumbull  and  the  light-house,  in  which  were  eight  pieces  of  cannon,  as  well  as 
the  fort  itself,  was  too  feebly  manned  to  offer  resistance,  and  the  troops  of  each  evacuated, 
and  crossed  over  to  the  stronger  post  of  Fort  Griswold,  on  Groton  Hill.  The  city  was  thus 
left  exposed  to  the  enemy,  whose  great  weapon  of  destruction  was  the  torch.  First,  the 
stores  upon  the  wharves  were  set  on  fire,  and  then  the  dwellings  on  Mill  Cove  were  con- 
sumed. Nearly  the  whole  town  was  laid  in  ashes,  and  several  vessels  were  burned.^  Many 
inhabitants  in  oomfortable  circumstances  were  now  houseless  and  wanderers,  reduced  to  ab- 
solute beggary.  None  were  permitted  to  save  their  furniture,  and  the  soldiery  were  allowed 
free  scope  for  brutality  and  plunder.     It  is  said  that  Arnold  stood  in  the  belfry  of  a  church, 


'  The  dmsion  under  Arnold  consisted  of  the  38th  regiment  of  regulars,  the  Loyal  Americans,  the  Amer- 
ican Legion,  refugees,  and  a  detachment  of  fifty  Yagers.  Colonel  Eyre's  was  composed  of  the  40th  and 
54th  regiments,  the  third  battalion  of  Jersey  volunteers,  and  a  detachment  of  Yagers  and  artillery. 

*  This  sketch  is  from  the  west  side  of  the  cove  in  which  the  troops  under  Arnold  landed.  In  the  dis- 
tance, on  the  extreme  right,  is  the  point  where  the  division  under  Eyre  debarked,  and  near  the  center  is 
."een  the  monument  on  Groton  Hill,  near  Fort  Griswold.  The  shores  of  the  cove  are  sandy,  but  the  pro- 
jections which  form  them  are  bold  promontories  of  wranite  rock. 

*  The  buildings  burned  in  this  expedition  were  65  dwelling-houses  containing  97  families,  31  stores,  18 
shops,  20  barns,  and  9  public  and  other  buildings,  among  which  were  the  court-house,  jail,  and  church ;  in 
all  143.  Fifteen  vessels  with  the  effects  of  the  inhabitants  escaped  up  the  river.  The  value  of  propcity 
destroyed  was  estimated  at  8485,980.  This  was  the  estimate  of  the  committee  which  was  appointed  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  Connecticut,  after  the  war,  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  loss  sustained  by  the  sev- 
eral towns  in  the  state  by  conflagrations  during  the  predatory  inroads  of  the  enemy.  In  1793,  the  Assem- 
bly frranted  to  the  sufferers  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  lying  within  the  precincts  of  the  Western  Reserve, 
in  Ohio,  and  now  included  in  the  counties  of  Huron  and  Erie,  and  a  small  part  of  Ottawa.  This  tract  is 
known  as  the  "Fire  Lands."  I  have  noticed  on  page  371,  vol.  i.,  the  settlement,  by  commissioners,  who 
met  at  Trenton  in  1782,  of  the  question  of  jurisdiction  over  the  Valley  of  Wyoming,  and  that  it  was  decided 
in  favor  of  Pennsylvania.  Althoufrh  Connecticut  acquiesced  in  that  decision,  that  state  still  claimed  a  right 
to  the  country  westward  of  Pennsylvania,  in  extent  north  and  south  equal  to  its  own  limits  in  that  direction 
and  indefinitely  westward,  according  to  the  letter  of  its  charter.  Connecticut,  however,  waived  this  claim 
by  a  sort  of  compromise,  in  1786,  by  ceding  to  the  United  States  all  the  lands  thus  incftided  within  its  charter 
limits  westward  of  Pennsylvania,  except  the  reservation  of  a  tract  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  length, 
adjoining  that  state.  This  tract  was  called  the  Western  Reserve.  After  giving  the  half  million  of  acres  to 
the  sufferers  of  Danbury,  Fairfield,  Norwalk,  New  Haven,  and  New  London,  the  remainder  was  sold  in 
1795,  and  the  proceeds  were  used  as  a  school  fund,  for  the  support  of  schools  in  the  state.  Congress  con- 
firmed the  title  of  Connecticut  to  the  Reserve  in  1800.  It  now  forms  a  part  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  is 
settled  ehieflv  by  New  England  people. 


(•,12  PICTORIALFIELD-BOOK 

Infamy  of  Arnold.  Attack  on  Fort  Griswold.  Its  Defense  and  Cupture.  Murder  of  Colonel  Led j-drd, 

while  the  town  was  burning,  and  looked  upon  the  scene  with  the  apparent  satisfaction  of  a 
Nero.  Had  he  been  content  to  be  a  traitor  merely,  the  extenuating  circumstances  that  have 
been  alleged  in  connection  with  his  treason  might  have  left  a  feeling  of  commiseration  in  the 
Ijosoms  of  the  American  people  ;  but  this  murderous  expedition  against  the  neighbors  of  his 
childhood  and  youth,  and  the  wanton  destruction  of  a  thriving  town,  almost  in  sight  of  the 
spire  of  the  church  wherein  he  was  baptized,  present  an  act  of  malice  too  flagrant  to  be 
overlooked  even  by  "  meek-eyed  pity"  or  loving  charity.  It  was  his  last  prominent  blow 
against  his  country,  and  was  such  a  climax  to  his  treachery,  that  Britons,  who  "  accepted 
the  treason,  but  despised  the  traitor,"  shunned  him  as  a  monster  of  wickedness. 

When  the  enemy  landed,  alarm-guns  were  fired  ;  and  before  noon,  while  the  town  was 
burning,  the  militia  collected  in  large  numbers.  Perceiving  his  peril,  Arnold  hastily  re- 
treated to  his  boats,  closely  pursued  by  the  armed  inhabitants.  Five  of  the  enemy  were 
killed,  and  about  twenty  wounded.  The  Americans  lost  four  killed,  and  ten  or  twelve 
wounded,  some  of  them  mortally. 

When  Fort  Trumbull  was  evacuated,  Arnold  sent  an  order  to  Lieutenant-colonel  Eyre 
10  take  immediate  possession  of  Fort  Griswold,  in  order  to  prevent  the  American  shipping 
from  leaving  the  harbor  and  sailing  up  the  river.  The  militia  hastily  collected  for  the  de- 
fense of  the  fort  to  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven — so  hastily  that  many  of  them 
were  destitute  of  weapons.  Colonel  William  Ledyard  was  the  commander  of  the  fortress. 
The  enemy  approached  cautiously  through  the  woods  in  the  rear,  and  captured  a  small  ad- 
van-^ed  battery.  Colonel  Eyre  then  sent  Captain  Beckwith,  with  a  flag,  to  demand  a  sur- 
render of  the  fort,  which  was  peremptorily  refused.'  An  assault  was  begun  ;  the  American 
flag  on  the  southwest  bastion  was  shot  down,  and  an  obstinate  battle  of  about  forty  minutes 
ensued,  during  which  the  British  were  repulsed,  and  were  on  the  point  of  fleeing  back  to 
their  shipping.  The  attack  was  made  on  three  sides,  the  fort  being  square,  with  flanks. 
Thera  was  a  battery  between  the  fort  and  the  river,  but  the  Americans  could  spare  no  men 
to  work  it.  The  enemy  displayed  great  coolness  and  bravery  in  forcing  the  pickets,  making 
their  way  into  the  fosse,  and  scaling  the  revetment,  in  the  face  of  a  severe  fire  from  the  little 
garrison.  When  a  sufficient  number  had  obtained  entrance  thus  far,  they  forced  their  way 
through  the  feebly-manned  embrasures,  and  decided  the  conflict  with  bayonets,  after  a  des- 
perate struggle  with  the  handful  of  determined  patriots,  many  of  whom  were  armed  only  with 
pikes.  The  fort  was  surrendered  unconditionally.  Colonel  Eyre  was  wounded  near  the 
works,  and  died  within  twelve  hours  afterward  on  ship-board.  Major  Montgomery  was 
pierced  through  with  a  spear,  in  the  hands  of  a  negro,  and  killed  as  he  mounted  the  parapet, 
and  the  command  devolved  upon  Major  Bromfield.  The  whole  loss  of  the  British  was  two 
commissioned  officers  and  forty-six  privates  killed,  and  eight  officers  (most  of  whom  after- 
ward died),  with  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates,  wound- 
ed. The  Americans  had  not  more  than  a  dozen  killed  before  the  enemy  carried  the  fort. 
When  that  was  effected.  Colonel  Ledyard  ordered  his  men  to  cease  firing  and  to  lay  down 
their  arms,  relying  upon  the  boasted  generosity  of  Britons  for  the  cessation  of  bloodshed. 
But  instead  of  British  regulars,  led  by  honorable  men,  his  little  band  was  surrounded  by  wolf- 
like Tories,  infernal  in  their  malice,  and  cruel  even  to  the  worst  savagism,  and  also  by  the 
hired  assassins,  the  German  Yagers.  They  kept  up  their  fire  and  bayonet  thrusts  upon  the 
unarmed  patriots,  and  opening  the  gates  of  the  fort,  let  in  blood-thirsty  men  that  were  with- 
out, at  the  head  of  whom  was  Major  Bromfield,  a  New  Jersey  Loyalist.  "  Who  com- 
mands this  garrison  ?"  shouted  Bromfield,  as  he  entered.  Colonel  Ledyard,  who  was  stand- 
ing near,  mildly  replied,  "  I  did,  sir,  but  you  do  now,"  at  the  same  time  handing  his  sword 
to  the  victor.  The  Tory  miscreant  immediately  murdered  Ledyard  by  running  him  through 
the  body  with  the  weapon  he  had  just  surrendered  I^     The  massacre  continued  in  all  parts 

'  There  were  several  hundreds  of  the  people  collected  in  the  vicinity,  and  an  officer  had  been  sent  out  to 
obtain  re-enforceraents.  Upon  these  Colonel  Ledyard  relied ;  but  the  officer  became  intoxicated,  and  the 
expected  aid  did  not  arrive. 

^  Colonel  Ledyard  was  a  cousin  of  John  Ledyard,  the  celebrated  traveler,  who  was  a  native  of  Groton 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  G13 


Cruelties  at  Fort  Griswold.  Fanny  Ledyard.  Departure  of  the  Enemy.  Events  in  1813.  Arnold's  Dispatches. 

of  the  fort,  until  seventy  men  were  killed,  and  thirty-five  mortally  or  dangerously  wounded.' 
The  enemy  then  plundered  the  fort  and  garrison  of  every  thing  valuable.  Their  appetite 
for  slaughter  not  being  appeased,  they  placed  several  of  the  wounded  in  a  baggage- wagon, 
took  it  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  on  which  the  fort  stands,  and  sent  it  down  with  violence,  in- 
tending thus  to  plunge  the  helpless  sufferers  into  the  river.  The  distance  was  about  one 
hundred  rods,  the  ground  very  rough.  The  jolting  caused  some  of  the  wounded  to  expire, 
while  the  cries  of  agony  of  the  survivors  were  heard  across  the  river,  even  in  the  midst  of 
the  crackling  noise  of  the  burning  town  !  The  wagon  was  arrested  in  its  progress  by  an 
apple-tree,  and  thus  the  sufferers  remained  for  more  than  an  hour,  until  their  captors  stretch- 
ed them  upon  the  beach,  preparatory  to  embarkation.  Thirty-five  of  them  were  paroled  and 
carried  into  a  house  near  by,  where  they  passed  the  night  in  great  distress,  a  burning  thirst 
being  their  chief  tormentor.  Although  there  was  a  pump  in  a  well  of  fine  water  within  the 
fort,  the  wounded  were  not  allowed  a  drop  M'ith  which  to  moisten  their  tongues,  and  the 
first  they  tasted  was  on  the  following  morning,  when  Fanny  Ledyard,  a  niece  of  the  mur- 
dered colonel,  came,  like  an  angel  of  mercy,  at  dawn,  with  wine,  and  water,  and  chocolate. 
She  approached  stealthily,  for  it  was  uncertain  whether  the  enemy  had  left.  Fortunately, 
they  had  sailed  during  the  night,  carrying  away  about  forty  of  the  inhabitants  prisoners.' 
Thus  ended  the  most  ignoble  and  atrocious  performance  of  the  enemy  during  the  war,  and 
the  intelligence  of  it  nerved  the  strong  arms  of  the  patriots  in  the  conflict  at  Yorktown,  in 
Virginia,  a  few  weeks  later,  wliich  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the  British  army  of  the  South 
under  Cornwallis. 

During  the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  from  1812  to  1815,  New 
London  was  several  times  menaced  with  invasion  by  the  enemy.  In  May,  1813,  as  Com- 
modore Decatur,  then  in  command  of  the  United  States,  with  his  prize,  the  Macedonian, 
fitted  out  as  an  American  frigate,  was  attempting  to  get  to  sea,  he  was  chased  by  a  British 
squadron  under  Commodore  Hardy,  and  driven  into  New  London,  where  he  was  blockaded 
for  some  time.  On  one  occasion  the  town  and  neighborhood  were  much  alarmed  on  account 
of  a  report  that  the  enemy  were  about  to  bombard  the  place.  A  considerable  military  force 
was  stationed  there,  and  preparations  were  made  to  repel  the  invaders.  The  forts  were  well 
garrisoned  with  United  States  troops,  and  the  militia  turned  out  in  great  numbers.  The 
enemy,  however,  did  not  attempt  an  attack,  and,  becoming  wearied  of  watching  Decatur, 
the  British  squadron  put  to  sea,  soon  followed  by  our  gallant  commodore.  Since  that  time 
no  event  has  disturbed  the  repose  or  retarded  the  progress  of  New  London.  The  whaling 
business,  and  other  commercial  pursuits,  have  poured  wealth  into  its  lap,  and  spread  its 
pleasant  dwellings  over  more  than  thrice  its  ancient  area. 

The  most  prominent  point  of  attraction  to  the  visitor  at  New  London  is  the  Groton  Mon- 
ument, on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Thames,  which,  standing  upon  high  ground,  is  a  conspic- 
uous object  from  every  point  of  view  in  the  vicinity.      I  crossed  the  Thames  early  on  the 

His  niece,  Fanny,  mentioned  in  the  text,  was  from  Southold,  Long  Island,  and  was  then  on  a  visit  at  the 
house  of  her  uncle.  The  vest  worn  by  Colonel  L.  on  that  occasion  (as  I  have  already  noticed)  is  preserved 
in  the  cabinet  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society. 

'  Arnold,  in  his  dispatch  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  gave  the  impression  that  the  killed  were  victims  of  honor- 
able strife.  Of  course  he  knew  better,  for  his  dispatch  was  written  two  days  after  the  event,  and  every  cir- 
cumstance must  have  been  known  by  him.  Hear  him  :  "I  have  inclosed  a  return  of  the  killed  and  wounded. 
I>y  which  your  excellency  will  observe  that  our  loss,  though  very  considerable,  is  short  of  the  enemy's,  who 
lost  most  of  their  oflicers,  among  whom  was  their  commander,  Colonel  Ledyard.  Eighty-five  men  wer 
found  dead  in  Fort  Griswold,  and  sixty  wounded,  most  of  them  mortally.  Their  loss  on  the  opposite  side 
(New  London)  must  have  been  considerable,  but  can  not  be  ascertained." 

*  See  Arnold's  Dispatch  to  Sir  H.  Clinton;  Gordon,  iii.,  249  ;  Sparks's  Life  of  Jlrnold ;  The  Connccti. 
cut  Journal,  1781 ;  Narrative  of  Stephen  Hempstead.  Mr.  Hemp.stead  was  a  soldier  in  the  garrison  at  the 
time  of  the  ma.ssacre,  and  was  one  of  the  wounded  who  were  sent  down  the  declivity  in  the  baggage-wagon, 
suffered  during  the  night,  and  experienced  the  loving  kindness  of  Fanny  Ledyard  in  the  morning.  His  nar- 
rative was  communicated  to  the  Missouri  Republican  in  1826,  at  which  time  he  was  a  resident  of  that  state. 
Mr.  Hempstead  was  a  native  of  New  London,  and  entered  the  army  in  1775.  He  was  at  Dorchester  during 
the  siege  of  Boston,  was  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  and  also  in  the  engagement  on  Harlem  Heights,  where 
he  had  two  of  his  ribs  broken  by  a  grape-shot. 


614 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  Groton  Monument 


Inscription  upon  it. 


Ascent  of  its  Stair-case. 


View  from  the  Top 


I 


Monument  at  Gboton.* 


October  12,  moniing  after  my  arrival,  and  ascended  to  Fort  Griswold,  now  a  dilapidated  for- 
1648.  tress,  without  ordnance  or  garrison,  its  embankments  breaking  the  regular  outline 
of  Groton  Hill,  now  called  Mount  Ledyard. 
A  little  northward  of  the  fort  rises  a  granite 
monument,  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet 
high,  the  foundation-stone  of  which  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  tide-water.  It 
was  erected  in  1830,  in  memory  of  the  patri- 
ots who  fell  in  the  fort  in  1781.  Its  pedes- 
tal, twenty-six  feet  square,  rises  to  the  height 
of  about  twenty  feet,  and  upon  it  is  reared  an 
obelisk  which  is  twenty-two  feet  square  at  the 
base,  and  twelve  feet  at  the  top.  It  is  as- 
cended within  by  one  hundred  and  sixty -eight 
stone  steps  ;  and  at  the  top  is  a  strong  iron 
railing  for  the  protection  of  visitors.  Marble 
tablets  with  inscriptions  are  placed  upon  the 
pedestal.^  The  cost  of  its  erection  was  eleven 
thousand  dollars,  which  amount  was  raised  by  a  lottery  authorized  by  the  state  for  that 
purpose. 

I  paid  the  tribute-money  of  a  "  levy,"  or  York  shilling,  to  a  tidy  little  woman  living  in  the 
stone  building  seen  at  the  right  of  the  monument,  which  procured  for  me  the  ponderous  key 
of  the  structure,  and,  locking  myself  in,  I  ascended  to  the  top,  with  the  privilege  of  gazing 
and  wondering  there  as  long  as  I  pleased.  It  was  a  toilsome  journey  up  that  winding  stair- 
case, for  my  muscles  had  scarcely  forgotten  a  similar  draught  upon  their  energies  at  Breed's 
Hill ;  but  I  was  comforted  by  the  teachings  of  the  new  philosophy  that  the  spiral  is  the 
only  true  ascent  to  a  superior  world  of  light,  and  beauty,  and  expansiveness  of  vision  ;'  and 
so  I  found  it,  for  a  most  magnificent  view  burst  upon  the  sight  as  I  made  the  last  upward 
revolution  and  stood  upon  the  dizzy  height.  The  broad,  cultivated  hills  and  valleys  ;  the 
forests  and  groves  slightly  variegated  by  the  pencil  of  recent  frost ;  the  city  and  river  at  my 
feet,  with  their  busy  men  and  numerous  sails  ;  the  little  villages  peeping  from  behind  the 
hills  and  woodlands  in  every  direction,  and  the  heaving  Sound  glittering  in  the  southern  hor- 
izon, were  all  basking  in  the  light  of  the  morning  sun,  whose  radiance,  from  that  elevation, 
seemed  brighter  than  I  had  ever  seen  it.  It  was  a  charming  scene  for  the  student  of  na- 
ture, and  yet  more  charming  for  the  student  of  the  romance  of  American  history.     At  the 

^  This  is  a  view  from  the  southwest  angle  of  old  Fort  Griswold,  looking  northeast.  The  embankment.* 
of  the  fort  are  seen  in  the  foreground ;  near  the  figure  is  the  well,  the  same  mentioned  by  Mr.  Hempstead 
in  his  narrative ;  and  just  beyond  this  is  the  old  entrance,  or  sally-port,  through  which  the  enemy,  under 
Bromfield,  entered  the  fort. 

*  Over  the  entrance  of  the  monument  is  the  following  inscription  : 

This  Monument 

was  erected  under  the  patronage  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  A.D.  1830, 

and  in  the  55th  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  U.  S.  A  , 

In  memory  of  the  brave  Patriots 

who  fell  in  the  massacre  at  Foi-t  Griswold,  near  this  spot, 

on  the  6th  of  September,  A.D.  1781, 

when  the  British  under  the  command  of 

the  traitor  Benedict  Arnold, 

burned  the  towns  of  New  London  and  Groton,  and  spread 

desolation  and  woe  throughout  this  region. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  pedestal,  toward  the  fort,  on  a  large  tablet,  are  the  names  of  the  eighty-five  per- 
bons  who  were  killed  in  the  fort,  over  which  is  the  following : 

"  Zebulon  and  Naphtali  were  a  people  that  jeoparded  their  lives  until  the  death  in  the  high  places  of  the 
field. — Judges,  5  chap.,  18  verse.'''' 

*  See  Swedenborg's  Views  of  the  Spiritual  World,  and  Revelations  of  Davis,  the  clairroyant. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  61G 


A  Retrospect.  The  Pequota.  EnglUh  Expedition  against  them.  Attack  on  their  Fort.  Pequot  Hill. 

base  of  the  monument  were  the  ruined  fortifications  where  patriot  blood  flowed  in  abund- 
ance ;  and  at  a  glance  might  be  seen  every  locality  of  interest  connected  with  the  burning 
of  New  London  and  the  massacre  at  Groton.  Here  was  Fort  Griswold  ;  there  were  Fort 
Trumbull  and  the  city  ;  and  yonder,  dwindling  to  the  stature  of  a  chessman,  was  the  light- 
house, by  whose  beacon  the  arch-traitor  and  his  murderous  bands  were  guided  into  the  harbor. 

Let  us  turn  back  two  centuries,  and  what  do  we  behold  from  this  lofty  observatory  ? 
The  Thames  is  flowing  in  the  midst  of  an  unbroken  forest,  its  bosom  rippled  only  by  the 
zephyr,  the  M'aterfowl,  or  the  bark  canoe.  Here  and  there  above  the  tree  tops  curls  of  blue 
smoke  arise  from  the  wigwams  of  the  savages,  and  a  savory  smell  of  venison  and  fish  comes 
up  from  the  Groton  shore.  Around  us  spreads  the  broad  fair  land  known  as  the  Pequot 
country,  extending  from  the  Nahantic,  on  the  west,  to  the  dominion  of  the  Narragansets — 
the  Rhode  Island  line — on  the  east,  and  northward  it  interlocks  with  that  of  the  Mohegans, 
where  Uncas,  the  rebel  sachem,  afterward  bore  rule.'  On  yonder  hill,  a  little  southeast  from 
our  point  of  view,  crowned  with  the  stately  oak  and  thick-leaved  maple,  is  the  royal  resi- 
dence of  Sassacus,  the  prince  of  the  Pequots.  Haughty  and  insolent,  he  scorns  every  over- 
ture of  friendship  from  the  whites,  and  looks  with  contempt  upon  the  rebellious  doings  of 
Uncas.  Near  by  is  his  strong  fort  upon  the  Mystic  River,  and  around  him  stand  seven 
hundred  warriors  ready  to  do  his  bidding.  The  English  are  but  a  handful,  what  has  he  to 
fear  ?      Much,  very  much  ! 

It  is  the  season  of  flowers.  The  white  sails  of  vessels  flutter  in  Narraganset  Bay 
(now  the  harbor  of  Newport),  and  Captain  Mason  and  seventy -seven  well-armed 
men  kneel  upon  their  decks  in  devotion,  for  it  is  the  morning  of  the  Christian  Sabbath.  On 
Tuesday  they  land.  Miantonomoh,  the  chief  sachem,  gives  them  audience,  and  a  free  pass- 
port through  his  country.  Nor  is  this  all ;  with  two  hundred  of  his  tribe,  Miantonomoh 
joins  the  English  on  their  march  of  forty  miles  through  the  wilderness  toward  the  Mystic 
Pk-iver ;  and  the  brave  Niantics  and  the  rebellious  Mohegans,  led  by  Uncas,  swell  the  ranks, 
until  five  hundred  savage  "  bowmen  and  spearmen"  are  in  the  train  of  Captain  Mason. 

It  is  a  clear  moonlight  night.  Sheltered  by  huge  rocks  on  the  shore  of  the  Mystic  sleeps 
the  little  invading  army,'  while  the  unsuspecting  Pequots  in  their  fort  near  by  are  dancing 
and  singing,  filled  with  joy,  because  they  have  seen  the  pinnaces  of  the  English  sail  by  with- 
out stopping  to  do  them  harm,  and  believe  that  the  Pale-faces  dare  not  come  nigh  them. 
Little  do  they  think  that  the  tiger  is  already  crouching  to  spring  upon  his  prey  I  On  that 
lugh  hill,  upon  the  right,  is  the  Pequot  fort.'  It  is  early  dawn,  and  the  little  army  j^nes 
is  pressing  on  silently  up  the  wooded  slope.  The  Narragansets  and  Niantics,  seized  ^^•^'^■ 
with  fear,  are  lagging,  while  the  eager  English  and  Mohegans  rush  up  to  the  attack.*  All 
but  a  sentinel  are  in  a  deep  sleep.  Too  late  he  cries,  "  Owa?iux/  Owanux .'"  •'  English- 
men I  Englishmen  I"     The  mounds  are  scaled ;  the  entrance  is  forced ;  the  palisades  are 

'  Uncas  was  of  the  royal  blood  of  the  Pequots,  and  a  petty  sachem  under  Sassacus.  When  the  English 
first  settled  in  Connecticut,  he  was  in  open  rebellion  against  his  prince.  To  save  himself  and  be  revenged 
on  his  adversary,  he  sought  and  obtained  the  alliance  of  the  English,  and  when  the  Pequot  nation  was  de- 
stroyed, Uncas  became  the  powerful  chief  of  that  tribe  of  Pequots  called  the  Mohegans,  from  the  circum- 
stance of  their  inhabiting  the  place  called  Mohegan,  now  Norwich. 

The  Pequot  country  comprised  the  present  towns  of  Waterford,  New  London,  and  Montville,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Thames,  and  Groton,  Stonington,  and  North  Stonington,  on  the  east  of  that  river.  Windham, 
and  a  part  of  Tolland  county,  on  the  north,  was  the  Mohegan  country. 

*  These  are  called  Porterh  Rocks,  and  are  situated  near  Portersville,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mystic. 
They  are  on  the  shore,  about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  residence  of  Daniel  Eldridge. — See  Barber's  Hist. 
Coll.  of  Conn.,  p.  313. 

'  This  hill,  eight  miles  northeast  from  New  London,  is  known  at  the  present  day  by  the  name  of  Pequot 
Hill.  It  is  a  spot  of  much  interest,  aside  from  the  commanding  view  obtained  from  its  summit,  as  the  placf; 
where  the  first  regular  conflict  between  the  English  and  the  natives  of  New  England  took  place.  Such 
was  the  terror  which  this  event  infused  into  the  minds  of  the  Indian  tribes,  that  for  nearly  forty  years  they 
refrained  from  open  war  with  the  whites,  and  the  colonies  prospered. 

*  Sassacus  was  the  terror  of  the  New  England  coast  tribes.  A  belief  that  he  was  in  the  fort  on  Pequol 
Hill  was  the  cause  of  the  fear  which  seized  the  Narragansets.  "  Sassacus  is  in  the  fort !  Sassacus  is  all 
one  god  !"  said  Miantonomoh  ;   "nobody  can  kill  him." 


616  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Destruction  of  the  Fort.       Terrible  Massacre.       Departure  of  the  English.       Another  Invasion.      Destruction  of  the  Pequots. 

broken  down  ;  the  mattings  of  the  wigwams  and  the  dry  bushes  and  logs  of  the  fort  are  set 
on  fire,  and  seven  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  perish  in  the  flames  or  by  the  sword  I 
ft  is  a  dreadful  sight,  this  slaughter  of  the  strong,  the  beautiful,  and  the  innocent ;  and  yet, 
hear  the  commander  of  the  assailants  impiously  exclaiming,  "  God  is  above  us  I  He  laughs 
his  enemies  and  the  enemies  of  the  English  to  scorn,  making  them  as  a  fiery  oven.  Thus 
does  the  Lord  judge  among  the  heathen,  filling  the  place  with  dead  bodies  !'" 

From  the  other  fort  near  the  Pequot  (Thames),  where  dwells  Sassacus,  three  hundred 
warriors  approach  with  horrid  yells  and  bent  bows.  But  the  English  are  too  skillful,  and 
loo  strongly  armed  with  pike,  and  gun,  and  metal  corselet,  for  those  bare-limbed  warriors, 
and  they  are  scattered  like  chafi'  by  the  whirlwind  of  destruction.  The  English  make  their 
way  to  Groton ;  and  yonder,  just  in  time  to  receive  them,  before  the  remnant  of  the  Pe- 
quots can  rally  and  fall  upon  them,  come  their  vessels  around  the  remote  headland.  With 
a  fair  breeze,  many  of  the  English  sail  for  Saybrook,  making  the  air  vocal  with  hymns  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving.  Others,  with  the  Narragansets,  march  through  the  wilderness  to 
the  Connecticut  River,  and  then,  in  happy  reunion,  warriors,  soldiers,  ministers,  and  magis- 
trates join  in  a  festival  of  triumph  !* 

Stately  and  sullen  sits  Sassacus  in  his  wigwam  on  yonder  hill,  as  the  remnant  of  his  war- 
riors gather  around  him  and  relate  the  sad  fortunes  of  the  day.  They  charge  the  whole 
terrible  event  to  his  haughtiness  and  misconduct,  and  tearing  their  hair,  and  stamping  on  the 
ground,  menace  him  and  his  with  destruction.  But  hark  I  the  blast  of  a  trumpet  startles 
them  ;  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Mystic  come  two  hundred  armed  settlers  from  Massa- 
chusetts and  Plymouth  to  seal  the  doom  of  the  Pequots.  Despair  takes  possession  of  Sas- 
sacus and  his  followers,  and  burning  their  wigwams  and  destroying  their  fort,  they  flee  across 
the  Pequot  River  westward,  pursued  by  the  English.  What  terrible  destruction  is  wrought 
by  the  new  invaders  I  Throughout  the  beautiful  country  bordering  on  the  Sound  wigwams 
and  corn-fields  are  destroyed,  and  helpless  men,  women,  and  children  are  put  to  the  sword. 
With  Sassacus  at  their  head,  the  doomed  Pequots  fly  like  deer  pursued  by  hounds,  and  take 
shelter  in  Sasco  Swamp,  near  Fairfield,  where  they  all  surrender  to  the  English,  except  the 
chief  and  a  few  men  who  escape  to  the  Mohawks.  The  final  blow  is  struck  which  anni- 
hilated the  once  powerful  Pequots,  and  the  great  Sassacus,  the  last  of  his  royal  race  in  power 
except  Uncas,  falls  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin,  among  the  people  who  opened  their  protect- 
ing arms  to  receive  him.' 

The  dark  vision  of  cruelty  melts  away  ;  smiling  fields,  and  laden  orchards,  and  busy  towns, 
the  products  of  a  more  enlightened  and  peaceful  Christianity  than  that  of  two  centuries 
back,  are  around  me.  Russet  corn-fields  cover  the  hill — the  royal  seat  of  Sassacus — and  in 
the  bright  harbor  where  the  little  English  pinnaces,  filled  with  bloody  men,  were  just  an- 

'  See  Captain  Mason's  Brief  History  of  the  Pequot  War,  published  in  Boston  in  1738,  from  which  the 
principal  facts  in  this  narrative  are  drawn.  It  makes  one  shudder  to  read  the  blasphemous  allusions  to  the 
interposition  of  God  in  favor  ol'  the  English  which  this  narrative  contains,  as  if 

"  The  poor  Indian,  whose  untutor'd  mind 
Sees  God  in  clouds  or  hears  him  in  the  wind," 

was  not  an  object  of  the  care  and  love  of  the  Deity.  Happily,  the  time  is  rapidly  passing  by  when  men  be- 
lieve that  they  are  doing  God  service  by  slaughtering,  maiming,  or  in  the  least  injuring  with  vengeful  feel- 
ings any  of  his  creatures. 

*  The  English  lost  onl}'  two  men  killed  and  sixteen  wounded,  while  the  Indians  lost  nearly  six  hundred 
men  and  seventy  wigwams. 

^  The  ostensible  cause  of  this  destructive  war  upon  the  Pequots  was  the  fact  that  in  March  of  that  year, 
Sassacus,  jealous  of  the  English,  had  sent  an  expedition  against  the  fort  at  Saybrook.  The  fort  was  attack- 
ed, and  three  soldiers  were  killed.  In  April  they  murdered  several  men  and  women  at  Wethersfield,  car- 
ried away  two  girls,  and  destroyed  twenty  cows.  The  English,  urged  by  fear  and  interest,  resolved  to  chas- 
tise them,  and  terrible  indeed  was  the  infliction.  "  There  did  not  remain  a  sannup  or  a  squaw,  a  warrior 
or  a  child  of  the  Pequot  name.  A  nation  had  disappeared  in  a  day  !"  The  Mohega.ns,  under  Uncas,  then 
became  the  most  powerful  tribe  in  that  region,  and  soon  afterward,  as  we  have  seen,  they  and  the  Narra- 
gansets, wiro  assisted  in  the  destruction  of  the  Pequots,  began  a  series  of  long  and  cruel  wars  against  each 
other. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


617 


Mrs.  Anna  Bailey. 


Her  Husband  at  Fort  Griswold. 


Her  Jlemeatoes  and  her  Politics. 


chored,  spreads  many  a  sail  of  peaceful  commerce.      The  sun  is  near  the  meridian  ;   let  us 
descend  to  the  earth. 

From  the  monument,  after  sketching  the  picture  on  page  4G,  I  returned  to  the  village  of 
Groton,  on  the  river  bank,  and  visited  the  patriarch-ess  of  the  place,  Mrs.  Anna  Bailey,  fa- 
miliarly known  as  "  Mother  Bailey."  Her  husband,  Captain  Elijah  Bailey,  who  died  a  few 
weeks  previous  to  my  visit,  was  appointed  postmaster  of  the  place  by  President  Jefferson, 


and  held  the  office  un- 
til his  death,  a  lapse  of 
forty  years.  He  was 
a  lad  about  seventeen 
years  old  when  New 
London  was  burned,  and 
was  in  Fort  Griswold 
just  previous  to  the  at- 
tack of  Colonel  Eyre. 
Young  Bailey  and  a 
man  named  Williams 
were  ordered  by  Led- 
yard  to  man  a  gun  at  the 
advanced  redoubt,  a  lit- 
tle southeast  of  the  fort. 
They  were  directed,  in 
the  event  of  not  being 
able  to  maintain  their 
ground,  to  retreat  to  the 
related  this  circumstance  to  me 
remembers  every  event  of  the 


51rs.  Bailey.  I 


fort.  They  soon  found 
it  necessary  to  abandon 
their  piece.  William.? 
fled  to  the  fort  and  got 
within  ;  but  young  Bai- 
ley, stopping  to  spike  the 
gun,  lost  so  much  time, 
that  when  he  knocked 
at  the  gate  it  was  close 
barred,  for  the  enemy 
were  near.  He  leaped 
over  the  fence  into  a 
corn-field,  and  there  lay 
concealed  until  the  bat- 
tle and  massacre  in  the 
fort  ended.  "  He  was 
courting  me  at  that  very 
time,  boy  as  he  was," 


said  Mrs.  Bailey,  who 
She  was  then  a  girl  six  weeks  older  than  her  lover,  and 
terrible  day."  I  was  agreeably  surprised  on  being  intro- 
duced to  Mrs.  Bailey,  expectiiig  to  find  a  common,  decrepit  old  woman.  She  sat  reading  her 
Bible,  and  received  me  with  a  quiet  ease  of  manner,  and  a  pleasant  countenance,  where, 
amid  the  wrinkles  of  old  age,  were  lingering  traces  of  youthful  beauty.  I  had  been  fore- 
warned that,  if  I  wished  to  find  any  favor  in  her  sight,  I  must  not  exhibit  the  least  hue  of 
Whiggery  in  politics — a  subject  which  engrosses  much  of  her  thoughts  and  conversation. 
Her  husband  had  been  a  Democrat  of  the  old  Jefferson  school ;  and  she  possessed  locks  of 
hair,  white,  sandy,  and  grizzled,  from  the  heads  of  Presidents  Jackson  and  Van  Buren,  and 
of  Colonel  Richard  M.  Johnson,  all  of  whom  had  honored  her  house  by  personal  visits. 
With  such  precious  mementoes,  how  could  she  be  other  than  a  Democrat  ?  Almost  the  first 
words  she  uttered  on  my  entrance  were,  "What  are  Cass's  prospects  in  New  York?"  Fore- 
warned, forearmed,  I  summoned  to  the  support  of  my  conscience  all  the  possibilities  in  his 
favor,  and  told  her  that  Mr.  Cass  would  doubtless  be  elected  President — at  any  rate,  he  ought 
to  be.  These  words  unlocked  her  kind  feelings,  and  I  passed  an  hour  very  agreeably  with 
her.  Her  mind  was  active,  and  she  related,  in  an  interesting  manner,  many  reminiscen- 
ces of  her  youth  and  womanhood,  among  which  was  the  following,  in  which  she  was  the 
chief  heroine.  When  the  British  squadron  which  drove  Decatur  into  the  harbor  of  New 
London,  in  1813,  menaced  the  town  with  bombardment,  the  military  force  that  manned  the 
forts  were  deficient  in  flannel  for  cannon  cartridges.  All  that  could  be  found  in  New  Lon- 
don was  sent  to  the  forts,  and  a  Mr.  Latham,  a  neighbor  of  Mrs.  Bailey,  came  to  her  at  Gro- 
ton seeking  for  more.  She  started  out  and  collected  all  the  little  petticoats  of  children  that 
Bhe  could  find  in  town.      "  This  is  not  half  enough,"  said  Latham,  on  her  return.      "  You 


^  While  making  this  sketch,  I  remarked  to  Mrs.  Bailey  (and  with  sincerity,  too)  that  I  saw  in  her  features 
evidence  that  Captain  Bailey  was  a  man  of  good  taste.  She  immediately  comprehended  my  meaning  and 
the  compliment,  and  replied,  with  a  coquettish  smile,  "I  was  never  ashamed  of  my  face,  and  never  mean 
lo  be."  She  lived  happily  with  her  husband  for  seventy  years.  Since  the  above  was  put  in  type,  she  has 
died.     Her  clothes  took  fire,  and  she  was  burned  to  death  on  the  10th  of  January,  1851,  aged  about  89 


618 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Mrs.  Bailey's  Patriotism. 


Landing-place  of  Arnold. 


Bishop  Seabury's  Monument. 


First  Printing  in  Connecticut 


shall  have  mine  too,"  said  Mrs.  B.,  as  she  cut  with  her  scissors  the  string  that  fastened  it, 
and  taking  it  off,  gave  it  to  Latham.  He  was  satisfied,  and  hastening  to  Fort  Trumbull, 
that  patriotic  contribution  was  soon  made  into  cartridges.  "  It  was  a  heavy  new  one,  but 
T  didn't  care  for  that,"  said  the  old  lady,  while  her  blue  eyes  sparkled  at  the  recollection. 
"  All  I  wanted  was  to  see  it  go  through  the  Englishmen's  insides  !"  Some  of  Decatur's  men 
declared  that  it  was  a  shame  to  cut  that  petticoat  into  cartridge  patterns  ;  they  would  rather 
see  it, fluttering  at  the  mast-head  of  the  United  States  or  Macedonian,  as  an  ensign  under 
which  to  fight  upon  the  broad  ocean  !  This  and  other  circumstances  make  Mrs.  Bailey  a 
woman  of  history  ;  and,  pleading  that  excuse,  I  am  sure,  if  she  shall  be  living  when  this 
page  shall  appear,  that  she  will  pardon  the  liberty  I  have  taken.  I  told  her  that  the  sketch 
of  her  which  she  allowed  me  to  take  was  intended  for  publication. 

I  recrossed  the  Thames  to  New  London,  and  after  an  early  dinner  rode  down  to  the  light- 
house, near  which  Arnold  landed,  and  made  the  drawing  printed  on  page  43.  Returning 
along  the  beach,  I  sketched  the  outHnes  of  Fort  Trumbull  and  vicinity,  seen  on  page  42,  and 
toward  evening  strolled  through  the  two  principal  burial-grounds  of  the  city.  In  the  an- 
cient one,  situated  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  lie  the  remains  of  many  of  the  first  settlers. 
In  the  other,  lying  upon  a  high  slope,  Avestward  of  the  center  of  the  city,  is  a  plain  monu- 
ment of  Bishop  Seabury,  whose  name 
is  conspicuous  in  our  Revolutionary 
annals  as  that  of  an  unwavering  Loy- 
alist. I  shall  have  occasion  to  notice 
his  abduction  from  West  Chester 
county,  and  imprisonment  in  Con- 
necticut, as  well  as  his  general  biog- 
raphy, when  I  write  of  the  events  at 
White  Plains. 

We  will  now  bid  adieu  to  New 
London,  not  forgetting,  however,  in 
our  parting  words,  to  note  the  fact  so  honorable  to  its  name  and  character,  that  the  first 
printing-press  in  Connecticut  was  established  there,  according  to  Barber,  forty-five  years  be- 
fore printing  was  executed  in  any  other  place  in  the  colony.  Thomas  Short,  who  settled  in 
New  London  in  1709,  was  the  printer,  and  from  his  press  was  issued  The  Saybrook  Plat- 
form,"^ in  1710,  said  to  be  the  first  book  printed  in  the  province.  Short  died  in  1711,  and 
there  being  no  printer  in  the  colony,  the  Assembly  procured  Timothy  Green,  a  descendant 
of  Samuel  Green,  of  Cambridge,  the  first  printer  in  America,  to  settle  at  New  London. 
Samuel  Green,  the  publisher  of  the  "Connecticut  Gazetteer"  until  1845,  the  oldest  news- 
paper in  the  state,  is  a  descendant  of  this  colonial  printer. 

Business  demanding  my  presence  at  home,  I  left  New  London  at  ten  in  the  evening,  in 
the  "  Knickerbocker,"  and  arrived  in  New  York  at  nine  the  following  morning. 

^  The  following  is  tW  inscription  upon  the  slab  :  "  Here  lieth  the  body  of  Samuel  Seabury,  D.D.,  bishop 
of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  who  departed  from  this  transitory  scene  February  25th,  Anno  Domini 
1796,  in  the  68th  j'ear  of  his  age,  and  the  12th  of  his  Episcopal  consecration. 

"  Ingenuous  without  pride,  learned  without  pedantry,  good  without  severity,  he  was  duly  qualified  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  the  Christian  and  the  bishop.  In  the  pulpit  he  enforced  religion ;  in  his  conduct  he 
exemplified  it.  The  poor  he  assisted  with  his  charity ;  the  ignorant  he  blessed  with  his  instruction.  The 
friend  of  men,  he  ever  designed  their  good  ;  the  enemy  of  vice,  he  ever  opposed  it.  Christian  !  dost  thou 
aspire  to  happiness  ?  Seabury  has  shown  the  way  that  leads  to  it." 

*  This  was  a  Confession  of  Faith  or  Articles  of  Religion  arranged  in  1708.  Yale  College  was  first  es- 
tablished at  Saybrook,  and  fifteen  commencements  were  held  there.  To  educate  young  men  of  talents  and 
piety  for  the  ministry  was  the  leading  design  of  the  institution.  The  founders,  desirous  that  the  Churches 
should  have  a  public  standard  or  Confession  of  Faith,  according  to  which  the  instruction  of  the  college  should 
iie  conducted,  such  articles  were  arranged  and  adopted  after  the  commencement  at  Saybrook  in  1708. 
and  from  that  circumstance  were  called  the  Saybrook  Platform.  The  standards  of  faith  of  the  Congrega- 
tional and  Presbyterian  Churches  are  substantially  the  same  as  the  Saybrook  Platform. 


Bishop  Seaburv's  Monument,  i 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


G19 


Voyage  to  Rhode  Island. 


StoniDgton. 


Arrival  at  Providence 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

"I've  gazed  upon  thy  golden  cloud 

Wliiuh  shades  thine  emerald  sod  ; 
Thy  hills,  which  Freedom's  share  hath  jilow'd, 
Which  nurse  a  race  that  have  not  bow'd 

Their  knee  to  aught  but  God. 
And  thou  hast  gems,  ay,  living  pearls, 

And  flowers  of  Eden  hue  ; 
Thy  loveliest  are  thy  bright-eyed  girls, 
Of  fairy  forms  and  elfin  curls. 

And  smiles  like  Hermon's  dew. 
They've  hearts,  like  those  they're  born  to  wed, 

Too  proud  to  nurse  a  slave. 
They'd  scorn  to  share  a  monai-ch's  bed. 
And  sooner  lay  their  angel  head 

Deep  in  their  humble  grave." 

Hugh  PETEUfi. 

"  Ye  say  they  all  have  pass'd  away, 
That  noble  race  and  brave ; 
That  their  light  canoes  have  vanish'd 

From  oir  the  crested  wave  ; 
That  mid  the  forests  where  they  warr'd 

There  rings  no  hunter's  shout ; 
Bat  their  name  is  on  your  waters, 
Ye  may  not  wash  it  out." 

Mrs.  Sigourney. 


-■i*S!i. 


O  the  land  of  the  Narragansets  and  Wampanoags — the  land  of  Mas- 
sasoit  and  Philip,  of  Canonicus  and  Miantonomoh — the  land  of  Ftogei 
Williams  and  toleration — the  Pvhode  Island  and  Providence  planta- 
tions of  colonial  times,  I  next  tnrned  my  attention.  On  a  clear  frosty 
evening,  the  moon  in  its  wane  and  the  winds  hnshed,  I  went  up  the 
Sound  in  the  steam-boat  Vanderbilt.  We  passed  through  October  19 
the  turbulent  eddies  of  Hell  Gate  at  twilight,  and  as  we  ^8^8. 
entered  the  broader  expanse  of  water  beyond  Fort  Schuyler,  heavy 
swells,  that  were  upheaved  by  a  gale  the  day  before,  came  rolling  in 
from  the  ocean,  and  disturbed  the  anticipated  quiet  of  the  evening  voy- 
age. It  was  to  end  at  Stonington'  at  midnight,  so  I  paced  the  prom- 
enade deck  in  the  biting  night  air  to  keep  off  sea-sickness,  and  was  successful.  We  landed 
at  Stonington  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock,  where  we  took  cars  for  Providence,  arriving 
there  at  three.  Refreshed  by  a  few  hours'  sleep,  and  an  early  breakfast  at  the  "  Franklin," 
I  started  upon  a  day's  ramble  with  Mr.  Peeks,  of  Providence,  who  kindly  oflered  to  accom- 
pany me  to  memorable  places  around  that  prosperous  city.  We  first  visited  the  most  inter- 
esting, as  well  as  one  of  the  most  ancient,  localities  connected  with  the  colonial  history  of 
Rhode  Island,  the  rock  on  which  Roger  Williams  first  landed  upon  its  shores.     It  is  reached 

'  Stonington  is  a  thriving  town,  situated  upon  an  estuary  of  Long  Island  Sound,  and  about  midwa)'  be- 
tween the  mouths  of  the  Mystic  and  Pawcatuc  Rivers.  It  was  settled  by  a  few  families  about  1658.  The 
first  squatter  was  William  Cheeseborough,  from  Massachusetts,  who  pitched  his  tent  there  in  1649.  It  has 
but  little  Revolutionary  history  except  what  was  common  to  other  coast  towns,  where  frequent  alarms  kept 
the  people  in  agitation.  It  suffered  some  from  bombardment  in  1813,  by  the  squadron  under  Sir  Thomas 
Hardy,  which  drove  Decatur  into  the  harbor  of  New  London.  The  enemy  weis  so  warmly  received,  thai 
Hardy  weighed  anchor,  and  made  no  further  attempts  upon  the  coast  of  Connecticut. 


G20 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Roger  Williams's  Rock. 


'  Water  Lots.' 


Proposed  Desecration. 


Arrival  of  Roger  Williams. 


His  Charactei 


froril  the  town  by  the  broad  avenue  called  Power  Street,  which  ex- 
tends to  the  high  bank  of  the  Seekonk  or  Pawtucket  River,  and  term- 
inates almost  on  a  line  with  the  famous  rock,  some  sixty  feet  above 
high  water  mark.      The  town  is  rapidly  extending  toward  the  See- 
konk, and  the  hand  of  improvement  was  laying  out 
broad,  streets  near  its  bank  when  1  was  there.      The 
fhannel  of  the  Seekonk  here  is  narrow,  and  at  low  tide 
broad  flats  on  either  side  are  left  bare.     I  was  inform- 
ed that  a  proposition  had  been  made  to  dig  down  the 
high  banks  and  fill  in  the  flats  to  the  edge  of  the  chan- 
nel, to  make  "  desirable  water  lots,"  the  "  Roger  Will- 
iams' Rock"  to  be  in  the  center  of  the 
public  square,  though  at  least  thirty  feet 
below  the  surface  !     Mosheim  informs  us 
that  when  the  Jews  attempted  to  rebuild 
Jerusalem,  in  the  time 
of  Julian,  the  woikmen 


Landing-place  of  Roger  Williams.' 

were  prevented  from  labor  by  the  issuing  of  fire-balls  from  the  earth  with  a  horrible  noise, 
and  that  enterprise,  undertaken  in  opposition  to  the  prophecy  of  Jesus,  was  abandoned  '^ 
Should  mammon  attempt  the  desecrating  labor  of  covering  the  time-honored  rock  on  the 
shore  of  old  Seekonk,  who  can  tell  what  indignant  protests  may  not  occur  ? 

Here  is  a  mossy  spot  upon  the  patriarch's  back ;  let  us  sit  down  in  the  warm  sunlight 
and  wind-sheltered  nook,  and  glance  at  the  record. 

A  few  months  after  the  arrival  of  Winthrop  and  his  company  at  Boston,  and  before  Hooker 
and  Cotton,  afterward  eminent  ministers  in  the  colony,  had  sailed  from  England,  there  landed 
February  5      ^^  Nantasket  an  enlightened  and  ardent  Puritan  divine,  young  in  years  (for  he 

1631.  -^vas  only  thirty-one),  but  mature  in  judgment  and  those  enlightened  views  of  trua 

liberty  of  conscience,  which  distinguish  the  character  of  modern  theological  jurisprudence  from 
the  intolerance  of  the  seventeenth  century.  He  was  a  fugitive  from  English  persecution  ; 
but  his  wrongs  had  not  clouded  his  accurate  understanding.  In  the  capacious  recesses  of  his 
mind  he  had  resolved  the  nature  of  intolerance,  and  he  alone  had  arrived  at  the  great  prin- 
ciple which  is  its  sole  effectual  remedy.  He  announced  his  discovery  under  the  simple  prop- 
osition of  sanctity  of  conscience.  The  civil  rnagistrate  should  restrain  crime,  but  never  con- 
trol opinion  ;  should  punish  guilt,  but  never  violate  the  freedom  of  the  soul.'  This  was  a 
wonderful  discovery  in  modern  science  ;  too  wonderful  for  the  hierarchy  of  England,  or  the 
magistrates  and  ministers  of  the  Puritan  colony  of  America.      They  could  not  comprehend 


'  This  view  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Seekonk,  looking  south.  The  point  on  which  the  figure  stands  is 
the  famous  rock,  composed  of  a  mass  of  dark  slate,  and  rising  but  little  above  the  water  at  high  tide.  The 
hiah  banks  are  seen  beyond,  and  on  the  extreme  left  is  India  Point,  with  the  rail-road  bridge  near  the  entrance 
of  the  river  into  Narraganset  Bay. 

^  Mosheim's  Church  Historij  (external),  part  i.,  chap,  i.,  sec.  xiv. 

■>  Bancroft,  i.,  3G7. 


OFTHE   REVOLUTION.  02  1 


Narrow  Views  of  the  old  Puritans.         Zeal  of  Roger  Williams.         Dieturbonoc  at  Salem.         Williams  arraigned  for  Treason. 

its  beauty  or  utility  ;  and  as  it  had  no  affinity  with  their  own  narrow  views  of  the  dignity 
of  the  human  soul,  they  pronounced  it  heresy,  as  soon  as  the  discoverer  began  to  make  a 
practical  development  of  his  principles.  Yet  they  perceived,  with  a  yearning  affection  for 
'ts  truth,  that  it  would  quench  the  fires  of  persecution,  abrogate  laws  making  non-conformity 
a  felony,  abolish  tithes,  and  all  forced  contributions  to  the  maintenance  of  religion,  and  pro- 
tect all  in  that  freedom  of  conscience  to  worship  God  as  the  mind  should  dictate,  for  which 
they  had  periled  their  lives  and  fortunes  in  the  wilderness.  Still,  its  glory  was  too  brilliant ;. 
it  dazzled  their  vision  ;  the  understanding  could  not  comprehend  its  beneficent  scope  ;  they 
looked  upon  it  with  the  jealous  eye  of  over-cautiousness,  and,  true  to  the  impulses  of  human 
nature,  what  they  could  not  comprehend,  they  rejected.  This  great  apostle  of  toleration 
and  intellectual  liberty  was  Roger  Williams. 

The  New  England  Churches  had  not  renounced  the  use  of  coercion  in  religious  matters, 
and  Williams,  so  soon  as  his  tolerant  views  were  made  known,  found  himself  regarded  with 
suspicion  by  the  civil  and  religious  authorities.  Disappointed,  yet  resolutely  determined  to 
maintain  his  principles,  he  withdrew  to  the  settlement  at  Plymouth,  where  he  remained  two 
years,  and  by  his  charity,  virtues,  and  purity  of  life,  won  the  hearts  of  all.  The  people  of 
Salem  called  him  to  be  their  minister,  a  movement  which  made  the  court  of  Boston  marvel. 
Being  an  object  of  jealousy,  and  now  having  an  opportunity  to  speak  in  the  public  ear,  he 
was  in  perpetual  collision  with  the  clergy.  The  magistrates  insisted  on  the  presence  of  every 
man  at  public  worship.  Williams  reprobated  the  law.  To  compel  men  to  unite  with  those 
of  a  diflerent  creed  he  regarded  as  an  open  violation  of  their  natural  rights  ;  to  drag  to  public 
worship  the  irreligious  and  unwilling  seemed  only  like  requiring  hypocrisy.  This  doctrine 
alarmed  both  magistrates  and  clergy,  and  they  began  to  denounce  Williams.  In  proportion 
to  the  severity  of  their  opposition  his  zeal  was  kindled,  and  so  earnest  did  he  become  in  en- 
forcing his  tolerant  views,  that  intolerance  and  fanaticism  marked  his  own  course.  He  de- 
nounced King  James  as  a  liar  ;  declared  that  the  settlers  had  no  right  to  the  lands  they  oc- 
cupied, these  belonging  to  the  aborigines  ;   raised  a  tumult  about  the  red  cross  of  St.  George 

in  the  banner  ;a'   at  last  boldly  denounced  the  Churches  of  New  England  as  ar,ti- 

.  ...  .  "iSSl. 

Christian,  and  actually  excommunicated  sush  of  his  parishioners  as  held  intercourse 

with  them.  The  vision  of  that  great  mind  which  saw  general  principles  of  righteousness  in 
a  clear  light,  became  clouded  in  his  practical  endeavors  to  bring  the  power  of  those  princi- 
ples to  bear  upon  society.  When  weak  and  persecuted,  the  scope  of  his  vision  of  intellectual 
Uberty  and  Christian  charity  embraced  the  earth  ;  when  in  power  and  strong,  it  contracted 
to  the  small  orbit  of  his  parish  at  Salem — himself  the  central  sun  of  light  and  goodness. 
Such  is  the  tendency  of  all  human  minds  under  like  circumstances ;  and  Roger  WiUiams, 
jjreat  and  good  as  he  was,  was  not  an  exception. 

The  magistrates  were  greatly  irritated ;  some  of  Williams's  language  was  construed  as 
treasonable  and  schismatic,  and  he  was  arraigned  before  the  General  Court  at  Boston  on 
this  charge.  There  he  stood  alone  in  defense  of  his  noble  principles  ;  for  his  congregation, 
and  even  the  wife  of  his  bosom,  could  not  justify  all  his  words  and  acts.  Yet  he  was  un- 
daunted, and  declared  himself  "  ready  to  be  bound,  and  banished,  and  even  to  die  in  New 
England,"  rather  than  renounce  the  truth  whose  light  illuminated  his  mind  and  conscience. 
He  was  allowed  to  speak  for  himself  before  the  court,  and  also  to  dispute  upon  religious 
points  with  the  Reverend  Mr.  Hooker.  Every  eflbrt  to  "reduce  him  from  his  errors"  was 
unavailing,  and  the  court,  composed  of  all  the  ministers,  proceeded  to  pass  sentence  octoher, 
of  banishment  upon  him.      He  was  ordered  to  leave  the  jurisdiction  of  the  colony        ^^^• 

'  The  preaching  of  Williams  warmed  the  zeal  of  Enclicott,  then  one  of  the  board  of  military  commission- 
nrs  for  the  colony,  and  afterward  governor.  The  banner  of  the  train-bands  at  Salem  had  the  cross  of  St. 
George  worked  upon  it.  Endicott,  determining  to  sweep  away  every  vestige  of  what  he  deemed  popish  or 
heathenish  superstition,  caused  the  cross  to  be  eut  out  of  the  banner.  The  people  raised  a  tumult,  and  the 
court  at  Boston,  mercifully  considering  that  Endicott's  intentions  were  good,  though  his  act  was  ra.sh,  only 
"adjudged  him  worthy  admonition,  and  to  be  disabled  for  one  year  from  bearing  any  public  olfice." — Sav- 
age's Winthrop^  i.,  158;   Moore's  Colonial  Governors,  i.,  353. 


G22  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Banishment  of  Roger  Williams.  Flight  to  the  Seekonk.  Landing  at  Providence.  Commencement  of  a  Settlement 

within  six  weeks.  He  obtained  leave  to  remain  until  the  rigors  of  winter  had  passed,  but, 
continuing  active  in  promoting  his  peculiar  views,  the  court  determined  to  ship  him  imme- 
diately for  England.  He  was  ordered  to  Boston  for  the  purpose  of  embarking.  He  refused 
obedience,  and,  hearing  that  a  warrant  had  been  issued  for  his  arrest,  set  out,  with  a  few 
followers,  for  the  vast  unexplored  wilds  of  America,  with  an  ambitious  determination  to  found 
a  new  colony,  having  for  its  foundation  the  sublime  doctrine  of  liberty  of  conscience  in  all  its 
plenitude,  and  the  equality  of  opinions  before  the  law.  In  the  midst  of  deep  snows  and  bit- 
January,  ^"o  winds  they  journeyed  toward  Narraganset  Bay.  "For  fourteen  weeks  he  was 
1636.  sorely  tossed  in  a  bitter  season,  not  knowing  what  bread  or  bed  did  mean."'  He 
describes  himself,  in  a  letter  to  Mason,  "  as  plucked  up  by  the  roots,  beset  with  Icsses,  dis- 
tractions, miseries,  hardships  of  sea  and  land,  debts  and  wants."  He  at  last  found  refuge 
and  hospitality  from  the  Indian  sachem  Massasoit,  whom  he  had  known  at  Plymouth  ;  and 
in  the  spring,  under  a  grant  from  that  sachem,  commenced  a  settlement  at  Seekonk, °  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Seekonk  or  Pawtucket  Pwiver,  just  within  the  limits  of  the  Plymouth  colony. 
Many  of  the  ministers  in  that  colony  wrote  him  friendly  letters,  for  he  was  personally  be- 
loved by  all.  Winslow,  who  was  then  governor,  wrote  a  letter  to  Williams,  in  which  he 
claimed  Seekonk  as  a  part  of  the  Plymouth  domain,  and  suggested  his  removal  beyond  the 
jurisdiction  of  that  colony  to  prevent  difficulty.  Williams  heeded  the  advice  of  Winslow. 
and,  entering  a  canoe  with  five  others,  paddled  down  the  Seekonk  almost  to  its 

June,  1636.  ,  ,  f      ,     ,  ,  .  ,        /  ,         .  ,       ,  i       i    ,  ■ 

mouth,  and  landed  upon  the  west  side  ot  the  river,  upon  the  bare  rock,  delineated 
on  page  52.  He  crossed  over  to  the  west  side  of  the  peninsula,  and  upon  that  shore,  at  the 
head  of  the  bay,  commenced  a  new  settlement.  He  obtained  from  Canonicus  and  Mianto- 
ndmoh,  principal  chiefs  of  the  Narragansets,  a  grant  of  land  for  the  purpose.  He  named 
his  new  settlement  Providence,  "in  commemoration  of  God's  providence  to  him  in  his  dis- 
tress." "  I  desired,"  he  said,  "  it  might  be  for  a  shelter  for  persons  distressed  for  conscience." 
And  so  it  became,  for  men  of  every  creed  there  found  perfect  freedom  of  thought.  Although 
every  rood  of  land  belonged  to  Williams,  by  right  of  deed  from  the  Narraganset  sachems,  not 
a  foot  of  it  did  he  reserve  for  himself  He  practiced  his  holy  precepts,  and  "  gave  away  his 
lands  and  other  estates  to  them  that  he  thougiit  most  in  want,  until  he  gave  away  all."'' 
Nor  was  there  any  distinction  made  among  the  settlers,  "  whether  servants  or  strangers ;" 
each  had  an  equal  voice  in  the  affairs  of  government,  and  the  political  foundation  of  the 
.settlement  was  a  pure  democracy.  The  Massachusetts  people  believed  that  the  fugitives 
"  would  have  no  magistrates,"  and  must  necessarily  perish  politically,  yet  they  thrived  won- 
derfully. The  impress  of  that  first  system  is  yet  seen  upon  the  political  character  of  Pwhode 
Island,  for  "  in  no  state  in  the  world,  not  even  in  the  agricultural  state  of  Vermont,  have 
the  magistrates  so  little  power,  or  the  representatives  of  the  freemen  so  much."*  Such  was 
the  planting  of  the  first  and  only  purely  democratic  colony  in  America ;  and  its  founder, 
though  persecuted  and  contemned,  maintained,  in  the  opinion  of  all  good  men,  that  high  char- 
acter which  Cotton  Mather  and  others  were  constrained  to  award  him,  as  "  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  men  that  ever  lived,  a  mo-st  pious  and  heavenly-minded  soul."^ 

The  Christian  charity  of  Roger  Williams  was  remarkably  displayed  soon  after  his  ban- 
ishment from  Massachusetts.  In  1637,  when  the  Pequots  were  attempting  to  induce  the 
Narragansets  to  join  them  in  a  general  war  upon  the  whites,  and  particularly  against  the 

'  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  i.,  276. 

^  Seekonk  is  the  Indian  name  for  the  wild  or  black  goose  with  which  the  waters  in  that  region  originally 
abounded.  The  town  is  the  ancient  Rehoboth,  first  settled  by  William  Blackstone,  an  English  non-con- 
formist minister,  a  few  months  previous  to  the  arrival  here  of  Roger  Williams.  Blackstone  was  the  first 
white  man  who  lived  upon  the  peninsula  of  Shawmut,  where  Boston  now  stands.  Williams's  plantation  was 
on  the  little  Seekonk  River,  the  navigable  portion  of  which  is  really  an  arm  of  Narraganset  Bay. 

Although  Williams  was  the  real  founder  of  Rhode  Island,  Blackstone  was  the  first  white  settler  within 
its  borders.  He  had  no  sympathy  with  Williams,  and  continued  his  allegiance  to  Massachusetts,  though 
without  its  jurisdiction. 

'  Backus's  History  of  New  England,  i.,  290. 

*  Bancroft,  i.,  380.  *  Callender's  Historical  Discourse. 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  62! 


WUliams's  Negotiations  with  the  Indians.    Ingratitude  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony.    March  of  the  French  Army  to  Providence. 

Massachusetts  people,  Mr.  ^Yilliams  informed  the  latter  of  the  fact.  They  solicited  his  me- 
diation, and,  forgetting  the  many  injuries  he  had  received  from  those  who  now  needed  his 
favor,  he  set  out   on   a 

TanoTuton    IheVugh    ^;3^     in^  f"     ViWJ OK-t ky       Sva?\'^ 


f{ol^^    Wjf^^i^ Tiri 


bay,  and  through  many 
dangers  repaired  to  the 
cabin  of  Canonicus.    The  —       Rooeb  Williams's  .Signature.i 

Pequots  and  Narragan- 

sets  were  already  assembled  in  council.  The  former  threatened  him  with  death,  yet  he  re- 
mained there  three  days  and  nights.  "  God  wonderfully  preserved  me,"  he  said,  "  and  helped 
me  to  break  in  pieces  the  designs  of  the  enemy,  and  to  finish  the  English  league,  by  many 
travels  and  changes,  with  the  Narragansets  and  Mohegans  against  the  Pequots."  This  al- 
liance we  noticed  in  the  last  chapter.  Notwithstanding  this  great  service,  the  Massachu- 
setts court  would  not  revoke  Williams's  sentence  of  banishment. 

Let  us  now  close  the  volume  for  a  time,  and  visit  other  places  of  historic  interest. 

Leaving  the  Seekonk,  we  walked  to  the  site  of  the  encampment  of  the  French  army  in 
the  autumn  of  1762,  while  on  its  march  to  Boston  for  embarkation.  It  had  remained  in 
Virginia  after  the  battle  of  Yorktowa,  in  the  autumn  of  1781,  until  the  summer  of  1782, 
when  it  joined  Washington  and  his  army  on  the  Hudson.  The  place  of  its  encampment 
there  was  near  Peekskill.  The  order  and  discipline  of  this  army,  and  its  uniform  respect 
for  property — the  soldiers  not  even  taking  fruit  from  the  trees  without  leave — were  remark- 
able, and  on  their  march  northward  Rochambeau  and  his  officers  received  many  congratu- 
latory addresses.''  The  array  remained  at  Peekskill  vmtil  October,  when  it  commenced  its 
march  for  Boston,  going  by  the  way  of  Hartford  and  Providence.  Count  de  Ro-  October  2-^ 
chambeau  accompanied  it  to  the  latter  place,  where  he  took  his  leave  of  the  troops  ^'^'^~- 
and  returned  to  Washington's  head-quarters.  The  army  had  received  orders  to  sail  to  the 
West  Indies  in  the  French  fleet  of  fifteen  sail  of  the  line  and  four  frigates,  then  lying  in  the 
harbor  of  Boston,  in  the  event  of  the  evacuation  of  New- York  or  Charleston  by  the  British. 
The  Baron  de  Viomenil  was  ordered  to  accompany  the  troops  as  commander  instead  of  Ro- 
chambeau. The  latter,  with  several  other  officers,  returned  from  Rhode  Island  to  Virginia, 
and  at  Norfolk  embarked  for  France, 

'  Roger  Williams  was  born  in  Wales,  in  1599,  and  was  educated  at  Oxford.  He  became  a  minister  in 
the  Church  of  England,  but  his  views  of  religious  liberty  made  him  a  non-conformist,  and  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica. Bold  in  the  annunciation  of  his  tenets  respecting  the  perfect  liberty  of  mind  and  conscience,  he  was 
banished  from  Massachusetts,  and  planted  a  colony  at  the  head  of  Narraganset  Bay,  now  the  city  of  Prov- 
idence. In  1639  he  embraced  the  doctrines  of  the  Baptists,  and  being  baptized  by  one  of  his  brethren,  ho 
baptized  ten  others.  Doubts  as  to  the  correctness  of  his  principles  arose  in  his  mind,  and  he  finally  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  wrong  to  perform  the  rite  of  baptism  without  a  revelation  from  Heaven.  The 
Church  which  he  had  formed  was  accordingly  dissolved.  He  went  to  England  in  1643,  as  agent  for  the 
colony,  and  obtained  a  charter,  with  which  he  returned  in  September,  1644.  This  charter  was  granted  on 
the  1 4th  of  March,  and  included  the  shores  and  islands  of  Narraganset  Bay,  west  of  Plymouth  and  south  of 
Massachusetts,  and  as  far  as  the  Pequot  River  and  country,  to  be  known  as  the  Providence  Plantations. 
He  landed  at  Boston,  but  was  not  molested  on  account  of  being  under  sentence  of  banishment,  for  he  brought 
with  him  recommendatory  letters  from  influential  members  of  Parliament.  He  went  to  England  again  for 
the  colony  in  1651,  where  he  remained  until  1654.  He  was  chosen  president  of  the  government  on  his  re- 
turn, which  office  he  held  until  1657,  when  Benedict  Arnold  was  appointed.  In  1672  he  held  a  dispute 
with  the  Quakers  for  three  days  at  Newport,  of  which  he  wrote  an  account.*  He  died  in  April,  1683,  aged 
eighty-four  years. 

*  At  Philadelphia,  a  deputation  of  Quakers  waited  upon  Rochambeau,  and  one  of  them,  in  behalf  of  the 
others,  said,  "  General,  it  is  not  on  account  of  thy  military  qualities  that  we  make  thee  this  visit ;  those  we 
hold  in  little  esteem  ;  but  thou  art  the  friend  of  mankind,  and  thy  army  conducts  itself  with  the  utmost  order 
and  discipline.     It  is  this  which  induces  us  to  render  thee  our  respects." 

*  The  title  of  the  pamphlet  containing  the  account  (which  was  published  in  1676)  was,  "  George  Fox  digged  out  of  his  Burrotcn." 
it  being  written  against  Fox  and  Burrows,  two  eminent  Quakers.  An  answer  to  it  was  published  in  1679,  entitled  "A  Nev>  En 
gland  Fire-brand  Qiunrhed," 


k 


624 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  French  Troops  at  Providence. 


Site  of  the  Encampment. 


Departure  of  the  French  from  Bostoa 


The  French  troops  arrived  at  Providence  in  November,  and  to  give  color  to  the  pretext 
that  they  marched  eastward  to  go  into  winter  quarters,  made  excavations,  in  which  to  find 
protection  from  the  cold,  instead  of  pitching  their  tents,  as  a  moving  army  would  do.  The 
object  was  to  allow  the  expedition  to  the  West  Indies — where  a  brisk  naval  warfare  was  in 
progress  between  the  French  and  British — to  remain  a  secret  even  to  the  suspicions  of  the 
English.  After  remaining  about  a  fortnight  at  Providence  the  troops  marched  toward  Bos- 
ton, where  they  arrived  early  in  December.'  On  the  24th  of  that  month  the  French  fleet 
sailed  from  Boston  for  St.  Domingo,  with  all  the  troops  except  Lauzuu's  legion,  the  army 
having  been  in  the  United  States  two  and  a  half  years.* 

The  place  of  the  encampment  at  Providence  is  in  a  field  of  cold,  wet  land,  rough  and 
rocky,  a  mile  and  a  half  east-northeast  from  Market  Square  in  the  city.  It  lies  on  the 
northeast  side  of  Harrington's  Lane,  at  the  head  of  Greene  Lane,  which  latter  runs  parallel 
with  Prospect  Street.  We  passed  on  our  way  along  the  brow  of  Prospect  Hill,  whence  we 
had  a  fine  view  of  the  city  and  surrounding  country,  including  northward  the  spires  of  Paw- 
tucket,  and  southward  the  blue  waters  of  Narraganset  Bay.  The  encampment  was  on  the 
western  slope  of  the  northern  termination  of  Prospect  Hill.  Several  shallow  pits  and  heaps 
of  stones,  with  some  charcoal  intermingled  (the  remains  of  the  temporary  dwellings  of  the 
French  soldiers),  are  yet  to  be  seen.  It  was  a  sheltered  position,  and  favorable  for  a 
winter  encampment  The  ground  is  full  of  small  surface  springs,  which,  with  the 
wash  from  the  cultivated  hills  above,  will  soon  obliterate  every 
trace  of  the  encampment. 

About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  westward  of  the  camp  ground  is 
the  "  North  Burying-ground,"  belonging  to  the  city.  It  has 
been  beautified  within  a  few  years  by  graveled  foot-paths  and 
carriage-ways,  fine  vaults,  handsome  monuments  and  inclos- 
.  ures.  Its  location  is  such  that  it  may  be  made  a  beautiful 
cemetery,  though  small.  Not  far  from  the  south  entrance  is 
a  marble  monument  about  nine  feet  high,  erected  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Stephen  Hopkins,  for  a  long  time  colonial  governor  of 
Rhode  Island,  and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence. On  the  southern  side  of  the  obelisk  is  the  namt 
of  Hopkins  in  large  letters.  The  inscriptions  are  upon  three 
sides  of  the  pedestal.^ 
Hopkins's  Monument.  ^^  the  northeast  part  of  the  burial-ground  is  a  granite  ob- 


1848 


'  Soon  after  their  arrival,  Governor  John  Hancock  and  the  Council  gave  a  public  dinner  to  the  command- 
ing general,  Vioraenij,  and  his  officers,  and  to  the  commander  of  the  fleet,  Vaudreuil,  and  his  officers. 

^  The  Magnijique,  a  French  seventy-four  gun  ship,  one  of  the  fleet,  having  been  lost  in  Boston  Harbor  by 
accident,  Congress,  in  testimony  of  their  sense  of  the  generosity  of  the  French  king,  had  resolved,  more  than 
three  months  before  (September  3),  to  present  the  America,  a  seventy-four  gun  ship,  to  the  French  minis- 
tei",  the  Chevalier  de  Luzerne,  for  the  service  of  his  king. — See  Journals  of  Congress,  viii.,  343. 

^  The  following  are  the  inscriptions  : 

North  side. — "Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  illustrious  Stephen  Hopeins,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  at- 
tested by  his  signature  to  the  Declaration  of  our  National  Independence.  Great  in  council,  from  sagacity 
of  mind  ;  magnanimous  in  sentiment,  firm  in  purpose,  and  good  as  great,  from  benevolence  of  heart,  he  stood 
in  the  first  rank  of  .statesmen  and  patriots.  Self-educated,  yet  among  the  most  learned  of  men,  his  vast 
treasury  of  useful  knowledge,  his  great  retentive  and  reflective  powers,  combined  with  his  social  nature, 
made  him  the  most  interesting  of  companions  in  private  life." 

West  side. — "  His  name  is  engraved  on  the  immortal  records  of  the  Revolution,  and  can  never  die.  His 
titles  to  that  distinction  are  engraved  on  this  monument,  reared  by  the  grateful  admiration  of  his  native  state 
in  honor  of  her  favorite  son." 

South  side.— Born  March  7,  1707.     Died  July  13,  1785." 

A  biography  and  portrait  of  this  venerated  patriot  will  be  found  among  those  of  the  signers  of  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence,  in  another  part  of  this  work.  The  fac-simile  of  his  signature  here  given  is  a  copy 
of  his  autograph  in  my  possession,  attached  to  the  commission  of  Captain  Ephraim  Wheaton,  issued  in  June, 
1761.  Mr.  Hopkins  was  then  Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  and  in  that  capacity  signed  the  instrument.  It 
is  attested  by  Henry   .Yard,  secretary.     Mr.  Ward  was  one  of  the  delegates  from  Rhode  Island  to  the 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION 


625 


Governor  Cooke's  Monument 


La  Fayette's  Head-quarters. 


Roger  Williams's  Spring. 


elisk  erected  to  the  memory  of  Nicholas  Cooke,  who  was  Governor  of  Pv,hode  Island  from  1775 
until  1778,  and  an  active  and  efficient  patriot  until  his  death,  which  occurred  before  the  in- 
dependence of  his  country  was  secured  by  treaty.' 
His  biography  is  bi'iefly  inscribed  upon  his  mon- 
ument in  the  following  words  : 

"  Nicholas  Cooke,  born  in  Providence,  Feb- 
ruary 3d,  1717;  Died  September  14th,  1782. 
Unanimously  elected  Governor  of  Rhode  Island 
in  1775,  he  remained  in  office  during  the  dark- 
est period  of  the  American  Revolution.  He 
merited  and  won  the  approbation  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  and  was  honored  with  the  friendship 
and  confidence  of  Washington."  This  is  the  in- 
scription upon  the  east  side,  immediately  above 
which,  in  raised  letters,  is  the  name  Cooke.  Ok 
the  west  is  the  following  : 

"  Hannah  Sabine,  relict  of  Nicholas  Cooke, 
born  in  KiUingly,  Connecticut,  March  13th, 
1722  ;  died  in  Providence,  March  22d,  1792." 
This  monument  is  about  twenty  feet  high, 
composed  of  a  single  block.  The  sketch  of  it  here  given  is  from  the  cemetery,  looking  east- 
ward, and  includes  in  the  distance  the  French  camp-ground  just  mentioned.  The  most  re- 
mote of  the  two  fields  seen  between  the  trees  on  the  right,  is  the  one  wherein  the  remains 
of  the  encampment  are  to  be  seen. 

On  the  road  leading  from  the  cemetery  to  the  town  is  a  brick  building,  with  a  hip-roof, 
which  La  Fayette  occupied  as  head-quarters,  while  in  Providence  a  short  time  in  1778 
He  had  been  sent  by  Washington  with  two  thousand  men  to  assist  Sullivan  in  the  siege  of 
Newport.  The  house  is  well  preserved,  but  changed  somewhat  in  its  external  appearance 
On  our  way  into  the  town  we  passed  along  Benefit  Street,  on  the  east  side  of  which,  in 
a  vacant  lot,  upon  the  slope  of  a  steep  hill,  near  the  mansion  of  the  father  of  Governor  Dorr, 
is  a  living  water-fountain,  called  Roger  Williams's  Sp)-i7ig.  Tradition  asserts  that  here, 
in  the  cool  shade  of  sycamores  (of  which  the  huge  trees  that  now  overshadow  it  are  the 
sprouts),  Williams  first  reposed  after  his  journey,  and  that  here  his  first  tent  was  pitched,  at 
twilight,  on  a  beautiful  evening  in  June.  It  is  a  pleasant  spot  now,  even  with  the  pent-up 
city  around  it ;  it  must  then  have  been  a  delicious  resting-place  for  the  weary  exile,  for  be- 
low him  were  the  bright  waters  of  the  Narraganset,  beyond  which  arose  the  gentle  slopes 
and  more  lofty  hills  of  the  fair  land  of  Canonicus,  his  friend  and  protector. 


GovEKNOB  Cooke's  Monu.ment. 


Signature  of  Stephen  HorKiNs. 


"  Stamp  Act  Congress"  in  1765.  This  sig- 
nature of  Hopkins  exhibits  the  same  tremu- 
lousness  of  hand  which  is  seen  in  that  attach- 
ed to  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  writ- 
ten fifteen  years  afterward,  and  is  a  proof,  if 
evidence  were  wanting,  that  it  was  not  the 
effect  of  fear,  but  "  shaking  palsy,"  that 
makes  the  patriot's  sign-manual  to  our  Na- 
tional Document  appear  so  suspiciously 
crooked. 

'  Mr.  Cooke  was  deputy  governor  in  1775.  When  the  Assemblv,  or  House  of  Magistrates  of  the  colony, 
voted  to  raise  an  army  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  Joseph  Wanton,  then  the  Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  his  dep- 
uty, and  others  in  the  government,  were  opposed  to  the  measure.  The  people  were  displeased,  yet  Wan- 
ton, who  had  been  chief  magistrate  since  1769,  was  rechosen  governor  in  May;  but,  failing  to  appear  and 
take  the  prescribed  oath,  the  Assembly  directed  that  the  deputy  governor  should  perform  the  duties  of  chief 
magistrate.  Mr.  Cooke  became  convinced  that  the  warlike  measures  of  the  Assembly  were  correct,  and 
entered  heartily  into  all  their  views.  Wanton  appeared  in  June,  and  demanded  that  the  oath  of  office  should 
be  administered  to  him,  but,  as  he  had  not  given  satisfaction  to  the  Assembly,  his  request  or  demand  wa.» 
DO?  complied  with. 

Rr 


626 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Old  Tavern  in  Providence.         Its  Associations.         Destruction  of  Tea  in  Market  Square.         Rhode  Island  Historical  Society 

Within  the  city,  on  the  east  side  of  Market  Square,  stands  the  old  tavern,  with  moss- 
grown  roof,  where  many  a  grave  and  many  a  boisterous  meeting  were  held  by  the  freemen 
of  the  Providence  Plantations  during  the  Stamp  Act  excitement,  and  the  earlier  years  of  the 


war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. There  the 
Sons  of  Liberty  met 
and  planned  their 
measures  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  British 
ministry.  From 
the  same  balcony 
were  read  the  proc- 
lamation announc- 
ing the  accession  of 
George  III.  to  the 
throne  in  1760  ; 
the  odious  Stamp 
Act  in  1765  ;  the 
bill  for  its  repeal  in 
1766;  and  the  Dec- 
laration of  Inde- 
pendence in  1776. 
That  balcony  seem- 
ed to  be  the  forum 


Old  Tavern  in  I'sovidence.' 


of  the  people  ;  and 
many  excited  audi- 
ences have  crowd- 
ed Market  Square, 
in  front  of  it,  to 
listen  to  patriotic  . 
speeches 

The  people  ol 
Providence,  and 
particularly  the 
matrons  and  maid- 
ens, cheerfully  ac- 
quiesced in  the  de- 
mands made  upon 
their  self-denial  by 
the  non-importation 
agreements,  and  for- 
eign tea  was  dis- 
carded as  if  it  had 
been  a  poisonous 
drug.''      In    1773, 


when  it  was  ascertained  that  the  ships  of  the  East  India  Company,  heavily  laden  with  tea, 
were  about  to  sail  for  America,  the  people  of  Providence  were  among  the  first  to  express 
their  disapprobation  ;  and  on  one  occasion  the  town  crier,  with  a  drum,  patroled  the  streets 
in  the  evening,  announcing  that  a  bonfire  of  tea  would  be  made  in  Market  Square  at  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  and  requesting  those  who  possessed  and  repudiated  the  article  to  cast  it 
upon  the  heap.  At  the  appointed  hour  the  square  was  crowded,  and  the  old  tavern  front 
and  its  neighbors  were  brilliantly  illuminated  by  the  glow  of  the  burning  tea,  aided  by  other 
combustibles,  while  shouts  long  and  loud  went  up  as  one  voice  from  the  multitude.  This 
was  but  a  prelude  to  the  united  and  vigorous  action  of  the  people  when  the  war  notes  from 
Lexington  aroused  the  country  ;  and  until  the  close  of  the  contest  Providence  was  a  "  nest 
of  rebels  against  the  king." 

I  concluded  the  labors  and  pleasures  of  the  day  by  making  the  above  sketch,  and  in  the 
evening  attended,  by  invitation,  a  meeting  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society,  over  which 
Albert  G.  Greene,  Esq.,  presided,  the  venerable  president,  John  Howland,  then  ninety-one 
years  of  age,  being  absent.  Their  rooms  are  in  a  small  but  convenient  building  near  Brown 
University,  and  contain  about  five  thousand  volumes  of  books  and  pamphlets,  many  of  them 
very  rare.  The  meeting  was  one  of  much  interest,  especially  to  Rhode  Islanders,  for  Pro- 
fessor Gammel,  of  the  University,  made  a  verbal  communication  on  the  subject  of  important 
manuscripts  concerning  the  early  history  of  New  England,  which  are  in  the  British  colonial 
office.      He  imparted  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  J.  Carter  Brown,  Esq.,  of  Providence, . 

'  This  view  is  from  the  market,  looking  north.  The  building  stands  on  the  east  side  of  the  square,  and 
parallel  with  its  front  commences  North  Main  Street.  In  the  yard  on  the  right  is  a  venerable  horse-chestnut 
tree,  standing  between  the  house  and  the  Roger  Williams'  Bank.  In  former  times,  a  balcony  extended 
across  the  front.  The  door  that  opened  upon  it  is  still  there,  but  the  balcony  is  gone.  The  roof  is  com- 
pletely overgrown  with  moss,  and  every  appearance  of  age  marks  it. 

''■  On  the  i2th  of  June,  1769,  twenty-nine  young  ladies,  daughters  of  the  first  citizens  of  Providence,  met 
under  the  shade  of  the  sycamores  at  the  Roger  Williams'  Spring,  and  there  resolved  not  to  drink  any  more 
tea  until  the  duty  upon  it  should  be  taken  off.  They  then  adjourned  to  the  nouse  of  one  of  the  company 
(Miss  Coddington),  where  they  partook  of  a  frugal  repast,  composed  in  part  of  the  "  delicious  Hyperion,' 
1  tea  of  domestic  manufacture  — See  note  on  page  481 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  627 


Valuable  Manuscripts.      A  telescopic  Peep  at  the  Moon  and  Stars.      Bryant's  "  Song  of  the  Stars."      Voyage  to  Gaspeo  Point 

with  an  enlightened  liberality  worthy  of  all  praise,  had  made  arrangements  to  have  dU  the 
manuscripts  in  question  copied  at  his  own  expense,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Stephens,  the 
eminent  agriculturist,  then  ia  Europe.'  The  manuscripts  relate  to  New  England  his- 
tory, from  1634  to  1720,  and  consist  of  more  than  four  hundred  pieces,  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  of  which  have  special  reference  to  the  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plan- 
tations. Among  them  is  a  minute  account  of  all  the  transactions  relating  to  Captain  Kidd, 
the  noted  pirate.  Already  two  thousand  four  hundred  pages  of  copies,  beautifully  writte^ 
by  one  hand,  on  vellum  foolscap,  had  been  forwarded  to  Mr.  Brown,  a  few  of  which  were 
exhibited  by  Professor  Gammel. 

Moon  and  stars  were  shining  brightly  when  weleftthe  Society's  rooms,  and  afforded  a  fine 
field  of  view  through  a  large  telescope  that  was  standing  under  the  porch  of  the  college. 
The  professor  having  it  in  charge  kindly  allowed  me  a  glance  at  our  celestial  neighbors. 
The  moon  was  gibbous,  and  brilliant  as  molten  silver  appeared  its  ragged  edges.  Saturn 
was  visible,  but  the  earth  being  upon  the  plane  of  its  rings,  they  could  not  be  seen.  Some 
double  stars,  even  of  the  seventeenth  magnitude,  were  pointed  out ;  and  over  the  whole  field 
of  view,  those  distant  worlds,  that  appear  like  brilliant  points  to  the  unaided  vision,  were 
seen  glowing  in  all  the  beautiful  colors  of  the  emerald,  the  ruby,  the  sapphire,  and  the  topaz 
While  gazing  upon  them,  it  seemed  to  me  as  if 

"  Their  silver  voices  in  clioras  rang, 
And  this  was  the  song  the  bright  ones  sang . 

"  Away  !  away  !  through  the  wide,  wide  sky — 
The  fair  blue  fiekls  that  before  us  lie. 
Each  sun  with  the  worlds  that  round  it  roll ; 
Each  planet  poised  on  her  turning  pole ; 
With  her  isles  of  green  and  her  clouds  of  white, 
And  her  waters  that  lie  like  fluid  light. 

"  For  the  Source  of  Glory  uncovers  his  face, 
And  the  brightness  o'erflows  unbounded  space ; 
And  we  drink,  as  we  go,  the  luminous  tides, 
In  our  ruddy  air  and  our  blooming  sides. 
Lo  !  yonder  the  living  splendors  play ; 
Away  !  on  our  joyous  path,  away  ! 

"  Glide  on  in  j-our  beautj',  ye  youthful  spheres, 
To  weave  the  dance  that  measures  the  years. 
Glide  on  in  the  glory  and  gladness  sent 
To  the  farthest  wall  of  the  firmament — 
The  boundless,  visible  smile  of  Him, 
To  the  veil  of  whose  brow  our  lamps  are  dim." 

Bryant's  "  Song  of  the  Stars.'' 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st,  I  procured  a  sort  of  pinnace,  and  a  boatman  to  man-  October, 
age  it,  and  with  a  stiff',  cold  breeze  from  the  northwest,  sailed  down  the  Narragan-  ^848. 
set  Bay'  to  Gaspee  Point,  a  place  famous  in  our  Revolutionary  annals  as  the  scene  of  a  dar- 
ing act  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  Rhode  Island.  The  Point  is  on  the  west  side  of  the 
bay,  about  six  miles  below  Providence,  and  consists,  first,  of  a  high  jutting  bank,  and  then 
a  sandy  beach  stretching  into  the  bay,  almost  uncovered  at  low  tide,  but  completely  sub- 
merged at  high  water.  The  bay  is  here  about  two  miles  wide,  and  the  low  bare  point  ex- 
tends at  least  half  a  mile  from  the  bank,  its  termination  marked  by  a  buoy.  The  naviga- 
tion of  this  section  of  the  bay  is  dangerous  on  account  of  the  sand-bars,  and  also  of  sub- 
merged rocks,  lying  just  below  the  surface  at  low  water.  Two  of  them,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Field's  Point,  are  marked  by  strong  stone  towers  about  thirty  feet  high,  both  of  which  are 

'  Mr.  Brown  is  a  son  of  Nicholas  Brown,  whose  liberal  endowment  of  the  college  at  Providence,  and 
active  influence  in  its  favor,  caused  the  faculty  to  give  his  name  to  the  institution.  It  is  called  Brown 
University. 

'  The  northern  portion  of  the  bay  is  quite  narrow,  and  from  the  Pawtuxet  to  its  head  is  generally  called 
Providence  River. 


6  28 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  Gaspee. 


Conduct  of  her  Commander. 


Sketch  of  Gaspee  Point 


Governor  Wnntoc 


above  Gaspee  Point.  The  tide  was  ebbing  when  we  ar- 
rived at  the  Point,  and  anchoring  our  vessel,  we  sought  to 
reach  the  shore  in  its  little  skifK — a  feat  of  no  small  diffi- 
culty on  account  of  the  shallowness  of  the  water.  I  waited 
nearly  an  hour  for  the  ebbing  tide  to  leave  the  Point  bare, 
before  making  my  sketch. 

The  historical  incident  alluded  to  was  the  burning  of  the 
Gaspee,  a  British  armed  schooner,  in  1772.  She  first  ap- 
peared in  the  waters  of  Narraganset  Bay  in  March,  having 
been  dispatched  thither  by  the  commissioners  of  customs  at 
Boston  to  prevent  infractions  of  the  revenue  laws,  and  to 
put  a  stop  to  the  illicit  trade  which  had  been  carried  on  for 
a  long  time  at  Newport  and  Providence.  Her  appearance 
disquieted  the  people,  and  her  interference  with  the  free  nav- 
igation of  the  bay  irritated  them.  Deputy-governor  Ses- 
sions, residing  at  Providence,  wrote  in  behalf  of  the  people  there  to  Governor  Wanton'  at 
Newport,  expressing  his  opinion  that  the  commander  of  the  Gaspee,  Lieutenant  Dudding- 
ton,  had  no  legal  warrant  for  his  proceedings.      Governor  Wanton  immediately  dispatched 


Stone  Tower. 


-iiLSsifei^SL 


(jaspee  Point. 2 

i  written  message,  by  the  high  sheriff,  to  Duddington,  in  which  he  required  that  oilicer  to 
produce  his  commission  without  delay.  This  the  lieutenant  refused  to  do,  and  Wanton 
made  a  second  demand  for  his  orders.  Duddington,  apparently  shocked  at  the  idea  that  a 
ijolonial  governor  should  claim  the  right  to  control,  in  any  degree,  the  movement  of  his  maj- 
esty's officers,  did  not  reply,  but  sent  Wanton's  letters  to  Admiral  Montague  at  Boston. 


'  Joseph  Wanton  was  a  native  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1751.  In  1769 
he  was  elected  Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  which  office  he  held  by  re-election  until  1775,  when  his  opposi- 
tion to  the  views  of  the  people,  and  his  neglect  to  take  the  oath  of  office  at  the  proper  time,  made  the  As- 
sembly declai-e  his  place  vacant.  His  deputy,  Nicholas  Cooke,  performed  the  duties  of  governor.  The  con- 
fidence of  the  people  in  his  attachment  to  American  liberty  was  doubtless  shaken  by  his  appointment,  under 
the  great  seal  of  England,  to  inquire  into  the  affair  of  the  Gaspee.  But  in  that  he  acted  as  a  conscientious 
man,  and  there  was  evidently  a  desire  on  his  part  that  the  incendiaries  of  that  vessel  should  not  be  known, 
although  he  labored  with  apparent  zeal  to  discover  them.  He  was  regarded  as  a  Loyalist  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.     He  died  at  Newport  in  1782. 

-  This  view  is  from  the  bank  of  the  cove  just  below  the  Point,  looking  northeast,  showing  its  appearance 
-It  low  water  when  the  clam-fishers  are  upon  it.  The  buoy  is  seen  beyond  the  extreme  end  of  the  Point  on 
■iie  right.  The  bank  is  about  fifteen  feet  high.  In  front  of  Pawtuxet,  about  a  mile  above,  are  the  remains 
■1"  bi-east-works,  thrown  up  during  the  war  of  1812.  There  are  also  breast-works  at  Field's  Point,  two 
.-niles  below  Providence,  where  is  a  flag-staff.     There  is  the  quarantine  ground. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  629 


Montague's  insolent  Letter.    Wanton's  Rejoinder.    Captain  Lindeey's  Packet  chased  by  the  Gaspce.    Grounding  of  the  Gaspce. 

That  functionary,  forgetting  that  the  Governor  of  Rhode  Island  was  elected  to  office  by  the 
voice  of  a  free  people — that  he  was  the  chief  magistrate  of  a  colony  of  free  Englishmen,  and 
not  a  creature  of  the  crown — wrote  an  insulting  and  blustering  letter  to  Governor  Apni  6, 
Wanton  in  defense  of  Duddington,  and  in  reprehension  of  his  opponents.  In  it  he  ^^"-• 
used  these  insulting  words  :  "  I  shall  report  your  two  insolent  letters  to  my  officer  [Dud- 
dington] to  his  majesty's  secretaries  of  state,  and  leave  them  to  determine  what  right  you 
have  to  demand  a  sight  of  all  orders  I  shall  give  to  all  officers  of  my  squadron  ;  and  I  would 
advise  you  not  to  send  your  sheriff  on  board  the  king's  ship  again  on  such  ridiculous  er- 
rands." To  this  letter  Governor  Wanton  wrote  a  spirited  reply.  "I  am  greatly  Mays, 
obliged,"  he  said,  "  for  the  promise  of  transmitting  my  letters  to  the  secretaries  of  ^'^''-• 
state.  I  am,  however,  a  little  shocked  at  your  impolite  expression  made  use  of  upon  that 
occasion.  In  return  for  this  good  office,  I  shall  also  transmit  your  letter  to  the  Secretary  of 
State,  and  leave  to  the  king  and  his  ministers  to  determine  on  which  side  the  charge  of  in- 
solence lies.  As  to  your  advice  not  to  send  a  sheriff  on  board  any  of  your  squadron,  please 
to  know,  that  I  will  send  the  sheriff  of  this  colony  at  any  time,  and  to  any  place  within  the 
body  of  it,  as  I  shall  think  fit."  On  the  20th  of  May,  Governor  Wanton,  pursuant  to  a 
vote  of  the  Assembly,  transmitted  an  account  of  the  matter  to  the  Earl  of  Hillsborough  ; 
but,  before  any  reply  could  be  received,  the  Gaspee  became  a  wreck,  under  the  following 
circumstances  : 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1772,  Captain  Lindsey  left  Ne\\'port  for  Providence,  in  his  packet,' 
at  about  noon,  the  wind  blowing  from  the  South."  The  Gaspee,  whose  commander  did  not 
discriminate  between  the  well-known  packets  and  the  strange  vessels  that  came  into  the 
harbor,  had  often  fired  upon  the  former,  to  compel  their  masters  to  take  down  their  colors  in 
its  presence — a  haughty  marine  Gesler,  requiring  obeisance  to  its  imperial  cap.  As  Cap- 
tain Li-ndsey,  on  this  occasion,  kept  his  colors  flying,  the  Gaspee  gave  chase,  and  contin- 
ued it  as  far  as  Namquit  (now  Gaspee)  Point.  The  tide  was  ebbing,  but  the  bar  was  cov- 
ered. As  soon  as  Lindsey  doubled  the  Point,  he  stood  to  the  westward  Duddington,  com- 
mander of  the  Gaspee,  eager  to  overtake  the  pursued,  and  ignorant  of  the  extent  of  the  sub- 
merged Point  from  the  shore,  kept  on  a  straight  course,  and  in  a  few  minutes  struck  the  sand. 
The  fast  ebbing  tide  soon  left  his  vessel  hopelessly  grounded.  Captain  Lindsey  arrived  at 
Providence  at  sunset,  and  at  once  communicated  the  fact  of  the  grounding  of  the  Gaspee  to 
Mr.  John  BroA\ai,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  that  city.  Knowing  that  the  schooner 
could  not  be  got  off  until  flood-tide,  after  midnight.  Brown  thought  this  a  good  opportunity 
to  put  an  end  to  the  vexations  caused  by  her  presence.  He  ordered  the  preparation  of  eight 
of  the  largest  long-boats  in  the  harbor,  to  be  placed  under  the  general  command  of  Captain 
Whipple,  one  of  his  most  trusty  ship-masters  ;  each  boat  to  have  five  oars,  the  row-locks  to 
be  muffled,  and  the  whole  put  in  readiness  by  half  past  eight  in  the  evening,  at  Fenner's 
Wharf,  near  the  residence  of  the  late  Welcome  Arnold.  At  dusk,  a  man  named  Daniel 
Pearce  passed  along  the  Main  Street,  beating  a  drum,  and  informing  the  inhabitants  that 
the  Gaspee  lay  aground  on  Namquit  Point ;  that  she  could  not  get  off  until  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning  ;  and  inviting  those  who  were  willing  to  engage  in  her  destruction  to  meet  at 
the  house  of  James  Sabine,  afterward  the  residence  of  Welcome  Arnold.  The  boats  left 
Providence  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock,  filled  with  sixty-four  well-armed  men,  a  sea  cap- 
tain in  each  boat  acting  as  steersman.  They  took  with  them  a  quantity  of  round  paving- 
stones.  Between  one  and  two  in  the  morning  they  reached  the  Gaspee,  when  a  sen-  j^„^  9 
tinel  on  board  hailed  them.  No  answer  being  returned,  Duddington  appeared  in  ^^2. 
his  shirt  on  the  starboard  gunwale,  and  waving  the  boats  off,  fired  a  pistol  at  them.      This 

'  This  packet  was  called  the  Hannah,  and  sailed  between  New  York  and  Providence,  touching  at 
Newport. 

*  Cooper,  in  his  Naval  History,  i.,  81,  says  that  the  Hannah  was  "favored  by  a  fresh  southerlj  breeze.'' 
The  details  here  given  are  taken  chiefly  from  a  statement  by  the  late  Colonel  Ephraim  Bowen,  of  Provi- 
'lence,  who  was  one  of  the  party  that  attacked  the  Gaspee.  Colonel  Bowen  says  the  wind  was  from  the 
North.    The  circumstances  of  the  chase,  however,  show  that  it  must  have  been  from  the  South. 


630 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Expedition  against  the  Gaspee. 


Her  Destruction. 


Efforts  to  discover  the  Incendiaries. 


Tlie  Commissioners. 


discharge  was  returned  by  a  musket  from  one  of  the  boats.*  Duddington  was  wounded  in 
the  groin,  and  carried  below.  The  boats  now  came  alongside  the  schooner,  and  the  men 
boarded  her  without  much  opposition,  the  crew  retreating  below  when  their  wounded  com- 
mander was  carried  down.  A  medical  student  among  the  Americans  dressed  Duddington's 
wound, ^  and  he  was  carried  on  shore  at  Pawtuxet.  The  schooner's  company  were  ordered 
to  collect  their  clothing  and  leave  the  vessel,  which  they  did  ;  and  all  the  effects  of  Lieu- 
tenant Duddington  being  carefully  placed  in  one  of  the  American  boats  to  be  delivered  to 
the  owner,  the  Gaspee  was  set  on  fire  and  at  dawn  blew  up.' 

On  being  informed  of  this  event,  Governor  Wanton  issued  a  proclamation,  order- 
ing diligent  search  for  persons  having  a  knowledge  of  the  crime,  and  offering  a  re- 
ward of  five  hundred  dollars  "  for  the  discov- 


June  12. 


ery  of  the  perpetrators  of  said  villainy,  to  be 
paid  immediately  upon  the  conviction  of  any 
one  or  more  of  them."  Admiral  Montague 
also  made  endeavors  to  discover  the  incend- 
iaries. Afterward  the  home  government  of- 
fered a  reward  of  five  thousand  dollars  for  the 
leader,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars 
to  any  person  who  would  discover  the  other 
parties,  with  the  promise  of  a  pardon  should 
the  informer  be  an  accomplice.  A  commis- 
sion of  inquiry,  under  the  great  seal  of  En- 
gland, was  established,  which  sat  from  the 
4th  until  the  22d  of  January,  1 773.*  It  then 
adjourned  until  the  26th  of  May,  when  it  as- 
sembled and  sat  until  the  23d  of  June.  But 
not  a  solitary  clew  to  the  identity  of  the  per- 
petrators could  be  obtained,  notwithstanding 
so  many  of  them  were  known  to  the  people.^ 
The  price  of  treachery  on  the  part  of  any  ac- 
complice would  have  been  exile  from  home 
and  country  ;  and  the  proffered  reward  was 
not  adequate  to  such  a  sacrifice,  even  though 
weak  moral  principles  or  strong  acquisitive- 
ness had  been  tempted  into  compliance.  The 
commissioners  closed  their  labors  on  the  23d 
of  June,  and  further  inquiry  was  not  attempted." 


SiGNATUKES   OF  THE   CoMMISSIONEBS. 


'  Thomas  Bucklin,  a  young  man  about  nineteen  years  of  age,  fired  the  musket.  He  afterward  assisted 
in  dressing  the  wound  which  his  bullet  inflicted. 

^  This  was  Dr.  John  Mawney.  His  kindness  and  attention  to  Duddington  excited  the  gratitude  of  chat 
officer,  who  offered  young  Mawney  a  gold  stock-buckle ;  that  being  refused,  a  silver  one  was  offered  and 
accepted. 

^  The  principal  actors  in  this  affair  were  John  Brown,  Captain  Abraham  Whipple,  John  B.  Hopkins, 
Benjamin  Dunn,  Dr.  John  Mawney,  Benjamin  Page,  Joseph  Bucklin,  Turpin  Smith,  Ephraim  Bowen,  and 
Captain  Joseph  Tilhnghast.     The  names  were,  of  coarse,  all  kept  secret  at  the  time. 

■*  The  commission  consisted  of  Governor  Joseph  Wanton,  of  Rhode  Island ;  Daniel  Horsmanden,  chief 
justice  of  New  York ;  Frederic  Smyth,  chief  justice  of  New  Jersey ;  Peter  Oliver,  chief  justice  of  Massa- 
chusetts ;  and  Robert  Auchmuty,  judge  of  the  Vice-admiralty  Court. 

*  The  drum  was  publicly  beaten ;  the  sixty-four  boldly  embarked  on  the  expedition  without  disguise ; 
and  it  is  asserted  by  Mr.  John  Howland  (still  living),  that  on  the  morning  after  the  affair,  a  young  man, 
named  Justin  Jacobs,  paraded  on  the  "  Great  Bridge,"  a  place  of  much  resort,  with  Lieutenant  Dudding- 
ton's  gold-laced  beaver  on  his  head,  detailing  the  particulars  of  the  transaction  to  a  circle  around  him. 

*  See  Documentary  History  of  the  Destruction  of  the  Gaspee,  by  the  Honorable  William  R.  Staples  ;  Prov- 
idence, 1845.  In  a  song  written  at  the  time,  and  composed  of  fifty-eight  lines  of  doggerel  verse,  is  inge- 
niously given  the  history  of  the  affair.     It  closes  with  the  following  allusion  to  the  rewards  offered ; 


i 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  63\ 


Return  to  Providence.  Visit  to  Mr.  John  Howland.  His  military  Career  in  the  RevolutioR 

After  finishing  my  sketch  of  Namquit,  or  Gaspee  Point  (page  60),  we  embarked  for  Prov- 
idence, the  wind  blowing  a  gale  from  the  northwest.  It  was  with  much  difficulty  that  we 
managed  our  vessel ;  and  before  we  reached  the  harbor  we  were  drenched  with  the  spray 
that  dashed  over  the  gunwale  from  the  windward.  In  company  with  Mr.  Wecden  I  visited 
the  fine  library  of  the  Athenium  Association,'  and  afterward  had  the  pleasure  of  a  brief  in- 
terview, at  his  residence,  with  the  venerable  Mr.  Ilowland,  president  of  the  Historical  So- 
ciety. So  clear  and  vigorous  was  his  well-cultivated  mind,  that  I  regretted  the  brevity  of 
my  visit,  made  necessary  by  the  near  approach  of  the  hour  of  departure  of  the  steam-packet, 
in  which  T  was  to  proceed  to  Newport.  Mr.  Howland  passed  his  ninety-first  birth-day  a 
few  days  before  I  saw  him.  He  was  a  soldier  early  in  the  war  for  independence,  having 
been  drafted  as  a  minute  man  in  the  winter  of  1775,  to  go  to  Newport.  He  was  afterward 
attached  to  the  Rhode  Island  regiment  under  Colonel  Lippincott,  and  joined  the  Continental 
army  under  Washington  at  Kingsbridge,  at  the  upper  end  of  York  or  Manhattan  Island. 
He  was  in  the  retreat  to  White  Plains  in  the  autumn  of  1776,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
skirmish  at  Chatterton's  Hill.  He  related  an  amusing  circumstance  which  occurred  during 
that  retreat.  While  the  Americans  halted  upon  Chatterton's  Hill,  the  British,  in  close  pur- 
suit, rested,  for  a  short  time,  upon  another  eminence  close  by.  An  Irishman,  one  of  Colonel 
Lippincott's  servants,  who  was  called  "Daddy  Hall,"  seemed  quite  uneasy  on  account  of  the 
presence  of  the  enemy.  He  had  charge  of  the  colonel's  horse,  and  frequently  exclaimed, 
"What  are  we  doing  here  ?  Why  do  we  stop  here  ?  Why  don't  we  go  on  ?  I  don't  be- 
lieve the  colonel  knows  that  the  red-coated  rascals  are  so  near."  Paymaster  Dexter,''  seeing 
the  perturbation  of  the  poor  fellow,  said,  "Daddy  Hall,  you're  afraid  I  you're  a  trembling 
coward  !"  The  Milesian's  ire  was  aroused  at  these  words,  and  looking  the  paymaster  in  the 
face  with  a  scornful  curl  of  his  lips,  he  said,  "  Be  jabers  I  no,  Maisther  Dexther,  I'm  not 
afeerd  more  nor  yez  be  ;  but  faith  I  ye'll  find  yourself  that  one  good  pair  of  heels  is  worth 
two  of  hands  afore  night ;  if  ye  don't,  call  Daddy  Hall  a  spalpeen."  And  so  he  did  ;  for 
before  sunset  the  Americans  were  flying  before  their  pursuers,  more  grateful  to  heels  than 
hands  for  safety. 

]Mr.  Howland  accompanied  Washington  in  his  retreat  across  New  Jersey,  and  was  in  the 
division  of  Cadwallader,  at  Bristol,  which  was  to  go  over  the  Delaware  on  the  night  when 
Washington  crossed  that  river,  and  surprised  the  Hessians  at  Trenton.  The  December  25 
ice  prevented  ;   but  they  crossed  the  next  day,  and  were  stationed  at  Crosswicks  ^^'''^• 

for  a  day  or  two.      Mr.  Howland  was  among  those  at  Trenton  who  were  driven  across  the 
Assanpink  by  the  British  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  January,  the  night  before  the 
battle  of  Princeton.      The  bridge  across  the  Assanpink  was  much  crowded,  and  Mr. 
Howland  remembers  having  his  arm  scratched  by  one  of  Washington's  spurs  as  he  passed 

"  Now,  for  to  find  these  people  out. 
King  George  has  offered  very  stout. 
One  thousand  pounds  to  find  out  one 
That  wounded  William  Duddineton. 
One  thousand  more  he  says  he'll  spare, 
,  For  those  who  say  the  Bherift''3  were. 

One  thousand  more  there  doth  remain 
For  to  find  out  the  leadei-'s  name  ; 
Liicewise  five  hundred  pounds  per  man 
For  any  one  of  all  the  clan. 
But  let  him  try  his  utmost  skill, 
I'm  apt  to  tliink  he  never  will 
Kind  out  any  of  those  hearts  of  gold. 
Though  he  should  offer  fifty-fold." 

'  Mr.  Weeden  was  formerly  librarian  of  the  institution.  It  is  situated  in  a  handsome  building  on  the  east 
side  of  Benefit  Street,  and  contains  about  five  thousand  volumes,  among  which  is  a  copy  of  the  great  work- 
on  Egypt,  arranged  under  the  superintendence  of  Denon,  and  published  by  Napoleon  at  the  expense  of  the 
government  of  France.  This  copy  belonged  to  Prince  Polignac,  the  minister  of  Charles  X.  Many  of  the 
plates  were  colored  by  his  direction.     It  is  a  beautiful  copy,  bound  in  morocco. 

*  I  was  informed,  after  leaving  Providence,  that  Mr.  Dexter  was  yet  living  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
town,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years. 


(i3  2  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Departure  for  Newport.  AppearaDce  of  Rhode  Island.  Old  Tower  at  Newport.  Mansion  of  Governor  Gibbs 

by  the  commander  in  the  crowd,  who  sat  upon  his  white  horse  at  the  south  end  of  the 
bridge.  He  performed  the  dreary  night  march  through  the  snow  toward  Princeton,  and  was 
in  the  battle  there  on  the  following  morning.  His  term  of  service  expired  while  the  Amer- 
ican army  was  at  Morristown,  whither  it  went  from  Princeton.  From  Morristown,  himself 
and  companions  made  their  way  on  foot,  through  deep  snows,  back  to  Providence,  crossing 
the  Hudson  River  at  King's  Ferry  (Stony  Point),  and  the  Connecticut  at  Hartford.  Gladly 
would  I  have  listened  imtil  sunset  to  the  narrative  of  his  great  experience,  but  the  first  bell 
of  the  packet  summoned  me  away. 

I  left  Providence  at  three  o'clock  in  the  Perry,  and  arrived  at  Newport,  thirty  miles  dis- 
tant, at  about  five,  edified  on  the  way  by  the  conversation  of  the  venerable  William  Cran- 
ston, of  Attlebury,  Massachusetts,  then  eighty-one  years  of  age,  who  was  a  resident  of  New- 
port during  the  Revolution.  The  bald  appearance  of  Rhode  Island,  relieved  only  by  or- 
chards, which  showed  like  dark  tufts  of  verdure  in  the  distance,  with  a  few  wind-mills  and 
scattered  farm-houses,  formed  a  singular  and  unfavorable  feature  in  the  view  as  we  approach- 
ed Newport ;  while  upon  small  islands  and  the  main  land  appeared  the  ruins  of  forts  and 
batteries,  indicating  the  military  importance  of  the  waters  we  were  navigating.      This  was 

'■  Rhode  Island,  the  land  ■vchere  the  exile  sought  rest ; 
The  Eden  where  wandered  the  Pilgrim  oppress'd. 
Thy  name  be  immortal !  here  man  was  made  free, 
The  oppress'd  of  all  nations  found  refuge  in  thee. 

"  There  Freedom's  broad  pinions  our  fathers  unfurl'd, 
An  ensign  to  nations  and  hope  to  the  world ; 
Here  both  Jew  and  Gentile  have  ever  enjoy'd 
The  freedom  of  conscience  in  worshiping  God." 

Arthur  A.  Ross. 

The  fair  promises  of  a  pleasant  morrow,  sweetly  expressed  by  a  bright  moonlight  evening, 
October  22      Were  not  realized,  for  at  dawn  heavy  rain-drops  were  pattering  upon  my  window, 

1848.  and  the  wind  was  piping  with  all  the  zeal  of  a  sudden  "  sou'easter."  I  had  in- 
tended to  start  early  for  the  neighborhood  of  Quaker  Hill,  toward  the  north  end  of  the  island, 
the  scene  of  conflict  in  1778  ;  but  the  storm  frustrated  my  plans,  and  I  passed  the  day  in 
visiting  places  of  interest  in  the  city  and  its  immediate  vicinity.  The  object  of  greatest  at- 
traction to  the  visitor  at  Newport  is  the  Old  Tower,  or  wind-mill,  as  it  is  sometimes  called. 
It  stands  within  a  vacant  lot  owned  by  Governor  Gibbs,  directly  in  front  of  his  fine  old 
mansion,  which  was  erected  in  1720,  and  was  then  one  of  the  finest  dwellings  in  the  colony. 
It  is  a  brick  building,  covered  with  red  cedar.  The  main  object  in  the  picture  is  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  tower  as  it  appeared  at  the  time  of  my  visit.  On  the  right  of  it  is  seen 
the  residence  of  Governor  Gibbs,'  surrounded  by  shade-trees  and  flowering  shrubs  in  abund- 
ance. I  passed  the  stormy  morning  under  its  roof;  and  to  the  proprietor  I  am  indebted  for 
much  kindness  during  my  visit  at  Newport,  and  for  valuable  suggestions  respecting  the  sin- 
gular relic  of  the  past  that  stands  upon  his  grounds,  mute  and  mysterious  as  a  mummy. 
On  the  subject  of  its  erection  history  and  tradition  are  silent,  and  the  object  of  its  construc- 
tion is  alike  imknown  and  conjectural.  It  is  a  huge  cylinder,  composed  of  unhewn  stones 
— common  granite,  slate,  sandstone,  and  pudding-stone — cemented  with  coarse  mortar,  made 
of  the  soil  on  which  the  structure  stands,  and  shell  lime.  It  rests  upon  eight  round  col- 
umns, a  little  more  than  three  feet  in  diameter,  and  ten  feet  high  from  the  ground  to  the 
spring  of  the  arches.  The  wall  is  three  feet  thick,  and  the  whole  edifice,  at  the  present 
time,  is  twenty-four  feet  high.  The  external  diameter  is  twenty-three  feet.  Governor  Gibbs 
informed  me  that,  on  excavating  at  the  base  of  one  of  the  pillars,  he  found  the  soil  about 
four  feet  deep,  lying  upon  a  stratum  of  hard  rock,  and  that  the  foundation  of  the  column, 
which  rested  upon  this  rock,  was  composed  of  rough-hewn  spheres  of  stone,  the  lower  ones 
about  four  feet  in  circumference.     On  the  interior,  a  little  above  the  arches,  are  small  square 

'  Mr.  Gibbs  was  Governor  of  Rhode  Island  in  1819- 


OF    THE    REVOLUnON. 


Go  o 


Old  Tower  at  Newport 


Ita  former  Appearance. 


Attempt  to  destroy  it. 


Obscurity  of  its  Origin 


niches,  in  depth  about  half  the  thickness  of  the  wall,  designed,  apparently,  to  receive  floor- 
timbers.     In  several  places  within,  as  well  as  upon  the  inner  surface  of  some  of  the  columns. 


Old  Toweb  at  Newport. 


are  patches  of  stucco,  which,  like  the  mortar,  is  made  of  coarse  sand  and  shell  lime,  and  as 
hard  as  the  stones  it  covers.  Governor  Gibbs  remembers  the  appearance  of  the  tower  more 
than  forty  years  ago,  when  it  was  partially  covered  with  the  same  hard  stucco  upon  its  ex- 
terior surface.  Doubtless  it  was  originally  covered  within  and  without  with  plaster,  and 
the  now  rough  columns,  with  mere  indications  of  capitals  and  bases  of  the  Doric  form,  were 
handsomely  wrought,  the  whole  structure  exhibiting  taste  and  beauty.  During  the  posses- 
sion of  Pvhode  Island  by  the  British,  in  the  Revolution,  the  tower  was  more  perfect  than 
now,  having  a  roof,  and  the  walls  were  three  or  four  feet  higher  than  at  present.'  The 
British  used  it  for  an  ammunition  magazine,  and  when  they  evacuated  the  island,  they  at- 
tempted to  demolish  the  old  "  mill"  by  igniting  a  keg  of  powder  within  it  I  But  the  strong 
walls  resisted  the  Vandals,  and  the  only  damage  the  edifice  sustained  was  the  loss  of  its  roof 
and  two  or  three  feet  of  its  upper  masonry.  Such  is  the  Old  Tower  at  Newport  at  the 
present  time.      Its  early  history  is  yet  unwritten,  and  may  forever  remain  so." 

'  Governor  Gibbs  showed  me  a  Continental  bill  of  the  denomination  of  five  dollars  (not  signed),  which  his 
son  found  in  a  crevice  in  the  tower. 

'  There  has  been  much  patient  investigation,  with  a  great  deal  of  speculation,  concerning  this  ancient  ed- 
ifice, but  no  satisfactory  conclusion  has  yet  been  obtained.  Of  its  existence  prior  to  the  English  emigration 
to  America  there  is  now  but  little  doubt ;  and  it  is  asserted  that  the  Indians,  of  whom  Mr.  Coddington  and 
other  early  settlers  upon  Aquitneck  (now  Rhode  Island)  solicited  information  concerning  the  structure,  had 
no  tradition  respecting  its  origin.  Because  it  was  called  a  "mill"  in  some  old  documents,  some  have  ar- 
gued, or,  rather,  have  flippantly  asserted,  that  it  was  built  by  the  early  English  settlers  for  a  wind-mill. 
Thus  Mr.  Cooper  disposes  of  the  matter  in  his  preface  to  Red  Rover.  A  little  patient  inquiry  would  have 
given  him  a  diflerent  conclusion ;  and  if  the  structure  is  really  ante-colonial,  and  perhaps  ante-Columbian, 
its  history  surely  is  worthy  of  investigation.  That  it  was  converted  into  and  used  for  a  wind-mill  by  some 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Newport,  there  is  no  doubt,  for  it  was  easily  convertible  to  such  use,  although  not  by 
a  favorable  arrangement.  The  English  settlement  upon  the  island  was  commenced  in  1636,  at  the  north 
end,  and  in  1 639  the  first  house  was  erected  on  the  site  of  Newport,  by  Nicholas  Easton.  Mention  is  made 
in  the  colonial  records  of  the  erection  of  a  wind-mill  by  Peter  Easton,  in  1663,  twenty-five  years  after  the 
founding  of  Newport ;  and  this  was  evidently  the  first  mill  erected  there,  from  the  fact  that  it  was  consid- 
ered of  sufficient  importance  to  the  colony  to  induce  the  General  Court  to  reward  Mr.  Easton  for  his  en- 
terprise, by  a  grant  of  a  tract  of  fine  land,  a  mile  in  length,  lying  along  what  is  still  known  as  Easton''f 


634 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


First  WindmlU  at  Newport.       Inquiries  respecting  the  Tower.       "  Antiquitatee  Americana."       Inscription  on  Dighton  Rocb. 

The  rain  ceased  at  ten  o'clock,  and  a  westerly  wind  dispersed  the  clouds,  but  made  the  day 
unpleasant  by  its  blustering  breath.     I  sketched  the  house  on  the  corner  of  Spring  and  Peck- 

Beack.  That  mill  was  a  wooden  structure,  and  stood  upon  the  land  now  occupied  by  the  North  Burying- 
ground,  in  the  upper  suburbs  of  Newport.  The  land  on  which  the  Old  Tower  stands  once  belonged  to 
Governor  Benedict  Arnold,  and  in  his  will,  bearing  the  date  of  1678,  forty  years  after  the  settlement,  he 
mentions  the  "  stone  mill,"  the  tower  having  evidently  been  used  for  that  purpose.  Its  form,  its  great  so- 
iiity,  and  its  construction  upon  columns,  forbid  tlie  idea  that  it  w'as  originally  erected  for  a  mill ;  and  cer- 
tainly, if  a  common  wind-mill,  made  of  timber,  was  so  highly  esteemed  by  the  people,  as  we  havs  seen,  the 
construction  of  such  an  edifice,  so  superior  to  any  dwelling  or  church  in  the  colony,  would  have  received 
special  attention  from  the  magistrates,  and  the  historians  of  the  day.  And  wherefore,  for  such  a  purpose, 
were  the  foundation-stones  wrought  into  spheres,  and  the  whole  structure  stuccoed  within  and  without? 

When,  in  1837,  the  Royal  Society  of  Northern  Antiquaries  of  Copenhagen  published  the  result  of  their 
ten  years'  investigations  concerning  the  discovery  of  America  by  the  Northmen  in  the  tenth  century,  in  a 
volume  entitled  "  Antiquitates  Americana,"  the  old  "mill"  at  Newport,  the  rock  inscription  at  Dighton,  in 
Massachusetts,  and  the  discovery  of  skeletons,  evidently  of  a  race  different  from  the  Indians,*  elicited  the 
earnest  attention  of  inquirers,  as  subjects  in  some  way  connected  with  those  early  discoveries.  Dr.  Webb 
(whom  I  have  mentioned  as  extending  to  me  his  friendly  services  at  the  rooms  of  the  Historical  Society  of 
Massachusetts),  who  was  then  a  resident  of  Providence,  and  secretary  to  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Soci- 
ety, opened  a  correspondence  with  Charles  C.  Rafn,  the  secretary  to  the  Royal  Society  of  Copenhagen. 
Dr.  Webb  employed  Mr.  Catherwood  to  make  drawings  of  the  "mill,"  and  these,  wnth  a  particular  account 
of  the  structure,  he  transmitted  to  Professor  Rafn.  Here  was  opened  for  the  society  a  new  field  of  inquiry, 
the  products  of  which  were  published,  with  engravings  from  Mr.  Catherwood's  drawings.  According  to 
Professor  Rafn,  the  architecture  of  this  building  is  in  the  ante-Gothic  style,  which  was  common  in  the  north 
and  west  of  Europe  from  the  eighth  to  the  twelfth  century.  "  The  circular  form,  the  low  columns,  their 
thickness  in  proportion  to  their  distance  from  each  other,  and  the  entire  want  of  ornament,"  he  says,  "all 
point  out  this  epoch."  He  imagines  that  it  was  used  for  a  baptistry,  and  accounts  for  the  absence  of  build- 
ings of  a  similar  character  by  the  abundance  of  wood  in  America.  The  brevity  of  the  sojourn  of  the  North- 
men here  was  doubtless  another,  and  perhaps  principal  reason,  why  similar  structures  were  not  erected. 
The  fact  that  the  navigators  of  Sweden,  Norway,  and  Iceland  visited  and  explored  the  American  coast  as 
far  as  the  shores  of  Connecticut,  and  probably  more  southerly,  during  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centuries  (five 
hundred  years  before  the  voyages  of  Columbus),  appears  to  be  too  well  attested  to  need  further  notice  here. 
For  the  proofs,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  interesting  work  alluded  to,  "  Antiquitates  Americana." 
The  inscription  upon  the  rock  at  Dighton  has  given  rise  to  much  speculation  and  to  many  theories.    Tho 

rock  lies  upon  the  east  side  of  Taunton  River,  between 
high  and  low  water  marks,  so  that  it  is  covered  and 
exposed  at  ever)'  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tide.  It  is  an  in- 
sulated mass  of  fine-grained  granite,  or  grunstein,  ly- 
ing northwest  and  southeast  on  the  sands  of  the  river. 
Its  length  is  eleven  feet,  and  its  height  four  and  a  half 
feet.  It  has  a  regular  surface  and  nearly  smooth, 
whereon  the  inscription  is  carved.  The  inscription 
presents  four  parts  or  divisions,  and  evidently  refers  to 
a  combat.  On  the  left  is  a  figure  armed  with  a  bow 
and  arrow,  and  may  represent  an  Indian.  Next  to  it 
is  an  inscription  composed  of  Runic  or  Phcenician  char- 
acters, doubtless  a  history  of  the  event  there  partially 
pictured.  Further  to  the  right  is  a  vessel,  and  on  the  extreme  right  are  two  figures,  differing  from  the  one 
on  the  left,  without  bows  and  arrows,  and  evidently  connected  with  the  vessel.  These  and  the  vessel  doubt- 
less indicate  them  as  voyagers  from  a  distant  land.t  Between  the  figures  and  the  boat  are  Runic  or  Phoe- 
nician characters.  The  question  arises,  By  whom  was  the  inscription  made  ?  The  Phcenician  characters 
seem  to  be  proof  that  those  ancient  navigators  visited  the  American  coast  and  made  this  record  of  combat 

*  Dr.  J.  C.  V.  Smith,  of  Boston,  has  written  an  account  of  a  remarkable  stone  cemetery,  discovered  about  fifty  years  ago  on 
Rainsford  Island,  in  Boston  Bay,  which  contained  a  skeleton  and  sword-hilt  of  iron.  Dr.  Webb  has  also  published  an  interesting 
account  of  a  skeleton  discovered  at  Fall  Paver,  in  Massachusetts,  on  or  near  which  were  found  a  bronze  breast-plate,  bronze  tubea 
belonging  to  a  belt,  &c.,  none  of  which  appear  to  be  of  Indian,  or  of  comparatively  modern  European  manufacture.  Drs.  Smith 
and  Webb  both  concluded  that  these  skeletons  were  those  of  Scandinavian  voyagers. 

t  Kendall,  in  his  Travels,  published  in  1809,  describes  this  rock  and  the  inscription,  and  gives  the  follovring  Indian  tradition : 
"Some  ages  past,  a  number  of  white  men  arrived  in  the  river  in  a  bird  [sailing  vessel],  when  the  white  men  took  Indians  Into 
the  bird  as  hostages.  They  took  fresh  water  for  their  consumption  at  a  neighboring  spring,  and  while  procuring  it,  the  Indians 
fell  upon  and  murdered  some  of  them.  During  the  aflfray,  thunder  and  lightning  issued  from  the  bird,  and  frightened  the  Indians 
away.  Their  hostages,  however,  escaped."  The  thunder  and  lightning  spoken  of  evidently  refers  to  fire-arms,  and,  if  the  tra- 
dition is  true,  the  occurrence  must  have  taken  place  as  late  as  the  latter  part  of  the  fourteenth  century,  for  gunpowder,  for  war- 
like purposes,  was  not  used  in  Europe  previous  to  1350.  In  a  representation  of  the  battle  of  Cressy  (which  was  fought  in  1343) 
upon  a  manuscript  Froissart,  there  are  no  pictures  of  fire-arms,  and  probably  they  were  not  in  common  use  at  that  time  ;  yet 
there  is  a  piece  of  ordnance  at  Amberg,  in  Germany,  on  which  is  inscribed  the  year  1303.  Roger  Bacon,  who  died  in  1292,  was 
acquainted  with  gunpowder,  and  the  Chinese  and  other  Eastern  nations  were  familiar  with  it  long  before  that  time. 


iNSCRirxioN  ON  Dighton  Rock. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


635 


Prescott'8  Head-quarters  in  Newport. 


Old  Cemetery. 


Perry's  Monument. 


Runic  Inscriptions  elsewhere. 


ham  Streets,  now  owned  by  Mr.  Joshua 
Sayre,  which  was  occupied  as  his  city 
head-quarters  by  the  petty  tyrant,  Gen- 
eral Prescott,  while  he  was  in  command 
of  the  British  troops  on  Rhode  Island. 
His  acts  will  be  noted  presently.  About 
noon  I  strolled  up  to  the  cemetery  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  city,  where  lie 
the  remainsiof  a  great  multitude  of  the 
early  inhabitants  of  Newport.  Work- 
men were  employed  in  regulating  it,  by 
placing  the  old 


fm..-. 


Peescott's  Head-quahters. 


Perry's  Monument. 


grave  -  stones 
upright,  and 
painting  them 
so  as  to  bring 
out  their  half- 

efikced  inscriptions,  and  in  beautifying  the  grounds  in  various  ways. 
There,  beneath  a  broad  slab  of  slate,  repose  the  bodies  of  John  and 
William  Cranston,  father  and  son,  who  were  governors  of  Rhode 
Island — the  former  in  1679,  the  latter  from  1698  to  1726.  Near 
by  is  the  tomb  of  William  Jefferay,  who,  tradition  says,  was  one  of 
the  judges  of  Charles  I.  It  is  covered  by  a  large  slab  of  gray- 
wacke,  ornamented,  or,  rather,  disfigured,  at  the  head,  by  a  repre- 
sentation of  a  skull  and  cross-bones,  below  which  is  a  poetic  epitaph. 
He  died  January  2d,  1675.  On  the  top  of  the  slope  on  which  a 
portion  of  the  cemetery  lies,  is  a  granite  obelisk,  erected  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Commodore  Perry,  by  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  at  a  cost 
of  three  thousand  dollars.  It  is  formed  of  a  single  stone,  twenty- 
three  feet  in  height,  standing  upon  a  square  pedestal  ten  feet  high, 


with  the  Indians ;  and  hence  some  reject  the  opinion  of  others  that  the  rock  was  inscribed  by  the  hand  of  a 
Scandinavian.  When  we  remember  that  the  Phcsnicians  were  for  many  ages  in  the  undisputed  possession 
of  the  traffic  of  the  Baltic,  around  which  clustered  the  Scandinavian  nations,  and  that  Runic,  or  ancient  Ger- 
man inscriptions,  in  Phoenician  characters,  have  been  discovered  in  abundance  in  all  the  countries  formerly 
occupied  by  these  nations,  the  inference  is  plainly  correct,  that  the  Scandinavians  received  their  alphabet 
from  the  Phoenicians.*  In  the  Journal  des  Dcbats  of  Paris,  a  letter  was  published,  dated  Copenhagen, 
February  5,  1850,  in  which  it  is  mentioned  that  Dr.  Pierre  Andre  Munch,  professor  at  the  University  of 
Christina,  then  in  Copenhagen,  had  just  presented  to  the  Society  of  Northern  Antiquaries  an  extremely  cu- 
rious manuscript,  in  a  state  of  excellent  preservation,  which  he  discovered  and  obtained  during  his  voyage, 
in  1849,  to  the  Orkney  Isles.  This  manuscript,  which  the  professor  refers  to  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries, 
contains  several  episodes,  in  the  Latin  language,  on  the  history  of  Norway,  presenting  some  important  facts, 
heretofore  entirely  unknown,  which  illustrate  the  obscure  ages  that  in  Norway  preceded  the  introduction  of 
Christianity.  Dr.  Munch  also  presented  to  the  society  several  fac-similcs  of  Runic  inscriptions,  which  ho 
discovered  in  the  Orkney  Isles  and  in  the  north  of  Scotland.  It  is  probable  these  discoveries  may  cast  somu 
light  upon  the  obscure  subject  under  consideration.  In  the  record  of  the  voyages  to  America  of  the  North- 
men, a  severe  combat  with  the  natives  {skrellings)  is  mentioned,  and  various  circumstances  show  that  in  the 
vicinity  of  this  inscription  the  battle  occurred.  Is  it  not  reasonable  to  infer  that  those  Scandinavians,  ac- 
quainted with  the  Phoenician  alphabet,  made  a  record  of  the  battle  upon  the  rock,  by  a  mingling  of  alpha- 
betical characters  and  pictorial  hieroglyphics  ?  And  may  not  the  same  people  have  reared  the  Old  Tower 
at  Newport,  in  the  vicinity,  for  a  baptistry,  with  a  view  of  erecting  a  church,  and  making  a  permanent  set- 
tlement there  ?  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  at  that  time  those  Northern  nations  were  nominal  Christians. 
The  records  of  their  voyages  were  compiled  by  Bishop  Thorlack,  of  Iceland,  a  grandson  of  Snorrc,t  son  of 
Gudrida,  who  was  born  in  Wincland,  or  Massachusetts,  in  1008.  The  subject  is  one  of  great  interest,  and 
worthy  of  further  and  more  minute  inquiries  than  have  yet  been  made. 


*  On  this  point  consult  Schlegel's  fourth  lecture  on  TTie  History  of  Literature. 

t  The  late  Brrtcl  Tliorwalsden,  the  sreatcst  sculptor  of  our  time,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Snorre. 


636 


'Tonomy  HUl. 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Hubbard's  House  and  Mill. 


Inscription  on  Perry's  Monument 


having  white  marble  tablets.      It  is  inclosed  by  an  iron  railing,  and  has  an  imposing  ap- 
pearance.' 

About  a  mile  and  a  half  northward  of  Newport  rises  a  bold,  rocky  eminence,  called  "  'To- 
nomy Hill"  (the  first  word  being  an  abbreviation  of  Miantonomoh),  celebrated  as  the  seat 


Top  of  'To.no.iiy  Hill. 2 

of  the  Narraganset  sachem  of  that  name,  and  the  commanding  site  of  a  small  fort  or  re- 
doubt during  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Thitherward  I  made  my  way  from  the  old  cem- 
etery, passing  several  wind-mills  that  were  working' 

merrily  in  the  stiff  breeze  which  swept  over  the  island  .^^  ^j^^°^^~ 

from  the  west.      The  absence  of  streams  of  sufficient  _! 

strength  to  turn  water-wheels  is  the  cause  of  the  re-  7  -  - 

tention  of  these  ancient  mills,  which  give  Rhode  Island 
an  Old  England  appearance.  One  of  them,  standing 
near  the  junction  of  the  main  road  and  the  lane  lead- 
ing up  to  "  'Tonomy  Hill,"  is  a  patriarch  among  the 
others,  for  its  sails  revolved  when  the  Gaspee  lorded 
over  the  waters  of  the  Narraganset.  'It  is  invested 
with  associations  of  considerable  interest.  The  mill 
and  the  old  house  near  by  were  owned  by  a  man 
named  Hubbard.      When  the  British  took  possession  Hubbard's  House  and  Mill.^ 

'  The  inscription.?  upon  the  monument  are  as  follows  : 

East  side. — "Oliver  Hazard  Perry.  At  the  age  of  27  years  he  achieved  the  victory  of  Lake  Erie, 
September  10,  1813." 

North  side. — "  Born  in  South  Kingston,  R.  I.,  August  23d,  1785.  Died  at  Port  Spain,  Trinidad,  August 
23d,  1819,  aged  34  years." 

West  side. — "  His  remains  were  conveyed  to  his  native  land  in  a  ship  of  war,  according  to  a  resolution 
of  Congress,  and  were  here  interred,  December  4,  1826." 

South  side. — "  Erected  by  the  State  of  Rhode  Island." 

*  This  view  is  from  the  north  side  of  the  hill,  looking  south.  The  wall  appearance  is  a  steep  precipice 
of  huge  masses  of  pudding-stone,  composed  of  pebbles  and  larger  smooth  stones,  ranging  in  size  from  a  pea 
to  a  man's  head.  It  is  a  very  singular  geological  formation.  In  some  places  the  face  is  smooth,  the  stones 
and  pebbles  appealing  as  if  they  had  been  cut  with  a  knife  while  in  a  pasty  or  semi-fluid  state.  On  the  top 
of  this  mound  are  traces  of  the  breast-works  that  were  thrown  up,  not  high,  for  the  rocks  formed  a  natural 
rampart,  on  all  sides  but  one,  against  an  enemy.  Here  Miantonomoh  had  his  fort,  and  here  his  councils 
were  held  when  he  planned  his  expeditions  against  the  Mohegans.  The  observatory  is  a  strong  frame,  cov- 
ered  with  lattice-work.     On  the  right  is  seen  the  city  of  Newport  in  the  distance. 

^  The  house  and  the  mill  are  covered  with  shingles  instead  of  clap-boards.  This  view  is  from  the  lane, 
looking  east.     The  ocean  is  seen  in  the  distance,  on  the  left. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  G3  7 

Oppression  of  the  Whigs  by  Prescott.  View  from  'Tonomy  Uill.  Mra.  Hutchinson  and  Sir  Henry  Vane. 

of  Rhode  Island,  Prescott  turned  many  of  the  families  of  the  Whisrs  (and  there  were  but  few 
others)  out  of  their  houses,  to  take  shelter  in  barns  and  other  coverts,  while  his  soldiers  op- 
cupied  their  comfortable  dwellings.  Mr.  Hubbard  and  his  family  were  thus  driven  from 
their  house,  and  compelled  to  live  for  nearly  two  years  in  their  mill,  while  insolent  soldiery, 
ignorant  and  vile,  occupied  their  rooms.  The  family  of  Mr.  Hubbard  took  possession  of  the 
house  on  the  evening  after  the  evacuation,  but  all  was  desolation,  the  enemy  having  broken 
or  carried  away  every  article  the  family  had  left  there. 

'Tonomy  Hill  is  said  to  bo  the  highest  land  upon  the  island,  except  Quaker  Hill,  toward 
the  northern  end.  On  its  southern  slope  is  the  mansion  of  Mr.  Hazzard,  where  families 
from  a  distance  have  a  pleasant  home  during  the  warm  season,  while  the  younger  fashion- 
ables are  sporting  at  the  Ocean  House  on  the  shore.  On  the  top  of  the  hill  Mr.  Hazzard 
has  erected  an  observatory,  seventy  feet  high,  over  a  cellar  which  was  dug  by  the  Indians, 
and  in  which  is  a  living  spring  of  water.  The  hill  is  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet  above 
the  bay,  and  the  top  of  the  observatory  commands  one  of  the  most  beautiful  panoramic  views 
in  the  world.  Stretching  away  northward  was  seen  Narraganset  Bay,  broken  by  islands 
and  pierced  by  headlands,  and  at  its  remote  extremity  the  spires  of  Providence  were  glitter- 
ing in  the  sun.  On  its  western  shore  were  glimpses  of  Warwick,  Greenwich,  and  Wick- 
ford,  and  on  the  east  were  seen  Warren  and  Bristol,  and  the  top  of  Mormt  Hope,  the  throne 
of  King  Philip.  On  the  south  and  M'est  were  the  city  and  harbor  of  Newport,  the  island 
of  Canonicut  with  its  ruined  fort,  and  the  smaller  islands  in  the  harbor,  with  the  remains 
of  fortifications.  Beyond  the  city,  looking  oceanward  with  a  spy-glass  over  the  ramparts  of 
Fort  Adams,  was  seen  the  dim  outline  of  Block  Island,  like  a  mist  lying  upon  the  waters 
There  rolled  the  dark  and  boundless  Atlantic,  with  no  limit  but  the  blue  horizon,  no  object 
but  a  few  sails.  Turning  the  glass  a  little  more  eastward,  there  was  a  faint  apparition  of 
Gayhead,  on  Martha's  Vineyard,  and  of  some  of  the  islands  in  Buzzard's  Bay.  The  culti- 
vated fields  of  more  than  one  half  of  Rhode  Island,  upon  which  I  stood,  were  spread  out  like 
a  map  around  me,  rich  in  Nature's  bounties  and  historical  associations.  From  our  lofty  ob- 
servatory, let  us  take  a  field  survey  with  the  open  chronicle  before  us. 

We  have  seen  Roger  Williams  expelled  from  Massachusetts  because  of  alleged  heresy. 
The  rulers  of  that  colony  had  scarcely  recovered  their  equanimity,  before  similar  difficulties 
arose  from  an  unexpected  quarter.  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson,  a  Lincolnshire  lady  of  good  birth, 
education,  and  great  energy  of  character,  had  been  leavened  by  the  tolerant  principles  of 
Williams  before  he  left,  and  assumed  the  right  to  discuss  religious  dogmas  and  to  detect  the 
errors  of  the  clergy.  A  privilege  had  been  granted  to  hearers,  at  the  end.  of  sermons,  to  ask 
questions  "  wisely  and  sparingly."  Mrs.  Hutchinson  put  so  many  searching  questions  upon 
abstruse  points  in  theology,  in  a  manner  which  convinced  the  ministers  that  she  well  under- 
stood the  subject,  that  they  were  greatly  annoyed.  She  held  conferences  at  her  own  house 
every  Sabbath  evening,  which  were  fully  attended,  and  her  brother-in-law,  a  minister  named 
Wheelwright,  who  was  of  the  same  mind  with  her,  drew  crowds  to  his  chapel  every  Sunday. 
Henry  Vane,  a  young  man  of  splendid  talents,  heir  to  a  princely  fortune,  and  son  to  Charles 
the  First's  chief  secretary,  had  just  arrived  in  the  colony,  and  took  up  his  residence  with  the 
Reverend  Mr.  Cotton,  who  treated  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  views  with  gentleness,  if  not  with 
favor.  Vane  (afterward  Sir  Henry  Vane)  was  elected  governor  the  following  year,  and  being 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  toleration,  was  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  Mrs.  Hutchinson.  The 
ministers  were  alarmed  ;  their  churches  were  thinned,  while  the  chapel  of  Mr.  Wheelwright 
could  not  contain  the  hundreds  that  flocked  to  hear  him.  A  clamor  was  raised  by  the  old 
party  of  ministers  and  their  friends,  and  the  next  year  Mr.  Winthrop  was  elected  governor, 
and  Vane  soon  afterward  returned  to  England. 

A  general  synod  of  ministers  now  assembled  at  Salem,  consisting  of  the  preach-     Autnin  30. 
ers,  deputies  from  the  congregations,  and  magistrates,  and  after  a  session  of  three         ^*^^- 
weeks,  marked  by  stormy  debates,  unanimously  passed  sentence  of  censure  against  Mr.  Wheel- 
wright, Mrs.  Hutchinson,  and  their  adherents.      Continuing  to  hold  her  conferences,  Mrs. 
Hiitchin.-on  was  ordered  to  leave  the  colony  within  six  months  ;  and  a  similar  commind  was 


G38  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Peraecution  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson  and  her  Friends.         Settlement  of  Rhode  Island.         Its  first  Constitution.         Roytl  Charter, 

given  to  Mr.  "Wheelwright,  Mr.  Aspinwall,  and  others.  They,  like  the  Tories  in  the  Rev- 
olution, were  required  to  deliver  up  their  arms.  With  their  departure  ended  the  Antino- 
mian  strife  in  Massachusetts.  Wheelwright  and  his  friends  went  to  the  banks  of  the  Pis- 
cataqua,  and  founded  the  town  of  Exeter  at  its  head  waters  ;  but  the  larger  number  of  Mrs. 
Hutchinson's  friends,  led  by  John  Clarke  and  WilUam  Coddington,  proceeded  southward, 
designing  to  make  a  settlement  on  Long  Island,  or  with  the  Swedes  on  the  Delaware.  On 
their  way  through  the  wilderness  Roger  Williams  gave  them  a  hearty  welcome,  and  by  his 
influence  and  the  name  of  Henry  Vane  as  their  friend,  obtained  for  them  from  Miantonomoh, 
chief  of  the  Narragansets,  a  gift  of  the  beautiful  island  of  Aquitneck.'  A  deed  signed  by 
Canonicus  and  Miantonomoh  was  given  them  in  March,  1638.  Naming  the  beautiful  land 
the  Isle  of  Rhodes,  because  they  fancied  that  it  resembled  the  island  of  that  name  in  the 
eastern  Mediterranean,  they  bound  themselves  as  a  community  of  freemen,  by  these  solemn 
words,  to  found  a  new  state,  appealing  to  the  great  Searcher  of  Hearts  for  aid  in  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  their  promises  : 

"  We,  whose  names  are  underwritten,  do  swear  solemnly,  in  the  presence  of  the  Great 
Jehovah,  to  incorporate  ourselves  into  a  body  politic  ;  and  as  he  shall  help  us,  will  submit 
our  persons,  lives,  and  estates  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of 
lords,  and  to  all  those  most  perfect  laws  of  his,  given  us  in  his  most  holy  word  of  truth,  to 
be  guided  and  judged  thereby." 

This  was  a  simple  declaration,  but  a  broad  and  sure  foundation  upon  which  to  build  a 
state.  Mr.  Clarke  and  eighteen  others  began  their  new  settlement  at  Pocasset  (Ports- 
mouth), on  the  north  part  of  the  island  ;  borrowed  the  forms  of  the  administration  of  laws 
from  the  Jews  ;  elected  Coddington  "judge  in  the  new  Israel,"  and  prospered  greatly.  Soon 
after  the  arrival  of  these  pioneers,  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  with  her  children,  made  her  way  through 
the  wilderness  to  the  settlement  of  Roger  Williams,  and  paddling  down  the  Narraganset  in 
a  canoe,  joined  her  friends  on  Rhode  Island.  She  had  been  left  a  widow,  but  blessed  with 
affectionate  children.  Her  powerful  mind  continued  active  ;  young  men  from  the  neighbor- 
ing colony  were  converted  to  her  doctrines,  and  so  great  became  her  influence  that  "  to  the 
leaders  of  Massachusetts  it  gave  cause  of  suspicion  of  witchcraft,"  and  they  sought  to  en- 
snare her.  Rhode  Island  seemed  no  longer  a  place  of  safe  refuge  for  her,  and  the  whole 
family  removed  into  the  territory  of  the  Dutch,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Albany.  The  In- 
dians and  Keift,  the  Dutch  governor,  were  then  at  enmity.  The  former  regarded  all  white 
people  as  enemies,  and  Mrs.  Hutchinson  and  her  whole  family,  except  one  child,  were  mur- 
dered by  the  savages,  and  their  dwelling  burned.* 

So  rapid  was  the  increase  of  the  Rhode  Island  settlement  at  Pocasset,  that  another  town 
was  projected.  Newport  was  founded  in  1639.  Settled  by  persecuted  men  holding  the 
same  liberal  views,  the  republic  of  Roger  Williams  at  Providence,  and  that  upon  Aquitneck, 
governed  by  no  other  than  the  Divine  laws  of  the  Bible,  felt  themselves  as  one  political 
community,  and  were  so  regarded  by  the  other  colonies.  Under  the  pretense  that  the  Prov- 
idence and  Rhode  Island  Plantations  had  no  charter,  and  were  claimed  by  Plymouth  and 
Massachusetts,  they  were  excluded  from  the  confederacy  that  was  formed  in  1643.  Per- 
ceiving the  disadvantages  of  an  entire  independency  of  the  imperial  government,  Roger  Will- 
iams proceeded  to  England,  and  in  March,  1644,  through  the  influence  of  his  personal  char- 
acter, and  of  Henry  Vane,  obtained  a  free  charter  of  incorporation  from  Parliament,  then 
waging  a  fierce  war  with  King  Charles  the  First.  The  two  plantations  were  united  by  it 
under  the  same  government,  and  the  signet  for  the  state  was  ordered  to  be  a  "  sheafe  of  ar- 
rows," with  the  motto  "Amor  vincet  omnia" — Love  is  all  powerful. 

In  1647,  the  General  Assembly  of  the  several  towns  met  at  Portsmouth,  and  organized 
the  government  by  the  choice  of  a  president  and  other  officers.      They  adopted  a  code  of 

'  This  Indian  name  of  Rhode  Island  is  variously  spelled :  Aquiday,  Aquitnet,  and  Aquitneck.  It  is  -i 
Narraganset  word,  signifying  peaceable  isle. 

*  Bancroft,  i.,  388,  393.  Winthrop,  i.,  296.  Callender,  Gorton,  in  Hutchinson's  History  of  Massachu- 
setts, i.,  73. 


OF  THE    REVOLUTION.  G3  9 


oleration  in  Rhode  Ulnnd.         Separation  and  Rijunion  of  the  Pliintations.         Newport.         Destruction  of  the  Sloop  Liberty. 

laws  by  which  entire  freedom  of  thought  in  religious  matters,  as  well  as  a  democracy  in 
civil  affairs,  was  guarantied.  Churchmen,  Roman  Catholics,  Quakers,  were  all  tolerated  ; 
and  none  were  excluded  from  the  ballot-box  on  account  of  their  religious  opinions.  Conse- 
quently, many  Quakers  settled  in  Rhode  Island,  and  they  have  ever  formed  a  large  and  in- 
fluential class  of  the  population. 

The  two  plantations  were  separated  for  a  brief  time,  when,  in  1651,  Mr.  Coddington  was 
appointed  by  the  supreme  authority  of  England,  Governor  of  Rhode  Island  alone.  The  peo- 
ple, alarmed  at  the  apparent  danger  of  having  their  freedom  abridged  by  depriving  them  of 
the  choice  of  their  own  rulers,  sent  Roger  Williams  to  England,  who  obtained  a  revocation 
of  the  appointment.  Mr.  Coddington  retired  to  private  life,  the  Plantations  were  reunited, 
and  from  that  time  until  the  Revolution  they  were  prosperous  and  happy,  disturbed  only  by 
the  alarms  produced  by  King  Philip's  War,  to  be  noticed  presently,  and  the  distant  conflicts 
with  the  French  and  Indians  during  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century.  A  charter  of 
incorporation  was  obtained  in  1GG3  from  Charles  II.,  by  which  the  province  was  constituted 
a  body  poUtic,  by  the  name  of  "The  Governor  and  Company  of  the  Rhode  Island  and  Prov- 
idence Plantations  in  New  England,  in  America."  Under  this  charter  the  state  has  been 
governed  until  the  present  time.  Pwhode  Island  quietly  submitted  to  the  brief  usurpation  of 
Andross,  and  its  charter  was  undisturbed.  On  his  imprisonment,  the  people  assembled  at 
Newport,  resumed  their  former  charter  privileges,  and  re-elected  the  officers  whom  that  petty 
tyrant  had  displaced. 

The  fine  harbor  of  Newport  and  its  healthy  location  made  that  place  one  of  the  most 
important  sea-port  towns  on  the  American  coast ;'  and  soon  after  the  Pvevolution  it  was  said 
that  if  New  York  continued  to  increase  as  rapidly  as  it  was  then  growing  it  would  soon  rival 
Newport  in  commerce  I  The  navies  of  all  Europe  might  safely  ride  at  anchor  in  its  deep 
and  capacious  harbor,  and  for  a  long  time  Newport  was  regarded  as  the  future  commercial 
metropolis  of  the  New  World.  During  the  wars  with  the  French,  English  and  colonial 
privateers  made  Newport  their  chief  rendezvous.  In  the  course  of  one  year,  more 
than  twenty  prizes,  some  of  them  of  great  value,  were  sent  into  that  harbor. 

During  all  the  occurrences  preliminary  and  relative  to  the  Revolution,  the  people  of  Rhode 
Island,  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  principles  of  freedom,  took  a  firm  stand  against  British 
oppression,  and  were  ever  bold  in  the  annunciation  and  maintenance  of  their  political  views. 
Indeed,  Newport  was  the  scene  of  the  first  overt  act  of  popular  resistance  to  royal  authority 
other  than  the  almost  harmless  measures  of  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act  in  1765.  This 
was  the  destruction  of  the  British  armed  sloop  Liberty,  which  the  commissioners  of  customs 
had  sent  to  Narraganset  Bay  on  an  errand  similar  to  that  of  the  Gaspee  subsequently. 
This  vessel  was  boarded,  her  cable  cut,  and  having  drifted  to  Goat  Island,  she  was 
there  scuttled  and  set  on  fire,  after  her  stores  and  armaments  had  been  thrown  "^' 
overboard." 

'  Dr.  Benjamin  Waterhouse,  in  an  article  published  in  the  Boston  IntelHscncer,  in  1824,  says,  "  The  island 
of  Rhode  Island,  from  its  salubrity  and  surpassing  beauty,  before  the  Revolutionary  war  so  sadly  defaced  it, 
was  the  chosen  resort  of  the  rich  and  philosophic  from  nearly  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world.  In  no  spot 
of  the  thineen,  or,  rather,  twelve  colonies,  was  there  concentrated  more  individual  opulence,  learning,  and 
liberal  leisure."  "In  1769,"  says  Mr.  Ross,  "Newport  rivaled  New  York  in  foreign  and  domestic  navi- 
gation. The  inhabitants  of  New  Haven,  New  London,  &c.,  depended  entirely  upon  Newport  for  a  market 
to  supply  themselves  with  foreign  goods,  and  here  they  found  a  ready  market  for  the  produce  of  their  own 
state." — See  Historical  Discourse  by  Reverend  Arthur  A.  Ross  of  Newport :   1838,  page  29. 

*  A  sloop  and  a  brig  belonging  to  Connecticut  had  been  seized  and  brought  into  Newport.  The  wearing 
apparel  and  sword  of  the  captain  of  the  brig  were  put  on  board  the  Liberty,  and  going  for  them  he  was 
violently  assaulted.  As  his  boat  left  the  sloop  a  musket  and  brace  of  pistols  were  discharged  at  him.  Thi? 
act  greatly  exasperated  the  people  of  Newport.  They  demanded  of  Captain  Reid,  of  the  Liberty,  that  the 
man  who  fired  on  Captain  Packwood,  of  the  brig,  should  be  sent  ashore.  The  request  was  denied,  or 
rather,  a  wrong  man  was  sent  each  time,  until  the  populace  determined  not  to  be  trifled  with  longer.  A 
number  of  them  went  on  board  lut  her  cables,  and  set  her  adrift,  with  the  result  mentioned  in  the  text. 
Her  boats  were  dragged  up  the  Long  Wharf,  thence  to  the  Parade,  through  Broad  Street,  at  the  head  o/ 
which,  on  the  Common,  they  were  burned.  The  "  Newport  Mercury,"  of  July  31,  1769,  contained  this  an 
nouncement :  "Last  Saturday  the  sloop  Liberty  was  floated  by  a  high  tide,  and  drifted  over  to  Goat  Island, 


640  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Ailmiral  Wallace  In  Narraganset  Bay.  Disarming  of  the  Tories.  Skirmish  in  the  Harbor.  Engagement  at  Sea. 

The  first  warlike  menace  made  against  Rhode  Island  was  in  the  autumn  of  1775.  We 
have  already  noticed  the  alacrity  with  which  the  people  armed  and  hastened  toward  Boston 
when  they  received  intelligence  of  the  affair  at  Lexington.  Admiral  Wallace  commanded 
a  small  British  fleet  in  the  harbor  of  Newport  during  that  summer,  and  the  people  became 
convinced  that  it  was  his  intention  to  carry  off  the  live  stock  from  the  lower  end  of  the  isl- 
and, with  which  to  supply  the  British  army  at  Boston.  Accordingly,  on  a  dark  night  in 
September,  some  of  the  inhabitants  went  down  and  brought  off  about  one  thousand  sheep 
and  fifty  head  of  cattle.  Three  hundred  minute  men  drove  up  to  Newport  a  large  number 
more,  and  Wallace  was  foiled  in  his  attempts  at  plunder.  Enraged,  he  threatened  the  town 
with  destruction.  He  laid  the  people  under  contributions  to  supply  his  fleet  with  provisions, 
and,  to  enforce  the  demand,  he  cut  off  their  supplies  of  fuel  and  provisions  from  the  main. 
The  inhabitants  were  greatly  alarmed,  and  about  one  half  of  them  left  the  town,  among 
whom  were  the  principal  merchants,  with  their  families.  By  consent  of  the  state  govern- 
ment and  the  Continental  Congress,  a  treaty  was  entered  into.  The  people  agreed  to  supply 
October  1      ^^^  Aeet  with  beer  and  fresh  provisions,  and  Wallace  removed  all  restrictions  upon 

1775.  their  movements.  He  then  sailed  up  the  bay  to  Bristol,  and  demanded  from  the 
inhabitants  there  three  hundred  sheep.  They  refused  compliance,  and  the  town  was  bom- 
barded, the  assault  commencing  at  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening:.     The  rain 

October  7.  .         .  mi       i  r  /-^  t.       i  p     i        •  i  i 

was  pourmg  ni  torrents,  i  he  house  ot  Orovernor  Bradiord,  with  some  others,  was 
burned,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  darkness  women  and  children  fled  to  the  open  fields,  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  invaders'  missiles,  where  they  suffered  dreadfully.  This  Wallace  was  the 
same  officer  who  was  afterward  sent  up  the  Hudson  E-iver  to  plunder  and  destroy,  laying 
Kingston  in  ashes,  and  desolating  the  farms  of  innocent  men  because  they  loved  freedom  better 
than  tyranny  and  misrule.'  He  was  a  commissioned  pirate  in  the  Narraganset  Bay,  and 
for  a  month  reveled  in  the  wanton  destruction  of  property.  Every  American  vessel  that 
came  into  Newport  harbor  was  captured  and  sent  into  Boston.  He  burned  and  plundered 
the  dwellings  upon  the  beautiful  island  of  Providence,  in  the  bay  ;  and  at  the  close  of  No- 
vember passed  over  to  Canonicut,  and  destroyed  all  the  buildings  near  the  ferry. 
These  outrages  aroused  the  vengeance  of  the  people,  and  the  few  Tories  upon  the  island 
who  favored  the  marauders  were  severely  dealt  with.  Washington,  then  at  Boston,  sent 
General  Charles  Lee,  with  some  riflemen,  to  their  assistance.  Lee  arrested  all  the  Tories 
he  could  find,  deprived  them  of  their  arms,  and  imposed  upon  them  the  severest  restrictions. 
Wallace  maintained  possession  of  the  harbor  until  the  spring  of  1776.  On  the  6th  of 
April,  American  troops,  with  two  row-galleys,  bearing  two  eighteen  pounders  each,  arrived 
from  Providence.  The  British  fleet  was  then  anchored  about  a  mile  above  Newport.  Two 
eighteen  pounders,  brought  by  the  provincial  troops,  were  planted  on  shore  in  view  of  the 
enemy,  and  without  any  works  to  protect  them.  These,  commanded  by  Captain  Elliot,  with 
the  row-galleys,  under  Captain  Grimes,  promised  Wallace  such  great  and  immediate  danger, 
that  he  weighed  anchor  and  left  the  harbor  with  his  whole  squadron  without  firing  a  shot. 
Soon  afterward,  the  Glasgow,  of  twenty-nine  guns,  came  into  the  harbor  and  anchored  near 
Fort  Island,  having  been  severely  handled  in  an  engagement  with  Admiral  Hopkins  off 
Block  Island.^      Colonel  Pi-ichmond,  the  same  evening,  ordered  several  pieces  of  heavy  artil- 

and  is  grounded  near  the  north  end,  near  the  place  where  the  pirates  were  buried.  What  this  prognosti- 
cates we  leave  to  the  determination  of  astrologers."  The  same  paper  observed,  August  7,  "Last  Monday 
evening,  just  after  the  storm  of  rain,  hail,  and  lightning,  the  sloop  Liberty,  which  we  mentioned  in  our  last 
;is  having  drifted  on  Goat  Island  near  where  the  pirates  were  buried,  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire,  and  con- 
linued  burning  for  several  days,  until  almost  entirely  consumed." — See  Ross's  Discourse. 

'  See  page  388. 

^  This  engagement  oecuired  on  the  same  day  when  Wallace  left  Nevpport.  Hopkins,  with  his  little  fleet, 
was  on  a  cruise  eastward,  having  left  the  Capes  of  the  Delaware  in  February,  visiting  the  Bermudas,  and 
was  now  making  his  way  toward  Massachusetts  Bay.  On  the  4th  of  April  (1776)  he  fell  in  with  a  British 
schooner  on  the  east  end  of  Long  Island,  and  took  her.  About  one  in  the  morning  of  the  6th  he  fell  in 
with  the  Glasgow,  of  twenty-nine  guns  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  men.  The  American  brigantine  Cabot, 
Captain  Hopkins,  Junior,  and  the  Columbus,  Captain  Whipple,  raked  her  as  she  passed.  The  American 
brig  ^nnadona  and  sloop  Providence  were  also  in  the  engagement,  yet  the  Glasgow  escaped  and  fled  into 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  641 


Continued  Hostilities  in  Newport  Harbor.  Privateers.  Arrival  of  a  large  British  Force.  Conduct  of  the  Enemy 

lery  to  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  Glasgow  from  Brenton's  Point,  where  a  slight  breast- 
work was  thrown  up.  On  the  following  morning  such  a  vigorous  fire  was  opened  from  this 
battery  upon  the  Glasgow  and  another  vessel,  that  they  cut  their  cables  and  went  to  sea. 

A  lew  days  after  these  events,  the  British  ship  of  war  Scarborough,  of  twenty 
guns  and  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  men,  and  the  Seymctar,  of  eighteen  guns 
and  one  hundred  and  forty  men,  came  into  the  harbor  with  two  prize  ships,  and  anchored  a 
little  south  of  Rose  Island.  The  Americans  resolved  to  attempt  the  rescue  of  the  prizes. 
The  Washington  galley,  Captain  Hyers,  attacked  the  Scarborough,  and  at  the  same  time 
Captain  Grimes  and  his  men,  of  the  Spitfire  galley,  boarded  one  of  the  prizes  and  took  it. 
The  guns  upon  the  North  Battery  and  upon  Brenton's  Point  were  well  manned,  to  give  aid 
if  necessary.  The  Scarborough  attempted  to  recapture  her  prize,  and  the  other  schooner  in 
her  custody  tried  to  get  under  the  protecting  wing  of  that  vessel ;  but  the  hot  cannonade 
from  the  Washington  and  the  North  Battery  arrested  the  progress  of  both,  and  the  schooner 
was  captured  and  sent  to  Providence.  The  Scarborough  and  Scymetar  now  came  to  an- 
chor between  Canonicut,  and  E-ose  Island  ;  but  a  battery  upon  the  former,  imknown  to  the 
enemy,  poured  such  a  shower  of  well-directed  balls  upon  them,  that,  finding  no  safe  place  in 
the  harbor,  they  determined  to  take  refuge  in  the  broad  expanse  of  the  ocean.  As  they  passed 
out  of  the  harbor,  they  were  terribly  galled  by  a  cannonade  from  Brenton's  Point  and  Castle 
Hill.*  For  eight  days  War  held  a  festival  upon  the  waters  of  Newport  Harbor,  yet  in  all 
that  time  the  Americans  did  not  lose  a  man,  and  had  only  one  slightly  wounded  I 

The  summer  of  177G  was  a  season  of  comparative  quiet  for  the  people  of  F.hode  Island. 
They  were  active,  however,  in  fitting  out  privateers,  and  in  preparations  for  future  inva- 
sions.' Early  in  the  fail  intelligence  reached  them  that  the  British  fleet  and  army,  which 
had  been  so  roughly  received  and  efi'ectually  repulsed  at  Charleston,  in  South  Carolina,  were 
on  the  way  to  take  possession  of  Rhode  Island.  These  forces  arrived  on  the  26th  of  De- 
cember, the  day  on  which  Washington  crossed  the  Delaware  and  accomplished  his  brilliant 
achievement  at  Trenton.  The  squadron  was  commanded  by  Sir  Peter  Parker,  and  the  land 
forces,  consisting  of  about  an  equal  number  of  British  and  Hessians,  in  all  between  eight  and 
ten  thousand  men,  were  commanded  by  General  Clinton  and  Earl  Percy.  The  squadron 
sailed  up  on  the  west  side  of  Canonicut,  crossed  the  bay  at  the  north  point  of  the  island, 
and  landed  the  troops  in  Middletown,  about  four  and  a  half  miles  above  Newport.  They 
were  encamped  upon  the  southern  slope  of  two  hills  (Gould's  and  Winter's),  except  a  few 
who  landed  at  Coddington's  Cove  and  marched  into  Newport.  When  the  enemy  entered 
the  harbor,  there  were  two  Rhode  Island  frigates  (the  Warren  and  Providence)  and  several 
privateers  at  anchor.  These,  with  the  weak  land  force,  were  insufficient  to  make  a  success- 
ful resistance,  and  the  island  was  left  at  the  mercy  of  the  invaders.'  The  American  frig- 
ates and  privateers  fled  up  the  bay  to  Providence,  whence,  taking  advantage  of  a  northeast 
gale,  and  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the  blockading  squadron,  they  escaped,  and  went  to  sea. 
A  system  of  general  plunder  of  the  inhabitants  was  immediately  commenced  by  the  troops, 
and,  after  one  week's  encampment,  the  British  soldiers  were  unceremoniously  quartered  in 
the  houses  of  the  inhabitants,  from  ten  to  forty  in  each,  according  to  the  size  and  conven 
ience  of  the  edifice.  The  beautiful  Aquitneck,  or  Isle  of  Peace,  soon  became  the  theatei 
of  discord,  misery,  and  desolation. 

Newport  Harbor,  whither  Hopkins  thought  it  not  prudent  to  follow.  Of  the  American  navy  of  the  Revo 
lution  and  its  operations  in  general  I  have  given  an  account  in  the  Supplement,  page  637. 

'  These  localities  will  be  better  understood  by  reference  to  the  map  of  Narraganset  Bay  on  page  648. 

*  These  privateers  captured  about  seventy-five  prizes  (some  of  them  very  valuable)  during  the  season 
and  sent  them  to  Providence,  New  London,  and  one  or  two  other  ports. 

'  On  hearing  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  the  people  of  the  island  drove  large  quantities  of  sheep  ano 
cattle  from  it,  crossing  to  the  main  at  Howland's  Ferry. 
I.  Ss 


G<i2 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Condition  of  Rhode  Island  in  1777. 


Re-encampment  of  the  British. 


General  Prescott. 


Hla  Character. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

"  The  winds  of  March  o'er  Narraganset's  Bay 

Move  in  their  strength  ;  the  waves  with  foam  are  white ; 
O'er  Seekonk's  tide  the  waving  branches  play ; 

The  winds  roar  o'er  resounding  plain  and  height. 
'Twixt  sailing  clouds,  the  sun's  inconstant  ray 

But  glances  on  the  scene,  then  fades  from  sight. 
The  frequent  showers  dash  from  the  passing  clouds-. 
The  hills  are  peeping  through  their  wintery  shrouds." 

Durfee's  "What  Cheer?' 


EAR  after  year  the  free  dwellers  upon  Rhode  Island  had  beheld  a  scene  like 
that  described  by  the  poet,  and  more  cruel  wintery  storms,  piling  their  huge 
snow-drifts,  had  howled  around  their  dwellings,  but  never  in  their  history  had 
the  March  winds  and  April  floods  appeared  to  them  so  cheerless  and  mourn- 
ful as  in  the  spring  of  1777.  They  had  cheerfully  brooked  all  the  suffering? 
attendant  upon  a  new  settlement,  and  gladly  breasted  the  tempest  on  land  or 
sea  in  pursuit  of  wealth  or  social  enjoyment,  while  freedom  was  their  daily 
companion  and  solace  :  but  now  the  oppressor  was  in  their  midst ;  his  iron 
heel  was  upon  their  necks  ;  their  wives  and  daughters  were  exposed  to  the  low  ribaldry, 
profanity,  and  insults  of  an  ignorant  and  brutal  soldiery ;  their  peaceful  dwellings  were  made 
noisy  barracks  ;  their  beautiful  shade-trees,  pleasant  groves,  and  broad  forests  were  destroyed, 
and  the  huge  right  arm  of  general  plunder  was  plying  its  strength  incessantly.  Enslaved 
and  impoverished,  the  bright  sun  and  warm  south  winds,  harbingers  of  on-coming  summer 
and  the  joyous  season  of  flowers,  brought  no  solace  to  them,  but  were  rather  a  mockery.  At 
home  all  was  desolation  ;   abroad  all  was  doubt  and  gloom. 

Early  in  May  the  British  troops  left  the  houses  of  the  inhabitants  and  returned  to 
their  camp.  This  was  some  relief,  yet  plunder  and  insolence  were  rife.  General 
Clinton,  with  nearly  half  of  the  invading  army,  soon  afterward  left  the  island  for  New  York, 
and  the  command  of  those  who  remained  to  hold  possession  devolved  upon  Major-general 
Prescott,  infamous  in  the  annals  of  that  war  as  one  of  the  meanest  of  petty  tyrants  when  in 
power,  and  of  dastards  when  in  danger.  He  had  been  nurtured  in  the  lap  of  aristocracy, 
and  taught  all  its  exclusive  precepts.  Possessing  a  narrow  mind,  utterly  untutored  by  be- 
nevolence or  charity  ;  a  judgment  perverse  in  the  extreme  ;  a  heart  callous  to  the  most 
touching  appeals  of  sympathy,  but  tender  when  avarice  half  opened  its  lips  to  plead,  he  was 
a  most  unfit  commander  of  a  military  guard  over  people  like  those  of  Rhode  Island,  who 
could  appreciate  courtesy,  and  who  might  be  more  easily  conquered  by  kindness  than  by  the 
bayonet.  He  was  a  tyrant  at  heart,  and,  having  the  opportunity,  he  exercised  a  tyrant's 
doubtful  prerogatives.' 


^  Mr.  Ross,  in  his  Historical  Discourse,  mentions  several  circumstances  illustrative  of  Prescott's  tyranny. 
His  habit  while  walking  the  streets,  if  he  saw  any  of  the  inhabitants  conversing  together,  was  to  shake  his 
cane  at  them,  and  say,  "Disperse,  ye  rebels!"  He  was  also  in  the  habit,  when  he  met  citizens  in  the 
streets,  of  commanding  them  to  take  off  their  hats,  and  unless  the  oi'der  was  instantly  complied  with,  it  was 
enforced  by  a  rap  of  his  cane.  One  evening,  as  he  was  passing  out  of  town  to  his  country  quarters,  he 
overtook  a  Quaker,  who  did  not  doff  his  hat.  The  general,  who  was  on  horseback,  dashed  up  to  him,  pressed 
him  against  a  stone  wall,  knocked  off  his  hat,  and  then  put  him  under  guard.  Prescott  caused  many  citi- 
zens of  Newport  to  be  imprisoned,  some  of  them  for  months,  without  any  assigned  reason.  Among  others 
thus  deprived  of  liberty,  was  William  Tripp,  a  very  respectable  citizen.  He  had  a  large  and  interesting 
family,  but  the  tyrant  would  not  allow  him  to  hold  any  communication  with  them,  either  written  or  verbal 


M 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


64o 


r.ad  Conduct  of  Geueral  Prescott. 


Colonel  Barton's  Plan  for  capturing  him. 


Biographical  Sketch  of  Barton 


Incensed  by  the  conduct  of  Prescott,  the  inhabitants  devised  several  schemes  to  rid  them- 
selves of  the  oppressor.  None  promised  success, 
and  it  was  reserved  for  Lieutenant -colonel  Bar- 
ton, of  Providence,'  to  conceive  and  execute  one 
of  the  boldest  and  most  hazardous  enterprises  un- 
dertaken during  the  war.  It  was  accomplished  on 
the  night  of  the  10th  of  July,  1777.  At  that  time 
General  Prescott  was  quartered  at  the  house  of  a 
Quaker  named  Overing,  about  five  miles  above 
Newport,  on  the  west  road  leading  to  the  ferry,  at 
the  north  part  of  the  island.  Barton's  plan  was  to 
cross  Narragansct  Bay  from  the  main,  seize  Pres- 
cott, and  carry  him  to  the  American  camp.  It  was 
a  very  hazardous  undertaking,  for  at  that  time  there 
were  three  British  frigates,  with  their  guard-boats, 
lying  east  of  Prudence  Island,  and  almost  in  front 
of  Prescott's  quarters.  With  a  few  chosen  men, 
Colonel  Barton  embarked  in  four  whale-boats,  with 
mufHed  oars,  at  Warwick  Point,  at  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  and  passed  unobserved  over  to  Rhode 
Island,  between  the  islands  of  Prudence  and  Pa- 

The  first  intelligence  he  received  from  them  was  by  a  letter,  baked  in  a  loaf  of  bread,  which  was  sent  to  him 
by  his  wife.  In  this  way  a  correspondence  was  kept  up  during  his  confinement  of  many  months.  Daring 
his  incarceration,  his  wife  sought  an  audience  with  the  general  to  intercede  for  the  liberty  of  her  husband. 
or  to  obtain  a  personal  interview  with  him.  She  applied  to  a  Captain  Savage,  through  whom  alone  an  in- 
ter\'iew  with  the  general  could  be  obtained.  She  was  directed  to  call  the  following  day,  when  the  sava;^i' 
by  name  and  nature,  echoing  his  master's  words,  roughly  denied  her  petition  for  an  interview  with  the  gen- 
eral, and  with  fiendish  exultation  informed  her,  as  he  shut  the  door  violently  in  her  face,  that  he  expected  her 
husband  would  be  hung  as  a  rebel  in  less  than  a  week ! 

I  was  informed  that  when  Prescott  took  possession  of  his  town  quarters,  he  had  a  fine  sidewalk  made 
for  his  accommodation  some  distance  along  Pelham  and  up  Spring  Street,  for  which  purpose  he  took  the 
door-steps  belonging  to  other  dwellings.  The  morning  after  the  evacuation,  the  owners  of  the  steps  hast- 
ened to  Prescott's  quarters,  each  to  claim  his  door-stone.  It  was  an  exciting  scene,  for  sometimes  two  or 
three  persons,  not  positive  in  their  identification,  claimed  the  same  stone.  Prescott's  fine  promenade  soon 
disappeared,  and  like  Miss  Davidson's 

"Forty  old  bachelors,  some  younger,  some  older, 
Each  carrying  a  maiden  home  on  his  shoulder," 

the  worthy  citizens  of  Newport  bore  off  their  long-abased  door-steps. 

'  William  Barton  was  a  native  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  He  was  appointed  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
colonel  in  the  militia  of  his  state,  and  held  that  position  when  he  planned  and  executed  the  expedition  for  the 
abduction  of  General  Prescott.  For  that  service  Congress  honored  him  by  the  presentation  of  a  sword,  and 
also  by  a  grant  of  land  in  Vermont.  By  the  transfer  of  some  of  this  land  he  became  entangled  in  the  toils 
of  the  law,  and  was  imprisoned  for  debt  in  Vermont  for  many  years,  until  the  visit  of  La  Fayette  to  this 
countr)'  in  182.5.  That  illustrious  man,  hearing  of  the  incarceration  of  Colonel  Barton  and  its  cause,  liqui- 
dated the  claim  against  him,  and  restored  his  fellow-soldier  to  liberty.  It  was  a  noble  act,  and  significantly 
rebuked  the  Shylock  who  held  the  patriot  in  bondage,  and  clamored  for  "  the  pound  of  flesh."  This  cir- 
cumstance  drew  from  Whittier  his  glorious  poem,  The  Prisoner  for  Debt,  in  which  he  exclaims, 

"  What  has  the  gray-hair'd  prisoner  done  ? 
Has  murder  staip'd  his  hands  with  gore  1 
Not  so  ;  his  crime's  a  fouler  one : 

God  made  the  old  man  poor. 
For  this  he  shares  a  felon's  cell, 
The  fittest  earthly  type  of  hell ! 

For  this,  the  boon  for  which  he  pour'd  , 

His  young  blood  on  the  invader's  sword, 
And  counted  light  the  fearful  cost — 
His  blood-gain'd  liberty  is  lost. 


Down  with  the  law  that  binds  him  thus ! 

Unworthy  freemen,  let  it  find 
No  refuge  from  the  witheiinc  curso 

Of  God  and  human  kind  ! 


644 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Expedition  to  capture  Prescott. 


PreBCott's  Quarters. 


A  Sentinel  deceived. 


Names  of  Barton's  Men. 


Pbescott's  Head-quabteiis.2 


tience.'  They  heard 
the  cry,  "  All's  well  I" 
from  the  guard-boats 
of  the  enemy,  as  they 
passed  silently  and 
unobserved,  and  land- 
ed in  Coddington's 
Cove,  at  the  mouth 
of  a  small  stream 
which  passed  by  the 
quarters  of  Prescott. 
Barton  divided  his 
men  into  several 
squads,  assigning  to 
each  its  duty  and  sta- 
tion, and  then,  with 
the  strictest  order  and 
profound  silence,  they 
advanced  toward  the 
house.  The  main 
portion  of  the  expe- 
dition passed  about 
midway  between  a 
British  guard  -  house 
and  the  encampment 
of  a  company  of  light 
horse,  while  the  re- 
mamder  wais  to  make  a  cucuitous  route  to  approach  Prescott's 
quarters  from  the  rear,  and  secure  the  doors.  As  Barton  and  his 
men  approached  the  gate,  a  sentinel  hailed  them  twice,  and  then 
demanded  the  countersign.  "  We  have  no  countersign  to  give," 
Barton  said,  and  quickly  added,  "  Have  you  seen  any  deserters  here 
to-night  ?"     The  sentinel  was  misled  by  this  question,  supposing 


Open  the  prisoner's  living  tomb, 

And  usher  from  its  brooding  gloom 

The  victims  of  your  savage  code 

To  the  free  sun  and  air  of  God  ! 

No  longer  dare,  as  crime,  to  brand 

The  chastening  of  the  Almighty's  hand !" 

Colonel  Barton  was  wounded  in  the  action  at  Bristol  Ferry  in  1778,  and  was  disabled  from  further  service 
during  the  war.  He  died  at  Providence  in  1831,  aged  eighty-four  years.  The  portrait  here  given  is  from 
a  painting  of  him  executed  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  and  now  in  possession  of  his  son,  John  B. 
Barton,  Esq.,  of  Providence,  who  kindly  allowed  me  to  make  a  copy. 

'  Mr.  Barton,  by  request,  furnished  me  with  the  following  list  of  the  names  of  those  who  accompanied 
his  father  on  the  perilous  expedition  : 

Officers. — Andrew  Stanton,  Eleazer  Adams,  Samuel  Potter,  John  Wilcox. 

NoN-coMMissioNED  OFFICERS. — Joshua  Babcock  and  Samuel  Phillips. 

Privates. — Benjamin  Pren,  James  Potter,  Henry  Fisher,  James  Parker,  Joseph  Guild,  Nathan  Smith, 
Isaac  Brown,  Billington  Crumb,  James  Haines,  Samuel  Apis,  Alderman  Crank,  Oliver  Simmons,  Jack  Sher- 
man, Joel  Briggs,  Clark  Packard,  Samuel  Cory,  James  Weaver,  Clark  Crandall,  Sampson  George,  Joseph 
Ralph,  Jedediah  Grenale,  Richard  Hare,  Darius  Wale,  Joseph  Denis,  William  Bruff,  Charles  Hassett,  Thomas 
Wilcox,  Pardon  Cory,  Jeremiah  Thomas,  John  Hunt,  Thomas  Austin,  Daniel  Page  (a  Narraganset  Indian), 
Jack  Sisson*  (black),  and Howe,  or  Whiting,  boat-steerer. 

^  This  house  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  west  road,  about  a  mile  from  the  bay.  The  view  is  from  the  road 
where  the  small  stream  crosses,  after  leaving  the  pond  seen  in  the  picture.     It  is  a  beautiful  summer  resi- 

*  In  ABen's  American  Biography,  the  name  of  the  black  man  is  written  Prince,  and  he  says  that  he  died  at  Plymouth  in  1821, 
aged  seventy-eight  years.    The  name  given  by  Mr.  Barton  must  be  correct,  for  he  has  the  original  pajjer  vf  his  father. 


OF  THE    REVOLUTION.  645 


Entrance  to  Prescott's  Room.  Seizure  of  the  General  and  his  AiU-de-camp.  Burton  rewarded  by  Congi-ess 

them  to  be  friends,  and  was  not  undeceived  until  his  musket  was  seized,  and  himself  bound  and 
menaced  with  instant  death  if  he  made  any  noise.  The  doors  had  been  secured  by  the  division 
from  the  rear,  and  Barton  entered  the  front  passage  boldly.  Mr.  Overton  sat  alone,  reading, 
the  rest  of  the  family  being  in  bed.  Barton  inquired  for  General  Prescott's  room.  Overton 
pointed  upward,  signifying  that  it  was  directly  over  the  room  in  which  they  were  standing. 
With  four  strong  men,  and  Sisson,  a  powerful  negro  who  accompanied  them,  Barton  ascended 
the  stairs  and  gently  tried  the  door.  It  was  locked  ;  no  time  was  to  be  lost  in  parleying  ;  thf 
negro  drew  back  a  couple  of  paces,  and  using  his  head  for  a  battering-ram,  burst  open  tht 
door  at  the  first  efl'ort.  The  general,  supposing  the  intruders  to  be  robbers,  sprang  from  his 
bed,  and  seized  his  gold  watch  that  was  hanging  upon  the  wall.  Barton  placed  his  hand 
gently  upon  the  general's  shoulder,  told  him  he  was  his  prisoner,  and  that  perfect  silence  was 
now  his  only  safety.  Prescott  begged  time  to  dress,  but  it  being  a  hot  July  night,  and  time 
precious.  Barton  refused  acquiescence,  feeling  that  it  would  not  be  cruel  to  take  him  across 
the  bay,  where  he  could  make  his  toilet  with  more  care,  at  his  leisure.  So,  throwing  his 
cloak  around  him,  and  placing  him  between  two  armed  men,  the  prisoner  was  hurried  to  the 
shore.  In  the  mean  time,  Major  Barrington,  Prescott's  aid,  hearing  the  noise  in  the  gen- 
eral's room,  leaped  from  a  window  to  escape,  but  was  captured.  He  and  the  sentinel  were 
stationed  in  the  center  of  the  party.  At  about  midnight  captors  and  prisoners  landed  at 
Warwick  Point,  where  General  Prescott  first  broke  the  silence  by  saying  to  Colonel  Barton, 
"  Sir,  you  have  made  a  bold  push  to-night."  "  We  have  been  fortunate,"  coolly  replied 
Barton.  Captain  Elliot  was  there  with  a  coach  to  convey  the  prisoners  to  Providence, 
where  they  arrived  at  sunrise.  Prescott  was  kindly  treated  by  General  Spencer  and  juiyii, 
other  officers,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  was  sent  to  the  head-quarters  of  ^''^■ 
Washington,  at  Middlebrook  on  the  Raritan.  On  his  way  the  scene  occurred  in  the  Al- 
den  Tavern  at  Lebanon,  mentioned  on  page  603.  Prescott  was  exchanged  for  General 
Charles  Lee'  in  A  pril  following,  and  soon  afterward  resumed  his  command  of  the  Brit- 

.  1778 

ish  troops  on  Rhode  Island.     This  was  the  same  Prescott  who  treated  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen  so  cruelly  when  that  officer  was  taken  prisoner  near  Montreal  in  the  autumn  of  1775. 

On  account  of  the  bravery  displayed  and  the  importance  of  the  service  in  this  expedition. 
Congress,  having  a  "just  sense  of  the  gallant  behavior  of  Lieutenant-colonel  Barton,  and  the 
brave  officers  and  men  of  his  party,  who  distinguished  their  valor  and  address  in  making 
prisoner  of  Major-general  Prescott,  of  the  British  army,  and  Major  William  Barrington,  his 
aid-de-camp,'"  voted  Barton  an  elegant  sword;  and  on  the  24th  of  December  fol-  juiyo'; 
lowing,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  and  pay  of  colonel  in  the  Continental  army.'       '^''''''• 

General  Sullivan  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  American  troops  in  Rhode  Island 
in  the  spring  of  1778,  at  about  the  time  when  Prescott  resumed  his  command  of  the  ene- 
my's forces.  The  latter,  incensed  and  mortified  by  his  capture  and  imprisonment,  determ- 
ined to  gratify  his  thirst  for  revenge.  Under  pretense  of  an  anticipated  attack  upon  the  isl- 
and, he  sent  a  detachment  of  five  hundred  men  up  the  bay  on  the  24th  of  May,  to  de- 

1778 

stroy  the  American  boats  and  other  property  that  fell  in  their  way.  At  daylight  the 
next  morning  they  landed  between  Warren  and  Bristol,  and  proceeded  in  two  divisions  to 
execute  their  orders.  One  party,  who  proceeded  to  the  Kickemuet  River,  destroyed  seventy 
flat-bottomed  boats  and  a  state  galley  ;  the  other  burned  the  meeting-house  and  a  number 
of  dwellings  at  Warren,  and  plundered  and  abused  the  inhabitants  in  various  ways.  Tho 
females  were  robbed  of  their  shoe-buckles,  finger-rings,  and  other  valuables,  and  live  stock 
were  driven  away  for  the  use  of  the  British  army.     They  then  proceeded  to  Bristol,  and  fired 

dence,  the  grounds  around  it  being  finely  shaded  by  willows,  elms,  and  sycamores.  The  present  occupant 
kindly  showed  me  the  room  in  which  Prescott  was  lying  at  the  time  of  his  capture.  It  is  on  the  second 
floor,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the  house,  or  on  the  right  as  seen  in  the  engravinjr.  It  is  a  well-built 
frame  house,  and  was  probably  then  the  most  spacious  mansion  on  the  island  out  of  Newport. 

'  General  Lee  had  been  captured  at  Baskinjiridge,  in  New  Jersey,  in  December,  1776,  while  passing 
from  the  Hudson  to  join  Washington  on  the  Delaware. 

'Journals  of  Congress,  iii.,  241.  '  Ibid.,  459. 


f)4  6 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


1778. 


Predatory  Excursions.       French  Fleet  for  America.       Count  d'Estaing.       France  and  England.       Excitement  in  Parliament. 

the  Episcopal  church  (mistaking  it  for  a  dissenters'  meeting-house),  burned  twenty-two  dwell- 
ings, and  carried  ofi' considerable  plunder.  A  few  days  afterward,  another  marauding  party 
of  a  hundred  and  fifty  burned  the  mills  at  Tiverton,  and  attempted  to  set  fire  to  and  plunde.r 
the  town,  but  a  resolute  band  of  twenty-five  men  kept  them  at  bay,  effectually  disputing  their 
passage  across  the  bridge.  Satisfied  with  this  great  display  of  prowess  and  vengeance,  Pres- 
cott  refrained  from  further  hostile  movements,  until  called  upon  to  defend  himself  against  the 
I'ombined  attacks  of  an  American  army  and  a  French  fleet. 

I  have  noticed  on  pages  86  and  87,  ante,  the  treaty  of  alliance  and  commerce  concluded 
between  the  United  States  and  France  on  the  6th  of 
February,  1778.'  Pursuant  to  the  stipulations  of  that 
treaty,  a  French  squadron  for  the  American  service 
was  fitted  out  at  Toulon,  consisting  of  twelve  ships  of 
the  line,  and  four  frigates  of  superior  size.  Count 
d'Estaing,  a  brave  and  successful  naval  officer,  was 

appointed  to  the  command,  and  on  the  13th  of 

April  the  fleet  sailed  for  America.  Silas  Deane, 
one  of  the  American  commissioners,  and  M.  Gerard, 
the  first  appointed  French  minister  to  the  United 
States,  came  passengers  in  the  Languedoc,  D'Estaing's 
tlag-ship.     Authentic  information  of  the  sailing  of  this 

expedition  reached  the  British  cabinet  on  the 

4th  of  May.  Some  of  the  ministers  being  out 
of  town,  a  cabinet  council  was  not  held  until  the  6th, 
when  it  was  determined  speedily  to  dispatch  a  power- 
ful squadron,  then  at  Portsmouth,  to  America.  On 
the  20th,  Admirals  Byron  and  Hyde  Parker,  with 
twenty-two  ships  of  the  line,  weighed  anchor.  Doubtful  of  the  destination  of  D'Estaing,  and 
not  knowing  that  Deane  and  Gerard  were  with  him,  ministers  countermanded  the  order  for 
sailing,  and  the  squadron,  overtaken  by  an  express,  returned  to  Plymouth,  where  it  remained 
until  the  5th  of  June,  when  it  again  sailed  under  the  command  of  Admiral  Byron  alone.' 

The  conduct  of  the  French  government,  in  thus  openly  giving  aid,  by  treaty  and  arms, 
to  the  revolted  colonies,  aroused  the  ire,  not  only  of  ministers,  but  of  the  people  of  Great 
Britain,  in  -whose  bosoms  the  embers  of  ancient  feuds  were  not  wholly  extinct.  In  Parlia- 
ment, which  was  just  on  the  eve  of  adjournment,  ministers  moved  an  appropriate  address  to 
the  king.  The  opposition  proposed  an  amendment  requesting  his  majesty  to  dismiss  the 
ministry  I  A  furious  debate  arose,  but  the  original  address  was  carried  by  a  majority  of  two 
hundred,  and  sixty-three  against  one  hundred  and  thirteen  in  the  Commons,  and  an  equally 

^  The  French  envoy,  De  Noailles  (uncle  of  La  Fayette's  wife),  delivered  a  rescript  to  Lord  Weymouth 
on  the  17th  of  March,  in  which  he  informed  the  British  court  of  the  treaty.  While  in  it  he  professed  in  the 
name  of  the  government  a  desire  to  maintain  amicable  relations  with  Great  Britain,  and  declared  that  the 
"  court  of  London"  would  find  in  his  communication  "  new  proofs  of  his  majesty's  [Louis  XVI.]  constant 
and  sincere  disposition  for  peace,"  he  plainly  warned  it  that  his  sovereign,  "  being  determined  to  protect 
effectually  the  lawful  commerce  of  his  subjects,  and  to  maintain  the  dignity  of  his  flag,  had,  in  consequence, 
taken  effectual  measures,  in  concert  with  the  Thirteen  United  and  Independent  States  of  America."  This 
note  greatly  incensed  the  British  ministry,  for  they  considered  it  more  than  half  ironical  in  language,  and 
intentionally  insulting  in  spirit.  Orders  were  issued  for  the  seizure  of  all  French  vessels  in  English  ports 
A  similar  order  was  issued  by  the  French  government.  War  thus  actually  commenced  between  the  two 
nations,  though  not  formally  declared. 

^  Charles  Henry  Count  d'Estaing  was  a  native  of  Auvergne,  in  France.  He  was  under  the  famous  Count 
Lally,  governor  general  of  the  French  possessions  in  the  East  Indies,  in  1756.  He  was  taken  prisonerby 
the  English,  but  escaped  by  breaking  his  parole.  He  was  commander  at  the  taking  of  Grenada  after  his 
services  in  America.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Assembly  of  Notables  in  the  French  Revolution,  and. 
being  suspected  of  unfriendliness  to  the  Terrorists,  was  guillotined  on  the  29th  of  Aprd,  1793. 

•*  Admiral  Byron  carried  with  him  to  Earl  Howe,  the  naval  commander  on  the  American  coast,  a  permit 
for  that  officer  to  return  to  England,  pursuant  to  his  own  urgent  request.  Byron  became  his  successor  in 
the  chief  command. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  647 


The  King's  Speech.  Boldness  of  the  Opposition.  The  British  and  French  Fleets.  Sandy  Hook  and  Amboy  Bay. 

decided  majority  in  the  Upper  House.  Parliament  soon  afterward  adjourned,  and  did  not 
meet  again  until  November,  when  the  king,  in  his  speech  at  the  opening,  directed  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Legislature  to  the  conduct  of  France.  After  speaking  of  the  good  faith  of  Great 
Britain,  and  the  quiet  then  prevailing  in  Europe,  he  said,  "  In  a  time  of  profound  peace, 
without  pretense  of  provocation  or  color  of  complaint,  the  conrt  of  France  hath  not  forborne 
to  disturb  the  public  tranquillity,  in  violation  of  the  faith  of  treaties  and  the  general  rights 
of  sovereigns  ;  at  first  by  the  clandestine  supply  of  arms  and  other  aid  to  my  revolted  sub- 
jects in  North  America  ;  afterward  by  avowing  openly  their  support,  and  entering  into  formal 
engagements  with  the  leaders  of  the  rebellion  ;  and  at  length  by  committing  open  hostilities 
and  depredations  on  my  faithful  subjects,  and  by  an  actual  invasion  of  my  dominions  in 
America  and  the  West  Indies."  He  alluded  to  the  want  of  success  in  America,  the  means 
that  had  been  put  forth  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  the  complete  failure  of  the  commissioners 
to  conclude  a  peace,  and  the  evident  preparations  for  hostilities  which  Spain  was  making. 
He  closed  his  address  by  calling  upon  Parliament  to  put  forth  their  utmost  energies  which 
the  crisis  demanded,  assuring  them  that  his  cordial  co-operation  would  always  be  extended, 
and  informed  them  that  he  had  called  out  the  militia  for  the  defense  of  the  country.  In 
fact,  the  king  carefully  avoided  casting  censure  upon  ministers  for  the  late  miscarriages  in 
America,  and,  by  implication,  fi.xed  the  blame  upon  the  commanders  in  that  service.  The 
address  was  warmly  opposed  in  both  houses,  and  in  the  Commons  the  king  was  accused  of 
falsehood — uttering  "  a  false,  unjust,  and  illiberal  slander  on  the  commanders  in  the  service 
of  the  crown  ;  loading  them  with  a  censure  which  ought  to  fall  on  ministers  alone."  Yet 
ministers  were  still  supported  by  pretty  large  majorities  in  both  houses,  while  the  war-spirit, 
renewed  by  the  French  alliance,  was  hourly  increasing  among  the  multitude  without.' 

After  a  voyage  of  eighty-seven  days,  the  French  squadron  arrived  on  the  coast, 
and  anchored  at  the  entrance  of  Delaware  Bay.  Howe,  with  his  fleet,  had,  for-  "  ^  ' 
tunately  for  himself,  left  the  Delaware  a  few  days  before,  and  was  anchored  off  Sandy  Hook, 
to  co-operate  with  the  British  land  forces  under  Clinton,  then  proceeding  from  Philadelphia 
0  New  York.*  On  learning  this  fact,  Deane  and  Gerard  proceeded  immediately  up  the 
DelaAvare  to  Philadelphia,  where  Congress  was  then  in  session.^  After  communicatin"-  with 
that  body,  D'Estaing  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  for  Sandy  Hook.  Howe  was  within  the 
Hook,  in  Raritan  or  Amboy  Bay,*  whither  D'Estaing  could  not  with  safety  attempt  to  follow 
him  with  his  large  vessels,  on  account  of  a  sand-bar  extending  to  Staten  Island  from  Sandy 
Hook.^  He  anchored  near  the  Jersey  shore,  not  far  from  the  mouth  of  the  Shrewsbury 
River. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  D'Estaing  sailed  with  his  squadron,  at  the  urgent  request  of 
Washington,  to  co-operate  with  General  Sullivan,  then  preparing  to  make  an  attempt     ^"^' 


1  Lossing's  "  1776,"  p.  274. 

'  It  was  during  this  progress  of  the  British  army  toward  New  York  that  the  Americans,  under  the  imme- 
diate coramand  of  Washington,  pursued  and  overtook  them  near  Monmouth  court-house,  in  New  Jersey, 
where  a  severe  battle  occurred  on  the  28th  of  June,  1778. 

'  Congress  had  sat  at  York,  in  Pennsylvania,  from  the  time  of  the  entrance  of  the  British  into  Philadel- 
phia in  the  autumn  of  1777,  until  the  30th  of  June,  1778,  after  the  evacuation  of  that  city  by  the  enemv 
under  Clinton. 

*  Howe's  fleet  consisted  of  only  six  64  gun  ships,  three  of  50,  and  two  of  40,  with  some  frigates  and 
sloops.  Several  of  D'Estaing's  ships  were  of  great  bulk  and  weight  of  metal,  one  carrying  90,  another  80 
and  six  74  guns  each.  Had  D'Estaing  arrived  a  little  sooner,  and  caught  Howe's  fleet  in  the  Delaware,  he 
might  easily  have  captured  or  destroyed  it ;  and  doubtless  the  land  forces  of  the  enemy  would  have  shared 
the  fate  of  those  under  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga. 

^  Sandy  Hook,  in  form  and  extent,  has  been  greatly  changed  since  the  time  in  question.  AccordinT  to  a 
map,  in  my  possession,  of  the  State  of  New  York,  published  under  the  direction  of  Governor  Tryon,  in  1779 
Sandy  Hook  was  a  low  point,  extending  northward  from  the  Highlands  of  Neversink  or  Navesink.  The 
sandy  bar  on  which  the  Ocean  House,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nevcrsmk  River,  now  stands,  forming  a  sound 
many  miles  in  extent,  was  not  then  in  existence  ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  sea  made  a  breach  across  the  neck 
of  Sandy  Hook  in  1778,  that  there  was  a  passage  within  it  along  the  base  of  the  Highlands  from  the  Rari- 
tan or  Amboy  Bay.  Now  the  water  is  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  depth  in  the  main  ship  channel,  imme- 
diately above  the  east  beacon  on  Sandy  Hook,  quite  suflicient  to  allow  ships  a.s  hea%7  as  D"Estaing"s  to  enter. 


648 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


General  Spencer's  Expedition  against  Rhode  Island.      His  Resignation.     French  Fleet  off  Newport.      American  Land  Forces 


s«ni);iii^— - 


Scale    of  Miles 


1778. 


to  expel  the  enemy  from  Rhode  Island.  In  consequence  of  the  failure,  on  the  part  of  Gen- 
eral Spencer,  to  carry  out  the  plan  of  an  expedition  against  the  British  on  Rhode  Island  in 
1777,  Congress  ordered  an  inquiry  into  the  cause.  This  expedition  was  arranged  by  Gen- 
eral Spencer  at  considerable  expense,  and  with  fair  promises  of  success.  The  Americans 
September,  Were  Stationed  at  Tiverton,  near  the  present  stone  bridge,  and  had  actually  em- 
i^''^'^-  barked  in  their  boats  to  cross  over  to  Rhode  Island  to  surprise  the  enemy,  when 
Spencer  prudently  countermanded  the  order.  He  had  ascertained  that  the  British  command- 
er was  apprised  of  his  intentions,  and  seeing  no  effort  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  to  oppose  his 

landing,  apprehended  some  stratagem  that  might 
be  fatal.  Such,  indeed,  was  the  fact.  The  Brit- 
ish had  determined  to  allow  the  Americans  to 
land  and  march  some  distance  upon  the  island, 
when  they  would  cut  off  their  retreat  by  destroy- 
ing their  boats,  and  thus  make  them  captives. 
General  Spencer,  indignant  at  the  censure  im- 
plied in  the  proposed  inquiry  of  Congress,  resign- 
ed his  commission,  and  General  Sullivan  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place. ^ 

The  French  fleet  appeared  off  the  har- 
bor of  Newport  on  the  29th  of  July,  and 
the  next  morning,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  inhab- 
itants, the  vessels  of  the  allies  were  anchored  near 
Brenton's  Reef,  where  General  Sullivan  had  a 
conference  with  the  admiral,  and  a  plan  of  oper- 
ations was  agreed  upon.  One  of  the  ships  ran 
up  the  channel  west  of  Canonicut,  and  anchor- 
ed at  the  north  point  of  that  island. 

Washington  had  directed  Sullivan  to  call  upon 
Rhode  Island,  Massachusetts,  and  Connecticut 
for  five  thousand  militia.  The  call  was  made, 
and  promptly  responded  to.  The  Massachusetts 
militia  marched  under  John  Hancock  as  gen- 
eral ;*  and  so  great  was  the  enthusiasm  engen- 
dered by  the  presence  of  the  French  squadron, 
that  thousands  of  volunteers,  gentlemen  and  oth- 
ers, from  Boston,  Salem,  Newburyport,  Ports- 
mouth, &c.,  engaged  in  the  service.^  Two  bri- 
gades of  Continental  infantry,  under  La  Fayette, 
were  sent  from  the  main  army  ;  and  the  whole 
force,  ten  thousand  strong,  was  arranged  in  two 
divisions,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Gen- 
erals Greene*  and  La  Fayette. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  August,  D'Es- 


Opebations  upon  Rhode  Island  in  1778.* 


^  Joseph  Spencer  was  born  at  East  Haddam,  in  Connecticut,  in  1714.  He  was  a  major  in  the  colonial 
army  in  1756,  and  was  one  of  the  first  eight  brigadiei's  appointed  by  the  Continental  Congress  in  1775. 
He  was  appointed  a  major  general  in  August,  1776,  and  in  1777  was  in  command  of  the  American  forces 
on  Rhode  Island.  After  his  resignation  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  Congress  from  his  native  state.  He 
died  at  East  Haddam  in  January,  1789,  aged  seventy-five  years. 

^  Hildreth,  iii.,  252.  ^  Gordon,  ii.,  369. 

*  General  Greene  was  then  the  quarter-master  general  of  the  Continental  army.  His  prudence,  military 
skill,  and  the  fact  that  he  was  a  Rhode  Islander,  induced  Washington  to  dispatch  him  to  that  field  of  oper- 
ations at  that  time. 

^  The  letters  upon  the  map  indicate  the  position  of  the  following  named  objects :  A,  head-quarters  of 
Prescott  when  he  was  captured ;  C  D,  the  two  British  lines  across  the  island,  the  former  extending  from 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  649 


Destruction  of  British  Vessels.  Landing  of  Americans  on  Rhode  Island.  Naval  Battle. 


taing  commenced  operations.  Two  of  his  vessels  approached  to  the  attack  of  four  British 
frigates  (the  Orpheus,  Lark,  Juno,  and  Cerberus)  and  some  smaller  vessels,  lying  near  Pru- 
dence Island.  Unable  to  fight  successfully  or  to  escape,  the  enemy  set  fire  to  all  these  ves- 
sels, and  soon  afterward  sunk  two  others  (the  Flora  and  Falcon),  to  prevent  their  falling 
into  the  hands  of  D'Estaing.  Unfortunately,  the  American  troops  were  not  quite  prepared 
to  co-operate  with  the  French  fleet.  Although  Sullivan  had  every  thing  in  readiness  at 
Providence,  a  delay  in  the  arrival  of  troops  prevented  his  departure  for  Rhode  Island,  and 
it  was  nearly  a  week  before  he  was  prepared  to  make  a  descent  upon  it.  This  delay  was 
the  occasion  of  great  difficulty,  and  proved  fatal  to  the  enterprise. 

On  the  10th,  according  to  agreement,  the  whole  American  force,  in  two  divi-  August, 
fions,  crossed  from  Tiverton  in  eighty-six  flat-bottomed  boats,'  prepared  under  the  di-  ■'^'^^■ 
rection  of  the  energetic  Major  Talbot,  and  landed  on  the  north  end  of  the  island,  where  it 
was  to  be  joined  by  four  thousand  marines  from  the  French  squadron.  The  British  had  just 
been  re-enforced,  and  were  about  six  thousand  strong,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Sir 
Robert  Pigot.  They  abandoned  their  works  on  the  north  part  of  the  island  when  the  Amer- 
icans landed,  and  retired  within  their  strongly-intrenched  lines  about  three  miles  above  New- 
port. Perceiving  this  movement,  Sullivan  ordered  the  Americans  to  advance,  without  wait- 
ing for  the  landing  of  the  French  troops.  They  moved  from  the  ferry,  and  in  the  afternoon 
encamped  upon  the  high  ground  known  as  Quaker  Hill,  between  ten  and  eleven  miles  north 
of  Newport. 

"Within  five  days  after  D'Estaing  left  Sandy  Hook,  four  British  men-of-war  had  arrived 
singly  at  New  York.  With  this  re-enforcement  Howe  determined  to  proceed  to  the  relief 
of  his  majesty's  army  on  Rhode  Island.  He  appeared  off"  Newport  harbor  with  a  Auoust, 
fleet  of  twenty-five  sail  on  the  afternoon  of  the  9th  ;  and  the  next  morning,  D'Es-  ■'■'''~^- 
taing,  instead  of  landing  his  marines  according  to  agreement,  spread  his  sails  to  a  favorable 
breeze,  and  sailed  out  of  the  harbor,  under  a  severe  cannonade  from  the  British  batteries, 
to  attack  Admiral  Howe.  It  was  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  the  Aucmstio, 
French  fleet  went  out  into  the  open  sea,  and  all  that  day  the  two  naval  com-  ^^^*'- 
manders  contended  for  the  weather-gage.^  This  maneuvering  prevented  an  engagement. 
The  next  morning  the  wind  had  increased  to  a  gale,  and  a  violent  tempest,  that  raged  for 
nearly  forty-eight  hours, ^  separated  the  belligerents.  Two  of  the  French  ships  were  dis- 
masted, and  the  count's  flag-ship  lost  her  rudder  and  all  her  masts.  In  this  condition  she 
was  borne  down  upon  by  a  British  frigate  under  full  sail,  from  which  she  received  a  broad- 
side, but  with  little  damage.  Another  of  the  French  disabled  vessels  was  attacked  in  the 
same  way,  the  assailants  sheering  off  after  firing  a  single  broadside  ;  but  the  junction  of  six 
sail  of  the  French  squadron  on  the  14th  prevented  other  attacks  on  the  crippled  ships.  On 
the  1 6th,  the  French  seventy-four  gun  ship  Cajsar  and  the  British  fifty  gun  ship  Iris  had  a 

'Tonomy  Hill,  H,  and  the  latter  crossing  the  slope  near  Rose  Island,  near  Newport ;  E,  the  American  lines 
between  Quaker  and  Turkey  Hills  and  Butts's  Hill,  at  the  north  end  of  the  island  ;  F,  the  position  of  the 
Americans,  with  their  batteries,  when  preparing  to  attack  the  British  lines  and  waiting  for  D'Estaing ;  G, 
Barker's  Hill,  fortified  by  the  British ;  H,  'Tonomy  Hill ;  0,  the  west  or  Narraganset  passage  of  the  bay ; 
P,  the  middle ;  and  Q,  the  east  or  Seaconet  passage.  The  Bristol  Ferry,  across  which  the  Americans  re- 
treated, is  named  on  the  map.  It  was  at  the  narrowest  place,  a  line  to  the  right  of  the  word  Butts.  There 
were  fortifications  upon  Gold,  Rose,  Goat,  and  Contour  Islands,  as  well  as  upon  Canonicut,  ruins  of  which 
are  still  visible.  The  short  double  lines  upon  the  map,  immediately  above  the  letter  N  in  Newport,  mark 
the  site  of  the  present  Fort  Adams,  the  Castle  Hill  of  the  Revolution,  and  opposite,  upon  a  point  of  Canon- 
icut, is  the   Dumplings  Fort,  or  Fort   Canonicut,   now  a  picturesque  ruin. 

'  These  boats  were  capable  of  bearing  one  hundred  men  each.  They  were  fitted  out  with  great  dis- 
patch, and  Talbot,  who  directed  the  operations,  became  so  wearied  by  over-exertions,  that  he  slept  soundly, 
for  a  long  time,  under  one  of  them,  while  the  hammers  of  the  caulkers,  who  were  at  work  by  candle-light, 
were  rattling  over  his  head. — Tuckerraan's  Life  of  Talbot^  p.  47. 

^  A  ship  is  said  to  have  the  weather-gage  when  she  is  at  the  windward  of  another  vessel.  In  naval  en- 
gagements, obtaining  the  weather-gage  is  an  important  desideratum  for  the  contending  squadrons. 

*  This  storm  is  still  spoken  of  by  the  older  inhabitants  of  Newport  as  "  the  great  storm,"  accounts  of 
which  they  had  received  from  their  parents.  So  violent  was  the  wind,  that  the  spray  was  brought  by  it 
from  the  ocean,  and  incrusted  the  windows  in  the  town  with  salt. 


G50  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

State  of  the  American  Troops.  Refusal  of  the  French  to  co-operate.  They  sail  for  Boston.  Protests 

severe  engagement  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  in  which  hoth  vessels  were  much  injured.  This 
ended  the  contest,  and  D'Estaing,  with  his  disabled  vessels,  appeared  off  the  harbor  of  New- 
port on  the  20th. 

The  Americans,  greatly  disappointed  and  chagrined  by  the  abandonment  of  them  by  their 
allies,  nevertheless  continued  their  preparations  for  attack  with  vigor.  They  had  suffered 
much  from  the  gale  and  the  rain.  On  the  night  of  the  12th,  not  a  tent  or  marquee  could 
be  kept  standing.  Several  soldiers  perished,  many  horses  died,  and  all  the  powder  delivered 
to  the  troops  was  ruined  by  the  rain.  The  troops  were  in  a  deplorable  state  when  the 
August,  storm  ceased  on  the  14th,  yet  their  courage  and  ardor  were  not  abated.  On  the 
^^^^-  1 5th,  in  expectation  of  the  speedy  return  of  the  French  squadron,  as  promised  by 
the  admiral,  they  marched  forward  in  three  divisions,  took  post  within  two  miles  of  the  en- 
emy's lines,  commenced  the  erection  of  batteries,  and  soon  afterward  opened  a  fire  of  balls 
and  bombs  upon  the  British  works.'  On  the  night  of  the  reappearance  of  D'Estaing,  Gen- 
erals Greene  and  La  Fayette  proceeded  to  visit  him  on  board  his  vessel,  to  consult  upon 
measures  proper  to  be  pursued.  They  urged  the  count  to  return  with  his  fleet  into  New- 
port harbor  ;  for  the  British  garrison,  disappointed  and  dispirited  on  account  of  not  receiving 
provision  and  ammunition  from  Howe,  would  doubtless  surrender  without  resistance.  D'Es- 
taing was  disposed  to  comply,  but  his  officers  insisted  upon  his  adherence  to  the  instructions  of 
his  government  to  put  into  Boston  harbor  for  repairs  in  the  event  of  injuries  being  sustained  by 
his  vessels.  Such  injuries  had  been  sustained  in  the  late  gale  and  partial  engagement,  and, 
overruled  by  his  officers,  he  refused  compliance,  sailed  for  Boston,  and  left  the  Americans  to 
take  care  of  themselves."  Greene  and  La  Fayette  returned  on  the  night  of  the  21st  with 
a  report  of  the  resolution  of  the  French  admiral,  and  the  next  day  Generals  Sullivan  and 
Hancock  sent  letters  of  remonstrance  to  him.  A  protest  against  the  count's  taking  the  fleet 
to  Boston,  signed  by  all  the  general  officers  except  La  Fayette,  was  sent  to  him,  declaring 
such  a  measure  derogatory  to  the  honor  of  France,  contrary  to  the  intentions  of  its  monarch, 
destructive  to  the  welfare  of  the  United  States,  and  highly  injurious  to  the  alliance  fonned 
between  the  two  nations.'  D'Estaing  affected  to  be  offended  at  this  protest,  and  returned 
August 23,      a  spirited  answer,  just  as  he  weighed  anchor  for  Boston,  which  drew  from  Sulli- 

1778.  y^^  ^  sarcastic  reflection,  in  general  orders,  the  following  morning.*  From  Bos- 
ton the  count  wrote  an  explanatory  and  vindicatory  letter  to  Congress,  in  which  he  com- 
plained of  the  protest  and  of  Sullivan's  ungenerous  innuendoes.  The  whole  matter  Avas  final- 
ly amicably  adjusted. 

Disgusted  at  what  they  deemed  the  perfidy  of  the  French  commander,  and  despairing 

'  General  Sullivan  quartered  about  five  miles  frona  Newport,  at  what  is  now  called  the  Gibb's  Farm 
La  Fayette  quartered  on  the  east  side  of  the  island,  at  what  was  then  called  the  Boiler  Garden  Farm ;  and 
Greene  had  his  quarters  in  Middletown,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Colonel  Richard  K.  Randolph. — Ross's 
Historical  Discourse,  page  53. 

^  It  is  asserted  that  D'Estaing  was  disliked  by  his  officers,  not  on  account  of  personal  considerations,  but 
from  the  fact  that  he  had  been  a  land  officer,  and  they  considered  it  an  affi-ont  that  he  was  placed  over  them. 
They  therefore  cast  every  impediment  in  his  way,  where  opportunities  were  presented  in  which  he  might 
gain  personal  distinction.  In  the  case  in  question,  all  his  officers  insisted  upon  his  proceeding  to  Boston, 
and  entered  into  a  formal  protest  against  his  remaining  at  Newport. 

^  This  protest  was  si<rned  by  John  Sullivan,  Nathaniel  Greene,  John  Hancock,  J.  Glover,  Ezekiel  Cor- 
nell, William  Whipple,  John  Tyler,  Solomon  Lovell,  and  John  Fitzconnel. 

*  "The  general  can  not  help,"  said  Sullivan,  in  his  orders,  "lamenting  the  sudden  and  unexpected  de- 
parture of  the  French  fleet,  as  he  finds  it  has  a  tendency  to  di.scourage  some  who  placed  great  dependence 
upon  the  assistance  of  it,  though  he  can  by  no  means  suppose  the  army  or  any  part  of  it  endangered  by  this 
movement^  Sullivan  was  doubtless  correct  in  his  opinion,  intimated  in  the  last  clause,  that  the  French  al- 
liance was  of  little  advantage  to  the  Americans,  as  will  be  hereafter  seen.  This  same  Admiral  d'Estaing 
subsequently  abandoned  the  Americans  at  the  South,  at  a  most  critical  juncture,  under  pretense  that  he  must 
seek  safe  winter  quarters,  although  it  was  then  only  in  the  month  of  October  !  The  English  and  Americans 
were  both  duped  by  "  his  most  Christian  majesty"  of  France ;  and,  as  I  have  elsewhere  said,  a  balance- 
sheet  of  favors  connected  with  the  alliance  will  show  not  the  least  preponderance  of  service  in  favor  of  the 
French,  unless  the  result  of  the  more  vigorous  action  of  the  Americans,  caused  by  the  hopes  of  success  from 
:hat  alliance,  shall  be  taken  into  the  account. 


f 


OF    THE   REVOLUTION. 


651 


Retreat  of  the  Americans  to  Butts's  Hill.         Battle  of  Quaker  Hill.         Scene  of  the  Engagement.         Loss  of  the  Belligerents 

of  success,  between  two  and  three  thousand  of  the  American  volunteers  left  for  home  on 
the  24th  and  25th.  The  American  force  was  thus  reduced  to  about  the  number  of 
that  of  the  enemy.  Under  these  circumstances,  an  assault  upon  the  British  lines  was 
deemed  hazardous,  and  a  retreat  prudent.  La  Fayette  was  dispatched  to  Boston,  to  so- 
licit the  return  of  D'Estaing  to  Newport,  but  he  could  only  get  a  promise  from  that  offi- 
cer to  march  his  troops  by  land  to  aid  the  Americans  in  the  siege,  if  requested.  It  was 
too  late  for  such  a  movement. 

On  the  night  of  the  28th,  the  Americans  commenced  a  retreat  with  great  Ati-nst, 
order  and  secrecy,  and  arrived  at  the  high  grounds  at  the  north  end  of  the  island,  ^'^■'■^■ 
with  all  their  artillery  and  stores,  at  three  the  next  morning.  Their  retreat  having  been 
discovered  by  the  enemy,  a  pursuit  was  imdertaken.  The  Americans  had  fortified  an  em- 
inence called  Butts's  Hill,  about  twelve  miles  from  Newport.  Here  they  made  a  stand, 
and  at  daylight  called  a  council  of  war.  General  Greene  proposed  to  march  back  and 
meet  the  enemy  on  the  west  road,  then  approaching  in  detachments,  and  consisting  only  of 
the  Hessian  chasiseurs  and  two  Anspach  regiments  under  Lossberg.      On  the  east  road  was 


— 

/ 

^ 

^r  _ 

— ,ri 

T=r- 

_^^s^^^ 

"*" 

^ 

z 

Scene  oi  thf  rNGAGCMENT  on  Rhode  Island,  Aug.  29,  1778. 

From  a  pnut  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  1778 

General  Smith,  with  two  regiments  and  two  flank  companies.  To  the  former  were  op- 
posed the  light  troops  of  Lieutenant-colonel  Laurens,  and  to  the  latter  those  of  Colonel 
Henry  B.  Livingston.  Greene's  advice  was  overruled,  and  the  enemy  were  allowed  to  col- 
lect in  force  upon  the  two  eminences  called  respectively  Quaker  and  Turkey  Hill.'  A  large 
detachment  of  the  enemy  marched  very  near  to  the  American  left,  but  were  repulsed  by 
Glover,  and  driven  back  to  Quaker  Hill.  About  nine  o'clock  the  British  opened  a  severe 
cannonade  upon  the  Americans  from  the  two  hills,  which  was  returned  from  Butts's  Hill 
with  spirit.  Skirmishes  continued  between  advanced  parties  until  near  ten,  when  two  Brit- 
ish sloops  of  war  and  other  armed  vessels,  having  gained  the  right  flank  of  the  Americans, 
began  a  fire  upon  that  point  simultaneously  with  a  furious  attack  there  by  the  land  forces  of 
the  enemy.  This  attempt  to  gain  the  rear  of  the  Americans,  and  cut  off  a  retreat,  brought 
on  an  almost  general  action,  in  which  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  of  the  patriots  were 
at  one  time  engaged.  The  enemy's  line  was  finally  broken,  after  a  severe  engagement,  in 
attempts  to  take  the  redoubt  on  the  American  right,  and  they  were  driven  back  in  great 
confusion  to  Turkey  Hill,  leaving  many  of  their  dead  and  wounded  in  the  low  grounds  be- 
tween the  contending  armies,  where  the  hottest  of  the  battle  occurred.  This  was  between 
two  and  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  a  very  sultry  day,  and  a  number  on  both  sides 
perished  from  the  efTects  of  the  heat  and  fatigue.  A  cannonade  was  kept  up  by  both  parties 
until  sunset,  when  the  battle  ceased.  The  skirmishing  and  more  general  action  continued 
seven  hours  without  intermission,  and  the  most  indomitable  courage  was  evinced  by  both 
parties.      The  Americans  had  thirty  killed,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  wounded,  and  forty- 

'  The  three  eminences,  Butts'.?,  Quaker,  and  Turkey  Hill,  are  seen  in  the  picture,  the  former  on  the  left, 
its  slopes  covered  with  the  American  tents,  Quaker  Hill  in  the  center,  and  Turkey  Hill  on  the  right.  The 
house  in  Ihe  fore-ground,  on  the  right,  belonged  to  a  Mr.  Brindley,  now  near  the  site  of  the  residence  of 
Mr.  Anthony. 


652  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Eyacuation  of  Rhode  Island  by  the  Americans.  Return  of  La  Fayette  from  Boston.  Expedition  against  New  Bedford. 

four  missing.      The  British  lost,  in  killed  and  wounded,  two  hundred  and  ten,  and  twelve 
missing. 

So  nearly  matched  were  the  belligerents,  that  both  willingly  rested  in  their  respective 
cp.mps  during  the  night,  and  the  next  morning  each  seemed  reluctant  to  renew  the  battle 
Sullivan  had  good  cause  to  refrain  from  another  engagement,  for  at  break  of  day  a  messen- 
ger arrived  from  Providence,  informing  him  that  Howe  had  again  sailed  for  Newport,  was 
seen  off  Block  Island  the  day  before,  and  probably,  before  night,  would  be  in  New- 

AnoTist  29  .  .  . 

°  '  port  harbor.'  Under  these  circumstances,  Sullivan  thought  it  prudent  to  evacuate 
Rhode  Island,  a  measure  concurred  in  by  his  officers.  There  were  difficulties  in  the  way, 
for  the  first  indications  of  a  retreat  on  the  part  of  the  Americans  would  bring  the  repulsed 
enemy  upon  them  in  full  force.  The  sentinels  of  the  two  armies  were  only  four  hundred 
yards  apart,  and  the  greatest  caution  was  necessary  to  prevent  information  of  Sullivan's  de- 
sign from  reaching  Sir  Robert  Pigot.  Fortunately,  Butts's  Hill  concealed  all  movements 
in  the  rear  of  the  American  camp.  During  the  day,  a  number  of  tents  were  brought  for- 
ward by  the  Americans  and  pitched  in  sight  of  the  enemy,  and  the  whole  army  were  em- 
ployed in  fortifying  the  camp.  This  was  intended  to  deceive  the  British,  and  was»success- 
ful.  At  the  same  time,  and,  indeed,  during  the  engagement  of  the  previous  day,  the  heavy 
baggage  and  stores  were  falling  back  and  crossing  Bristol  ferry  to  the  main.  At  dark  the 
August  30,      tents  were  struck,  fires  were  lighted  in  front  at  various  points,  the  light  troops, 

1778.  with  the  baggage,  marched  down  to  the  ferry,  and  before  midnight  the  whole 
American  army  had  crossed  in  flat-bottomed  boats  to  the  main,  in  good  order,  and  without 
the  loss  of  a  man.  During  the  retreat.  La  Fayette  arrived  from  Boston,  whither,  as  we 
have  seen,  he  had  been  sent  to  persuade  D'Estaing  to  proceed  with  his  squadron  to  Newport 
again.  He  was  greatly  mortified  at  being  absent  during  the  engagement.^  Anticipating 
that  a  battle  would  take  place,  he  traveled  from  Rhode  Island  to  Boston,  nearly  seventy  miles, 
in  a  little  more  than  seven  hours,  and  returned  in  six  and  a  half.^  Although  denied  the  lau- 
rels which  he  might  have  won  in  battle,  he  participated  in  the  honors  of  a  successful  retreat. 
The  evacuation  of  Rhode  Island  was  a  mortifying  circumstance  to  General  Sullivan,  for 
Newport  had  been  almost  within  his  grasp,  and  nothing  could  have  saved  the  British  army 

^  The  fleet  of  Lord  Howe  had  on  board  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with  four  thousand  troops  destined  for  Rhode 
Island  ;  but  on  approaching  Newport,  and  hearing  of  the  retreat  of  Sullivan  (for  the  fleet  did  not  arrive  until 
the  31st,  the  day  after)  and  the  sailing  of  the  disabled  French  squadron  to  Boston,  Howe  changed  his  course, 
and  sailed  for  the  latter  poi't,  where  he  arrived  on  the  1st  of  September.  Perceiving  no  chance  of  success 
in  attacking  D'Estaing,  Howe  pi-udently  withdrew,  after  throwing  the  town  of  Boston  into  the  greatest  con- 
sternation, and,  with  the  disappointed  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  sailed  for  New  York.  On  the  way,  Clinton  or- 
dered his  marauding  officer,  General  Grey,  to  land  with  the  troops  at  New  Bedford,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Acushnet  River,  and  proceed  to  destroy  the  shipping  in  the  harbor.  They  landed  upon  Clark's  Neck,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  between  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  on  the  5th  of  September  and  twelve  the  next 
day,  destroyed  about  seventy  sail  of  vessels,  many  of  them  prizes  taken  by  American  privateers,  and  several 
small  craft ;  burned  the  magazine,  wharves,  stores,  warehouses,  vessels  on  the  stocks,  all  the  buildings  at 
M'Pherson's  wharf,  the  principal  part  of  the  houses,  at  the  head  of  the  river,  and  the  mills  and  houses  at 
Fairhaven,  opposite.  The  amount  of  property  destroyed  was  estimated  at  ^323, 266.  Grey  and  his  troops 
then  embarked,  and  proceeded  to  Martha's  Vineyard,  whei'e  they  destroyed  several  vessels,  and  made  a 
requisition  for  the  militia  arms,  the  public  money,  three  hundred  oxen,  and  ten  thousand  sheep.  The  de- 
fenseless inhabitants  were  obliged  to  comply  with  the  requisition,  and  the  marauders  returned  to  New 
York  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  provisions  for  the  British  army. 

^  La  Fayette  had  advised  a  retreat  from  Newport  six  days  before.  On  the  24th  he  gave  his  opinion  in 
writing,  as  follows  :  "  I  do  not  approve  of  continuing  the  siege.  The  time  of  the  militia  is  out,  and  they 
will  not  longer  sacrifice  their  private  interests  to  the  common  cause.  A  retreat  is  the  wisest  step."  Writ- 
ing to  Washington  after  the  retreat,  he  expressed  his  mortification,  and  said,  "  That  there  has  been  an  ac- 
tion fought  where  I  could  have  been,  and  was  not,  will  seem  as  extraordinary  to  you  as  it  seems  to  myself." 
He  arrived  while  the  army  was  retreating,  and  brought  off"  the  rear  guard  and  pickets  in  the  best  manner. 
His  feelings  were  soothed  by  the  resolutions  of  Congress,  adopted  on  the  19th  of  September,  thanking  Gen- 
eral Sullivan  and  those  under  his  command  for  their  conduct  in  the  action  and  retreat,  and  specially  re- 
questing the  president  to  inform  the  marquis  of  their  due  sense  of  his  personal  sacrifice  in  going  to  Boston, 
and  his  gallantry  in  conducting  the  pickets  and  out-sentries  in  the  evacuation. — Journals  of  Congress,  iv.,  378. 

'■^  Gordon,  ii.,  376. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


G53 


Munnu rings  against  the  French. 


Evacuation  of  Rhode  Island  by  the  British. 


Severe  Winter. 


Sir  Robert  Pigot 


1778. 


from  capitulation  had  D'Estaing  co-operated.  Policy,  at  that  time,  dictated  the  course  of 
Congress  in  withholding  the  voice  of  censure,  but  the  people  unhesitatingly  charged  the  fail- 
ure of  the  expedition  upon  the  bad  conduct  of  the  French.  The  retreat  was  approved  of  by 
Congress,  in  a  resolution  adopted  on  the  9th  of  September.  It  was  not  unanimously 
agreed  to,  and  an  unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  to  reconsider  it.  With  this  event 
closed  the  Eastern  campaign,  neither  party  in  the  contest  having  gained  any  thing.' 

The  British  held  possession  of  Rhode  Island  until  the  autumn  of  1779,  when  Sir  Henry 
Clinton,  desirous  of  making  a  further  demonstration  at  the  South,  and  apprehending  an  at- 
tack upon  New  York  from  the  combined  forces  of  the  American  and  French,  supposed  to 
have  been  concerted  between  Washington  and  D'Estaing,  dispatched  a  number  of  trans- 
ports to  bring  ofi'the  troops  from  Newport  to  strengthen  his  position  at  head-quarters.      They 
embarked  on  the  25th  of  October,  leaving  Pvhode  Island  in -possession  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, after  an  occupation  of  three  years  by  the  enemy.      During  their  stay,  they  had 
desolated  the  island.      Only  a  single  tree  of  the  ancient  forest  is  left,  a  majestic  sycamore, 
standing  near  the  bank  of  the  Seaconet  channel, 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  island.      AVhen  they 
left,  they  burned  the  barracks  at  Fort  Adams 
and    the    light-house    upon    Beavertail    Point. 
They  also  carried  away  with  them  the  town 
records.      These  were  greatly  injured  by  being 
submerged  in  the  vessel  that  bore  them,  which 
was  sunk  at  Hell  Gate.      They  were  recovered 
and  sent  back  to  Newport,  but  were  of  little 
service  afterward.      This  event  produced  some 
embarrassment  in  respect  to  property,  but  they 
were  as  nothing  compared  to  the  sufferings  of 
the  impoverished    inhabitants    when    they  re- 
turned to  their  mutilated  dwellings  and  deso- 
lated farms.      The  winter  of  1779-80  was  a 
terrible  one  for  the  people  of  Rhode  Island." 

It  is  proper  to  remark,  that  after  Sir  Robert 
Pigot  superseded  Prescott  in  command  of  the  British  forces  in  Rhode  Island,  the  people 
were  greatly  relieved  of  the  annoyances  they  had  been  subject  to  under  the  rule  of  the  latter. 
Private  property  was  respected,  plunder  ceased,  the  people  were  treated  with  respect,  and, 
when  the  evacuation  took  place,  no  violence  marked  the  departure  of  the  enemy.  General 
Gates  was  then  at  Providence  with  a  small  force,  and  kept  a  vigilant  eye  upon  the  move- 
ments of  the  British,*  anticipating  predatory  excursions  along  the  coast ;   but  General  Pigot 

'  Washington,  in  a  letter  to  Brigadier-general  Nelson  of  Virginia,  written  on  the  20th  of  August,  says : 
"  It  is  not  a  Httle  pleasing  nor  less  wonderful  to  contemplate  that,  after  two  3''ears'  maneuverinp,  and  un- 
dergoing the  strangest  vicissitudes  that  perhaps  ever  attended  any  one  contest  sinee  the  creation,  both 
armies  are  brought  back  to  the  very  point  they  set  out  from,  and  that  the  offending  party  in  the  beginning 
is  now  reduced  to  the  use  of  the  spade  and  pickaxes  for  defense.  The  hand  of  Providence  has  been  so  con- 
spicuous in  all  this,  that  he  must  be  worse  than  an  infidel  that  lacks  faith,  and  more  wicked,  that  has  not 
gratitude  enough  to  acknowledf^e  his  obligations." — Sparks's  Life  and  Writings  of  Washington^  vi.,  36. 

'  This  was  the  severest  winter  ever  experienced  in  America.  Narratjanset  Bay  was  frozen  over ;  and 
'.he  reader  will  remember  the  fact  already  mentioned,  that  the  Bay  of  New  York  was  so  firmly  bridged 
that  troops  and  heavy  field-pieces  crossed  from  the  city  to  Staten  Island.  The  British  having  destroyed  the 
trees  on  Rhode  Island,  fuel  was  very  scarce.  It  was  sold  in  Newport  for  twenty  dollars  a  cord.  Food, 
alsc,  was  very  scarce  ;  corn  sold  at  four  silver  dollars  a  bushel,  and  potatoes  at  two  dollars.  A  tax  of  ten 
thousand  dollars  was  levied  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  and  Tiverton  and  neighboring  towns  contributed  gen- 
erously to  their  aid. — Ross's  Historical  Discourse,  p.  59. 

^  This  tree  stands,  solitary  and  peerless,  within  a  few  rods  of  the  water.  It  is  upon  the  land  of  Mr. 
Thomas  R.  Hazzard,  and  between  his  fine  mansion  and  the  river.  It  is  thirty-two  feet  in  circumference 
within  twelve  inches  of  the  ground.  It  is  yet  vigorous,  though  storms  have  riven  some  of  its  topmost 
branches.      When  I  made  the  sketch  it  was  leafless,  the  autumn  winds  having  defoliated  it. 

*  During  the  occupation  of  the  island  by  the  British,  after  the  retreat  of  Sullivan,  Gates  was  in  constant 


Ancient  Sycamobe.* 


G54  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Return  of  La  Fayette  to  France.         His  Zeal  and  Success.         Washington  appointed  Lieutenant-general  by  the  French  King 

was  no  marauder,  and  scorned  to  do,  even  under  command,  what  Tryon,  Wallace,  and  Grey 
seemed  to  take  great  delight  in. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1779  the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette  obtained  leave  of  absence  for 
one  year,  and  returned  to  France.  But  this  absence  was  not  a  season  of  idleness  among 
his  old  associates,  or  of  forgetfulness  of  the  Americans  on  the  part  of  La  Fayette.  On  the 
contrary,  the  chief  design  of  his  visit  to  his  native  country  was  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of 
his  people  and  government  more  warmly  in  the  cause  of  the  Americans,  and  to  procure  for 
them  more  substantial  aid  than  they  had  hitherto  received.  After  passing  a  few  days  with 
his  beautiful  and  much  loved  wife,  he  addressed  a  long  letter  to  the  Count  de  Vergennes,  one 
of  the  French  ministers,  ou  the  subject  of  furnishing  an  army,  well-appointed  in  every  par- 
ticular, to  fight  in  America.  Li  makuig  such  a  request,  a  soul  less  ardent  and  hopeful  than 
the  youthful  general's  would  not  have  perceived  the  least  probability  of  success.  He  was 
acting  without  instructions  from  the  American  Congress,  or  even  its  sanction  or  the  full  ap- 
proval of  Washington.  It  seemed  but  too  recently  that  French  and  American  troops  were 
battling  in  opposition  in  the  Western  World,  to  hope  that  they  would  freely  commingle, 
though  Britons  were  still  the  foes  of  the  French.  La  Fayette,  however,  understood  French 
character  better  than  Washington  and  Congress  did,  and  he  kneio  that  success  would  at- 
tend the  measure.  "  He  had  that  interior  conviction  which  no  argument  or  authority  could 
subdue,  that  the  proposed  expedition  was  practicable  and  expedient,  and  he  succeeded  in 
imparting  his  enthusiasm  to  the  ministers."*  He  was  only  twenty-two  years  old,  and  held 
a  subordinate  rank  in  the  army  of  his  king  ;  he,  therefore,  had  no  expectation  of  being  com- 
mander of  any  force  that  might  be  sent ;  his  efforts  were  disinterested.^  Nothing  could  di- 
vert him  from  his  object,  and,  with  a  joyful  heart,  he  returned  to  America  the  following 
spring,  bearing  to  the  patriots  the  glad  tidings  that  a  French  squadron,  with  an 
^^'  army  of  more  than  four  thousand  men,  admirably  officered  and  equipped,  and  con- 

veying money  for  the  United  States  Treasury,  was  about  to  sail  for  our  shores.  The  mar- 
quis also  brought  a  commission  from  Louis  XVI.  for  Washington,  appointing  him  lieutenant 
general  of  the  armies  of  France,  and  vice-admiral  of  its  fleets.  This  was  a  wise  measure, 
and  operated,  as  intended,  to  prevent  difficulties  that  might  arise  respecting  official  etiquette. 
It  was  stipulated  that  the  French  should  be  considered  as  auxiliaries,  and  always  cede  the 
post  of  honor  to  the  Americans.  Lieutenant-general  the  Count  de  Pv-ochambeau,  the  com- 
mander of  the  French  expedition,  was  to  place  himself  under  the  American  commander-in- 
chief,  and  on  all  occasions  the  authority  of  Washington  was  to  be  respected  as  supreme. 
This  arrangement  secured  the  best  understanding  between  the  two  armies  while  the  allies 
remained  in  America.' 

receipt  of  intelligence  respecting  the  movements  of  the  enemj',  by  means  of  secret  letters  and  a  sort  of  tel- 
eo-raphic  communication.  Lieutenant  Seth  Chapin  employed  a  woman,  residing  in  Newport,  to  write  down 
every  thing  of  importance,  and  conceal  the  letter  in  a  Irole  in  a  certain  rock.  By  setting  up  poles,  as  if  to 
dry  clothes,  and  by  other  signals  agreed  upon,  the  lieutenant  was  informed  of  the  presence  of  a  letter  in  the 
secret  post-ofhce,  and  of  perfect  safety  in  coming  to  receive  it.  He  would  then  row  across  from  the  oppo- 
site shore  of  Little  Corapton,  get  the  packet,  and  send  it  off  to  Gates.  After  the  evacuation,  the  lieutenant 
and  his  aids  received  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  Continental  mone}-,  for  their  services,  the  whole 
amount  being  worth  then  only  about  seventy  dollars  in  specie. 

^  Everett's  Eulogy  on  La  Fayette. 

*  At  the  request  of  Count  de  Vergennes,  La  Fayette  drew  np  a  statement  containing  a  detailed  plan  of 
the  proposed  expedition.  It  is  a  paper  of  great  interest,  and  exhibits  genius  of  the  highest  order,  of  which 
a  Tcneral  of  threescore  might  be  proud.  The  number  and  disposition  of  the  troops,  the  character  of  the 
officers  proper  to  accompany  them,  the  appointments  of  the  fleet  and  army,  the  time  of  embarkation,  proper 
place  for  landing,  and  the  probable  service  to  which  the  fleet  and  army  would  be  called,  were  all  laid  out 
with  a  minuteness  and  clearness  of  detail  which  seemed  to  indicate  almost  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  the  fu- 
ture.    The  whole  expedition  was  arranged  in  accordance  with  the  plan  of  the  marquis. 

3  This  arrangement  was  conceived  by  La  Fayette,  and  he  made  it  a  fundamental  point.  Not  content 
with  soliciting  troops  for  America,  \.a.  Fayette  requested  large  supplies  of  clothing,  guns,  and  ammunition 
for  the  Republican  army.  They  were  promised,  but  only  a  part  wore  sent.  Such  was  the  importunity  of 
La  Favette,  and  such  the  disinterested  enthusiasm  with  which  he  represented  the  wants  and  claims  of  his 
Republican  friends,  that  the  old  Count  Maurepas,  who  was  then  prime  minister,  said  one  day  in  the  Coun- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  G55 


Good  Tidings  brought  by  La  Fayette.  Their  effect.  Arrival  of  the  Allies.  Encampment  at  Newport. 

Great  was  the  joy  of  the  American  Congress  produced  by  the  tidings  brought  by  La  Fay- 
ette, and  assurance  possessed  the  minds  of  that  assembly  that  the  next  campaign  would  se- 
cure peace  and  independence  to  the  States.  Although  policy  forbade  giving  publicity  to  the 
fact  that  aid  from  abroad  was  near  at  hand,  sufficient  information  leaked  out  to  difihse 
among  the  people  pleasant  hopes  for  the  future.  The  return  of  La  Fayette  was  hailed  with 
delight.  Congress,  by  resolution, a  testified  their  satisfaction  at  his  return,  and  ac-  aMayio. 
cepted  with  pleasure  a  tender  of  the  further  services  of  so  gallant  and  meritorious  an  ^'^'^• 
officer.'     Three  days  afterward^J  Conjiress  resolved  that  bills  be  immediately  drawn 

I  May  19 

on  Dr.  Franklin  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  on  Mr.  Jay  for  the  same 
amount,  payable  at  sixty  days'  sight ;  and  that  the  money  be  applied  solely  to  the  bringing 
of  the  army  into  the  field,  and  forwarding  them  supplies  in  such  a  manner  as  the  exigency 
and  nature  of  the  service  shall  require.  Also,  that  the  States  of  Virginia,  Maryland,  Del- 
aware, Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  New  York,  Connecticut,  Pi-hode  Island,  Massachu.setts 
Bay,  and  New  Hampshire,  be  most  earnestly  called  upon  to  pay  into  the  Continental  treas- 
ury, within  thirty  days,  ten  millions  of  dollars.  It  was  also  resolved  that  the  Legislatures, 
from  New  Hampshire  to  Virginia,  be  requested  to  invest  their  executive  authority,  or  some 
other  persons,  with  such  powers  as  would  enable  them,  on  the  application  of  the  committee 
at  the  head-quarters  of  the  army,  to  draw  forth  the  resources  of  the  state.*  The  Carolinas 
and  Georgia  were  exempt  from  the  requisition,  because  they  were  then  bearing  the  heavy 
burden  of  an  active  campaign  within  their  own  limits.  Congress  thus  began  to  prepare  for 
the  most  energetic  co-operation  with  the  allies  when  they  should  arrive. 

The  French  fleet,  under  the  command  of  Admiral  de  Ternay,  sailed  from  Brest  early  in 
April,  and  appeared  off'  the  coast  of  Virginia  on  the  4th  of  July.'  On  the  evening  of 
the  10th  it  entered  Newport  harbor,  on  which  occasion  the  town  was  brilliantly  illu- 
minated, and  every  demonstration  of  joy  was  made  by  the  inhabitants.  General  Heath, 
then  in  command  on  Rhode  Island,  was  present  to  receive  Pi.ochambeau  and  his  troops  on 
landing,  and  to  put  them  in  possession  of  the  batteries  upon  the  island.  On  the  24th,  the 
General  Assembly,  then  in  session,  presented  complimentary  addresses  to  Rochambeau  and 
Ternay  ;  and  General  Washington,  having  heard  of  their  arrival,  recommended,  in  general 
orders  at  his  camp  in  the  Hudson  Highlands,  to  the  officers  of  the  American  army,  to  wear 
cockades  of  black  and  white — the  ground  being  of  the  first  color,  and  the  relief  o'iihQ  second 
— as  a  compliment  to,  and  a  symbol  of  friendship  and  affection  for  their  allies.*  The  Amer- 
ican cockade,  at  that  time,  was  black  ;   the  French  white. 

As  soon  as  intelligence  was  received  of  the  arrival  of  the  allies.  La  Fayette  set  out  for 
Newport,  under  instructions  from  Washington,  to  concert  measures  with  Rochambeau  for 
future  operations.  The  French  troops  were  pleasantly  encamped  southeast  of  Newport,  but 
they  were  not  suffered  to  remain  quiet.  When  intelligence  of  the  sailing  of  Ternay  from 
Brest  reached  the  British  cabinet,  they  dispatched  Admiral  Graves,  with  six  ships  of  the  line, 
to  re-enforce  Admiral  Arbuthnot,  the  successor  of  Byron,  then  commanding  the  squadron  on 
the  American  coast.  Graves  arrived  at  New  York  three  days  after  Ternay  entered  New- 
ell, "  It  is  fortunate  for  the  king  that  La  Fayette  does  not  take  it  into  his  head  to  strip  Versailles  of  its  fur- 
niture, to  send  to  his  dear  Americans,  as  his  majesty  would  be  unable  to  refuse  it."  La  Fayette  purchased, 
on  his  own  account,  a  large  quantity  of  swords  and  other  military  equipages,  which  he  brought  with  him 
and  presented  to  the  officers  of  the  light  infantry  whom  he  commanded  during  the  campaign. — See  Appendix 
to  vol.  vii.  of  Sparks's  Life  and  Writings  of  Washington,  where  will  be  found  interesting  documents  relat- 
ing to  this  expedition. 

'  Journals  of  Congress,  vi.,  49.  While  in  France,  La  Fayette  was  presented  with  an  clefrant  sword,  pre- 
pared there  under  the  directions  of  Franklin,  by  order  of  Congress.  Franklin  sent  it  to  the  marquis  from 
Passy,  by  his  grandson.    An  account  of  this  sword,  and  drawings  will  be  found  on  page  119,  vol.  ii. 

*  Journals  of  Congress,  vi.,  50,  51. 

'  The  fleet  consisted  of  two  ships  of  eighty  guns  each,  one  of  seventy-four,  four  of  sixty-four,  two  frigates 
cf  forty,  a  cutter  of  twenty,  a  hospital-ship,  pierced  for  sixty-four,  a  bomb-ship,  and  thirty-two  transports. 
The  land  forces  consisted  of  four  regiments,  a  battalion  of  artillery,  and  the  legion  of  the  Duke  de  Lauzun, 
amountinjr  in  all  to  about  six  thousand  men. 

*  Thacher,  p.  200.     Gordon,  iii.,  65. 


556  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

British  Blockade  of  Narraganset  Bay.  Clinton's  Expedition.  Death  of  Temay.  Washington  in  Newport 

July  13,     V^^^  harbor.      The  English  fleet,  now  stronger  than  the  French,  proceeded  imme- 

1780.  diately  to  attempt  a  blockade  of  the  latter  in  Narraganset  Bay.  On  the  19th,  four 
British  ships,  the  advance  sail  of  the  fleet  rendezvousing  at  Block  Island,  appeared  off  New- 
port. The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  the  wind  would  permit,  three  French  frigates  went  in 
pursuit  of  them,  but,  falling  in  with  nine  or  ten  ships  of  the  enemy  that  were  approaching, 
made  sail  for  the  harbor,  under  full  chase. 

Intelligence  was  received  that  General  Clinton,  lately  returned  to  New  York  from  th& 
South,  M'as  preparing  to  proceed  in  person,  with  a  large  part  of  his  army,  to  attack  Rhodt 
Island.  Menaced  by  sea  and  land.  General  Heath  called  earnestly  upon  Pvhode  Island, 
Massachusetts,  and  Connecticut  for  troops,  and  his  requisition  was  promptly  complied  with  , 
so  promptly,  that,  before  any  enemy  appeared,  the  allied  forces  felt  quite  competent  to  oppose 
the  largest  army  that  Clinton  could  possibly  bring  into  the  field.  Sir  Henry  actually  sailed 
from  New  York  with  eight  thousand  troops,  but  proceeded  no  further  than  Huntington  Bay, 
in  Long  Island  Sound.  Informed  there  of  the  fortified  position  of  the  French  at  Newport, 
the  rapid  gathering  of  the  militia,  and  the  approach  of  Washington  toward  New  York  city, 
Clinton  abandoned  the  expedition  and  returned  to  his  head-quarters. 

While  these  events  were  taking  place  on  our  coast,  the  French  and  English  fleets  were 
striving  for  the  mastery  in  the  West  Indies.  The  former  was  commanded  by  Admiral  de 
Guichen,  the  latter  by  Admiral  Pvodney.  It  was  the  understanding  when  Ternay  and  Pwo- 
chambeau  left  France,  that  they  were  to  be  joined  at  Pvhode  Island  by  the  squadron  of  De 
Guichen.  Events  unforeseen  prevented  this  junction.  The  arrival  of  Pvodney  at  St.  Lucie, 
and  subsequent  maneuvers  and  encounters,  detained  De  Guichen  in  the  West  Indies  until 
July  ;  and  five  days  before  Ternay  arrived  at  Newport,  De  Guichen  left  St.  Do- 
^^  '  mingo  for  Europe,  his  ships  having  suffered  greatly  in  the  engagements,  and  the  land 
troops  which  they  carried  having  been  terribly  diminished  by  sickness.  The  failure  of  this 
co-operation,  the  great  number  of  invalids  among  the  French  troops  at  Newport,  and  the 
txpectation  of  an  attack  there,  or  an  attempt  to  blockade  the  squadron,  made  it  inexpedient 
to  break  up  the  encampment  on  Rhode  Island  and  attempt  any  operations  at  a  distance.  It 
was  concluded  to  pass  the  winter  there.  Lauzun  and  his  legion,  as  we  have  seen,  were  can- 
toned at  Lebanon,  in  Connecticut.  Three  thousand  five  hundred  militia  were  kept  under 
arms  at  Newport,  to  assist  in  guarding  the  French  squadron,  and  the  allien  became  a  bur- 
den, rather  than  an  aid,  to  the  Americans.  The  conference  between  Washington  and  Ro- 
chambeau,  and  the  final  departure  of  the  French  troops  in  1781,  to  form  a  junction  with  the 
American  army  on  the  Hudson,  have  been  noticed  on  page  436. 

The  Chevalier  de  Ternay  died  at  Newport  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  fleet,  and  was 
buried  with  distinguished  honors  in  Trinity  Church-yard,  where  a  slab  was  afterward  erected 
March,     to  his  memory.     Admiral  de  Barras  succeeded  him  in  command  early  in  the  follow- 

1781.  jjjg  spring,  about  which  time  Washington  arrived  at  Newport,  and  held  a  conference 
with  Rochambeau.  The  town  was  illuminated  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit,  and  from  that 
time  until  the  departure  of  the  allies,  quiet  prevailed  on  Rhode  Island.  Active  military  op- 
erations ceased  there,  and,  until  the  close  of  the  war,  the  people  were  undisturbed,  except 
by  occasional  menaces  from  English  vessels  in  pursuit  of  American  privateers,  of  which  a 
large  number  hailed  from  Narraganset  Bay,  or  made  its  waters  their  place  of  refuge  when 
in  danger  upon  the  coast.'  Newport  sufTered  terribly  during  the  war.  Its  population  of 
eleven  thousand  in  1774,  was  reduced  to  about  six  thousand  in  1782  ;   and,  according  to  an 

'  It  is  believed  that  Newport  furnished  more  .seamen  for  the  naval  service  of  the  United  States  during 
the  Revolution  than  any  other  port  on  the  continent,  except  Boston.  At  least  one  thousand  men  were 
shipped  for  service  in  the  navy  from  that  port,  one  half  of  whom  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  died 
in  prison-ships.  The  naval  commanders  in  the  war  who  belonged  to  Rhode  Island  were  John  Grimes,  Ben- 
jamin Pierce,  Joseph  Gardiner,  William  Dennis,  James  Godfred,  Remembrance  Simmons,  Thomas  Stacy, 
Oliver  Read,  Captain  Bently,  Samuel  Jeffers,  John  Coggeshall,  William  Finch,  Captain  Jaques,  James  Phil- 
lips, Ezekiel  Burroughs,  John  Murphy,  Isaac  Frabor,  William  Ladd,  Joseph  Sheffield,  and  Captain  Gazzee. 
These  either  sailed  from  Newport  previous  to  its  possession  by  the  enemy,  or  subsequently  from  other  ports 
of  New  England. — Ross,  page  62.     Silas  Talbot,  also,  belonged  to  'Rbodo  Island. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


657 


Property  destroyed  in  Newport.        Ride  to  Butte's  Hill.        Hospitality.        Fort  on  Butts's  Hill.        View  of  the  Battle-ground. 

estimate  of  a  committee  of  the  General  Assembly,  appointed  for  the  purpose,  the  value  of 
private  property  destroyed  was  six  hundred  and  twenty-four  thousand  dollars,  silver  money. 

The  sun  has  gone  down  behind  Conannicut  and  the  hills  of  the  Narraganset  country  ; 
the  broad  sails  of  the  wind-mills  are  still ;  the  voices  of  the  milkers  come  up  from  the  neigh- 
boring farm-yard,  and  twilight  is  spreading  its  mysterious  veil  over  the  bay,  the  islands,  and 
the  ocean.  Let  us  descend  from  our  observatory  on  the  hill  of  Miantonomoh  and  return  to 
the  city,  and  in  the  morning  visit  the  places  hallowed  by  events  just  viewed  in  the  speculum 
of  history. 

The  morning  of  the  23d  was  cold  and  blustering  ;  the  ground  was  hard  frozen  ;  October, 
ice  covered  the  surface  of  the  pools,  and  the  north  wind  was  as  keen  as  the  breath  ^®^^- 
of  December.  I  started  early  in  a  light  rockaway  for  the  battle-ground  at  the  north  end  of 
the  island,  making  a  brief  call  on  the  way  (or,  rather,  out  of  the  way)  upon  Mr.  Nathaniel 
Greene,  a  grandson  of  the  eminent  general  of  the  Revolution  who  bore  that  name.  He  re- 
sides about  three  miles  above  Newport,  and  kindly  furnished  me  with  explicit  directions  re- 
specting the  localities  I  was  about  to  visit.  About  a  mile  north  of  his  estate  I  came  to  the 
head-quarters  of  Prescott,  printed  on  page  76,  which  I  sketched  in  haste,  for  my  fingers  were 
too  soon  benumbed  with  cold  to  hold  the  pencil  expertly.  Twelve  miles  from  Newport  I 
came  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  Anthony,  which  is,  I  believe,  the  "  Brindley  House"  in  the  pic- 
ture on  page  83.  An  introductory  line  from  his  brother,  David  Anthony,  Esq.,  was  a  key 
to  his  generous  hospitality;  and  after  accompanying  me  to  the  top  of  Butts's  Hill,  and  point- 
ing out  the  places  of  interest  included  in  the  view  from  its  summit,  he  kindly  invited  me  to 
dine  with  him  when  my  sketching  should  be  finished,  an  invitation  heartily  accepted,  for  a 
ride  of  twelve  miles  in  the  cold  morning  air  was  a  whetstone  to  my  usually  good  appetite. 


QuAKEB  Hill,  fkom  the  Fobt  on'  Bijtts's  Hih„ 

The  remains  of  the  old  fort  on  Butts's  Hill,  the  embankments  and  fosse,  with  traces  of 
the  hastily-constructed  ravelins,  are  well  preserved.  Even  the  ruts  made  by  the  carriage- 
wheels  of  the  cannons,  at  the  embrasures  (for  the  ordnance  was  composed  of  field-pieces), 
were  visible.  The  banks,  in  some  places,  are  twenty  feet  high,  measuring  from  the  bottom 
of  the  fosse.  Fortunately  for  the  antiquary,  the  works  were  constructed  chiefly  upon  a  rocky 
ledge,  and  the  plow  can  win  no  treasure  there ;  the  banks  were  earth,  and  aflbrd  no  quarry 
for  wall  builders,  and  so  the  elements  alone  have  lowered  the  ramparts  and  filled  the  ditches. 
Southward  from  this  eminence,  I  had  a  fine  view  of  Quaker  and  Turkey  Hills — indeed,  of 
the  whole  battle-ground.  Sitting  upon  the  exterior  slope  of  the  southern  parapet,  and  shel- 
tered from  the  wind  by  a  clump  of  bushes  and  the  remains  of  one  of  the  bastions,  I  sketched 
the  above  view,  which  includes  all  the  essential  portions  of  the  field  of  conflict.  The  emi- 
nence in  the  center,  on  which  stands  a  Avind-mill,  is  Quaker  Hill ;  that  on  the  right  is  Tur- 
key Hill,  on  the  northern  slope  of  which  is  seen  the  west  road.  In  the  hollow  at  the  foot 
of  these  hills  the  hottest  of  the  battle  was  waged.  On  the  left  is  seen  the  little  village  of 
Newton,  beyond  which  is  the  Eastern  or  Seaconet  Channel,  stretching  away  to  the  ocean, 
and  bounded  on  the  left  by  the  cultivated  slopes  of  Little  Compton.  The  undulations  in  the 
foreground  are  the  embankments  of  the  fort. 

L  Tt 


658 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


North  View  from  Butts's  Hill. 


The  Narraganset  Country. 


Massasoit  and  his  Sons. 


King  PhiUp 


Northward  the  view  is  more  extensive,  and  in  some  respects  more  interesting.      The 
houses  near  the  center  of  the  picture  mark  the  site  of  the  old  Bristol  ferry,  over  which  the 


Americans,  under  Sullivan,  retreated  to  the  main  land.  A  little  to  the  left,  lying  upon  the 
cast  shore  of  the  Narraganset,  was  Bristol ;  beyond  was  a  glimpse  of  Warren  ;  and  in  the 
far  distance,  directly  over  the  steam-boat  seen  in  the  picture,  the  church  spires  of  Providence 
were  visible.  On  the  right  the  high  promontory  of  Mount  Hope  loomed  up  ;  and  turning 
eastward,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  sketch,  stood  Tiverton  and  its  old  stone  bridge,  already 
mentioned.  I  could  find  no  sheltered  nook  in  making  the  sketch  ;  upon  the  bleak  summit 
of  the  hill  I  plied  the  pencil,  until  I  could  hold  it  no  longer  ;  but  the  drawing  was  finished. 
From  this  eminence  the  vision  takes  in  some  of  the  most  interesting  portions  of  the  Nar- 
raganset country  and  of  the  domains  of  Massasoit,  the  fast  friend  of  the  English.  There 
were  old  Pocasset  and  Pokanoket,  and,  more  conspicuous  and  interesting  than  all,  was  Mount 
Hope,  the  royal  seat  of  King  Philip,  the  last  of  the  Warapanoags.  It  is  too  cold  to  turn 
the  leaves  of  the  chronicle  here  ;  let  us  wrap  our  cloaks  around  us,  and,  while  gazing  upon 
the  beautiful  land  over  which  that  great  sachem  held  sway,  read  the  records  upon  the  tablets 
of  memory,  brief  but  interesting,  concerning  "  King  Philip's  War." 

"  'Tis  good  to  muse  on  nations  pass'd  away 

Forever  from  the  land  we  call  our  own  • 
Nations  as  proud  and  mighty  in  their  daj', 

Who  deem'd  that  everlasting  was  their  throne. 
An  age  went  by,  and  they  no  more  were  known ! 

Sublimer  sadness  will  the  mind  control, 
Listening  time's  deep  and  melancholy  moan ; 

And  meaner  griefs  will  less  disturb  the  soul ; 

And  human  pride  falls  low  at  human  grandeur's  goal." 

Robert  C.  Sands. 

We  have  observed  how  Massasoit,  the  sagamore  of  the  Wampanoags,  whose  dominions 
extended  from  Narraganset  Bay  to  that  of  Massachusetts,  presenting  the  hand  of  friendship 
and  protection  to  the  white  settlers,  remained  faithful  while  he  lived.  His  residence  was 
near  Warren,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Narraganset ;  and  so  greatly  was  his  friendship  prized 
by  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  that  Winslow  and  others  made  a  long  journey  to  visit  him  when 
a  March,  dangcrously  ill.  a  Recovering,  he  entered  into  a  solemn  league  of  friendship  with 
^^■•^-  the  whites,  and  faithfully  observed  it  until  his  death,  which  occurred  thirty-two 
years  afterward. ^  Alexander,  his  eldest  son,  succeeded  him,  and  gave  promise  of 
equal  attachment  to  the  whites  ;  but  his  rule  was  short ;  he  died  two  years  after 
the  death  of  his  father,  and  his  brother'  Pometacom  or  Metacomet,  better  known  as  King 
Philip,  became  the  head  of  his  nation.      He  was  a  bold,  powerful-minded  warrior,  and  al- 

'  Bancroft  and  Hildreth  say  nephew.  Earlier  historians  disagree.  Prince  and  Trumbull  say  he  was 
grandson  to  Massasoit,  and  Hutchinson  and  Belknap  call  him  his  son.  Governor  Prince,  it  is  said,  named 
Alexander  and  Philip  after  the  great  Macedonians,  in  compliment  to  Massasoit,  indicating  his  idea  of  their 
character  as  warriors.     They  were  doubtless  sons  of  Massasoit. 


bi655. 


OF  THE,  REVOLUTION. 


G59 


1C62. 


Jealousy  of  King  Philip.         Treaties  with  the  Whites.         Curtailment  of  his  Domains.         His  chief  Captains.         John  Eliot. 

ready  his  keen  perception  gave  him  uneasiness 
respecting  the  fate  of  his  race.      Year   after 
year  the  progress  of  settlement  had  curtailed 
the  broad  domains  of  the  Wampanoags,  until 
now  they  possessed  little  more  than  the  nar- 
row tongues  of  land  at  Pocanoket  and  Pocas- 
set,  now  Bristol  and  Tiverton  ;   yet  Philip  re- 
newed the  treaties  made  with  Massa- 
soit,  and  kept  them  faithfully  a  dozen 
years;  but  spreading  settlements,  reducing  his 
domains  acre  by  acre,  breaking  up  his  hunting- 
grounds,  diminishing  the  abundance  of  his  fish- 
eries, and  menacing  his  nation  with  the  fate 
of  the  landless,  stirred  up  his  savage  patriot- 
ism, and  made  him  resolve  to  sever  the  ties 
that  botmd  him,  with  fatal  alliance,  to  his  ene- 
mies.     His  residence  was  at  Mount  Hope  ; 
and  there,  in  the  solitude  of  the  prime- 
val forest,  he  called  his  warriors  around 
him,  and  planned,  with   consummate 
skill,  an  alliance  of  all  the  New  En- 
gland tribes  against  the  European  in- 
truders.' 

For  years  the  pious  Eliot'  had  been  preaching  the  gospel  among  the  New  England  tribes  ; 


vi^co^ni^ 


Portrait  and  Signmajtoal  of  King  Philip.^ 


'  The  number  of  Indians  in  New  England  at  that  time  has  been  variously  estimated.  Dr.  Trumbull,  in 
his  History  of  the  United  States  (i.,  36),  supposes  that  there  were  thirty-six  thousand  in  alJ,  one  third  of 
whom  were  warriors.  Hutchinson  (i.,  406)  estimates  the  fighting  men  of  the  Narragansets  alone  at  two 
thousand.  Hinckley  says  the  number  of  Indians  in  Plymouth  county  in  1685,  ten  years  after  Philip's  war, 
was  four  thousand.  Church,  in  his  History  of  King  Philip^ s  War,  published  in  Boston  in  1716,  estimated 
the  number  of  Indian  warriors  in  New  England,  in  the  commencement  of  that  war,  at  ten  thousand.  Ban- 
croft (ii.,  94)  says  there  were  probably  fifty  thousand  whites  and  hardly  twenty-five  thousand  Indians  in 
New  England,  west  of  the  Piscataqua ;  while  east  of  that  stream,  in  Maine,  were  about  four  thousand 
whites  and  more  than  that  number  of  red  men. 

^  I  copied  this  and  the  annexed  marks  of  Philip's  chief  captains,  from  an  original  mortgage  given  by  the 
sachem,  to  Constant  Southworth,  on  land  four  miles  square,  lying  south  of  Taunton.     The 
mortgage  is  dated  October  1,  1672.     It  was  drawn  up  by  Thomas  Leonard,  and  is  signed 
by  himself,  Constant  Southworth,  and  Hugh  Cole.     It  was  acknowl- 
edged before,  and  signed  by,  John  Aklen.*     This  interesting  docu- 
ment is  in  the  possession  of  that  intelligent  antiquary,  S.  G.  Drake, 
Esq.,  of  Boston,  to  whose  kindness  I  am  indebted  for  these  signatures. 
No.  1  is  the  sign  of  Munashum,  alias  Nimrod;  No.  2,  of  Wonckom- 
PAWHAN  ;  No.  3,  of  Captain  Annawan,  the  "  next  man  to  Philip,"  or  his  chief  warrior. 

'  John  Eliot,  usually  called  the  Apostle  of  the  Indians,  was  minister  of  Roxbury.  Massachusetts.  He 
was  born  in  Essex  county,  England,  in  1604,  and  came  to  America  in  1631.  Educated  thoroughly  at 
Cambridge  University,  he  soon  obtained  great  influence  among  the  settlers.  Touched  by  the  ignorance  of 
the  Indians  respecting  spiritual  things,  his  heart  yearned  to  do  them  good,  and  for  many  years  he  labored 
assiduously  among  them,  with  great  success.  He  founded,  at  Natick,  the  first  Indian  church  in  America, 
in  1660.  The  next  year  he  published  the  New  Testament  in  the  Indian  language,  and  in  a  few  years  the 
whole  Bible  and  other  books.  He  died  May  20th,  1690,  aged  about  eighty-six.  The  venerable  apostle 
was  buried  in  the  Ministers^  Tomb.i  in  the  first  burying-ground  at  Roxbury,  which  is  situated  on  the  east 
side  of  the  great  avenue  across  the  Neck  to  Boston.  The  residence  of  Eliot  was  opposite  the  house  of 
Governor  Thomas  Dudley,  on  the  other  side  of  the  brook.  Dudley's  mansion  was  taken  down  in  1775,  and 
a  redoubt  was  erected  upon  the  spot.  The  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  Universalist  church.  Reverend 
Dr.  Putnam,  of  Roxburj',  is  the  fifth  pastoral  successor  of  the  apostle  in  the  first  church.     The  remains  of 


No.  1. 


T 


No.  2. 


/xv 


No.  3 


*  Alden  was  a  passenger  in  the  May  Flower,  and  one  of  the  immortal  pobtt-onk  who  signed  the  instrument  of  civil  govern- 
ment, given  on  paies  437  and  438,  vol.  L,  of  this  work,  where  also  is  the  signature  of  Southworth. 

t  In  1724-5,  a  citizen  of  Roxbury,  named  William  Bowen,  was  made  prisoner  by  the  Turks.  Tlac  people  of  his  town  raised 
a  sum  of  monry  sufficient  for  his  ransom.  Before  it  could  be  applied  they  received  intelligence  of  his  de&:!l.  The  money  was 
then  appropriate-!  to  the  building  of  a  tomb  for  the  ministers  of  the  church. 


660  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Enlightenment  of  the  Indians.  Sassamon.  Rising  of  the  New  England  Tribes.  Daniel  Gookin. 

no  pains  were  spared  to  teach  them  to  read  and  write  ;  and  in  a  short  time  a  larger  pro- 
portion of  the  Massachusetts  Indians  could  do  so  than,  recently,  of  the  inhabitants  of  Rus- 
sia.* Churches  were  gathered  among  the  natives  ;  and  when  Philip  lifted  the  hatchet, 
there  were  four  hundred  "  praying  Indians,"  as  the  converts  were  called,  who  were  firmly 
attached  to  the  whites  ;  yet  Christianity  hardly  spread  beyond  the  Indians  on  Cape  Cod, 
Martha's  Vineyard,  and  Nantucket,  and  the  seven  feeble  villages  around  Boston.  Philip, 
like  Red  Jacket  of  our  days,  opposed  meddling  with  the  religion  of  his  fathers,  and,  two 
years  before  the  war,  boldly  and  openly,  at  the  head  of  seven  hundred  warriors,  boasted  of 
his  own  and  their  attachment  to  the  ancient  belief. 


/■ 


^  Pan[\ 


Handwriting  of  Eliot  and  Gookin. 


A  "  praying  Indian"  named  John  Sassamon,  who  had  been  educated  at  Cambridge,  and 
employed  as  a  teacher,  had  fled  to  Philip  on  account  of  some  misdemeanor,  and  became  a 
sort  of  secretary  to  the  sachem.  Being  persuaded  to  return  to  the  whites,  he  accused  Philip 
of  meditated  treason.  For  this  he  was  waylaid  by  the  savages,  and  slain.  Three  of  Phil- 
ip's men,  suspected  of  the  murder,  were  tried  by  a  jury  of  half  English  and  half  Indians, 
convicted,  and  hanged.  The  evidence  on  which  they  were  convicted  was  slender,  and  the 
Wampanoags  were  greatly  irritated.  Philip  was  cautious  ;  his  warriors  were  impetuous. 
Overruled  by  their  importunities,  and  goaded  by  a  remembrance  of  the  wrongs  and  humili- 
ations he  had  suiFered  from  the  English,''  he  trampled  solemn  treaties  beneath  his  feet,  and 
lighted  the  flame  of  war.  Messengers  were  sent  to  other  tribes,  to  arouse  them  to  co-oper- 
ation, and,  with  all  the  power  of  Indian  eloquence,  Metacoraet  exhorted  his  followers  to 
curse  the  white  men,  and  swear  eternal  hostility  to  the  pale  faces. 

"  Away  !  away  !  I  will  not  hear 

Of  aught  but  death  or  vengeance  now ; 
By  the  eternal  skies  I  swear 
'  My  knee  shall  never  learn  to  bow ! 

I  will  not  hear  a  word  of  peace, 

Nor  clasp  in  friendly  grasp  a  hand 
Link'd  to  the  pale-brow'd  stranger  race, 
That  work  the  ruin  of  our  land. 

his  predecessors  all  lie  in  the  Ministers'  Tomb.  The  commissioners  of  the  Forest  Hills  Cemetery  have 
designated  the  heights  on  its  western  border  as  the  Kliot  Hills,  and  there  the  citizens  of  Roxbury  are  about 
to  erect  a  beautiful  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  apostle. 

Daniel  Gookin,  whose  signature  is  given  above,  was  the  friend  of,  and  a  zealous  co-worker  with,  Mr. 
Eliot.  He  came  to  Virginia,  from  England,  in  1621.  He  went  to  Massachusetts  with  his  family  in  1644, 
and  settled  in  Cambridge.  He  was  soon  called  to  fill  civil  and  military  offices,  and  in  1652  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  Indians.  This  office  he  held  until  his  death,  in  1 687,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
Gookin  wrote  an.  historical  account  of  the  New  England  Indians,  and  was  the  firm  friend  of  the  red  man 
through  life.  His  remains  are  in  the  old  burying-ground  at  Cambridge.  Lieutenant  Gookin  of  our  Rev- 
olutionary army  was  his  lineal  descendant. 

'  Bancroft,  ii.,  94. 

*  In  1671,  Philip  was  suspected  of  secret  plottings  against  the  English,  and,  notwithstanding  his  assev- 
erations to  the  contrary,  was  ordered  to  give  up  his  fire-arras  to  the  whites.  This  was  a  fortunate  occur- 
rence for  the  English  ;  for,  had  the  Indians  possessed  those  arms  in  the  war  that  ensued,  their  defeat  would 
have  been  doubtful. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  66  1 


Philip's  Appeal.  Condition  of  the  IndianB.  Commencement  of  Hostilities.  Canonchet  Mather's  Magnalia, 

"  Before  their  coraing,  we  had  ranged 

Our  forests  and  our  uplands  free ; 
Still  let  us  keep  unsold,  unchanged, 

The  heritage  of  Liberty. 
As  free  as  roll  the  chainless  streams, 

Still  let  us  roam  our  ancient  woods ; 
As  free  as  break  the  morning  beams, 

That  light  our  mountain  solitudes. 

"  Touch  not  the  hand  they  stretch  to  you  ; 

The  falsely-proffer'd  cup  put  by ; 
Will  you  believe  a  coward  true  ? 

Or  taste  the  poison'd  draught,  to  die  ? 
Their  friendship  is  a  lurking  snare ; 

Their  honor  but  an  idle  breath ; 
Their  smile  the  smile  that  traitors  wear ; 

Their  love  is  hate,  their  life  is  death. 

"  And  till  your  last  white  foe  shall  kneel, 
And  in  his  coward  pangs  expire — 
Sleep — but  to  dream  of  brand  and  steel ; 
Wake — but  to  deal  in  blood  and  fire." 

C.  Sherry. 

Although  fierce  and  determined  when  once  aroused,  no  doubt  Philip  was  hurried  into  this 
war  against  his  best  judgnient  and  feelings,  for  his  sagacity  must  have  forewarned  him  of 
failure.  The  English  were  well  armed  and  provisioned  ;  the  Indians  had  few  guns,  and 
their  subsistence  was  precarious.  "  Phrensy  prompted  their  rising.  It  was  but  the  storm 
in  which  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  land  were  to  vanish  away.  They  rose  without  hope, 
and  therefore  they  fought  without  mercy.      For  them  as  a  nation  there  was  no  to-morrow."' 

Bancroft  has  given  a  condensed,  yet  perspicuous  and  brilliant  narrative  of  this  war. 
"The  minds  of  the  English,"  he  says,  "  were  appalled  by  the  horrors  of  the  impending  con- 
flict, and  superstition  indulged  in  its  wild  inventions.  At  the  time  of  the  eclipse  of  the 
moon,  you  might  have  seen  the  figure  of  an  Indian  scalp  imprinted  on  the  center  of  its  disk. 
The  perfect  form  of  an  Indian  bow  appeared  in  the  sky.  The  sighing  of  the  wind  was  like 
the  whistling  of  bullets.  Some  distinctly  heard  invisible  troops  of  horses  gallop  through  the 
air,  while  others  formed  the  prophecy  of  calamities  in  the  howling  of  the  wolves.' 

"  At  the  very  beginning  of  danger,  the  colonists  exerted  their  wonted  energy.  Volunteers 
from  Massachusetts  joined  the  troops  from  Plymouth,  and,  within  a  week  from  the  commence- 
ment of  hostilities,  the  insulated  Pokanokets  were  driven  from  Mount  Hope,  and  January  29, 
in  less  than  a  month  Philip  was  a  fugitive  among  the  Nipmucks,  the  interior  '^^■ 

tribes  of  Massachusetts.  The  little  army  of  the  colonists  then  entered  the  territory  of  the 
Narragansets,  and  from  the  reluctant  tribe  extorted  a  treaty  of  neutrality,  with  a  promise 
to  give  up  every  hostile  Indian.  Victory  seemed  promptly  assured  ;  but  it  was  only  the 
commencement  of  horrors.  Canonchet,  the  chief  sachem  of  the  Narragansets,  was  the  son 
of  Miantonomoh  ;  and  could  he  forget  his  father's  wrongs  ?  And  would  the  tribes  of  New 
England  permit  the  nation  that  had  first  given  a  welcome  to  the  English  to  perish  una- 
venged ?      Desolation  extended  along  the  whole  frontier.      Banished  from  his  patrimony, 

'  Bancroft,  ii.,  101. 

'  Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  ii.,  486,  says,  "  Yea,  and  now  we  speak  of  things  ominous,  we  may 
add,  some  time  before  this  [the  execution  of  three  Indians  for  the  murder  of  Sassamon],  in  a  clear,  still, 
sunshiny  morning,  there  were  divers  persons  in  -Maiden  who  heard  in  the  air,  on  the  southeast  of  them,  a 
fCreat  gun  go  ofT,  and  presently  thereupon  the  report  of  small  guns,  like  musket  shot,  very  thick  discharging, 
as  if  there  had  been  a  battle.  This  was  at  a  time  when  there  was  nothing  visible  done  in  any  part  of  the 
colony  to  occasion  such  noises ;  but  that  which  most  of  all  astonished  them  was  the  flying  of  bullets,  which 
came  singing  over  their  heads  [beetles?  See  page  574,  vol.  i.],  and  seemed  very  near  to  them  ;  after  which 
the  sound  of  drums,  passing  along  westward,  was  very  audible ;  and  on  the  same  day,  in  Plymouth  colony, 
in  several  places,  invisible  troops  of  horse  wore  heard  riding  to  and  fro."  No  credence  is  to  bo  attached 
to  this  book  of  Mather's. 


662  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

.ndian  Method  of  Warfare.  Destruction  of  New  England  Villages.  Terrible  Retaliation  by  the  Whiten. 

where  the  Pilgrims  found  a  friend,  and  from  his  cahin,  which  had  sheltered  the  exiles,  Philip 
and  his  warriors  spread  through  the  country,  arousing  their  brethren  to  a  warfare  of  ex- 
termination. 

"  The  war,  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  was  one  of  ambush  and  surprise.  They  never 
once  met  the  English  in  open  field  ;  but  always,  even  if  eight-fold  in  number,  fled  timor- 
ously before  infantry.  But  they  were  secret  as  beasts  of  prey,  skillful  marksmen,  and  in 
part  provided  with  fire-arms,  fleet  of  foot,  conversant  with  all  the  paths  of  the  forest,  pa- 
tient of  fatigue,  mad  with  passion  for  rapine,  vengeance,  and  destruction,  retreating  into 
swamps  for  their  fastnesses,  or  hiding  in  the  green-wood  thickets,  where  the  leaves  muffled 
the  eyes  of  the  pursuers.  By  the  rapidity  of  their  descent,  they  seemed  omnipotent  among 
the  scattered  villages,  Avhich  they  ravaged  like  a  passing  storm  ;  and  for  a  full  year  they 
kept  all  New  England  in  a  state  of  terror  and  excitement.  The  exploring  party  was  way- 
laid and  cut  off",  and  the  mangled  carcasses  and  disjointed  limbs  of  the  dead  were  hung  upon 
the  trees  to  terrify  pursuers.  The  laborer  in  the  field,  the  reapers  as  they  went  forth  to 
harvest,  men  as  they  went  to  mill,  the  shepherd's  boy  among  the  sheep,  were  shot  down  by 
skulking  foes,  whose  approach  was  invisible.  Who  can  tell  the  heavy  hours  of  woman  ? 
The  mother,  if  left  alone  in  the  house,  feared  the  tomahawk  for  herself  and  children  ;  on  the 
sudden  attack,  the  husband  would  fly  with  one  child,  the  wife  with  another,  and  perhaps 
only  one  escape  ;  the  village  cavalcade,  making  its  way  to  meeting  on  Sunday,  in  files  on 
horseback,  the  farmer  holding  the  bridle  in  one  hand  and  a  child  in  the  other,  his  wife  seated 
on  apillion  behind  him,  it  may  be  Avith  a  child  in  her  lap,  as  was  the  fashion  of  those  days, 
could  not  proceed  safely  ;  but,  at  the  moment  when  least  expected,  bullets  would  whiz  among 
them,  discharged  with  fatal  aim  from  an  ambuscade  by  the  wayside.  The  red  men  hung 
upon  the  skirts  of  the  English  villages  '  like  the  hghtning  on  the  edge  of  the  clouds.' 

"  What  need  of  repeating  the  same  tale  of  horrors  ?  Brookfield  was  set  on 
bSeTemberii  ^^^>^  ^^^  rcscued  Only  to  bc  abandoned.  Deerfield  was  burned. b  Hadley, 
surprised  during  a  time  of  religious  service,'  was  saved  only  by  the  daring  of 
Goffe,  the  regicide,  now  bowed  with  years,  a  heavenly  messenger  of  rescue,  who  darted  from 
his  hiding-place,  rallied  the  disheartened,  and,  having  achieved  a  safe  defense,  sank  away  in 
his  retirement,  to  be  no  more  seen.  The  plains  of  Northfield  were  wet  with  the  blood  of 
» September  23  Beers^-  and  twenty  of  his  valiant  associates.  Lathrop's  company  of  young 
men,  the  very  flower  of  Essex,  culled  out  of  the  towns  of  that  county,  were 
b  September 28.  butchered  ;b  hardly  a  white  man  escaped  ;  and  the  little  stream  whose  chan- 
nel became  red  with  their  life  currents,  is  called  Bloody  Brook  to  this  day." 

The  Narragansets  played  false  to  the  white  men,  and  in  winter  sheltered  the  foe  that 
wasted  their  settlements.  It  was  resolved  to  treat  them  as  enemies,  and  through  the  deep 
snows  of  December,  a  thousand  men,  levied  by  the  united  colonies,  marched  to  the  great  fort 
of  the  tribe.'  Its  feeble  palisades  quickly  yielded,  and  fire  and  sword  soon  "  swept  away 
the  humble  glories  of  the  Narragansets.  Their  winter  stores,  their  wigwams,  and  all  the 
little  comforts  of  savage  life,  were  destroyed  ;  and  more,  their  old  men,  their  women,  their 
babes,  perished  by  hundreds  in  the  fire."'  It  was  a  terrible  blow  for  the  Indians.  Cold, 
hunger,  and  disease  followed,  and  were  the  powerful  allies  of  the  English  in  the  decimation 
of  the  tribe.  Yet  Canonchet  did  not  despair,  and  he  fought  gallantly,  until,  being  taken 
prisoner  by  the  English,  he  was  put  to  death. 

In  the  spring,  the  spirit  of  revenge  and  retaliation  began  its  work.      Weymouth, 
Groton,  Medfield,  Lancaster,  and  Marlborough,  in  Massachusetts,  were  laid  in  ashes  ; 

'  See  page  420,  of  this  vol. 

'  The  fort  was  situated  upon  an  island  containing  four  or  five  acres,  imbosomed  in  a  swamp.  The  island 
was  encompassed  by  high  and  strong  palisades,  with  abatis  outside,  and  there  three  thousand  of  the  Narra- 
gansets were  collected  to  pass  the  winter.  This  swamp  is  a  short  distance  southwest  of  Kingston  village, 
in  the  township  of  Kingston,  Washington  county,  Rhode  Island.  The  Stonington  and  Providence  rail-way 
passes  along  the  northern  verge  of  the  swamp. 

'  Bancroft,  ii.,  105. 


OF    THE    REV^OLUTION.  GG3 


Docimation  of  the  Indians.  Strifes  among  them.  Philip  a  Fugitive.  His  Death.  His  Son.  Captain  Church. 

Warwick  and  Providence,  in  Rhode  Island,  were  burned  ;  and  every  where  the  isolated 
dwellings  of  adventurous  settlers  were  laid  waste.  But  as  the  season  advanced,  and  more 
remote  tribes  came  not  to  re-enforce  them,  the  Indians,  wasted  and  dispirited,  abandoned  all 
hopes  of  success.  Strifes  arose  among  them.  The  Connecticut  Indians  charged  their  mis- 
fortunes upon  Philip,  and  so  did  the  Narragansets.  The  cords  of  alliance  were  severed. 
Some  surrendered  to  avoid  starvation  ;  other  tribes  wandered  off  and  joined  those  of  Canada; 
while  Captain  Church,  the  most  famous  of  the  English  partisan  warriors,  went  out  to  hunt 
and  destroy  the  fugitives.'  During  the  year,  between  two  and  three  thousand  Indians  were 
killed  or  submitted.  Philip  was  chased  from  one  hiding-place  to  another  ;  and  although  he 
had  vainly  sought  the  aid  of  the  Mohawks,  and  knew  that  hope  was  at  an  end,  his  proud 
spirit  would  not  listen  to  words  of  peace ;  he  cleft  the  head  of  a  warrior  who  ventured  to 
propose  it.  At  length,  after  an  absence  of  a  year,  he  resolved,  as  it  were,  to  meet  his  des- 
tiny. He  returned  to  the  beautiful  land  where  his  forefathers  slept,  the  cradle  of  August, 
his  infancy,  and  the  nestling-place  of  his  tribe.  Once  he  escaped  narrowly,  leaving  ^^^ 
his  wife  and  only  son  prisoners.  This  bereavement  crushed  him.  "  My  heart  breaks," 
cried  the  chieftain,  in  the  agony  of  his  grief;  "now  I  am  ready  to  die."  His  own  follow- 
ers now  began  to  plot  against  him,  to  make  better  terms  for  themselves.  In  a  few  days  he 
was  shot  by  a  faithless  Indian,  and  Captain  Church  cut  off  his  head  with  his  own  sword. 
The  captive  orphan  was  transported  to  an  island  of  the  ocean.  So  perished  the  princes  of 
the  Pokanokets.  Sad  to  them  had  been  their  acquaintance  with  civilization.  The  first 
ship  that  came  on  their  coast  kidnapped  men  of  their  kindred  ;  and  now  the  harmless  boy, 
who  had  been  cherished  as  an  only  child  and  the  future  sachem  of  their  tribes — the  last  of 
the  family  of  Massasoit — was  sold  into  bondage,  to  toil  as.  a  slave  under  the  suns  of  Ber- 
muda.' Of  the  once  prosperous  Narragansets  of  old,  the  chief  tribe  of  New  England,  hardly 
one  hundred  remained.  The  sword,  famine,  fire,  "and  sickness  had  swept  them  from  the 
earth.  "  During  the  whole  war  the  Mohegans  remained  faithful  to  the  English,  and  not 
a  drop  of  blood  was  shed  on  the  happy  soil  of  Connecticut.  So  much  the  greater  was  the 
loss  in  the  adjacent  colonies.  Twelve  or  thirteen  towns  were  destroyed.  The  disbursements 
and  losses  equaled  in  value  half  a  million  of  dollars — an  enormous  sum  for  the  few  of  that 
day.  More  than  six  hundred  men,  chiefly  young  men,  the  flower  of  the  country,  of  whom 
any  mother  might  have  been  proud,  perished  in  the  field.  As  many  as  six  hundred  houses 
were  burned.  Of  the  able-bodied  men  in  the  colony,  one  in  twenty  had  fallen  ;  and  one 
family  in  twenty  had  been  burned  out.      The  loss  of  lives  and  property  was,  in  proportion 

'  Benjamin  Church  wa.s  born  at  Duxbury,  in  1639.  He  was  the  first  white  settler  at  Seaconnct,  oi 
Little  Conipton.  He  was  the  most  active  and  noted  combatant  of  the  Indians  durinf^  Kinnj  Philip's  war, 
and  when  Philip  was  slain,  Church  cut  ofThis  head  with  his  own  hands.  The  sword  with  which  he  per- 
formed the  act  is  in  the  cabinet  of  the  ]\Tassachusetts  Historical  Society  (see  page  562,  ante).  In  1689, 
Church  was  commissioned  by  President  Hincklej',  of  Plymouth,  and  the  governors  of  Maine  and  Ma.ssachu- 
setts,  commander-in-chief  of  a  force  sent  against  the  Eastern  Indians.  He  continued  making  expeditions 
against  them  until  1704.  In  his  old  age  he  was  corpulent.  A  fall  from  his  horse  was  the  cause  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  at  Little  Compton,  January  17,  1718,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  Under  his 
direction  his  son  prepared  a  history  of  the  Indian  wars,  which  was  published  in  1716. 

^  The  disposal  of  this  child  was  a  subject  of  much  deliberation.  Several  of  the  elders  were  urgent  to  put 
him  to  death.  It  was  finally  resolved  to  be  merciful,  and  send  him  to  Bermuda,  to  be  sold  into  slavery. 
Such  was  the  fate  of  many  Indians,  a  fate  to  them  worse  than  death.  During  the  war  the  frovernment  of 
Plymouth  gave  thirty  shillings  for  every  head  of  an  Indian  killed  in  battle,  and  Philip's  brought  the  same 
price.  Their  living  bodies  bronjrht  a  hii^h  price  in  Bermuda,  and  probably  more  living  Indian  heads  went 
thither  than  dead  ones  to  the  market  at  Plymouth.  Witamo,  the  squaw  sachem  of  Pocassct,  shared  in  the 
disasters  of  Philip.  She  was  drowned  while  crossing  a  river  in  her  flitrht.  Her  body  was  recovered,  and 
the  head  cut  ofTand  stuck  upon  a  pole  at  Taunton,  amid  the  jeers  of  the  whites  and  the  tears  of  the  cap- 
tive Indians.  The  body  of  Philip  was  beheaded  and  quartered,  according  to  the  sentence  of  the  English 
law  ap^ainst  traitors.  One  of  his  hands  was  given  to  the  Indian  who  had  shot  him,  and  on  the  day  appointed 
for  a  public  thanksgiving,  his  head  was  carried  in  triumph  into  Plymouth.  What  a  mockery  of  Christian- 
ity!  Men,  guilty  of  gross  injustice  to  a  race  that  had  befriended  thcni,  lifting  their  hands  toward  heaven 
reeking  with  the  blood  of  those  they  had  injured,  and  singing  Tc  Dcum  Latidamus,  or  praising  God  for  his 
providential  care !  No  Providence  for  the  poor  Indian,  because  he  had  neither  cunning,  skill,  nor  gun- 
powder ! 


G64  PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


SuflFerings  of  the  ColonietJ.  A  Happy  Change.  Capture  of  the  Pigot  by  Talbot 

to  numbers,  as  distressing  as  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  There  was  scarce  a  family  from 
which  Death  had  not  selected  a  victim.'"  Thus  ended  the  first  general  Indian  war  in  New 
England.  Righteousness,  sitting  upon  the  throne  of  judgment,  has  long  since  decided  the 
question  of  equity  ;  and  we,  viewing  the  scene  at  a  distance,  can  not  fail  to  discern  the  true 
verdict  against  the  avaricious  white  man. 

Those  dark  days  of  distress  and  crime  are  passed  away  forever.  The  splendors  of  an  Oc- 
tober sun,  which  then  shed  a  radiance  over  the  forests  and  the  waters,  beautiful  as  now,  no 
longer  light  up  the  ambuscade  of  the  red  men,  or  the  hiding-places  of  the  pale-faces  lurking 
for  blood.  From  the  bald  eminence  on  which  I  stand,  the  land  of  Philip  and  Canonchet, 
of  Witamo  and  Miantonomoh,  and  the  broad  waters  where  they  sported  in  peace,  are  spread 
out  to  the  eye  beautiful  as  the  "  Happy  Valley,"  and  upon  the  whole  domain  rest  the  be- 
neficent influences  of  love,  harmony,  righteousness,  and  peace.  Let  us,  then,  endeavor  to 
forget  the  gloomy  past,  and  leave  upon  memory  only  the  bright  vision  of  the  present. 

The  vision  was  bright  indeed,  but  it  was  the  sheen  of  the  glacier.  The  unclouded  sun 
and  the  uncurbed  north  wind  wrestled  for  the  mastery.  The  latter  was  the  victor,  and, 
until  I  was  warmed  at  the  table  of  Mr.  Anthony,  I  could  not  fully  comprehend  the  charms 
which  I  had  beheld  while  half  frozen  among  the  mounds  of  the  old  fortress  on  the  hill. 

I  returned  to  Newport  by  the  way  of  Vaucluse,  on  the  eastern  road,  where  I  sketched 
the  great  sycamore  pictured  on  page  653,  which  is  standing  upon  the  bank  of  the  Seaconnet 
or  Eastern  Channel.  Near  the  mouth  of  this  passage,  a  little  below  Vaucluse,  occurred  one 
of  those  events,  characterized  by  skill  and  personal  bravery,  which  make  up  a  large  portion 
of  the  history  of  our  war  for  independence.  In  order  to  close  up  this  channel,  when  the 
French  fleet  appeared  ofl"  Newport,  the  British  converted  a  strong  vessel  of  two  hundred 
tuns  into  a  galley,  and  named  it  Pigot,  in  honor  of  the  commander  on  Rhode  Island.  Its 
upper  deck  was  removed,  and  on  its  lower  deck  were  placed  twelve  eight-pounders,  which 
belonged  to  the  Flora,  that  was  sunk  in  Newport  harbor,  and  also  ten  swivels.  Thus 
armed,  she  was  a  formidable  floating  battery.  Major  Silas  Talbot,  whose  exploits  had  al- 
ready won  the  expressed  approbation  of  Congress,  proposed  an  expedition  to  capture  or  de- 
stroy this  vessel,  for  it  efiectually  broke  up  the  local  trade  of  that  section.  General  Sulli- 
van regarded  his  scheme  as  impracticable,  but  finally  consented  to  give  Talbot  permission  to 
make  the  attempt.  A  draft  of  men  for  the  purpose  was  allowed,  and  with  sixty  resolute 
patriots,  Talbot  sailed  from  Providence  in  a  coasting  sloop  called  the  Hawk,  which  he  had 
fitted  out  for  the  purpose.  Armed  with  only  three  three-]jounders,  besides  the  small  arms 
of  his  men,  he  sailed  by  the  British  forts  at  Bristol  Ferry,  and  anchored  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  Pigot.  Procuring  a  horse  on  shore,  he  rode  down  the  east  bank  and  reconnoitered. 
The  galley  presented  a  formidable  appearance,  yet  the  major  was  not  daunted.  At  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  favored  with  a  fair  wind,  and  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Helm,  of 
Rhode  Island,  and  a  small  re-enforcement,  Talbot  hoisted  the  anchor  of  the  Hawk,  and  with 
a  kedge-anchor  lashed  to  the  jib-boom  to  tear  the  nettings  of  the  Pigot,  he  bore  down  upon 
that  vessel.  It  was  a  very  dark  night  in  October.  Under  bare  poles  he  drifted  past 
Fog] and  Ferry  fort  without  being  discovered,  when  he  hoisted  sail  and  ran  partly  un- 
der the  stern  of  the  galley.  The  sentinels  hailed  him,  but,  returning  no  answer,  a  volley 
of  musketry  was  discharged  at  the  Haivk  without  effect.  The  anchor  tore  the  nettings  and 
grappled  the  fore-shrouds  of  the  Pigot,  enabling  the  assailants  to  make  a  free  passage  to  her 
deck.  With  loud  shouts,  the  Americans  ])oured  from  the  Haiok,  and  drove  every  man  of 
the  Pigot  into  the  hold,  except  the  commander,  who  fought  desperately  alone,  with  no  other 
mail  than  shirt  and  drawers,  until  he  perceived  that  resistance  was  useless.  The  Pigot  was 
.surrendered,  with  the  officers  and  crew.  Her  cables  were  coiled  over  the  hatchways,  to  se- 
cure the  prisoners  below,  and,  weighing  anchor,  Talbot,  with  his  prize,  entered  the  harbor 
of  Stonington  the  next  day.  This  bold  adventure  was  greatly  applauded,  and,  on  the  1 4th 
of  November  following,  Congress  complimented  Talbot  and  his  men,  and  presented  him  with 

»  Bancroft,  ii.,  108,  109. 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


665 


Promotion  of  Talbot. 


Departure  from  Njwport. 


Adieu  to  New  England. 


Halltck'a  "  Connecticut" 


a  commission  of  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  army  of  the  United  States.' 
transferred  to  the  navy,  in  which  service  we  shall  meet  him  again. 
I  reached  Newport  at  four  o'clock,  and  at  sunset  was  on  board 
the  Etupire  State,  a  noble  Sound  steam-boat  (which  was  partially 
destroyed  by  fire  a  few  weeks  afterward),  bound  for  New  York. 
We  passed  old  Fort  Canonicut  and  Fort  Adams,  and  out  of  the 
harbor  at  twilight ;  and  at  dark,  leaving  the  Beaver-tail  light  be- 
hind, we  were  breasting  the  moon-lit  waves  of  the  ocean  toward 
Point  Judith.  I  now  bade  a  final  adieu  to  New  England,  to  visit 
other  scenes  hallowed  by  the  struggle  of  our  fathers  for  liberty. 
Often  since  has  the  recollection  of  my  visit  there  come  up  in  mem- 
ory like  a  pleasant  dream  ;  and  never  can  I  forget  the  universal 
kindness  which  I  received  during  my  brief  tarry  among  the  people 
of  the  East. 

"  They  love  their  land  because  it  is  their  own, 
And  scorn  to  give  aught  other  reason  why, 

Would  shake  hands  with  a  king  upon  his  throne, 
And  think  it  kindness  to  his  majesty ; 

A  stubborn  race,  fearing  and  flattering  none. 
Such  are  they  nurtured,  such  they  live  and  die, 

All,  but  a  few  apostates,  who  are  meddling 

With  merchandise,  pounds,  shillings,  pence,  and  peddling ; 

"  Or,  wandering  through  the  Southern  countries,  teaching 
The  ABC  from  Webster's  spelling-book ; 

Gallant  and  godly,  making  love  and  preaching. 
And  gaining,  by  what  they  call  '  hook  and  crook,' 

And  what  the  moralists  call  overreaching, 
A  decent  living.     The  Virginians  look 

Upon  them  with  as  favorable  eyes 

As  Gabriel  on  the  Devil  in  Paradise. 

"  But  these  are  but  their  outcasts.     View  them  near, 
At  home,  where  all  their  worth  and  pride  are  placed ; 
And  there  their  hospitable  fires  burn  clear, 

And  there  the  lowliest  farm-house  hearth  is  graced 
With  manly  hearts;  in  piety  sincere; 

Faithful  in  love,  in  honor  stern  and  chaste, 
In  friendship  warm  and  true,  in  danger  brave, 
Beloved  in  life,  and  sainted  in  the  grave." 

Halleck's  "Connecticut." 


He  was  afterward 


Canonicut,  or  Duuplinos 
Fort 


^  See  Tuckerraan's  Life  of  Talbot ;  Journals  of  Congress,  iv.,  471. 


666  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  Hudson  Highlands.  Newburgh.  The  Indian  Summer. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

"  By  wooded  bluff  we  steal,  by  leaning  lawn, 
By  palace,  village,  cot,  a  sweet  surprise 
At  every  turn  the  vision  breaks  upon ; 
Till  to  our  wondering  and  uplifted  eyes 
The  Highland  rocks  and  hills  in  solemn  grandeur  rise. 

"  Nor  clouds  in  heaven,  nor  billows  in  the  deep, 
More  graceful  shapes  did  ever  heave  or  roll ; 
Nor  came  such  pictures  to  a  painter's  sleep, 
Nor  beam'd  such  visions  on  a  poet's  soul ! 
The  pent-up  flood,  impatient  of  control. 

In  ages  past  here  broke  its  granite  bound, 
Then  to  the  sea  in  broad  meanders  stole. 

While  ponderous  ruin  strew'd  the  broken  ground, 
And  these  gigantic  hills  forever  closed  around." 

Theodore  S.  Fay. 

VERY  place  made  memorable  by  Revolutionary  events  has  an  interest 
^^      in  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  American,  and  claims  the  homage  of  re- 
•'       gard  from  the  lover  of  freedom,  wheresoever  he  may  have  inspired  his 
first  breath.      But  there  are  a  kw  localities  so  thickly  clustered  with  asso- 
ciations of  deep  interest,  that  they  appear  like  fuglemen  in  the  march  of 
,    events  which  attract  the  historian's  notice.     Prominent  among  these  are  the 
'J  Highlands,  upon  the  Hudson,  from  Haverstraw  to  Newburgh,  the  scenes  of 
^     councils,  battles,  sieges,  triumphs  and  treason,  in  all  of  which  seemed  to  be 
Ts  involved  for  the  moment,  the  fate  of  American  liberty.      Thitherward  I  journeyed 
at  the  commencement  of  our  beautiful  Indian  summer,*  the  season 

f^  "  When  first  the  frost 

Turns  into  beauty  all  October's  charms ; 
When  the  dread  fever  quits  us ;  when  the  storms 
Of  the  wild  equinox,  with  all  its  wet. 
Has  left  the  land  as  the  first  deluge  left  it. 
With  a  bright  bow  of  many  colors  hung 
Upon  the  forest  tops," 

Brainerd. 

and  rambled  for  a  week  among  those  ancient  hills  and  the  historic  grounds  adjacent.  I  ar- 
rived at  Newburgh  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  October.  The  town  is  pleasantly 
situated  upon  the  steep  western  bank  of  the  Hudson,  sixty  miles  from  New  York,  and 
in  the  midst  of  some  of  the  finest  scenery  in  the  world,  enhanced  in  interest  to  the  student 
of  history  by  the  associations  which  hallow  it.  In  the  southern  suburbs  of  the  village,  on 
the  brow  of  the  hill,  stands  the  gray  old  fabric  called  "  The  Hasbrouck  House,"  memorable 

'  The  week  or  ten  days  of  warm,  balmy  weather  in  autumn,  immediately  preceding  the  advent  of  winter 
storms,  when,  as  Irving  says  of  Sleepy  Hollow,  a  "  drowsy,  dreamy  influence  seems  to  hang  over  the  land 
and  pervade  the  very  atmosphere,"  appears  to  be  peculiar  to  the  United  States,  and  has  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  travelers  and  philosophers.  It  is  called  Indian  summer^  because  it  occurs  at  a  season  when  the 
natives  gathered  in  their  crops  of  maize  or  Indian  corn.  The  atmosphere  is  smoky,  and  so  mellows  the 
sunlight  that  every  object  wears  the  livery  of  repose,  like  the  landscapes  of  Southern  Italy.  The  cause  of 
ihe  warmth  and  other  peculiarities  of  this  season  is  an  unexplained  question.  It  is  the  season  when  the 
fallen  leaves  of  our  vast  forests  begin  to  decay.  As  decadence  is  slow  combustion,  may  not  the  heat  evolved 
in  the  process  produce  the  effects  noticed  ? 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


667 


The  "  Hasbrouck  House"  and  Viciuity.      Ita  interior  construction.       Purchased  by  tifi  State.       Cereraonica  at  its  Dedication. 

as  the  head-quarters  of  Washington  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution.  From  the  rickety  pi- 
azza or  stoop  on  the  riv- 
er front  may  be  seen  the 
historic  grounds  of  Fish- 
kill,  New  Windsor,  Plumb 
Point,  Pollopel's  Island, 
and  the  Beacon  Hills ; 
and  through  the  mighty 
gateway  in  the  Highlands, 
whose  posts  are  Break- 
neck and  Butter  Hills, 
in  altitude  fifteen  hund- 
red feet,  appear  glimpses 
of  distant  West  Point 
and  the  amphitheater  of 
mountains  which  surround 
it.  Let  us  take  a  peep 
within  the  venerable  mansion  ;  and  as  the  morning  sun  is  shining  pleasantly  upon  the 
porch,  we  will  there  sit  down,  and  glance  over  the  pages  of  the  old  clasped  volume,  the  vade 
mecum  and  Mentor  of  our  journey. 

The  front  door  opens  into  a  large  square  room,  which  was  used  by  Washington  for  his 
public  audiences,  and  as  a  dining  hall.  It  is  remarkable  for  the  fact  that  it  has  seven  doors, 
and  only  one  window.  Of  the  two  doors  on  the  left  in  the  picture,  the  nearest  one  to  true 
spectator  was  the  entrance  to  the  chief's  sitting-room ;  the  other,  to  his  bed-room.  There 
is  no  plaster  ceiling  above  ;  the  heavy  beams,  nine  inches  wide  and  fourteen  deep,  com- 
pletely exposed,  give  it  a  strong  as  well  as  antique  appearance.      Properly  taken  care  «f, 


Washington's  Hkad-quarteks  at  Newbubgh.' 


'  This  view  is  from  the  northeast,  comprising  the  north  gable  and  east  or  river  front.  The  house  is  sub- 
stantially built  of  stone,  and  is  now  (1850)  just  one  hundred  years  old.  This  remark  applies  only  to  the 
portion  containing  the  large  room  with  seven  doors,  and  the  two  bed-rooms  on  the  north  of  it.  This  portion 
was  built  in  1750.  Afterward  a  kitchen  was  built  on  the  south  end,  and  in  1770  an  addition  was  made  to 
it,  on  the  west  side,  of  the  same  length  and  height  of  the  old  part.  The  dates  of  the  first  and  last  additions 
are  cut  in  the  stones  of  the  building.  The  fire-place  in  the  large  room  is  very  spacious,  "in  which,"  says 
Mr.  Eager,  "a  small  bullock  might  have  been  turned  upon  a  spit."*  The  house  has  been  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Hasbrouck  family  (one  of  the  oldest  of  the  Huguenot  families  in  the  county)  from  the  time  of  its 
erection  until  recently,  when  it  was  purchased  by  the  State  of  New  York  for  the  purpose  of  preserving  it 
as  a  relic  of  the  Revolution.  It  is  placed  in  charge  of  the  trustees  of  the  village  of  Newburgh,  who  are  re- 
quired to  expend  a  certain  amount  in  repairs,  ornamenting  the  grounds,  &c.  The  family  residinor  in  the 
house  is  employed  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  and  attending  visitors.  The  house  has  been  thoroughly 
repaired  since  the  above  sketch  was  made,  under  the  direction  of  an  advisory  committee  for  its  restoration 
and  the  embellishment  of  the  grounds.  Some  of  the  modern  alterations  within  have  been  changed,  and  the 
whole  appearance  of  the  edifice  is  now  as  much  like  that  of  the  era  of  the  Revolution  as  it  is  possible  to 
make  it.  Interesting  ceremonies  were  had  upon  the  occasion  of  its  dedication,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1850. 
There  was  a  civic  and  military  procession.  The  ceremonies  on  the  green  before  the  house  were  opened 
with  prayer  by  Reverend  Doctor  Johnson,  and  an  address  by  J.  J.  Monell,  Esq.,  of  Newburgh.  While  a 
choir  was  singing  the  following  last  stanza  of  a  beautiful  ode,  written  by  Mis.  Monell, 

"  With  a  prayer  your  faith  expressing, 
Raise  our  country's  flag  on  high ; 
Here,  where  rests  a  nation's  blessing, 
Stars  and  stripes  shall  float  for  ayet 

Mutely  telling 
Stirring  tales  of  days  gone  by," 

major-general  Scott,  who  was  present,  hoisted  the  American  flag  upon  a  lofty  staff  erected  near.  The 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  read  by  Honorable  F.  J.  Belts,  after  which  Honorable  J.  W.  Edmonds 
pronounced  an  oration,  marked  by  evidences  of  much  historic  research.  Henceforth  this  venerated  relic  be- 
longs to  the  people  of  New  York ;  and  doubtless  its  cabinet  of  Revolutionary  remains,  already  begun,  will 
be  augmented  by  frequent  donations,  until  a  museum  of  rare  interest  shall  be  collected  there. 


*  HUtory  of  Orange  County. 


G63 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Washington's  Dining-hall. 


Anecdote  concerning  it 


Lady  Washington's  Gardening. 


Settlement  of  Newburgh. 


this  relic  of  the  Revolution  may  remain  another  century.     The  timbers  are  sound,  the  walls 
massive,  and  the  roof  and  weather-boards  were  well  preserved. 


1783, 


The  Dining-hall,  or  Room  with  Seven  Doors.' 


Lady  Washington  was  a  resident  of  the  "Hasbrouck  House"  during  the  summer  of  1783, 
and,  in  gratification  of  her  taste  for  gardening,  a  large  space  in  front  of  the  house  was  culti- 
vated by  her.  Mr.  Eager,  the  historian  of  Orange  county,  informed  me  that  within  his  re- 
membrance the  brick  borders  of  her  flower-beds  remained.  Washington,  with  his  lady,  left 
there  about  the  middle  of  August,  to  attend  upon  Congress,  then  in  session  at  Prince- 
ton, New  Jersey,  leaving  the  portion  of  the  Continental  army  then  in  service  under 
the  command  of  General  Knox.  The  commander-in-chief  did  not  return  to  Newburgh,  but 
made  his  head-quarters,  for  a  few  days  in  November,  at  West  Point,  from  whence  he  re- 
November  25      paired  to  New  York  and  took  possession  of  that  city  on  its  evacuation  by  the 

1783.  British  troops. 

Orange  county  was  among  the  first  settled  portions  of  the  State  of  New  York.  It  was 
organized  in  1683  ;  its  name  was  given  in  honor  of  William,  prince  of  Orange,  afterward 
King  of  England.  The  first  permanent  settlers  in  the  county  were  Germans,  and  their 
original  location  was  in  the  present  town  of  Newburgh,  at  a  place  called  by  the  Indians 
Quassaic,  on  a  creek  of  that  name,  a  little  below  the  village.  They  obtained  a  patent  from 
Queen  Anne,  in  1719,  for  twenty-one  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  extending  north  from  the 
Quassaic  Creek,  and  proceeded  to  lay  out  a  village  which  they  called  New  Burgh  or  New 

1  In  the  December  number  of  the  New  York  Mirror  for  1834,  is  an  interesting  account  of  this  old  build- 
ing, by  Gulian  C.  Verplanck,  Esq.  He  relates  the  following  anecdote  connected  with  this  room,  which  he 
received  from  Colonel  Nicholas  Fish,  father  of  the  late  governor  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Just  before 
La  Fayette's  death,  himself  and  the  American  minister,  with  several  of  his  countrj'men,  were  invited  to  dine 
at  the  house  of  that  distinguished  Frenchman,  Marbois,  who  was  the  French  secretary  of  legation  here  dur- 
mg  the  Revolution.  At  the  supper  hour  the  company  were  shown  into  a  room  which  contrasted  quite  oddly 
with  the  Parisian  elegance  of  the  other  apartments  where  they  had  spent  the  evening.  A  low  boarded, 
painted  ceiling,  with  large  beams,  a  single  small,  uncurtained  window,  with  numerous  small  doors,  as  well 
as  the  general  style  of  the  whole,  gave,  at  first,  the  idea  of  the  kitchen,  or  largest  room  of  a  Dutch  or  Bel- 
gian farm-house.  On  a  long  rough  table  was  a  repast,  just  as  little  in  keeping  with  the  refined  kitchens  of 
Paris  as  the  room  was  with  its  architecture.  It  consisted  of  a  large  dish  of  meat,  uncouth-looking  pastry, 
and  wine  in  decanters  and  bottles,  accompanied  by  glasses  and  silver  mugs,  such  as  indicated  other  habits 
and  tastes  than  those  of  modern  Paris.  "  Do  you  know  where  we  now  are  ?"  said  the  host  to  La  Fayette 
and  his  companions.  They  paused  for  a  few  minutes  in  surprise.  They  had  seen  something  like  this  be- 
fore, but  when  and  where  ?  "  Ah !  the  seven  doors  and  one  window,"  said  La  Fayette,  "  and  the  silver 
camp-goblets,  such  as  the  marshals  of  France  used  in  my  youth  !  We  are  at  Washington's  head-quarters 
on  the  Hudson,  fifty  years  ago!" 

The  view  here  given  is  from  the  west  door  of  the  dining-hall,  looking  out  of  the  east  door  upon  the  Hud- 
son, the  green  fields  of  Fishkill,  and  the  North  Beacon  of  the  Highlands,  whereon  the  Americans  lighted 
watch-fires  when  occasion  demanded  it.  The  fire-place  on  the  right  is  within  the  area  of  the  room,  having 
a  heavy  hewn  stone  for  a  back-log.  The  visitor  may  stand  there,  and  look  up  the  broad-mouthed  chimney 
to  the  sky  above. 


I 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  669 


First  Settlements  in  Orange  County.  Indian  Wars.  Sufferings  of  the  Ppople.  Attack  on  Minisink. 

Town.  Five  hundred  acres  were  reserved  as  glebe  land,  and  under  favorable  auspices  the 
village  of  Newburgh  was  founded.  The  Germans  in  time  became  dissatisfied,  sold  out  their 
patent  and  dispersed,  some  going  to  Pennsylvania,  and  others  to  the  Mohawk  country.  Some 
English,  Irish,  New  Englanders,  and  a  few  Huguenots  from  Ulster  filled  their  places,  and 
flourishing  settlements  were  soon  planted  along  the  river,  or  upon  the  rich  bottoms  of  the 
water-courses.  They  also  spread  interiorly,  and  Goshen,  IMinisink,  Wawarsing,  and  other 
thriving  towns  started  up  in  the  midst  of  the  rod  men.  The  ante-revolutionary  history  of 
this  section  of  the  state  is  full  of  stirring  incidents,  for  the  wily  Indian,  properly  suspicious 
of  the  pale  faces,  was  ever  on  the  alert  to  do  them  damage  ;  and  the  privations,  alarms, 
and  sufferings  of  those  who  opened  the  fertile  bosom  of  the  country  to  the  sun  and  rain,  and 
spread  broad  acres  of  cultivation  where  the  deer  grazed  in  shady  solitudes,  compose  a  web 
of  romance  wonderful  indeed.  And  when  the  Revolution  broke  out,  and  the  savages  of  the 
Mohawk  Valley  and  of  Western  New  York  were  let  loose  upon  the  remote  settlements,  the 
people  of  Orange  county  were  intense  sufFerers,  particularly  those  upon  its  frontier  settle- 
ments, in  the  direction  of  the  wilderness.  The  Tories  and  their  savage  associates  spread 
terror  in  every  direction,  and  in  Wawarsing  and  vicinity  many  patriots  and  their  families 
were  the  victims  of  ambuscade  or  open  atlaqk.  But  I  will  not  repeat  a  tale  of  horror  such 
as  we  have  already  considered  in  viewing  the  history  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  The  atroci- 
ties committed  in  Orange  county  were  but  a  counterpart  in  character  and  horror  of  the  for- 
mer.' Strong  houses  were  barricaded  and  used  as  forts  ;  the  people  went  armed  by  day, 
and  slept  armed  at  night ;  and  almost  hourly  murder  and  rapine  stalked  boldly  abroad.  It 
was  a  time  of  darkest  misery  ;  and  not  until  the  Indian  power  of  the  West  was  broken,  and 
the  Tories  failed  to  receive  their  aid,  was  the  district  blessed  with  quiet. 

The  invasion  of  Minisink,"  alluded  to  in  a  former  chapter,  was  one  of  those  prominent 
links  in  the  chain  of  Indian  and  Tory  depredations,  that  I  may  not  pass  it  over  with  only 
brief  mention.  Here  let  us  consider  it.  There  were  very  few  engaged  in  the  battle  that 
ensued,  yet  that  few  fought  with  wonderful  valor,  and  suffered  a  terrible  slaughter. 

Count  Pulaski  and  his  legion  of  cavalry  were  stationed,  during  a  part  of  the  winter  of 
1778—9,  at  Minisink.  In  February,  he  was  ordered  to  South  Carolina,  to  join  the  army 
under  Lincoln.  The  settlement  Avas  thus  left  wholly  unprotected,  which  being  perceived 
by  Brant,  the  accomplished  Mohawk  warrior,  he  resolved  to  make  a  descent  upon  it.  Dur- 
ing the  night  of  the  19th  of  July,  at  the  head  of  sixty  Indians,  and  twenty-seven  Tories 
disguised  as  savages,  he  stole  upon  the  little  town,  and  before  the  people  Avere  aroused 
from  their  slumbers  he  had  fired  several  dwellings.  With  no  means  for  defense,  the  inhab- 
itants sought  safety  in  flight  to  the  mountains,  leaving  their  pretty  village  and  all  their 
worldly  goods  a  spoil  to  the  invaders.  Their  small  stockade  fort,  a  mill,  and  twelve  houses 
and  barns  were  burned,  several  persons  were  killed,  some  taken  prisoners,  the  orchards  and 
plantations  were  laid  waste,  cattle  were  driven  away,  and  booty  of  every  kind  was  carried 
to  Grassy  Brook,  on  the  DelaAvare,  a  few  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Lackawaxen,  where 
the  chief  had  left  the  main  body  of  his  warriors.  When  intelligence  of  this  invasion  reached 
Goshen,  Doctor  Tusten,  colonel  of  the  local  militia,  issued  orders  to  the  officers  of  his  regi- 
ment to  meet  him  at  Minisink  the  next  day,  with  as  many  volunteers  as  they  could  muster. 
The  call  was  promptly  responded  to,  and  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  hardy  men  were  gath- 
ered around  Tusten  the  following  morning.  Many  of  these  were  principal  gentlemen  of  the 
vicinity.      A  council  was  held,  and  it  was  unanimously  determined  to  pursue  the  invaders. 

'  For  details  of  the  trials  of  the  settlers,  and  the  atrocities  committed  by  the  Indians  and  Tories  in  this 
section,  see  a  pamphlet  published  at  Rondout,  entitled  "  The  Indians  ;  or,  Narratives  of  Massacres,  S^c, 
in  Wawarsing  and  its  Vicinity  during  the  American  Rcvolution.^^ 

'  Minisink  was  one  of  the  most  ancient  settlements  in  Orange  county.  It  was  in  existence  as  a  white 
settlement  £is  early  as  1669,  when  a  severe  battle  was  fought  with  the  Indians  on  the  22d  of  July,  ninety 
years,  to  a  day,  previous  to  the  conflict  in  question.  From  that  time  until  the  Revolution  it  was  often  the 
scene  of  strife  with  the  red  men,  and  almost  every  dell,  and  rock,  and  ancient  tree  has  its  local  tradition. 
The  place  of  the  ancient  settlement  is  situated  about  ten  miles  northwest  of  Goshen,  among  the  Shawaa- 
gnnk  Mountains,  between  the  Wallkill  and  the  Navasink  Valleys. 


070  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Intemperate  zeal  of  the  Volunteers.  Unwise  Decision.  Battle  of  Minisink.  Its  Location.  The  Massacra 

Colonel  Tusten,  who  well  knew  the  skill,  prowess,  caution,  and  craftiness  of  Brant,  opposed 
the  measure,  as  a  hazardous  undertaking  with  so  small  a  force.  He  was  overruled,  and  the 
debates  of  the  council  were  cut  short  by  Major  Meeker,  who  mounted  his  horse,  flourished 
his  sword,  and  shouted,  "  Let  the  brave  men  follow  me  ;  the  coivards  may  stay  behind  I" 
These  words  ignited  the  assembly,  and  the  line  of  march  was  immediately  formed.  They 
traveled  seventeen  miles,  and  then  encamped  for  the  night.  The  next  morning.  Colonel 
Hathorn,  of  the  Warwick  militia,  with  a  small  re-enforcement,  joined  them.  He  was  Tus- 
ten's  senior  officer,  and  took  the  command.  They  resumed  their  march  at  sunrise,  and  at 
Half-way  Brook  came  upon  the  Indian  encampment  of  the  previous  night ;  the  smoldering 
watch-fires  were  still  smoking.  The  number  of  these  fires  indicated  a  large  savage  force, 
and  the  two  colonels,  with  the  more  prudent  of  the  company,  advocated,  in  council,  a  return, 
rather  than  further  pursuit.  But  excited  bravado  overcame  prudence,  and  a  large  majority 
determined  to  pursue  the  Indians  ;   the  minority  yielded,  and  the  march  was  resumed. 

A  scouting  party,  under  Captain  Tyler,  was  sent  forward  upon  the  Indian  trail.  The 
pursuers  were  discovered,  and  a  bullet  from  an  unseen  foe  slew  the  captain.  There  was 
momentary  alarm  ;  but  the  volunteers  pressed  eagerly  onward,  and  at  nine  in  the  mornin" 
they  hovered  upon  the  high  hills  overlooking  the  Delaware  near  the  mouth  of  the  Lacka- 
waxen.  The  enemy  were  in  full  view  below,  marching  in  the  direction  of  a  fording-place. 
Hathorn  determined  to  intercept  them  there,  and  disposed  his  men  accordingly.  The  inter- 
vening hills  hid  the  belligerents  from  each  other.  Brant  had  watched  the  movements  of 
his  pursuers,  and  comprehending  Ilathorn's  design,  he  wheeled  his  column,  and  thridding 
a  deep  and  narrow  ravine  which  the  whites  had  crossed,  brought  his  whole  force  in  the 
rear  of  the  Americans.  Here  he  formed  an  ambuscade,  and  deliberately  selected  his  battle 
ground. 

The  volunteers  were  surprised  and  disappointed  at  not  finding  the  enemy  where  they  ex- 
pected to,  and  were  marching  back  when  they  discovered  some  of  the  Indians.  One  of 
them,  mounted  on  a  horse  stolen  at  Minisink,  was  shot  by  a  militia-man.  This  was  a  sig- 
nal for  action,  and  the  firing  soon  became  general.  It  was  a  long  and  bloody  conflict.  The 
Indians  were  greatly  superior  in  numbers,  and  a  detachment  of  Hathorn's  troops,  consisting 
of  one  third  of  the  whole,  became  separated  from  the  rest  at  the  commencement  of  the  en- 
gagement. Closer  and  closer  the  savages  pressed  upon  the  whites,  until  they  were  hemmed 
within  the  circumference  of  an  acre  of  ground,  upon  a  rocky  hill  that  sloped  on  all  sides. 
The  ammunition  of  the  militia  was  stinted,  and  they  were  careful  not  to  fire  at  random  and 
without  aim.  Their  shots  M'ere  deadly,  and  many  a  red  man  was  slain.  The  conflict  be- 
Juiy  22,  g^-i^  ^^  eleven  o'clock,  and  continued  until  the  going  down  of  the  sun,  on  that  long 
^"^^^^  July  day.  At  twilight  the  battle  was  yet  undecided,  but  the  ammunition  of  the 
whites  being  exhausted,  a  party  of  the  enemy  attacked  and  broke  their  hollow  square  at  one 
coriier.  The  survivors  of  the  conflict  attempted  to  retreat.  Behind  a  ledge  of  rocks,  Doctor 
Tusten  had  been  dressing  the  wounds  of  the  injured  during  the  day.  There  were  seventeen 
men  under  his  care  when  the  retreat  commenced.  The  Indians  fell  upon  them  furiously, 
and  all,  with  the  Doctor,  were  slain.  Several  who  attempted  to  escape  by  swimming  across 
the  Delaware  were  shot  by  the  Indians  ;  and  of  the  whole  number  that  went  forth,  only 
about  thirty  returned  to  relate  the  dreadful  scenes  of  the  day.*  This  massacre  of  the  wound- 
ed is  one  of  the  darkest  stains  upon  the  memory  of  Brant,  whose  honor  and  humanity  were 
often  more  conspicuous  than  that  of  his  Tory  allies.  He  made  a  weak  defense  of  his  con- 
duct by  asserting  that  he  offered  the  Americans  good  treatment  if  they  would  surrender ; 

^  The  place  of  conflict  is  about  two  miles  from  the  northern  bank  of  the  Delaware,  and  the  same  dLstance 
below  the  Lechau-achsin  or  Lackawaxcn  River.  It  is  about  three  miles  from  the  Barrj'ville  station,  on  the 
New  York  and  Erie  rail-road.  The  battle  ground  and  the  adjacent  region  continue  in  the  same  wild  state 
as  of  old,  and  over  the  rocky  knolls  and  tangled  ravines  where  the  Indians  and  the  Goshen  militia  fought, 
wild  deer  roam  in  abundance,  and  a  panther  occasionally  leaps  upon  its  prey.  The  place  is  too  rocky  for 
cultivation,  and  must  ever  remain  a  wilderness.  At  the  Mohackamack  Fork  (now  Fort  Jervis,  on  the  Del- 
aware) was  a  small  settlement,  and  a  block-house,  called  Jersey  Fort. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


671 


Brant's  Defense.     Effect  of  the  Massacre.      Salvation  of  Major  Wood.      Interment  of  the  Remains  of  the  Slain.      Monument 


that  he  warned  them  of  the  fierceness  of  the  thirst  for  blood  that  actuated  his  warriors, 
and  that  he  could  not  answer  for  their  conduct  after  the  first  shot  should  be  fired  ;  and  that 
his  humane  proposition  was  answered  by  a  bullet  from  an  American 
musket,  which  pierced  his  belt.' 

Goshen  and  the  surrounding  country  was  filled  with  the  voice  of 
mourning,  for  the  flower  of  the  youth  and  mature  manhood  of  that 
region  was  slain.  The  massacre  made  thirty-three  widows  in  the 
Presbyterian  congregation  at  Goshen.  At  the  I'ccital,  a  shudder  ran 
throughout  the  laud,  and  gave  keenness  to  the  blade  and  fierceness 
to  the  torch  which,  a  few  weeks  afterward,  desolated  the  Indian  par- 
adise in  the  country  of  the  Senccas  and  Cayugas. 

Orange  county  labored  much  and  suffered  much  in  the  cause  of 
freedom.  Newburgh  and  New  Windsor,  within  it,  having  been  the 
chosen  quarters  of  Washington  at  diflerent  times,  from  December, 
1780,  until  the  conclusion  of  peace  in  1783,  and  a  portion  of  that 
time  the  chief  cantonment  of  the  American  army,  the  county  is  a 
conspicuous  point  in  the  history  of  the  war.      At  the  close  of  1780, 

the  army  was  cantoned  at  three 
>,  .«  ^  /-Vx    ^  points  :  at  Morristown,  and  at 

vr*- S'.l's.o  ^  Pompton,  in  New  Jersey,  and 

i--;:>^..  at  Phillipstown,  in  the  Hudson 

""^^■^  Highlands.       Washington    es- 

tablished his  head-quarters  at 

'  During  the  battle,  Major  Wood,  of  Goshen,  made  a  nia.sonic  sign,  by  accident,  which  Brant,  who  was 
a  Free-mason,  perceived  and  heeded.  Wood's  life  was  spared,  and  as  a  prisoner  he  was  treated  kindly,  until 
the  Mohawk  chief  perceived  that  he  was  not  a  Mason.  Then,  with  withering  scorn,  Brant  looked  upon 
Wood,  believing  that  he  had  obtained  the  masonic  sign  which  he  used,  by  deception.  It  was  purely  an  ac- 
cident on  the  part  of  Wood.  When  released,  he  hastened  to  become  a  member  of  the  fraternity  by  whose 
instrumentality  his  life  had  been  spared.  The  house  in  which  Major  Wood  lived  is  yet  standing  (though 
much  altered),  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  north  of  the  rail-way  station  at  Goshen.  The  house  of  Roger  Town- 
send,  who  was  among  the  slain,  is  also  standing,  and  well  preserved.  It  is  in  the  southern  part  of  the  vil- 
age.  The  Farmers'  Hall  Academy,  an  old  brick  building,  two  stories  high,  and  now  used  for  a  district 
school-house,  is  an  object  of  some  interest  to  the  visitor  at  Goshen,  from  the  circumstance  that  there  Noah 
Webster,  our  great  lexicographer,  once  taught  school.  An  old  gentleman  of  the  village  informed  me  that 
he  had  often  seen  him  at  twilight  on  a  summer's  evening  in  the  grove  on  the  hill  northward  of  the  rail-way 
station,  gathering  up  the  manuscripts  which  he  had  been  preparing  in  a  retired  spot,  after  school  hours. 

*  In  1822,  the  citizens  of  Orange  county  collected  the  bones  of  those  slain  in  the  battle  of  Jlinisink, 
which  had  been  left  ^orty-three  years  upon  the  field  of  strife,  and  caused  them  to  be  buried  near  the  center 
of  the  green  at  the  foot  of  the  main  street  of  the  village.  On  that  occasion  there  was  a  great  gathering  of 
people,  estimated  at  fifteen  thousand  in  number.  The  cadets  from  West  Point  were  there,  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  late  General  Worth,  then  a  major.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  bj'  General  Hathorn,  one  of  the 
survivors  of  the  battle,  then  eighty  years  of  age.  He  accompanied  the  act  with  a  short  and  feeling  address. 
A  funeral  oration  was  pronounced  by  the  Reverend  James  R.  Wilson,  now  of  Newburgh.  Over  these  re- 
mains a  marble  monument  was  erected.  It  stands  upon  three  courses  of  brown  freestone,  and  a  stone  pave- 
ment a  few  feet  square,  designed  to  be  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing.  In  consequence  of  neglecting  to 
erect  the  railing,  the  monument  has  sufTered  much  from  the  prevailing  spirit  of  vandalism  which  I  have  al- 
ready noticed.  Its  corners  arc  broken,  the  inscriptions  are  mutilated,  and  the  people  of  Goshen  are  made 
to  feel  many  regrets  for  useless  delay  in  giving  that  interesting  memorial  a  protection.  On  the  cast  side 
of  the  pedestal  is  the  following  inscription  : 


Monument  at  Gosiiijn 


"Erected  by  the  inhabitants  of  Orange  county,  22d  July,  1822. 
citizens  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Minisink,  22d  Jul)-,  1779." 


Sacred  to  the  memory  of  their  fellow- 


Upon  the  other  three  sides  of  the  pedestal  are  the  following  names  of  the  slain  : 

"  Benjamin  Tusten,  colonel ;  Bezaleel  Tyler,  Samuel  Jones,  John  Little,  John  Duncan,  Benjamin  Vail, 
captains;  John  Wood,  lieutenant;  Nathaniel  Finch,  adju'ant ;  Ephraim  Mastin,  Ephraim  Middaugh,  en- 
signs; Gabriel  Wisner,  Esq.,  Stephen  Mead,  Mathias  Terwilligcr,  Joshua  Lockwood,  Ephraim  Fer<Ter- 
son,  Roger  Townsend,  Samuel  Knapp,  James  Knapp,  Benjamin  Bennet,  William  Barker,  Jonathan  Pierce, 
fames  Little,  Joseph  Norris,  Gilbert  Vail,  Abraham  Shcpperd,  Joel  Decker,  Nathan  Wade,  Simon  Wait, 
Tallmadge,  Jacob  Dunning,  John  Carpenter,  David  Barney,  Jonathan  Haskell,  Abraham  Williams, 


g72  PICTORIAL   FIEL'D-BOOK 

Cantooment  of  the  Army  near  Newburgh.  Head-quarters  of  the  Officers.  Nicola's  Proposition  to  Washington, 

New  Windsor  in  December,  1780,  where  he  remained  until  June,  1781,  when  the  French, 
who  had  quartered  during  the  winter  at  Newport  and  Lebanon,  formed  a  junction  with  the 
Americans  on  the  Hudson.  In  April,  1782,  he  established  his  head-quarters  at  Newburgh, 
two  miles  above  the  village  of  New  Windsor,  where  he  continued  most  of  the  time  until 
November,  1783,  when  the  Continental  army  was  disbanded. 

For  a  short  time  in  the  autumn  of  1782,  while  the  head-quarters  of  Washington  were  at 
Newburgh,  the  main  portion  of  the  army  was  encamped  at  Verplanck's  Point,  in  pursuance 
of  an  eno-ao-ement  with  Rochambeau  to  form  a  junction  of  the  American  and  French  forces 
at  that  place,  on  the  return  of  the  latter  from  Virginia.  The  allies  marched  eastward  late 
in  autumn,  when  the  American  army  crossed  the  Hudson  at  West  Point,  traversed  the 
mountains,  and  arrived  in  the  township  of  New  Windsor  on  the  28th  of  November, 
^^^^'  where  it  was  hutted  for  the  winter.  The  main  portion  of  the  army  was  encamped  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Snake  Hill ;  of  this  we  will  write  presently.  Washington  continued 
bis  head-quarters  at  the  stone  house  at  Newburgh  ;  Generals  Knox  and  Greene,  who  had 
the  immediate  command  of  the  chief  forces  and  of  the  artillery,  were  quartered  at  the  house 
of  John  Ellison  (now  Captain  Charles  Morton's),  in  the  vicinity  of  the  main  camp  near 
Snake  Hill ;  Gates  and  St.  Clair,  with  the  hospital  stores,  were  at  Edmonston's,  at  The 
Square  ;  La  Fayette  was  at  William  Ellison's,  near  by  ;  and  the  Baron  Steuben  was  at 
the  house  of  Samuel  Verplanck,  on  the  Fishkill  side  of  the  river. 

At  Newburgh  occurred  one  of  the  most  painful  events  in  the  military  life  of  Washington. 
For  a  Ion"-  time  the  discontents  among  the  officers  and  soldiers  in  the  army  respecting  the 
arrearages  of  their  pay  and  their  future  prospects,  had  been  increasing,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1783  became  alarmingly  manifest.  Complaints  were  frequently  made  to  the  commander- 
m-chief.  Feeling  the  justice  of  these  complaints,  his  sympathy  was  fully  alive  to  the  inter- 
ests of  his  companions  in  arms.  Colonel  Nicola,  an 
experienced  officer,  and  a  gentleman  possessed  of 
V  /l/T'Y^t^  much  weight  of  character,  was  usually  the  medi- 
um for  communicating  to  him,  verbally,  their  com- 
plaints, wishes,  and  fears.  In  May,  Colonel  Nicola 
addressed  a  letter  to  Washington,  the  tenor  of  which  struck  harshly  upon  the  tenderest  chord 
in  that  great  man's  feelings.  After  some  general  remarks  on  the  deplorable  condition  of  the 
army,  and  the  little  hope  they  could  have  of  being  properly  rewarded  by  Congress,  the  col- 
onel entered  into  a  political  disquisition  on  the  different  forms  of  government,  and  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  republics  are,  of  all  others,  the  least  susceptible  of  stability,  and  the  least 
capable  of  securing  the  rights,  freedom,  and  power  of  individuals.  He  therefore  inferred 
that  America  could  never  become  prosperous  under  such  a  form  of  governjtnent,  and  that  the 
English  government  was  nearer  perfection  than  any  other.  He  then  proceeded  to  express 
his  opinion  that  such  a  government  would  be  the  choice  of  the  people,  after  due  considera- 
tion, and  added,  "  In  this  case  it  will,  I  believe,  be  uncontroverted,  that  the  same  abilities 
which  have  led  us  through  difficulties  apparently  insurmountable  by  human  power  to  vic- 
tory and  glory — those  qualities,  that  have  merited  and  obtained  the  universal  esteem  and 
veneration  of  an  anny — would  be  most  likely  to  conduct  and  direct  us  in  the  smoother  paths 
of  peace.  Some  people  have  so  connected  the  idea  of  tyranny  and  monarchy  as  to  find  it 
very  difficult  to  separate  them.  It  may,  therefore,  be  requisite  to  give  the  head  of  such  a 
constitution  as  I  propose  some  title  apparently  more  moderate  ;  but,  if  all  other  things  were 
once  adjusted,  I  believe  strong  arguments  might  be  produced  for  admitting  the  title  of  king, 
which  I  conceive  would  be  attended  with  some  national  advantage."  How  amazingly  Col- 
onel Nicola,  and  those  officers  and  civiUans  (and  they,  doubtless,  were  not  a  few)  whom  he 
represented,  misapprehended  the  true  character  of  Washington,  may  be  readily  inferred  from 
the  prompt  and  severe  rebuke  which  they  received  from  his  hand.  The  commander-in-chief 
replied  as  follows  : 

James  Mosher.  Isaac  Ward,  Baltus  Nierpos,  Gramaliel  Bailey,  Moses  Thomas,  Eleazer  Owens,  Adam  Em- 
bler,  Samuel  Little,  Benjamin  Dunning,  Samuel  Reed." 


I 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  G73 

Washington's  Letter  of  Rebuke  to  Nicola.        Patriotism  of  tlie  Chief.         Discontents  in  the  Army.         Memorial  to  Congress 

"  Sir, — With  a  mixture  of  great  surprise  and  astonishment,  I  have  read  with  attention 
the  sentiments  you  have  submitted  to  my  perusal.  Be  assured,  sir,  no  occurrence  in  the 
course  of  this  war  has  given  me  more  painful  sensations  than  your  information  of  there  being 
such  ideas  existing  in  the  army  as  you  have  expressed,  and  which  I  must  view  with  abhor- 
rence and  reprehend  with  severity.  For  the  present,  the  communication  of  them  will  rest 
in  my  own  bosom,  unless  some  further  agitation  of  the  matter  shall  make  a  disclosure  nee-  • 
essary.  I  am  much  at  a  loss  to  conceive  what  part  of  my  conduct  could  have  given  en- 
couragement to  an  address  which  to  me  seems  big  with  the  greatest  mischiefs  that  can  befall 
my  country.  If  I  am  not  deceived  in  the  knowledge  of  myself,  you  could  not  have  found  a 
person  to  whom  your  schemes  are  more  disagreeable.  At  the  same  time,  in  justice  to  my 
own  feelings,  I  must  add,  that  no  man  possesses  a  more  serious  wish  to  see  ample  justice 
done  to  the  army  than  I  do  ;  and,  as  far  as  my  power  and  influence,  in  a  constitutional  way, 
extend,  they  shall  be  employed  to  the  utmost  of  my  abilities  to  effect  it,  should  there  be 
any  occasion.  Let  me  conjure  you,  then,  if  you  have  any  regard  for  your  country,  concern 
for  yourself  or  posterity,  or  respect  for  me,  to  banish  these  thoughts  from  your  mind,  and 
never  communicate,  as  from  yourself  or  any  one  else,  a  sentiment  of  the  like  nature.  I 
am,  &c."' 

In  this  affair  the  disinterested  patriotism  of  Washington  shone  with  its  brightest  luster. 
At  the  head  of  a  victorious  army  ;  beloved  and  venerated  by  it  and  by  the  people  ;  with  per- 
sonal influence  unbounded,  and  with  power  in  possession  for  consummating  almost  any  po- 
litical scheme  not  apparently  derogatory  to  good  government,  he  receives  from  an  officer 
whom  he  greatly  esteems,  and  who  speaks  for  himself  and  others,  an  offer  of  the  scepter  oi 
supreme  rule  and  the  crown  of  royalty  !  What  a  bribe  I  Yet  he  does  not  hesitate  for  a 
moment ;  he  docs  not  stop  to  revolve  in  his  mind  any  ideas  of  advantage  in  the  proposed 
scheme,  but  at  once  rebukes  the  author  sternly  but  kindly,  and  impresses  his  signet  of  stron- 
gest disapprobation  upon  the  proposal.      History  can  not  present  a  parallel. 

The  apprehensions  which  this  event  produced  in  the  mind  of  Washington,  though  allayed 
for  a  while,  were  painfully  revived  a  few  months  later.  The  same  circumstances  of  present 
hardship  and  gloomy  prospects  that  disturbed  the  army  when  Nicola  addressed  Washington, 
not  only  continued  to  exist,  but  reasons  for  discontent  daily  increased.  After  the  return  of 
the  army  from  Verplanck's  Point,  and  their  settlement  in  winter  quarters  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Newburgh  and  New  Windsor,  the  officers  and  soldiers  had  leisure  to  reflect  upon 
their  situation  and  prospects.  Expecting  a  dissolution  of  the  Revolutionary  government 
when  peace  should  be  established,  and  a  thorough  reorganization  of  civil  and  military  af- 
fairs, they  apprehended  great  difficulties  and  losses  in  the  adjustment  of  their  claims,  partic- 
ularly those  appertaining  to  the  long  arrearages  of  their  pay.  They  were  aware  of  the  pov- 
erty of  the  treasury  and  the  inefficiency  of  the  existing  government  in  commanding  resources 
for  its  replenishment ;  a  condition  arising  from  the  disposition  of  individual  states  to  deny 
the  right  of  Congress  to  ask  for  pecuniary  aid  from  their  respective  treasuries  in  satisfying 
public  creditors.  This  actual  state  of  things,  and  no  apparent  security  for  a  future  adjust- 
ment of  their  claims,  caused  great  excitement  and  uneasiness  among  the  officers  and 
soldiers,  and  in  December  they  addressed  a  memorial  to  Congress  on  the  subject  of 
their  grievances.'  A  committee,  composed  of  General  M'Dougal,  Colonel  Ogden,  and  Col- 
onel Brooks,  were  appointed  to  carry  the  memorial  to  Philadelphia,  lay  it  before  Congress, 
and  explain  its  import.  Congress  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  a  delegate  from  each 
state,  to  consider  the  memorial.  The  committee  reported,  and,  on  the  25th  of  Jan- 
uary, Congress  passed  a  series  of  resolutions,  which  were  not  very  satisfactory.      In 

'  Sparks's  Life  and  Writings  of  Washington,  viii.,  300,  302.  Washington's  letter  to  Colonel  Nicola  is 
dated  at  Newburgh,  22d  May,  1782. 

*  This  memorial  comprehended  five  different  articles:  1.  Present  pay;  2.  A  settlement  of  the  accounts 
of  the  arrearages  of  pay,  and  security  for  what  was  due ;  3.  A  commutation  of  the  half-pay  authorized  bv 
different  resolutions  of  Congress,  for  an  equivalent  in  gross  ;  4.  A  settlement  of  the  accounts  of  deficiencie.s 
of  rations  and  compensation  ;   5.  A  settlement  of  the  accounts  of  deficiencies  of  clothing  and  compensation 

T.  U  u 


C.  7  4 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Resolutions  of  Congress  respecting  Claims. 


The  Army  still  dissatisfied. 


Action  of  the  Officers. 


Major  Armstrong. 


regard  to  present  pay,  the  superintendent  of  finance  was  directed  to  make  "such  payment 
and  in  such  measure  as  he  shall  think  proper,"  as  soon  as  the  state  of  public  finances  would 
permit.  In  relation  to  arrearages  and  the  settlement  of  accounts,  it  was  resolved  "  that  the 
several  states  be  called  upon  to  complete,  without  delay,  the  settlements  with  their  respect- 
ive lines  of  the  army,  up  to  the  1  st  day  of  Au- 
gust, 1783,  and  that  the  superintendent  of 
finance  be  directed  to  take  such  measures  as 
shall  appear  to  him  most  proper  for  effecting 
the  settlement  from  that  period."  Concern- 
ing security  for  what  should  be  found  due  on 
such  settlement,  Congress  declared,  by  resolu- 
tion, that  they  would  "  make  every  effort  in 
their  power  to  obtain  from  the  respective 
states  substantial  funds,  adequate  to  the  ob- 
ject of  funding  the  whole  debt  of  the  United 
States,  and  will  enter  upon  an  immediate  and 
full  consideration  of  the  nature  of  such  funds, 
and  the  most  likely  mode  of  obtaining  them."' 
In  these  resolutions,  Congress,  feeble  in 
actual  power  and  resources,  made  no  definite 
promises  of  present  reliefer  future  justice  ;  and 
when  General  Knox,  who  had  been  appointed 
by  the  army  to  correspond  with  their  commit- 
tee, reported  the  facts,  the  discon-  February  8, 
^  tent  and  dissatisfaction  was  quite  as        ^^^"'• 

great  as  before  the  action  of  Congress.  Some  thought  it  necessary  to  further  make  known 
their  sentiments  and  enforce  their  claims,  and  to  this  end  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  act 
with  energy.  A  plan  was  arranged  among  a  few  "for  assembling  the  officers,  not  in  mass, 
but  by  representation  ;  and  for  passing  a  series  of  resolutions,  which,  in  the  hands  of  their 
committee,  and  of  their  auxiliaries  in  Congress,  would  furnish  a  new  and  powerful  lever"  of 
operation.     Major  John  Armstrong,'*  General  Gates's  aid-de-camp,  a  young  officer  of  six-and- 


r^/uc^  ^^^^f^^^^^>^ 


'  Journals  of  Congress,  viii.,  82.  The  remainder  of  the  report  was  referred  to  a  committee  consisting 
of  Messrs.  Mann,  Osgood,  Fitzsimmons,  Gervais,  Hamilton,  and  Wilson. 

*  John  Armstrong  was  born  at  Carlisle,  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the  25th  of  November,  1758.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  two  sons  of  General  John  Armstrong,  of  Carlisle,  distinguished  by  his  services  in  the  French 
and  Indian  war  in  1756.  In  1775,  at  the  most  critical  period  of  the  American  Revolution,  young  Arm- 
strong, then  a  student  of  Princeton  College,  joined  the  army  as  a  volunteer  in  Potter's  Pennsylvania  regi- 
ment. He  was  soon  after  appointed  aid-de-camp  by  Genei-al  Hugh  Mercer,  and  remained  with  him  till 
the  connection  was  severed  on  the  bloody  field  of  Princeton  by  the  death  of  his  chief.  He  subsequently  oc- 
cupied the  same  position  in  the  family  of  Major-general  Gates,  and  served  through  the  campaign  which 
ended  in  the  capture  of  Burgoyne.  In  1780  he  was  made  adjutant  general  of  the  Southern  army,  but  fall- 
ing sick  of  fever  on  the  Pedee,  was  succeeded  by  Colonel  Otho  Williams,  a  short  time  previous  to  the  de- 
feat at  Camden.  Resuming  his  place  as  aid,  he  remained  with  General  Gates  till  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  the  author  of  the  celebrated  Ncwburgh  jlddresses,  the  object  of  which  has  been  greatly  misrepre- 
sented, and  very  generally  misunderstood.  They  were  intended  to  awaken  in  Congress  and  the  States  a 
sense  of  justice  toward  its  creditors,  particularly  toward  the  army,  then  about  to  be  disbanded  without  re- 
quital for  its  services,  toils,  and  sufferings.  General  Washington,  in  1797,  bore  testimony  to  the  patriotic 
motives  of  the  author. 

Armstrong's  first  civil  appointments  were  those  of  Secretary  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  adjutant 
general,  under  Dickenson's  and  Franklin's  administrations;  posts  which  he  continued  to  occupy  till  1787, 
when  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  old  Congress.  In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  he  was  appointed  by 
Congress  one  of  the  three  judges  for  the  Western  Territory  ;  this  appointment  he  declined,  and  having  mar- 
ried, in  1789,  a  sister  of  Chancellor  Livingston,  of  New  York,  removed  to  that  state.  Here  he  purchased  a 
farm,  and  devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits ;  and,  though  offered  by  President  Washington,  in  1793, 
'he  place  of  United  States  supervisor  of  the  collection  of  internal  revenue  in  the  State  of  New  York,  he  de- 
clined this  and  other  invitations  to  public  office,  until,  in  the  year  1800,  he  was  elected  United  States  sen- 
ator by  an  almost  unanimous  vote  of  botn  houses  of  the  Legislature.     Having  resigned  in  1 802,  he  was  agaifl 


i 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  G75 


Meeting  of  Officers  privately  called.  Anonymous  Address  to  the  Army.  Dangerous  Tendency  of  its  Recommendation?. 

twenty,  and  possessing  much  ability,  was  chosen  to  write  an  address  to  the  army  suited  to 
the  subject ;  and  this,  with  an  anonymous  notification  of  a  meeting  of  the  officers,  was  cir- 
culated privately.'  The  address  exhibits  superior  talents,  and  was  calculated  to  make  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  malcontents.  Referring  to  his  personal  feelings,  and 
his  sacrifices  for  his  country,  the  writer  plays  upon  the  sensibilities  of  his  readers,  and  pre- 
pares their  minds  for  a  relinquishment  of  their  faith  in  the  justice  of  their  country,  already 
weakened  by  circumstances.  "  Faith,"  he  says,  "  has  its  limits  as  well  as  temper,  and  there 
are  points  beyond  which  neither  can  be  stretched  without  sinking  into  cowardice  or  plung- 
ing into  credulity.  This,  my  friends,  I  conceive  to  be  your  situation  ;  hurried  to  the  verge 
of  both,  another  step  would  ruin  you  forever.  To  be  tame  and  unprovoked,  when  injuries 
press  hard  upon  you,  is  more  than  weakness  ;  but  to  look  up  for  kinder  usage,  without  one 
manly  effort  of  your  own,  would  fix  your  character,  and  show  the  world  how  richly  you  de- 
served the  chains  you  broke."  He  then  takes  a  review  of  the  past  and  present  —  their 
wrongs  and  their  complaints  —  their  petitions  and  the  denials  of  redress — and  then  says, 
"If  this,  then,  be  your  treatment  while  the  swords  you  wear  are  necessary  for  the  defense 
of  America,  what  have  you  to  expect  from  peace,  when  your  voice  shall  sink,  and  your 
strength  dissipate  by  division  ;  when  those  very  swords,  the  instruments  and  companions  of 
your  glory,  shall  be  taken  from  your  sides,  and  no  remaining  mark  of  military  distinction 
left  but  your  wants,  infirmities,  and  scars  ?  Can  you,  then,  consent  to  be  the  only  suffer- 
ers by  the  Revolution,  and,  retiring  from  the  field,  grow  old  in  poverty,  wretchedness,  and 
contempt  ?  Can  you  consent  to  wade  through  the  vile  mire  of  dependency,  and  owe  the 
miserable  remnant  of  that  life  to  charity,  which  has  hitherto  been  spent  in  honor  ?  If 
you  can,  go,  and  carry  with  you  the  jest  of  Tories  and  the  scorn  of  Whigs  ;  the  ridicule, 
and,  what  is  worse,  the  pity  of  the  world  I      Go,  starve,  and  be  forgotten." 

The  writer  now  changes  from  appeal  to  advice.  "  I  would  advise  you,  therefore  "  he 
says,  "  to  come  to  some  final  opinion  upon  what  you  can  bear  and  what  you  will  suffer.  If 
your  determination  be  in  proportion  to  your  wrongs,  carry  your  appeal  fi'om  the  justic?  to 
the  fears  of  government.     Change  the  milk-and-water  style  of  your  last  memorial ;   assume 

elected  in  1803,  and,  the  year  following,  appointed  by  Mr.  Jefferson  minister  plenipotentiary  to  France; 
which  post,  at  a  very  critical  period  of  our  relations  with  that  country,  he  filled  with  distinguished  ability 
for  more  than  six  years,  discharging  incidentally  the  functions  of  a  separate  mission  to  Spain  with  which 
he  was  invested. 

In  1812  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier  general  in  the  United  States  army,  and  commanded  in  the  city  of 
New  York  until  called  by  Mr.  Madison,  in  1813,  to  the  War  Department.  This  office  he  accepted  with 
reluctance,  and  with  little  anticipation  of  success  to  our  arms.  In  cfTecting  salutary  changes  in  the  armj-, 
by  substituting  young  and  able  officers  for  the  old  ones  who  had  held  subordinate  stations  in  the  army  of 
the  Revolution,  he  made  many  enemies.  The  capture  of  the  city  of  Washington  in  1814  led  to  his  retire- 
ment from  office.  Public  opinion  held  him  responsible  for  this  misfortune,  but,  as  documentarj-  history  has 
shown,  without  justice.  No  man  took  office  with  purer  motives,  or  retired  from  it  with  a  better  claim  to 
have  faithfully  discharged  its  duties. 

General  Armstrong  died  at  his  residence  at  Red  Hook,  N.  Y.,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1843,  in  the  eighty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age.  Ho  was  among  the  remarkable  men  of  a  remarkable  generation.  The  productions 
of  his  pen  entitle  him  to  rank  with  the  ablest  writers  of  his  time  and  country.  These  consist  of  a  volumin- 
ous correspondence,  diplomatic  and  military  ;  a  valuable  treatise  on  agriculture,  the  result  of  some  expe- 
rience and  much  reading  ;  and  "Notices  of  the  War  of  1812,"  a  work  written  with  great  vigor  of  style. 
The  portrait  of  General  Armstrong,  printed  on  the  precedinfr  page,  is  from  a  painting  in  possession  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  William  B.  Astor,  drawn  from  life  by  John  Wesley  Jarvis. 

'  This  notice  was  circulated  on  the  10th  of  March,  1783.  It  was  in  manuscript,  as  well  as  the  anony- 
mous address  that  followed.  The  originals  were  carried  by  a  major,  who  was  a  deputy  inspector  under 
Baron  Steuben,  to  the  office  of  Barber,  the  adjutant  general,  where,  every  morninjj,  aids-de-camp,  majors 
of  brigades,  and  adjutants  of  regiments  were  assembled,  all  of  whom,  who  chose  to  do  so,  took  copies  and 
•irrulatcd  them.  Among  the  transcribers  was  the  adjutant  of  the  commander-in-chief's  jjuard,  who  prcb- 
ably  furnished  him  with  the  copies  that  were  transmitted  to  Congress.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the 
anonymous  notification  : 

"  A  meeting  of  the  field  officers  is  requested  at  the  Public  Building  on  Tuesday  next  at  eleven  o'clock. 
A  commissioned  officer  from  each  company  is  expected,  and  a  delegate  from  the  medical  staff".  The  object 
of  this  convention  is  to  consider  the  late  letter  of  our  representatives  in  Philadelphia,  and  what  measures 
(if  any)  should  be  adopted  to  obtain  that  redress  of  grievances  which  they  seem  to  have  solicited  in  vyin." 


G76  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Bold  Tone  of  the  Address.     Similar  Opinions  held  by  Hamilton.     Washington's  Counteraction.     Second  anonymous  Address 

a  bolder  tone,  decent,  but  lively,  spirited,  and  determined ;  and  suspect  the  man  who  would 
advise  to  more  moderation  and  longer  forbearance.'  Let  two  or  three  men  who  can  feel  as 
well  as  write,  be  appointed  to  draw  up  your  last  remonstrance — for  I  would  no  longer  give 
it  the  suing,  soft,  unsuccessful  epithet  of  tnemorial."  He  advises  them  to  talk  boldly  to 
Congress,  and  to  warn  that  body  that  the  slightest  mark  of  indignity  from  them  now  would 
operate  like  the  grave,  to  part  them  and  the  army  forever  ;  "  that  in  any  political  event,  the 
army  has  its  alternative.  If  peace,  that  nothing  shall  separate  you  from  your  arms  but 
death  ;  if  war,  that,  courting  the  auspices  and  inviting  the  direction  of  your  illustrious  lead- 
er you  will  retire  to  some  unsettled  country,  smile  in  your  turn,  '  and  mock  when  their  fear 
Cometh  on.'  Let  it  represent,  also,  that  should  they  comply  with  the  request  of  your  late 
memorial,  it  would  make  you  more  happy,  and  them  more  respectable." 

A  copy  of  these  papers  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  commander-in-chief  on  the  day  of 
their  circulation,  and  he  wisely  determined  to  guide  and  control  the  proceedings  thus  begun, 
t»ther  than  to  check  and  discourage  them  by  any  act  of  severity.  In  general  orders  the 
March  u  next  moming,  he  referred  to  the  anonymous  papers  and  the  meeting.  He  express- 
•  1783.  g^  }jig  disapprobation  of  the  whole  proceeding  as  disorderly  ;  at  the  same  time,  he 
requested  that  the  general  and  field  officers,  with  one  officer  from  each  company,  and  a  propei 
representation  of  the  staff  of  the  army,  should  assemble  at  twelve  o'clock  on  Saturday  the 
1 5th,  at  the  New  Building  (at  which  the  other  meeting  was  called),  for  the  purpose  of  hear- 
ing the  report  of  the  committee  of  the  army  to  Congress.  He  requested  the  senior  officer 
in  rank  (General  Gates)  to  preside  at  the  meeting.  On  the  appearance  of  this  order,  the 
writer  of  the  anonymous  address  put  forth  another,  rather  more  subdued  in  its  tone,  in  which 
he  sought  to  convince  the  officers  that  Washington  approved  of  the  scheme,  the  time  of 
meeting  only  being  changed.  The  design  of  this  interpretation  the  commander-in-chief  took 
care  to  frustrate,  by  conversing  personally  and  individually  with  those  officers  in  whose  good 
sense  and  integrity  he  had  confidence.  He  impressed  their  minds  with  a  sense  of  the  dan- 
ger that  must  attend  any  rash  act  at  such  a  crisis,  inculcated  moderation,  and  exerted  all 

^  This  sentence,  particularly  alluded  to  by  Washington  in  his  address  to  the  officers,  was  the  one  which 
drew  down  upon  the  head  of  the  writer  the  fiercest  anathemas  of  public  opinion,  and  he  alone  has  been  held 
responsible  for  the  suggestion  that  the  army  should  use  its  power  to  intimidate  Congress.  Such  a  conclu- 
sion is  unwarrantable.  It  is  not  likely  that  a  young  man  of  twenty-six,  acting  in  the  capacity  of  aid, 
should,  without  the  promptings  of  men  of  greater  experience  who  surrounded  him,  propose  so  bold  a  meas- 
ure. It  is  well  known,  too,  that  many  officers,  whose  patriotism  was  never  suspected,  were  privy  to  the 
preparation  of  the  address,  and  suggested  many  of  its  sentiments ;  and  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt 
that  General  Gates  was  a  prominent  actor.  Nor  was  the  idea  confined  to  that  particular  time  and  place. 
General  Hamilton,  one  of  the  purest  patriots  of  the  Revolution,  wrote  to  Washington  from  Philadelphia,  a 
month  before  (February  7,  1783),  on  the  subject  of  the  grievances  of  the  army,  in  which  he  held  similar 
language.  After  referring  to  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  finances,  the  prevailing  opinion  in  the  army 
"that  the  disposition  to  recompense  their  services  will  cease  with  the  necessity  for  them,"  and  lamenting 
"that  appearances  afford  too  much  gi-ound  for  their  distrust,"  he  held  the  following  language:  "It  be- 
comes a  serious  inquiry,  What  is  the  true  line  of  policy  ?  The  claims  of  the  army,  urged  with  moderation 
but  with  firmness,  may  operate  on  those  weak  minds  which  are  influenced  by  their  apprehensions  more  than 
by  their  judgments,  so  as  to  produce  a  concurrence  in  the  measures  which  the  exigencies  of  affairs  demand. 
They  may  add  weight  to  the  applications  of  Congress  to  the  several  states.  So  far,  a  useful  turn  may  be 
given  to  them."*  What  was  this  but  "  carrying  their  appeal  from  the  justice  to  the  fears  of  government  ?" 
Hamilton  further  remarked,  that  the  difficulty  would  be  "  to  keep  a  complaining  and  suffering  army  within 
the  bounds  of  moderation ;"  and  advised  Washington  not  to  discountenance  their  endeavors  to  procure  re- 
dress, but,  "  by  the  intervention  of  confidential  and  prudent  persons,  to  take  the  direction  of  them."  Hamil- 
ton was  at  that  time  a  member  of  Congress.  In  a  letter  to  him,  written  on  the  12th  of  March,  Washington 
remarked  that  all  was  tranquillity  in  the  camp  until  after  the  arrival  from  Philadelphia  of  "a  certain  gen- 
tleman" (General  Walter  Stewart),  and  intimated  that  the  discontents  in  the  army  were  made  active  by 
members  of  Congress,  who  wished  to  see  the  delinquent  states  thus  forced  to  do  justice.  Hamilton,  in  re- 
ply, admitted  that  he  had  urged  the  propriety  "  of  uniting  the  influence  of  the  public  creditors"  (of  whom 
the  soldiers  were  the  most  meritorious)  "  and  the  army,  to  prevail  upon  the  states  to  enter  into  their  views. ''t 
But,  while  Hamilton  held  these  views,  he  deprecated  the  idea  of  the  army  turning  its  power  against  the 
civil  government.  "  There  would  be  no  chance  of  success,"  he  said,  "without  having  recourse  to  means 
that  would  reverse  our  Revolution. "t 

*  See  the  Life  of  Hamilton,  by  his  son,  John  C.  Hamilton,  ii.,  47.  t  Ibid.,  ii.,  71.  t  Ibid.,  ii.,  158. 


or  THE   REVOLUTION.  07' 


Meeting  called  by  Washirjton.  Major  Burnet's  RecoUectiona.  Washington's  Address  to  the  Officers. 

his  powers  of  argument  to  appease  their  discontents.  They  were  thus  prepared  to  deliber- 
ate in  the  proposed  convention  without  passion,  and  under  a  deep  sense  of  the  responsibili- 
ties which  rested  upon  them  as  patriots  and  leaders. 

The  meeting  was  held  pursuant  to  Washington's  orders.  There  was  a  full  attendance 
of  officers,  and  deep  solemnity  pervaded  the  assembly  when  the  commander-in-chief  stepped 
forward  upon  the  platform  to  read  an  address  which  he  had  prepared  for  the  occasion.' 
This  address,  so  compact  in  construction  of  language  ;  so  dignilied  and  patriotic  ;  so  mild, 
yet  so  severe,  and,  Avithal,  so  vitally  important  in  its  relation  to  the  well-being  of  the  unfold- 
ing republic  and  the  best  interests  of  human  freedom,  I  here  give  entire,  in  a  foot-note,  for 
a  mere  synopsis  can  not  do  it  justice." 

'  Major  Robert  Burnet,  of  Little  Britain,  Orange  county,  who  was  one  of  the  olficers  present,  informed 
me  that  the  most  profound  silence  pervaded  the  assembly  when  Washington  arose  to  read  his  address.  As 
he  put  on  his  spectacles,*  he  said,  "  You  sec,  gentlemen,  that  I  have  not  only  grown  gray  but  blind  in  your 
service."  This  simple  remark,  under  such  circumstances,  had  a  powerful  effect  upon  the  assemblage. 
Humphreys,  in  his  Life  of  Putnam^  mentions  this  circumstance ;  so,  also,  does  Mr.  Hamilton,  in  the  Lift 
of  his  father. 

*  "  Gentlemen, — By  an  anonymous  summons,  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  convene  you  together ;  how 
inconsistent  with  the  rules  of  propriety,  how  unmilitary,  and  how  subversive  of  all  order  and  discipline,  let 
the  good  sense  of  the  army  decide.  In  the  moment  of  this  summons,  another  anonymous  production  was 
sent  into  circulation,  addressed  more  to  the  feelings  and  passions  than  to  the  reason  and  judgment  of  the 
army.  The  author  of  the  piece  is  entitled  to  much  credit  for  the  goodness  of  his  pen,  and  I  could  wish  he 
had  as  much  credit  for  the  rectitude  of  his  heart ;  for,  as  men  see  through  different  optics,  and  are  induceJ 
by  the  reflecting  faculties  of  the  mind  to  use  different  means  to  attain  the  same  end,  the  author  of  the  ad- 
dress should  have  had  more  charity  than  to  mark  for  suspicion  the  man  who  should  recommend  moderation 
and  longer  forbearance ;  or,  in  other  words,  who  should  not  think  as  he  thinks,  and  act  as  he  advises. 

"  But  he  had  another  plan  in  view,  in  which  candor  and  liberality  of  sentiment,  regard  to  justice,  and 
love  of  country  have  no  part ;  and  he  was  right  to  insinuate  the  darkest  suspicion  to  effect  the  blackest  de- 
sign. That  the  address  is  drawn  with  great  art,  and  is  designed  to  answer  the  most  insidious  purposes . 
that  it  is  calculated  to  impress  the  mind  with  an  idea  of  premeditated  injustice  in  the  sovereign  power  ol 
the  United  States,  and  rouse  all  those  resentments  which  must  unavoidably  flow  from  such  a  belief;  that  the 
secret  mover  of  this  scheme,  whoever  he  may  be,  intended  to  take  advantage  of  the  passions  while  they  were 
warmed  by  the  recollection  of  past  distresses,  without  giving  time  for  cool,  deliberate  thinking,  and  that 
composure  of  mind  which  is  so  necessary  to  give  dignity  and  stability  to  measures,  is  rendered  too  obvious, 
by  the  mode  of  conducting  the  business,  to  need  other  proofs  than  a  reference  to  the  proceedings. 

"  Thus  much,  gentlemen,  I  have  thought  it  incumbent  on  me  to  observe  to  you,  to  show  upon  what  prin- 
ciples  I  opposed  the  irregular  and  hasty  meeting  which  was  proposed  to  have  been  held  on  Tuesday  last, 
and  not  because  I  wanted  a  disposition  to  give  you  every  opportunity,  consistent  with  your  own  honor  and 
the  dignity  of  the  army,  to  make  known  your  grievances.  If  my  conduct  heretofore  has  not  evinced  to 
you  that  I  have  been  a  faithful  friend  to  the  army,  my  declaration  of  it  at  this  time  would  be  equally  una- 
vailing and  improper.  But,  as  I  was  among  the  first  who  embarked  in  the  cause  of  our  common  country , 
as  I  have  never  left  your  side  one  moment,  but  when  called  from  you  on  public  duty ;  as  I  have  been  the 
constant  companion  and  witness  of  your  distresses,  and  not  among  the  last  to  feel  and  acknowledge  your 
merits ;  as  I  have  ever  considered  my  own  military  reputation  as  inseparably  connected  with  that  of  the 
army ;  as  my  heart  has  ever  expanded  with  joy  when  I  have  heard  its  praises,  and  my  indignation  has  arisen 
when  the  mouth  of  detraction  has  been  opened  against  it,  it  can  scarcely  be  supposed,  at  this  last  stage  of 
the  war,  that  I  am  indifferent  to  its  interests.  But  how  are  they  to  be  promoted  ?  The  way  is  plain,  says 
the  anonymous  addresser.  "  If  war  continues,  remove  into  the  unsettled  country ;  there  establish  yourselves, 
and  leave  an  ungrateful  country  to  defend  itself."  But  who  are  they  to  defend?  Our  wives,  our  children, 
our  farms,  and  other  property  which  we  leave  behind  us?  or,  in  this  state  of  hostile  separation,  are  we  to 
take  the  two  first  (the  latter  can  not  be  removed),  to  perish  in  a  wilderness,  with  hunger,  cold,  and  na- 
kedness ? 

"  If  peace  takes  place,  never  sheathe  your  swords,"  says  he,  "  until  you  have  obtained  full  and  ample  just- 
ice. This  dreadful  alternative  of  either  deserting  our  country  in  the  extremest  hour  of  her  distress,  or  turn- 
ing our  arms  against  it — which  is  the  apparent  object — unless  Congress  can  be  compelled  into  instant  com- 
pliance, has  something  so  shocking  in  it,  that  humanity  revolts  at  the  idea.  My  God !  what  can  this  T^Titer 
have  in  view  by  recommending  such  measures?  Can  he  be  a  friend  to  the  army?  Can  he  be  a  friend  to 
this  country  ?     Rather,  is  he  not  an  insidious  foe  ?  some  emissary,  perhaps,  from  New  York,  plotting  the 

*  It  is  said  that  the  identical  spectacles  used  by  Washington  during  the  Revolution  are  now  (1850)  in  the  possession  of  an  aged 
Indy,  named  Marsh,  who  resides  in  Detroit,  Michigan.  They  came  to  her  from  a  deceased  relative,  who  exchanTCd  spectacles 
with  the  general.  "  They  are  of  a  heavy  silver  frame,"  says  the  Detroit  Advertiser,  "  with  very  large,  round  glastcs,  and  appar- 
ently constructed  after  the  style  we  have  been  accustomed  to  see,  in  the  books,  upon  the  nose  of  Red  Riding  Hood's  grand- 
mother." 


678  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Washington's  Address.  Action  of  the  Meeting  of  Officers.  A  strong  ResolutJoii 

After  reading  the  address,  Washington  retired  without  uttering  a  word,  leaving  the  offi- 
cers to  deliberate  without  restraint.  Their  conference  was  brief;  their  deliberations  short. 
They  passed  resolutions,  by  unanimous  vote,  thanking  their  chief  for  the  course  he  had  pur- 
sued ;  expressing  their  unabated  attachment  to  his  person  and  their  country  ;  declaring  their 
unshaken  confidence  in  the  good  faith  of  Congress,  and  their  determination  to  bear  with  pa- 
tience their  grievances,  until  in  due  time  they  should  be  redressed.*     These  proceedings  were 

ruin  of  both,  by  sowing  the  seeds  of  discord  and  separation  between  the  civil  and  military  powers  of  the 
Continent  ?  And  what  a  compliment  does  he  pay  to  our  understandings,  when  lis  recommends  measures, 
in  either  alternative,  impracticable  in  their  nature  ? 

"  But,  here,  gentlemen,  I  will  drop  the  curtain,  because  it  would  be  as  imprudent  in  me  to  assign  my 
reasons  for  this  opinion,  as  it  would  be  insulting  to  your  conception  to  suppose  you  stood  in  need  of  them. 
A  moment's  reflection  will  convince  every  dispassionate  mind  of  the  physical  impossibility  of  carrying  either 
proposal  into  execution.  There  might,  gentlemen,  be  an  impropriety  in  my  taking  notice,  in  this  address 
to  you,  of  an  anonymous  production  ;  but  the  manner  in  which  that  performance  has  been  introduced  to  the 
army,  the  effect  it  was  intended  to  have,  together  with  some  other  circumstances,  will  amply  justify  my  ob- 
servations on  the  tendency  of  that  writing. 

"  With  respect  to  the  advice  given  by  the  author,  to  suspect  the  man  who  shall  recommend  moderate 
measures  and  longer  forbearance,  I  spurn  it,  as  every  man,  who  regards  that  liberty  and  reveres  that  justice 
for  which  we  contend,  undoubtedly  must ;  for,  if  men  are  to  be  precluded  from  offering  their  sentiments  on 
a  matter  which  may  involve  the  most  serious  and  alarming  consequences  that  can  invite  the  consideration 
of  mankind,  reason  is  of  no  use  to  us.  The  freedom  of  speech  may  be  taken  away,  and  dumb  and  silent  we 
may  be  led,  like  sheep,  to  the  slaughter.  I  can  not,  in  justice  to  my  own  belief,  and  what  I  have  great  reason 
to  conceive  is  the  intention  of  Congress,  conclude  this  address,  without  giving  it  as  my  decided  opinion  that 
that  honorable  body  entertains  exalted  sentiments  of  the  services  of  the  army,  and,  from  a  full  conviction  of 
its  merits  and  sufferings,  will  do  it  complete  justice ;  that  their  endeavors  to  discover  and  establish  funds 
for  this  purpose  have  been  unwearied,  and  will  not  cease  till  they  have  succeeded,  I  have  not  a  doubt.  But, 
like  all  other  large  bodies,  where  there  is  a  variety  of  different  interests  to  reconcile,  their  determinations  are 
slow.  Why,  then,  should  we  distrust  them,  and,  in  consequence  of  that  distrust,  adopt  measures  which  may 
cast  a  shade  over  that  glory  which  has  been  so  justly  acquired,  and  tarnish  the  reputation  of  an  army  which 
is  celebrated  through  all  Europe  for  its  fortitude  and  patriotism  ?  And  for  what  is  this  done  ?  To  bring 
the  object  we  seek  nearer  ?  No ;  most  certainly,  in  my  opinion,  it  will  cast  it  at  a  greater  distance.  For 
myself  (and  I  take  no  merit  in  giving  the  assurance,  being  induced  to  it  from  principles  of  gratitude,  verac- 
it}',  and  justice,  a  grateful  sense  of  the  confidence  you  have  ever  placed  in  me),  a  recollection  of  the  cheer- 
ful assistance  and  prompt  obedience  I  have  experienced  from  you  under  every  vicissitude  of  fortune,  and  the 
sincere  affection  I  feel  for  an  army  I  have  so  long  had  the  honor  to  command,  will  oblige  me  to  declare,  in 
this  public  and  solemn  manner,  that  in  the  attainment  of  complete  justice  for  all  your  toils  and  dangers,  and 
in  the  gratification  of  every  wish,  so  far  as  may  be  done  consistently  with  the  great  duty  I  owe  my  coun- 
try, and  those  powers  we  are  bound  to  respect,  you  may  freely  command  my  services  to  the  utmost  extent 
of  my  abilities. 

"  While  I  give  you  these  assurances,  and  pledge  myself  in  the  most  unequivocal  manner  to  exert  what- 
ever ability  I  am  possessed  of  in  your  favor,  let  me  entreat  you,  gentlemen,  on  your  part,  not  to  take  any 
measures,  which,  viewed  in  the  calm  light  of  reason,  will  lessen  the  dignity  and  sully  the  glory  you  have 
hitherto  maintained.  Let  me  request  you  to  rely  on  the  plighted  faith  of  your  country,  and  place  a  full 
confidence  in  the  purity  of  the  intentions  of  Congress,  that,  previous  to  your  dissolution  as  an  army,  they 
will  cause  all  your  accounts  to  be  fairly  liquidated,  as  directed  in  the  resolutions  which  were  published  to 
you  two  days  ago,  and  that  they  will  adopt  the  most  effectual  measures  in  their  power  to  render  ample  jus- 
tice to  you  for  your  faithful  and  meritorious  services.  And  let  me  conjure  you,  in  the  name  of  our  common 
country,  as  you  value  your  own  sacred  honor,  as  you  respect  the  rights  of  humanity,  and  as  you  regard 
the  military  and  national  character  of  America,  to  express  your  utmost  horror  and  detestation  of  the  man 
who  wishes,  under  any  specious  pretenses,  to  overturn  the  liberties  of  our  country,  and  who  wickedly  at- 
tempts to  open  the  flood-gates  of  civil  discord,  and  deluge  our  rising  empire  in  blood. 

"  By  thus  determining  and  thus  acting,  you  will  pursue  the  plain  and  direct  road  to  the  attainment  of 
your  wishes ;  you  will  defeat  the  insidious  designs  of  our  enemies,  who  are  compelled  to  resort  from  open 
force  to  secret  artifice ;  you  will  give  one  more  distinguished  proof  of  unexampled  patriotism  and  patient 
virtue  rising  superior  to  the  pressure  of  the  most  complicated  sufferings ;  and  you  will,  by  the  dignity  of 
your  conduct,  afford  occasion  for  posterity  to  say,  when  speaking  of  the  glorious  example  you  have  exhib- 
ited to  mankind,  '  Had  this  day  been  wanting,  the  world  had  never  seen  the  last  stage  of  perfection  ta  which 
human  nature  is  capable  of  attaining.' — Journals  of  Congress,  viii.,  180—183. 

'  One  of  the  resolutions  is  expressed  in  the  following  strong  language  : 

"  Resolved  unanimously,  That  the  officers  of  the  American  army  view  with  abhorrence  and  reject  with 
disdain  the  infamous  propositions  contained  in  a  late  anonymous  address  to  the  officers  of  the  army,  and  re- 
sent with  indignation  the  secret  attempts  of  some  unknown  persons  to  collect  the  officers  together  in  a  man 
ner  totally  subversive  of  all  discipline  and  good  order." 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  G7'J 


Record  of  Proceedings  sent  to  Congress.  Washington's  Opinion  of  Armstrong's  Motives.  His  farewell  Address 

signed  by  General  Gates,  as  president  of  the  meeting;  and  on  the  18th,  Washing-  March, 
ton,  in  general  orders,  expressed  his  entire  satisfaction.  All  the  papers  relating  to  ^^*^"'- 
the  affair  were  transmitted  to  Congress,  and  entered  at  length  upon  their  Journals.' 

It  was  in  this  old  building  at  Newburgh,  on  the  porch  of  which  we  are  sitting,  that 
Washington  wrote  his  address  to  the  olficers,  on  the  occasion  just  considered  ;  and  here,  also, 
he  penned  his  admirable  circular  letter  addressed  to  the  governors  of  all  the  states,  on  dis- 
banding the  army.  This  was  his  last  official  communication  with  these  function-  june  8, 
aries.  "  This  letter,"  says  Sparks,  "  is  remarkable  for  its  ability,  the  deep  interest  '''^''" 
it  manifests  for  the  officers  and  soldiers  who  had  fought  the  battles  of  their  country,  the 
soundness  of  its  principles,  and  the  wisdom  of  its  counsels.  Four  great  points  he  aims  to 
enforce,  as  essential  in  guiding  the  deliberations  of  every  public  body,  and  as  claiming  the 
serious  attention  of  every  citizen,  namely,  an  indissoluble  union  of  the  states  ;  a  sacred  re- 
gard to  public  justice  ;  the  adoption  of  a  proper  military  peace  establishment  ;^  and  a  pacific 
and  friendly  disposition  among  the  people  of  the  states  which  should  induce  them  to  forget 
local  prejudices,  and  incline  them  to  mutual  concessions  for  the  advantage  of  the  community. 
These  he  calls  the  pillars  by  which  alone  independence  and  national  character  can  be  sup- 
ported. On  each  of  these  topics  he  remarks  at  considerable  length,  with  a  felicity  of  style 
and  cogency  of  reasoning  in  all  respects  -worthy  of  the  subject.  No  public  address  could 
have  been  better  adapted  to  the  state  of  the  times ;  and  coming  from  such  a  source,  its  in- 
fluence on  the  minds  of  the  people  must  have  been  effectual  and  most  salutary."'  The 
Legislatures  that  were  then  in  session  passed  resolves  highly  commendatory  of  the  public 
acts  of  the  commander-in-chief ;  and  he  received  letters  from  several  of  the  governors,  ex- 
pressing their  thanks  and  gratitude  for  his  long  and  successful  services  in  the  cause  of  his 
country. 

Many  of  the  troops  now  went  home  on  furlough,  and  Washington,  having  leisure,  pro- 

At  that  time  the  author  of  the  anonymous  addresses  was  unknown  except  to  a  few ;  and  for  forty  years 
there  was  no  certainty  in  the  public  mind  that  Major  Armstrong  was  the  writer.  That  he  was  generally 
suspected  of  being  the  author,  among  those  who  were  acquainted  with  his  abilities,  is  evident  from  a  letter 
to  him  written  by  Colonel  Timothy  Pickering,  in  after  years,  in  which  he  says,  that  so  certain  was  he,  at 
the  time,  of  the  identity  of  the  author,  that  he  endorsed  the  copy  of  the  address  which  he  received,  "  Writ- 
ten by  jNIajor  John  Armstrong,  Jr."  An  article  appeared  in  the  January  number  of  the  United  States 
Magazine  for  1823,  in  which  the  author,  understood  to  be  General  Armstrong,  avowed  himself  the  writer 
of  the  Newburgh  Addresses.  The  article  in  question  contains  a  history  of  the  event  we  have  been  just  con- 
siderinpr,  and  defends  the  course  of  the  writer  on  that  occasion  with  the  plea  that  apparent  urgent  necessity 
justified  the  act.  Subsequent  events  proved  the  writer  to  be  mistaken  in  his  views,  and  his  proposition  to 
be  highly  dangerous  to  the  common  good.  General  Armstrong  has,  consequently,  been  greatly  censured, 
and  his  patriotism  has  been  questioned  by  writers  and  speakers  who  have  judged  him  by  results  instead  of 
by  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed.  I  can  see  no  reason  to  doubt  the  purity  of  his  motives  and 
the  sincerity  of  his  patriotism.  Other  men,  as  we  have  noticed  in  a  preceding  note,  who  were  far  above 
suspicion,  held  similar  views.  Unfortunately  for  his  reputation,  in  this  particular,  he  was  the  aid-de-camp 
and  confident  of  Gates,  whose  ambition  had  made  him  a  plotter  against  Washington.  In  fact,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief plainly  alluded  to  Gates,  when,  writing  to  Hamilton  concerning  the  scheme,  he  said  thai 
some  believed  it  to  bo  "  the  illetritimate  ofispring  of  a  person  in  the  array." 

It  appears  that  the  first  president  was  made  acquainted  with  the  authorship  of  these  addresses  toward 
the  close  of  his  second  administration,  some  fourteen  years  after  they  were  penned.  His  estimate  of  thf 
motives  of  the  writer  may  be  understood  by  the  following  letter,  addressed  to  Armstrong : 

"  Philadelphia,  February  23d,  1797. 

"Sir. — Believing  that  there  may  be  times  and  occasions  on  which  my  opinion  of  the  anonymous  letters 
and  the  author,  as  delivered  to  the  army  in  the  year  1783,  may  be  turned  to  some  personal  and  malignant 
purpose,  I  do  hereby  declare,  that  I  did  not,  at  the  time  of  writing  my  address,  regard  you  as  the  author 
of  said  letters ;  and  further,  that  I  have  since  had  sufiicient  reason  for  believinjr  that  the  object  of  the  author 
was  just,  honorable,  and  friendly  to  the  country,  though  the  means  suggested  by  him  were  certainly  liable 
to  much  misunderstanding  and  abuse. 

"  I  am,  sir,  with  great  regard,  your  most  obedient  servant,  George  Wasuixgton." 

'  Journals  of  Congress,  vol.  viii. 

*  Washington  proposed  the  establishment  of  a  military  academy  at  West  Point  as  early  as  April,  1783 
His  proposition  will  be  hereafter  noticed. 

'  Sparks's  Xi/e  and  Writings  of  Washington,  i.,  395. 


680 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Washington'a  Tour  to  the  Northern  Battle  Fields.       Called  to  Princeton.      A  Statue  ordered  by  Congress.       General  Clinton. 

ceeded  up  the  Hudson  with  Governor  Clinton  to  visit  the  principal  fields  of  military  opera- 
tions at  the  north.  He  passed  over  the  battle  ground  at  Stillwater,  with  Generals  Schuyler 
and  Gansevoort,  and  extended  his  journey  as  far  northward  as  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point,  and  westward  to  Fort  Schuyler  (now  Rome),  on  the  Mohawk.  He  returned  to  New- 
burgh  after  an  absence  of  nineteen  days,  where  he  found  a  letter  from  the  President  of  Con- 
gress requesting  his  attendance  upon  that  body,  then  in  session  at  Princeton,  in  New  Jer- 
.sey.  While  he  was  awaiting  the  convalescence  of  Mrs.  Washington,  and  preparing  to  go. 
Congress  conferred  upon  the  chief  the  distinguished  honor  of  voting,  unanimously,  that  an 
equestrian  statue  of  him  should  be  executed  by  the  best  artist  in  Europe,  under  the  direction 
of  the  minister  of  the  United  States  at  the  court  of  Versailles,  and  erected  at  the  place  where 
the  residence  of  Congress  should  be  established.'  Like  other  similar  memorials  authorized 
by  Congress  to  be  made  in  honor  of  their  servants,  this  statue  has  never  been  constructed. 
Upon  the  lawn  before  us,  now  covered  with  the  matted  and  dull-green  grass  of  autumn, 
Washington  parted  with  many  of  his  subalterns  and  soldiers  forever,  on  the  day  he  left  the 
August  18  army  to  attend  upon  Congress  at  Princeton.  It  was  an  affecting  prelude  to  the 
final  parting  with  his  official  companions  in  arms  at  Fraunce's  tavern,  in  New 


1783. 


York,  a  few  months  subsequently,  and  furnishes  a  noble  subject  for  the  pencil  of  art.  The 
scenery  is  beautiful  and  grand,  and  here  I  would  fain  loiter  all  the  day,  musing  upon  the 
events  which  hallow  the  spot ;  but  the  sun  has  climbed  high  toward  meridian,  and  I  must 
hasten  away  to  adjacent  localities,  all  of  which  are  full  of  interest. 

I  left  Newburgh  toward  noon,  and  rode 
down  to  New  Windsor,  two  miles  below,  along 
a  fine  sandy  road  upon  the  beach.  The  little 
village,  once  the  rival  of  Newburgh,  is  nestled 
in  a  pleasant  nook  near  the  confluence  of 
Chambers's  Creek  with  the  Hudson,  on  the 
western  rim  of  the  bay.  Its  sheltered  position 
and  fertile  acres  wooed  the  exploring  emi- 
grants from  Ireland,  who  were  seeking  a  place 
whereon  to  pitch  their  tents  on  the  banks  of 
the  Hudson,  and  here  some  of  them  sat 

.  1731. 

down.  Among  them  was  Charles  Clin- 
ton ;  and  at  a  place  called  Little  Britain,  a 
few  miles  interior,  were  born  his  four  sons  ; 
two  of  whom,  James  and  George,  were  dis- 
tinguished men  of  the  Revolution.  The  for- 
mer was  a  major  general  in  the  army,  and  the 
latter  a  brigadier,  and  Governor  of  New  York 
during  the  contest. 

New  Windsor  claims  the  distinction  of 
being  the  birth-place  of  Governor  Dewitt 
Clinton,  a  son  of  General  James  Clinton  ; 

'  The  following  is  a  description  of  the  proposed  statue,  as  given  in  the  resolution  of  Congress  adopted  on 
the  7th  of  August,  1783  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  statue  be  of  bronze :  the  general  to  be  represented  in  a  Roman  dress,  holding  a 
truncheon  in  his  right  hand,  and  his  head  encircled  with  a  laurel  wreath.  The  statue  to  be  supported  by  a 
marble  pedestal,  on  which  are  to  be  represented,  in  basso  relievo,  the  following  principal  events  of  the  war, 
in  which  General  Washington  commanded  in  person,  viz.,  the  evacuation  of  Boston ;  the  capture  of  the 
Hessians  at  Trenton  ;  the  battle  of  Princeton ;  the  action  of  Monmouth  ;  and  the  surrender  of  York.  Oii 
the  upper  part  of  the  front  of  the  pedestal  to  be  engraved  as  follows :  The  United  States  in  Congress  as- 
sembled, ordered  this  statue  to  be  erected  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1783,  in  honor  of  George  Washington, 
the  illustrious  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States  of  America,  during  the  war  which  vin- 
dicated and  secured  their  liberty,  sovereignty,  and  independence." 

^  A  biographical  sketch  of  General  Clinton  may  oe  found  on  page  272,  ante,  and  also  a  brief  notice  of 
his  father  on  page  255 


cOL^^ 


! 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


G81 


A  very  little  Maiden. 


Her  Dignity. 


Fortificntiona  there. 


An  Acrostic. 


but  evidence  is  adduced  to  prove  that  a  violent  snow  storm,  which  detained  his  mother  at 
"  the  Fort,"  in  Deerpark,  the  residence  of  her  brother,  deprived  the  village  of  the  intended 
honor.'  Although  denied  the  distinction  of  the  paternity  of  a  great  man,  it  can  boast  the 
residence,  for  a  time,  of  one  of  the  smallest  of  women,  beautiful,  witty,  and  good.  The  name 
of  this  "pretty,  charming  little  creature"  was  Anna  Brewster  ;  her  height,  in  womanhood, 
three  feet ;  her  symmetry  of  form  perfect ;  her  face  sweet  and  intelligent ;  her  mind  active 
and  pure  ;  her  extraction  truly  noble,  for  her  ancestor  was  Elder  Brewster,  of  the  May 
Flower.  Too  little  to  be  wooed,  too  wise  to  be  won,  she  was  loved  and  admired  by  every 
body.  She  lived  a  charming  maiden  until  she  was  seventy-five  years  old,  when  she 
died.  Fifty  years  before,  a  rustic  poet,  inspired  by  her  charms  during  an  evening 
passed  in  her  company,  portrayed  her  character  in  verse. ^  Mrs.  Washington,  pleased  with 
the  sprightly  little  maiden,  invited  her,  on  one  occasion,  to  visit  her  at  head-quarters  while 
the  chief  was  at  New  Windsor,'  but  she  declined,  believing  it  to  be  curiosity  rather  than 
respect  that  prompted  the  invitation.  It  was  a  mistake  ;  but  she  had  through  life  such  a 
dignified  self-respect,  that  it  repelled  undue  familiarity,  and  closed  all  opportunities  for  the 


indulgence  of  prying  cu- 
riosity. 

From  New  Windsor 
I  rode  to  Plum  Island, 
or  Plum  Point,  the  fine 
estate  of  Phihp  A.  Ver- 
planck,  Esq.  At  high 
tide,  this  alluvial  height, 
which  rises  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet 
above  the  Hudson,  is  an 
island,  approached  by  a 
narrow  causeway  from 
the  main,  which  bridges 
a  rivulet,  with  a  heavy 
stone  arch.  Murderer's 
Creek  washes  its  south, 
western    border,   and  a 


Remains  of  Foi-.tikications  at  Plum  1'oint.* 


marsh  and  rivulet  in- 
close it  upon  the  land 
side.  Upon  a  broad,  lev- 
el table  -  land  of  some 
thirty-five  acres  in  ex- 
tent, stands  the  mansion 
of  Mr.  Verplanck,  noted 
for  the  beauty  and  gran- 
deur of  the  scenery  which 
encompasses  it.  Accom- 
panied by  the  proprietor, 
I  strolled  down  the  wind- 
ing pathway  to  the  base 
of  the  steep  river  bank, 
where,  overgrown  by  a 
new  forest,  are  well-pre- 
served remains  of  a  for- 
tification,  erected   there 


'  See  Eager's  History  of  Orange  County,  page  630. 

*  His  poetic  effort  produced  the  following 

"ACROSTIC 
"  A  pretty,  charming  little  creature, 
N  eat  and  complete  in  every  feature, 
N  ow  at  New  Windsor  may  be  seen, 
A  11  beauteous  in  her  air  and  mien. 
B  irth  and  power,  wealth  and  fame, 
R  ise  not  to  view  when  her  we  name : 
E  very  virtue  in  her  shine, 
W  isely  nice,  but  not  o'er  fine. 
S  he  has  a  soul  that's  great,  'tis  said, 
T  hough  small's  the  body  of  this  maid  : 
E  'en  though  the  casket  is  but  small, 
R  eason  proclaims  the  jewel's  all." 

October  8,  1794. 

*  Washington  established  his  hcad-qnarters  at  New  Windsor  village,  first  on  the  23d  of  June,  1779,  and 
again  toward  the  close  of  1780,  where  ho  remained  till  the  summer  of  1781.  Ho  lived  at  a  plain  Dutch 
house,  long  since  decayed  and  demolished.  In  that  humble  tenement  Lady  Washington  entertained  the  mos^ 
distinguished  officers  and  their  ladies,  as  well  as  the  more  obscure  who  sought  her  friendship.  On  leaving 
New  Windsor  in  June,  1781,  Washington  established  his  quarters,  for  a  short  time,  at  Peekskill. 

■•  This  view  is  from  the  interior  of  the  redoulit  looking  eastward  upon  the  river.  In  the  distance  is  seen 
Pollopel's  Island,  near  the  upper  entrance  to  the  Highlands,  beyond  which  rise  the  lofty  Beacon  Hills, 
whereon  alarm-fires  often  gleamed  during  the  war. 


682 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Redoubt  on  Plum  Point 


Chevaux-de-frise. 


Anecdote. 


Head-quarters  of  Greene  and  Knox 


partly  at  an  early  period  of  the  war,  and  partly  when  the  American  army  was  in  the  vicin- 
ity. It  was  a  redoubt,  with  a  battery  of  fourteen  guns,  and  was  designed  to  cover  strong 
chevaux-de-frise  and  other  obstructions  placed  in  the  river,  and  extending  from  the  flat  be- 
low Murderer's  Creek  to  PoUopel's  Island.'  It  would  also  rake  the  river  channel  at  the 
opening  in  the  Highlands.  The  chevaux-de-frise  were  constructed  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  Captain  Thomas  Machin,  in  the  summer  of  1778.  Had  they  and  the  strong  re- 
doubt on  Plum  Point  been  in  existence  a  year  sooner,  the  marauding  expedition  of  Vaughan 
and  Wallace,  up  the  Hudson,  could  not  have  occurred.  The  remains  of  this  battery,  the 
old  Continental  road,  and  the  cinders  of  the  forges,  extend  along  the  river  bank  several  hund- 
red feet.      The  embrasures  are  also  very  prominent. 

Mr.  Verplanck  pointed  out  the  remains  of  the  cellar  of  a  log-house,  which  stood  a  little 
above  the  battery,  and  belonged  to  a  man  named  M'Evers,  long  before  the  Revolution. 
M'Evers  was  a  Scotchman,  and  when  about  to  emigrate  to  America,  he  asked  his  servant, 
Mike,  if  he  would  accompany  him.  Mike,  who  was  faithful,  and  much  attached  to  his 
master,  at  once  consented  to  go,  saying,  in  illustration  of  the  force  of  his  love,  "Indeed,  gude 
raon,  I'll  follow  ye  to  the  gates  o'  hell,  if  ye  gang  there  yersel'."  The  voyage  was  long 
and  tempestuous,  and  instead  of  entering  New  York  harbor  by  the  Narrows,  the  vessel  sailed 
through  Long  Island  Sound  and  the  East  River.  At  the  whirlpool  called  Hellgate,  the 
ship  struck  upon  the  Hog's  Back  with  a  terrible  crash.  The  passengers,  in  affright,  rushed 
upon  deck,  and  none  was  more  appalled  than  Mike.      "  What  place  is  it  ?"  he  exclaimed. 


^-^  ply  of  a  sailor.  "  God  ha' 
"  I  promised  my  master  I'd 
but  I  didna'  say  I'd  gang 
sel  floated  off  with  the  tide, 
and   Mike  lived   to   be   a 


''Hellgate"  was  the  short  re- 
mercy  on  me  !"  groaned  Mike  ; 
follow  him  to  the  gate  o'  hell, 
through  WiX\).\].\m\"  The  ves- 
arrived  safely  in  New  York, 
gardener  on  Plum  Point. 

A   pleasant   ride    of  about 
three    miles    westward    from 
Plum  Point  placed  me  at  the 
residence  of  Charles  F.  Mor- 
ton,  Esq.,    a   picturesque   old 
mansion  on  the  south  side  of 
the  New  Windsor  road.      It 
was  bulk  about  1735^  by  John 
Ellison,  one  of  the  first  settlers     - 
in  New  Windsor.     The  mate- 
rial is  stone,  and  its  dormer  windows  and  spacious 
and  irregular  roof  give  it  the  appearance  of  a  large 
cottage  in  rural  England.      A  living  stream  passes 
through  a  rocky  glen  within  a  few  yards  of  it.     Just 
belovv^  is  the  old  mill,  erected  more  than  a  hundred         HEADQu^uiTEiis  of  Gbeene  and  Knox.s 
years  ago  by  the  first  proprietor  ;   nor  has  the  monotonous  music  of  its  stones  and  hopper 
yet  ceased. 

This  old  mansion  was  the  head-quarters  of  Generals  Greene  and  Knox  while  Washington 
was  domiciled  at  the  Hasbrouck  House  in  Newburgh,  and  it  was  from  hence  that  the  com- 

'  According  to  a  survey  made  by  Henry  Wisner  and  Gilbert  Livingston  in  the  autumn  of  1776,  the  chan- 
nel of  the  river,  wherein  these  chevaux-de-frise  were  placed,  was  about  fifty  feet  deep,  and  eighty  chains, 
or  about  five  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet  broad.  The  channel  east  of  PoUopel's  Island  was  not 
;ieep  enough  for  the  passage  of  ships  of  war. 

*  One  of  the  fire-places  has  a  cast-iron  back,  on  which,  in  raised  letters,  is  the  date  1734. 

^  This  view  is  from  the  turnpike  road,  looking  southeast.  The  water  in  front  is  a  mill-pond,  over  the  dam 
of  which  passes  a  foot-bridge.  The  mill  is  hidden  by  the  trees  in  the  ravine  below.  This  side  was  orig- 
inally the  rear  of  the  house,  the  old  Goshen  road  passing  upon  the  other  side.  The  old  front  is  a  story  and 
a  half  high.     Captain  Morton,  the  proprietor,  is  a  son  of  the  late  General  Jacob  Morton,  of  New  York  city. 


UF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


683 


Ball  at  the  Quarters  of  Greene  and  Knox. 


Signatures  of  young  Ladies. 


Washington  on  Dancing. 


The  Square. 


mander-jn-chief,  accompanied  by  those  generals,  after  taking  some  refreshments,  rode  to  tho 
"  New  Building,"  to  attend  the  meeting  of  officers  convened  by  Washington  on  account  of 
the  anonymous  addresses  just  considered.  Here  the  accompHshed  Lucy  Knox  gave  her 
choice  soirees,  graced  by  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Washington,  and  other  ladies  of  taste  and  re- 
finement with  which  that  region  abounded  ;  and  here,  if  tradition  is  truthful,  Washington 
opened  a  ball  on  one  occasion,  having  for  his  partner  Maria  Golden,  then  one  of  the  pretty 
belles  of  Orange  county.' 

I  dined  with  Mr.  Morton  in  the  old  drawing-room,  which,  with  the  other  apartments,  is 
preserved  by  him,  with  scrupulous  care,  in  the  original  style.  The  ceilings  are  high,  and 
the  wainscoting  displays  architectural  taste.  The  heavy  window-sashes,  with  their  small 
squares  of  glass,  remain  ;  very  few  of  the  panes  have  been  broken  and  replaced  since  the 
Revolution.  On  one  of  them,  inscribed  by  a  diamond,  are  the 
names  of  three  young  ladies  of  the  "  olden  time"  (Sally  Jan-  O   p  j^    ^ 

son,  Gitty  Winkoop,  and  Maria  Golden),  one  of  whom  was  the     ^/  (J-     7"  1,-^ 
reputed  partner  of  AVashington  at  the  ball.      May  not  these 
names  have  been  written  on  that  occa- 


<y^lOd7^^ 


sion  ?  Believing  it  probable,  I  copied 
the  signatures,  and  present  them  here 
for  the  gratification  of  the  curious  and 
the  sentimental. 

In  October,  1777,  the  vicin- 
age  we  are  now  considering  was      ,    j/l^L 


CO 


^CJ^OL 


cin/ 


the  scene  of  much  commotion. 
Forts  Glinton  and  Montgomery,  among  the  Hudson  Highlands,  fell  beneath  one  heavy  blow, 
suddenly  and  artfully  dealt  by  a  British  force  from  New  York,  and  the  smitten  October  c, 
garrisons  were  scattered  like  frightened  sheep  upon  the  mountains  ;   not,  however,  ■'^^''^• 

until  they  had  disputed  the  possession  of  the  fortresses  with  the  besiegers  long  and  desper- 
ately. General  James  Glinton  and  his  brother  George  were  in  command  of  the  fortresses, 
and  escaped  up  the  river.      At  a  place  afterward  called  Washington  Square,"^  about  foui- 

^  I  was  informed  by  the  venerable  Mrs.  Hamilton  that  Washington  never  danecd.  He  often  attended  balls 
by  invitation,  and  sometimes  walked  the  figures,  but  she  never  saw  him  attempt  to  dance.  Probably  no  lady 
of  that  day,  if  we  except  Mrs.  Knox,  was  more  often  at  parties  and  social  gatherings  with  Wa.shington  than 
3Irs.  Hamilton. 

It  may  not  be  inappropriate  here  to  give  a  copy  of  a  letter  on  the  subject  of  dancing,  written  by  Wash- 
ington a  short  time  before  his  death.  It  was  in  reply  to  an  invitation  from  a  committee  of  gentlemen  of 
Alexandria  to  attend  the  dancing  assemblies  at  that  place.  I  copied  it  from  the  original  in  the  Alexandria 
Museum. 

"  To  3Iessrs.  Jonathan  Sici/t,  George  Dencale,  Williavi  Newton,  Robert  Young,  Charles  Alexander,  Jr., 

James  H.  Hoole,  Managers. 

"  Mount  Vernon,  12th  November,  1799. 
"  Gentlemen, — Mrs.  Wa.shington  and  myself  have  been  honored  with  your  polite  invitation  to  the  as- 
semblies of  Alexandria  this  winter,  and  thank  you  for  this  mark  of  your  attention.     But,  alas  !  our  dancing 
days  are  no  more.     We  wish,  however,  all  those  who  have  a  relish  for  so  agreeable  and  innocent  an  amuse- 
ment all  the  pleasure  the  season  will  aflbrd  them ;  and  I  am,  gentlemen, 

"  Your  most  obedient  and  obliged  humble  servant, 

"  Geo.  Washington." 

'  "  The  Square"  is  a  small  district  of  country,  and  so  called 
from  tho  fact  that  the  public  roads  ran  in  such  a  drection  as  to 
form  a  diamond-shaped  inclosure,  as  seen  in  the  diagram,  in 
which  a  is  the  road  to  Newburgh ;  6,  to  Goshen ;  c,  to  Little 
Britain  ;  and  d.  to  New  Windsor.  1  denotes  the  house  of  Mrs 
Falls  ;  2,  the  quarters  of  St.  Clair  and  Gates  ;*  and,  3,  the  quar- 
ters of  La  Favette. 


•  There  are  two  ancient  houses  at  this  angle  of  "  The  .Square,"  but  I  could  not  ascertain  which  was  occupied  by  those  officers. 
It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  one  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  road,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  Kdmonston's,  wiui 
tiK;  one. 


S84  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

A  Spy  in  the  American  Camp.  Dispatch  in  a  silver  Bullet.  Name  and  Fate  of  the  Spy 

miles  west  of  the  village  of  New  Windsor,  Governor  Clinton  established  his  head-quarters 
at  the  house  of  a  Mrs.  Falls,  and  there  the  dispersed  troops  were  collected,  preparatory  to 
their  marching  for  the  defense  of  Kingston. 
At  about  noon  on  the  10  th  of  October, 

1777 

a  horseman,  apparently  m  great  haste, 
approached  the  disordered  camp.  The  senti- 
nel on  duty  challenged  him,  when  he  replied, 
'  I  am  a  friend,  and  wish  to  see  General 
Clinton."  The  horseman  was  a  messenger, 
bearing  a  secret  dispatch  from  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton to  Burgoyne,  the  latter  being  then  hedged 
round  by  the  Americans  at  Saratoga.  The 
messenger  supposed  the  American  forces  in  the 
Highlands  to  be  utterly  broken  and  destroyed,      '  jij^s  falls's.i 

and  having  never  heard  of  a  general  Clinton* 

in  the  patriot  army,  he  believed  himself  to  be  among  his  friends.  He  was  conducted  to 
Clinton's  quarters,  and,  when  ushered  into  his  presence,  he  perceived  his  mistake.  '  I  am 
lost  I"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  half  subdued  voice,  and  immediately  cast  something  into  his  mouth 
and  swallowed  it.  Suspicion  was  aroused,  and  he  was  arrested.  Dr.  Moses  Higby,  who 
was  then  residing  near  Mrs.  Falls's,  was  summoned.  He  administered  to  the  prisoner  a 
powerful  dose  of  tartar  emetic,  which  soon  brought  from  his  stomach  a  silver  bullet  of  an 
oval  form.  Though  closely  watched,  the  prisoner  succeeded  in  swallowing  it  a  second  time. 
He  now  refused  the  emetic,  but  yielded  when  Governor  Clinton  threatened  to  hang  him  upon 
a  tree  and  search  his  stomach  by  the  aid  of  the  surgeon's  knife.  The  bullet  again  appeared. 
It  was  a  curiously-wrought  hollow  sphere,  fastened  together  in  the  center  by  a  compound 
screw.    Within  it  was  found  a  piece  of  thin  paper,  on  which  was  written  the  following  note  :' 

"  Fort  Montgomery,  October  8, 1777. 

"  Nous  y  void,*  and  nothing  now  between  us  and  Gates.  I  sincerely  hope  this  little 
success  of  ours  may  facilitate  your  operations.  In  answer  to  your  letter  of  the  28th  of  Sep- 
tember, by  C.  C.,*I  shall  only  say,  I  can  not  presume  to  order,  or  even  advise,  for  reasons 
obvious.     I  heartily  wish  you  success. 

"  Faithfully  yours,  H.  Clinton, 

"  Gen.  Buegovne." 

The  prisoner's  guilt  was  clear ;  out  of  his  oiim  moiith  he  was  condemned.  Governor 
Clinton  soon  afterward  marched  to  Esopus,  or  Kingston,  taking  the  spy  with  him.  At 
Hurley,  a  few  miles  from  Kingston,  he  was  tried,  condemned,  and  hanged  upon  an  apple- 
tree  near  the  old  church,  while  the  village  of  Esopus  was  in  flames,  lighted  by  the  maraud- 
ing enemy.' 

'  This  house,  now  (1850)  o-wned  by  Mr.  Samuel  Moore,  is  a  frame  building*,  and  stands  on  the  right  side 
of  the  New  Windsor  road,  at  the  southeastern  angle  of  "  The  Square."  It  is  surrounded  by  locust  and  large 
balm-of-Gilead  trees.  There  Major  Armstrong  wrote  the  famous  Newburgh  Addresses,  and  there  those  in 
the  secret  held  their  private  conferences. 

*  The  British  officers  in  this  country  adhered  pertinaciously  to  the  resolution  of  not  dignifying  the  rebel 
officers  with  their  assumed  titles.  They  were  called  Mr.  Washington,  Mr.  Clinton,  Mr.  Greene,  &c.  It 
is  amusing  to  look  over  the  Tory  newspapers  of  the  day,  particularly  Rivington's  Gazette,  and  observe  the 
flippant  and  attempted  witty  manner  in  which  the  American  generalissimo  was  styled  Mister  Washington. 

'  Letter  of  Governor  Clinton  to  the  Council  of  Safety,  dated  "  Head-quarters,  Mrs.  Falls's,  11th  October, 
1777." 

*  "  Here  we  are."  I  copied  this  note  from  a  transcript  in  the  handwriting  of  Governor  Clinton,  which  is 
among  the  manuscripts  of  General  Gates  in  the  library  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society.  It  is  endorsed 
"Sir  Henry  Clinton  to  J.  Burgoyne,  8th  of  October,  1777,  found  in  a  silver  bullet."  That  identical  bullet 
was,  a  few  years  ago,  in  the  possession  of  the  late  General  James  Tallmadge,  executor  of  the  will  of  Governor 
George  Clinton.     It  is  now  the  property  of  one  of  Clinton's  descendants. 

'  Captain  Campbell.     See  page  79,  vol.  i. 

*  The  name  of  the  spy  was  Daniel  Taylor.     He  was  a  sergeant  in  the  British  service.     The  father  of  the 


I 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


C85 


Site  and  probable  Form  of  the  Temple. 


View  from  it. 


The  Camp  Ground  and  Vicinity. 


The  Tehpi.b.> 


Leaving  Mr.  Morton's,  I  proceeded  to  visit  the  site  of  the  "  New  Building,"  or  Temple, 
as  it  was  called,  where  the  meeting  of  officers  was  held.  It  is  in  a  field  now  belonging  to 
Mr.  William  M'Gill  (formerly  to  the  late  Jabez  Atwood),  upon  a  com- 
manding eminence  about  one  hundred  rods  east  of  the  road  to  Newburgh, 
and  two  miles  northward  of  Morton's.  The  day  was  foggy  and  drizzly, 
and  the  distant  scenery  was  entirely  hidden  from  view  ;  but,  on  a  second 
visit,  upon  a  bright  summer  day,  with  some  Newburgh  friends,  I  enjoyed 
the  magnificent  prospect  to  be  obtained  from 
that  observatory.  On  the  southeast  loomed 
the  lofty  Highlands,  cleft  by  the  Hudson  ; 
North  and  South  Beacons,  and  Butter  Hill, 
rising  above  their  hundred  lesser  compan- 
ions, were  grouped  in  a  picture  of  magnifi- 
cence and  beauty.  Glittering  in  meridian 
sunlight  were  the  white  houses  of  Cornwall 
and  Canterbury  ;  and  far  up  the  slopes  of  the 

mountains,  stretching  westward  to  Woodcock  Hill,  yellow  grain-fields  and  acres  of  green  maize 
variegated  the  landscape.  In  the  far  distance,  on  the  northwest,  was  the  upper  Shawan- 
gunk  range,  and  an  occasional  glimpse  was  caught  of  the  blue  high  peaks  of  the  Catskills, 
sixty  miles  northward.     Across  the  meadows  westward  we  could  distinctly  trace  the  line  of 

the  old  causeway,  constructed 
while  the  army  was  encamp- 
ed there  ;  and  in  the  groves 
which  skirt  the  slopes  (whith- 
er we  soon  afterward  went) 
we  found  the  remains  of  sev- 
eral huts  that  were  built  for 
the  use  of  the  soldiers. 

The  Temple  was  a  large, 
temporary  structure,  erected 
by  command  of  Washington 
for  the  several  purposes  of  a 
chapel  for  the  army,  a  lodge- 
room  for  the  fraternity  of 
View  of  the  Camp  Gbound.j  Free  -  masons  which  existed 

late  Judge  Woodward,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New  York,  acted  as  judge-advocate  on  the  oc- 
casion. On  page  389,  ante,  I  have  alluded  to  this  occurrence,  and  remarked  that  Kingston  was  the  place 
of  the  execution  of  the  spy.     Hurley  was  then  included  in  the  township  of  Kingston. 

'  This  view  is  from  the  site  of  the  Temple,  looking  southeast.  In  the  distance  is  seen  the  opening  of  the 
Highlands  into  Newburgh  Bay.  On  the  right  is  Butter  Hill,  and  near  it  is  the  village  of  Cornwall.  The 
form  and  appearance  of  the  Temple  was  drawn  from  the  description  given  by  Major  Burnet,  and  doubtless 
has  a  general  resemblance  to  the  original. 

*  This  is  from  a  painting  by  Tice,  in  my  possession.  The  land  on  which  the  encampment  on  the  west  side 
of  the  meadow  was,  is  now  owned  chiefly  by  Gilbert  Tompkins  and  Nathaniel  Moore. 
This  view  is  from  the  land  of  Mr.  Tompkins,  looking  east-boutheast.  On  the  slopes 
seen  in  the  foreground,  and  on  the  margin  of  the  meadow  bcvond.  Van  Cortlandt's 
New  York  repriment,  and  the  Maryland  and  Virginia  troops  were  encamped.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  meadow,  upon  the  most  distant  elevation  in  the  middle  ground,  the 
New  England  troops  were  stationed.  On  the  slope  toward  the  right  of  that  elevation 
stood  the  Temple.  In  the  distance  is  seen  the  upper  entrance  of  the  Hudson  into  the 
Highlands.  The  meadow  was  formerly  called  Beaver  Dam  Swamp,  from  the  circum- 
stance that  beavers  constructed  dams  at  the  lower  extremity,  causing  the  waters  to  overflow  the  low  grounds. 
The  Americans  built  a  causeway  across,  and  a  stone  dike,  or  levee,  on  the  west  side,  to  protect  their  parade. 
I  saw  the  remains  of  this  causeway ;  its  site  is  marked  by  the  light  line  across  the  flat.  About  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  north  of  the  site  of  the  Temple  is  an  ancient  stone  house,  seen  in  the  picture,  the  only  dwelling 
near  in  the  time  of  the  war.  It  was  built  by  Samuel  P.  Brewster  in  1768,  as  appears  from  an  inscribed 
Bton3  in  the  front  wall.     It  was  owned  by  a  Mr.  Moore.     Its  present  occupant  is  Francis  Wcyant 


r,86 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


The  Temple  as  described  by  Major  Burnet. 


Two  living  Patriots. 


Visit  to  Major  Burnet. 


among  the  officers,  and  for  public  meetings  of  various  kinds.  When  erected,  it  was  called 
The  Temple  of  Virtue  ;  when  dedicated,  the  suffix  vi^as  properly  omittod,  and  it  was  named 
simply  The  Temple.  The  orgies  held  on  the  occasion  of  its  dedication  disrobed  it  of  its 
mantle  of  purity.  It  was  described  to  me  by  Major  Burnet,  who  is  still  living  (1851)  in 
the  neighborhood,  as  a  structure  of  rough-hewn  logs,  oblong  square  in  form,  one  story  in 
height,  a  door  in  the  middle,  many  windows,  and  a  broad  roof  The  windows  were  square, 
unglazed,  and  about  the  size  of  ordinary  port-holes  in  a  man-of-war.  There  was  a  small 
gallery,  or  raised  platform,  at  one  end,  for  speakers  and  presiding  officers.  We  traced,  near 
an  old  ap|ile-tree  in  Mr.  M'Gill's  field,  evident  lines  of  the  foundation  of  the  building.  It 
must  have  been  some  eighty  feet  long  and  forty  wide.  On  the  crown  of  the  hill  northward 
are  traces  of  fire-places,  and  there,  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  a  long  building 
was  standing.  Some  have  supposed  this  to  have  been  the  Temple ;  it  was  only  the  bar- 
racks for  the  New  England  troops  stationed  there.  In  a  few  years  those  faint  land-marks 
and  that  old  apple-tree  will  be  no  more  seen.  The  spot  is  consecrated  by  one  of  the  loftiest 
exhibitions  of  true  patriotism  with  which  our  Revolutionary  history  abounds.  There  love 
of  country,  and  devotion  to  exalted  principles,  achieved  a  wonderful  triumph  over  the  se- 
ductive power  of  self-love  and  individual  interest,  goaded  into  rebellion  against  higher  mo- 
tives by  the  lash  of  apparent  injustice  and  personal  sufiering.  It  is,  indeed,  a  hallowed  spot ; 
and  if  the  old  stone  house  at  Newburgh  is  worthy  of  the  fostering  regard  of  the  state  be- 
cause it  was  the  head-quarters  of  the  beloved  Washington,  surely  the  site  of  the  Temple, 

where  he  achieved  his  most  glorious  victory, 
deserves  some  monument  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  its  place  and  associations. 

At  Little  Britain,  a  few  miles  from  the 
Temple,  and  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of 
each  other,  reside  two  of  the  sons  of  Orange 
county,  who  loved  and  served  Washington  and 
their  country  in  the  war  for  independence. 
These  are  Robert  Burnet  and  Usual  Knapp. 
Of  the  once  long  list  of  Revolutionary  pen- 
sioners in  Orange  county,  these  only  remain, 
honored  living  witnesses  of  the  prowess  of  those 
who  wrestled  successfully  for  freedom.  I  left 
the  Temple  field  on  the  occasion  of  my  first 
visit  with  the  intention  of  seeing  these  patriot 
fathers,  but  missing  the  proper  road,  and  the 
night  shadows  coming  thickly  with  the  fog 
and  rain,  I  made  my  way  back  to  Newburgh. 
Kind  friends  afterward  procured 
likenesses  and  autographs  of  both  for 
me.*  Better  than  this,  I  subsequent- 
ly enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  a  person- 
al interview  with  Major  Burnet  at 
his  residence.  It  was  on  the  occa- 
sion of  my  second  visit  to  the  camp 
ground.  At  dark,  on  that  August  i, 
sultry  day,  we  made  our  way  up  a  green  lane,  flanked  by  venerable  willows — a  few  ^**- 
cast  down  by  a  recent  tornado — and  sat  down  in  the  spacious  hall  of  the  old  soldier's  man- 


'  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Charles  U.  Cushman,  of  Newburgh,  for  a  daguerreotype,  from  life,  of  Major  Bur- 
net, from  which  the  picture  above  was  copied.  The  likeness  of  Mr.  Knapp  is  from  an  excellent  painting 
of  the  almost  centenarian's  head,  by  Mr.  Charles  W.  Tice,  an  accomplished  self-taught  artist  of  Newburgh, 
who  kindly  furnished  me  with  a  copy  for  my  use. 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


G87 


Public  Life  of  Major  Burnet  and  Sergeant  Knnpp. 


Washington's  Letter  to  Greene. 


sion.  He  had  just  retired  to  his  bed- room,  but  soon  appeared,  standing  before  us  as  erect  and 
manly  as  if  in  the  prime  of  his  hfe,  although  then  in  his  ninetieth  year. 

The  father  of  Major  Burnet  was  a  Scotchman,  his  mother  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  was 
a  lieutenant  in  Captain  Stevens's  company,  and  commanded  Redoubt  No.  3,  at  West  Point, 
at  the  time  of  Arnold's  defection.  He  afterward  attained  to  the  rank  of  major  in  the  serv- 
ice, and  was  one  of  the  delegates  who  attended  the  meeting  of  officers  at  the  Templet  He 
continued  in  the  army,  under  the  immediate  command  of  the  chief,  until  the  disbanding  of 
the  forces  in  1783.  When  the  Americans  marched  into  the  city  of  New  York  as  the  Brit- 
ish evacuated  it,  he  commanded  the  rear  guard.  He  told  me  that  he  remem-  November  25, 
bered  distinctly  the  dignified  appearance  of  Washington,  when,  with  Governor  ^~•^'■^■ 

Clinton  and  other  civil  and  military  officers,  he  stood  in  front  of  an  old  stone  house,"  about 
two  miles  below  Kingsbridge,  while  the  troops,  with  uncovered  heads,  passed  by.  He  saw 
Cunningham,  the  wicked  provost-marshal  at  New  York,  strongly  guarded  by  his  friends,  in 
the  march  to  the  place  of  embarkation,  while  the  exasperated  populace  were  eager  to  seize 
and  punish  him  according  to  his  deservings. 

Major  Burnet  was  also  present  when  Washington  finally  parted  with  his  officers  at 
Fraunce's'  tavern,  in  New  York.      How  could  the  heart  do  otherwise  than  beat  quick  and 


strong  with  deep  feel- 
ing, while  conversing 
face  to  face  with  one 
who  grasped  the  hand 
of  the  chief  on  that  oc- 
casion, so  pathetically 
described  by  Marshall 
and  others  I  The  lips 
of  the  patriot  quiver- 
ed with  emotion  while 
speaking  of  that  scene, 
and  I  perceived  my 
own  eye  dimmed  with 
the  rheum  of  sympa- 
thetic sentiment.  Ma- 
jor Burnet  has  seen, 
what  few  men  in  mod- 
ern times  have  be- 
held, the  living  rep- 
resentatives of  seven 
generations  of  his  kin- 
dred :  his  great-grand- 
father, grandfather,  fa- 
ther, himself,  his  chil- 


dren, grandchildren, 
and  great  -  grandchil- 
dren.^ 

It  was  late  when  we 
said  farewell  to  Major 
Burnet  —  too  late  to 
visit  his  neighbor,  Mr. 
Knapp,  who  was  nine- 
ty-one years  of  age,  and 
quite  feeble.  From  an- 
other I  learned  the 
principal  events  of  his 
public  life,  and  obtain- 
ed his  autograph,  a  fac- 
simile of  which  is  here 
given,  with  his  por- 
trait. Mr.  Knapp  was 
born  in  Connecticut,  in 
1759.  He  joined  the 
army  when  about  eigh- 
teen years  of  age.  His 
first  experience  in  war- 
fare was  in  the  battle 
at  White  Plains  ;   aft- 


erward he  served  under  General  Wooster  in  the  skirmish  at  Ridgefield.^    When  La  Fayette 


'  Washington,  in  a  letter  to  General  Greene,  dated  '•  Ncwburgh,  6th  February,  1782,"  refers  to  Mr. 
Burnet  as  follows  :  "  I  intended  to  write  you  a  long  letter  on  sundry  matters  ;  but  Major  Burnet  came  un- 
expectedly at  a  time  when  I  was  preparing  for  the  celebration  of  the  day,  and  was  just  poinjr  to  a  review 
of  the  troops  previous  to  the /cu  dc  joie*  As  he  is  impatient,  from  an  apprehension  that  the  sleighing  may 
fail,  and  as  he  can  give  you  the  occurrences  of  this  quarter  more  in  detail  them  I  have  time  to  do,  I  will 
refer  you  to  him." 

*  This  stone  house  is  yet  standing.  A  drawing  of  it  may  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  work.  It  has 
other  interesting  reminiscences. 

*  This  tavern,  now  (1850)  the  Broad  Street  Hotel,  is  well  preserved.  It  stands  on  the  corner  of  Broad 
and  Pearl  Streets.     A  drawinsj  of  it  may  be  found  on  page  633,  vol.  ii. 

4  Died  Dec.  1,  18.54,  aged  92  years  snd  9  months.     5  See  page  408. 


*  The  anniversary  of  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  alliance  between  the  United  States  and  France  is  herf  alluded  to. 


688 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


The  Commander-in-chiefa  Guard. 


Its  Organization,  Character,  and  Uniform. 


Iti  OSScers 


enrolled  his  corps  of  light  infantry,  Mr.  Knapp  became  a  member,  and  with  them  fought  in 
the  battle  at  Monmouth,  in  June,  1778.'  He  was  soon  afterward  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Commander-in-chief ' s  Guard,  and  served  faithfully  as  a  sergeant  therein  for  more  than  two 
years.  He  left  the  service  in  1782,  bearing  the  approbation  of  Washington.  He  is  be- 
lieved to  be  the  only  surviving  member  of  that  well-disciplined  corps  of  the  R-evolution, 
Washington's  Life  Guard.''     Although  feeble  in  body,  I  was  informed  that  his  mind  was 

'  Many  of  the  muskets  which  belonged  to  that  corps  are  now  preserved  in  the  Relic  Room  of  the  Head- 
.jUarters  at  Newburgh.  La  Fayette  purchased  them  with  his  own  money  in  France,  and  presented  them 
to  his  favorite  corps. 

*  The  Commander-in-chiefs  Guard,  commonly  called  The  Life  Guard,  was  a  distinct  corps  of  superior 

men,  attached  to  the  person  of  the  commander-in-chief,  but 
never  spared  in  battle.  It  wa;s  organized  in  1776,  soon  after 
the  siege  of  Boston,  while  the  American  army  was  encamped 
upon  York  or  Manhattan  Island,  near  the  city  of  New  York. 
^      yf  ^^r         It  consisted  of  a  major's  command — one  hundred  and  eighty 

y>^v^L«^'2..'<r    ^^ ^C^ci/'^^f^z^e^^^^^iy^    men.     Caleb  Gibbs,  of  Rhode  Island,  was  its  first  chief,  and 
^"^^^^^  ^^  boi-e  the  title  of  captain  commandant.     He  held  that  office 

until  the  close  of  1779,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  William 
Colfax,  one  of  his  lieutenants.  Gibbs's  lieutenants  were 
Henry  P.  Livingston,  of  New  York,  William  Colfax,  of  New 
Jersey,  and  Benjamin  Goymes,  of  Virginia.  Colonel  Nicho- 
las, of  Virginia,  was  a  lieutenant  under  Colfax.  The 
latter  officer  remained  in  command  of  the  corps  until 
the  disbanding  of  the  army  in  1783.  The  terms  of  en- 
listment into  the  Guard  were  the  same  as  those  into 
any  other  corps  of  the  regular  army,  except  in  the  mat- 
ter of  qualification.     They  were  selected  with  special 


^   £CyC<yO 


'P 


signattjbes  of  the  officers  of  washington's 
Life  Guard.* 


Banner  of  Washington's  Life  Guard. 


reference  to  their  physical,  moral,  and  intellectual 
character ;  and  it  was  considered  a  mark  of  peculiar 
distinction  to  belong  to  the  Commander-in-chiefs 
Guard.  From  George  W.  P.  Custis,  Esq.,  of  Ar- 
lington House,  Virginia,  I  learned  many  particulars 
respecting  this  corps.  Mr.  Custis  is  a  grandson  of 
Lady  Washington,  and  the  adopted  son  of  the  gen- 
eral. He  was  acquainted  with  several  of  the  offi- 
cers and  privates  of  the  Guard,  distinctly  remembers 
their  uniform,  and  is  familiar  with  their  history.  He 
owns  a  flag  which  once  belonged  to  the  Guard.  It 
is  now  in  the  museum  at  Alexandria,  on  the  Poto- 
mac, where  I  sketched  the  annexed  representation 
of  it.  The  flag  is  white  silk,  on  which  the  device  is 
neatly  painted.  One  of  the  Guard  is  seen  holding  a 
horse,  and  is  in  the  act  of  receiving  a  flag  from  the 

Genius  of  Liberty,  who  is  personified  as  a  woman  leaning  upon  the  Union  shield,  near  which  is  the  Araei- 
ican  eagle.  The  motto  of  the  corps,  "  Conquer  on  Die,"  is  upon  a  ribbon.  The  uniform  of  the  Guard 
consisted  of  a  blue  coat  with  white  facings,  white  waistcoat  and  breeches,  black  half  gaiters,  a  cocked  hat 
with  a  blue  and  white  feather.     They  carried  muskets,  and  occasionally  side  arms. 

The  corps  varied  in  numbers  at  diflTerent  periods.  At  first  it  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  men. 
During  the  winter  of  1779-80,  when  the  American  army  under  Washington  was  cantoned  at  Morristovm, 
in  close  proximity  to  the  enemy,  it  was  increased  to  two  hundred  and  fifty.  In  the  spring  it  was  reduced 
to  its  original  number ;  and  in  1783,  the  last  year  of  service,  it  consisted  of  only  sixty-four  non-conmiissioned 
officers  and  privates.  Care  was  always  taken  to  have  all  the  states,  from  which  the  Continental  army  was 
supplied  with  troops,  represented  in  this  corps. 

Peter  Force,  Esq.,  of  Washington  City,  kindly  allowed  me  to  copy  the  names  of  the  Guard,  contained  in  an 
original  Return  in  his  possession,  bearing  the  date  of  March  2,  1783.  It  is  signed  by  Colfax,  and  on  the  back 
is  an  endorsement  in  the  handwriting  of  Washington,  a  fac  simile  of  which  is  given  on  the  next  page.  I  found 
in  the  archives  of  the  State  Department  another  Return,  dated  June  4th,  1783. t     It  is  one  of  the  last  Re- 

*  I  copied  these  signatures  from  the  original  oaths  of  allegiance,  signed  at  Valley  Forge,  in  the  spring  of  1778,  by  each  officer 
of  the  Continental  army,  and  of  the  miUtia  then  in  service  there.  These  oaths  are  carefully  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the 
State  Department  at  Washington  City. 

t  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates,  from  the  various  states,  who  constituted  thfl 
Commander-in-chief's  Guard  on  the  4th  of  June,  1783 : 

New  Hampshire. — Ebenezer  Carlton  and  Samuel  Smith,  privates. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  08'.) 


Se'geant  Knnpp.  Return  to  Newburgh.  Departure  for  FiehkilL  Return  of  the  CommanJer-in-chiers  Giinrd 

quite  active  and.  clear  respecting  the  war-scenes  of  his  youth.  He  delights  "  to  fight  hi? 
battles  o'er  again,"  and  is  pleased  when, 

"With  cherub  smile,  the  prattlinjr  boy, 
Who  on  the  vet'ran's  breast  reclines, 
Has  thrown  aside  the  fa%'orite  toy, 

And  round  his  tender  finger  twines 
Those  scattered  locks,  that,  with  the  fliiiht 
Of  ninety  years  are  snowy  white  ; 
And,  as  a  scar  arrests  his  view, 
He  cries,  '  Grandpa,  what  wounded  you  ?'  " 

Hannah  F.  Gould. 

£road  flashes  of  sheet  lightning,  and  rumbling  thunder,  on  the  van  of  an  approaching 
shower,  made  us  use  the  whip  freely  when  we  left  the  dark  lane  of  the  patriot.  We  reached 
Newburgh  at  eleven  o'clock,  wearied  and  supperless,  the  tempest  close  upon  us,  but  in  time 
to  escape  a  drenching.  This,  be  it  remembered,  was  on  the  occasion  of  my  second  visit  to 
the  camp  ground  in  New  Windsor,  in  the  fervid  summer  time.  Let  us  resume  our  narra- 
tive of  the  autumnal  tour. 

The  mist  and  clouds  were  gone  the  next  morning.  At  six  o'clock  I  crossed  October  2(i. 
the  Hudson  to  Fishkill  landing,  and  at  half  past  seven  breakfasted  at  the  village,  ^'^^^• 

five  miles  eastward.  The  air  was  a  little  frosty,  but  as  soon  as  the  sun  appeared  above  thf 
hills,  the  warm  breath  and  soft  light  of  the  Indian  summer  spread  their  genial  influence  over 
the  face  of  nature,  and  awakened  corresponding  delight  in  the  heart  and  mind  of  the  trav- 
eler. The  country  through  which  the  highway  passes  is  exceedingly  picturesque.  It  skirt? 
the  deep,  rich  valleys  of  Matteawan  and  Glenham,  where  flows  a  clear  stream  from  a  dis- 
tant mountain  lake  and  bubbling  spring,'  turning,  in  its  course,  many  mill-wheels  and  thou- 
sands of  spindles  set  up  along  its  banks.  On  the  south  the  lofty  range  of  the  eastern  High- 
lands, rocky  and  abrupt  near  their  summits,  come  down  with  gentle  declivities,  and  mingle 
their  rugged  forms  with  the  green  undulations  of  the  valley.     Up  their  steep  slopes,  cultivated 

turns  made  to  the  commander-in-chief,  for  the  ^^ 

army  was  disbanded  soon  afterward.    The  roll  yv^  "/^~ 

is  precisely  the  same  as  that  in  possession  of  "-^  c.k>'<-^C</i.,^7-<y 

Mr.  Force,  with  the  exception  of  the  omission 
of  the  names  of  John  Dent,  corporal,  and  Sam- 
uel Wortman,  private,  in  the  June  Return. 
Dennis  ^loriarty,  who  was  a  corporal  in 
iSIarch,  appears  as  a  private  in  June.     The 


iMarch,  appears  as  a  private  \n  June.      lUe  /~^  ^ 

latter  Return  is  si<rned  by  Colfax,  with  his  cer-  CH     ^        y'ry  y^  -^  '7  *?  i? 

tification  that  "The  above  list  includes  the  €r^        '  y^^y^/ C Q.^^'2.,,0'^  /  /o  O 

whole  of  the  Guard."     It  is  endorsed,  "  Re- 
turn of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  in  the  Commander-in-chiers  Guard,  who  are  engaged  ti. 
serve  during  the  war." 

I  have  been  thus  particular  respecting  this  corps,  because  history  is  almost  silent  upon  the  subject,  am! 
because  the  living  witnesses,  now  almost  extinct,  will  take  with  them  the  unwritten  records  of  the  Guar<t 
into  the  oblivion  of  the  grave. 

'  The  chief  sources  of  this  beautiful  stream  are  Whaley's  Pond,  situated  high  among  the  broken  hills  of 
the  eastern  Highlands,  on  the  borders  of  Pawlings,  and  a  spring  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  in  the  Clove 
in  Beekman. 

Massachusetts. — John  Phillips,  sergeant ;  John  Ilerrick,  corporal ;  Isaac  Manning,  Jifer ;  Joseph  Vinal,  Jdhn  Barton,  Joel 
Crosby,  privates. 

Rhode  Island. — Davis  Brown,  sergeant ;  Randall  Smith,  Reuben  Thompson,  William  Tanner,  Solomon  Daley,  prhaUi. 

CoN.NECTicuT. — Elihu  Hancock,  corporal;  Dinh  Manning  [see  notice  of  bimon  page  GOT],  drum  major;  Jartvl  Goodrich  and 
Frederic  Park, //crs ;  Peter  Ilolt,  Jcdediah  Brown,  Levi  Dean,   James  Dady,  Henry  Wakelee,  Elijah  Lawrence,  privates. 

New  Vobk. — John  Robinson,  Jacob  Schriver,  Edward  Wiley,  John  Cole,  privates. 

New  Jebsev.— Jonathan  Moore,  Benjamin  Eaton,  Stephen  Hotfield,  Lewis  Campbell,  Samuel  Bailey,  William  Martin,  Laban 
Landor,  Robert  Blair,  Brnjamin  Buuuel,  prirate*  ;  John  Fenton,  drummer. 

Pennsvlvanta. — William  Hunter  and  John  Arnold,  sergeants;  Enoch  Wills,  corporal;  Cornelius  Wilson,  drummer;  Churlef 
Dougherty,  William  Karnahan,  Robert  Findley,  John  Dowthar,  John  Patton,  Hugh  Cull,  James  Hughes,  John  Finch,  Dcnuid 
Moriarty,  John  Montgomery,  Daniel  Hymer,  Thomas  Forrest,  William  Kcnnessey,  Adam  Foutz,  George  Fisher,  privates. 

Maryland. — Edward  Weed,  Jeremiah  Driskcl,  Thomas  Gillen,  privates. 

VmolNTA. — Reaps  Mitchell,  sergeant;  Lewis  Flemistcr,  William  Coram,  William  Pace,  Joseph  Timberluke,  privates. 

I.  X  X 


0  90 


pjctorIxVL  field-book 


Fishkill  Villa-re. 


The  "Wharton  House.' 


Enoch  Crosby. 


The  "  Spy  Unmasked.' 


fields  have  crept  like  i'vy  upon  some  gray  old  tower ;  and  there,  tinted  with  all  the  glories 
of  autumn,  they  seemed  to  hang  in  the  soft  morning  sunlight  like  rich  gobelins  in  the  cham- 
ber of  royalty. 

Fishkill  village  lies  pleasantly  in  the  lap  of  a  plain  near  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  and  is 
a  place  of  much  interest  to  the  student  of  our  history.  Securely  sheltered  by  high  mount- 
ains from  invasion  from  below,  and  surrounded  by  a  fertile  country,  it  was  chosen  as  a  place 
of  safe  depository  for  military  stores  ;  for  the  confinement  of  Tory  prisoners  and  others  cap- 
tured by  strategy  or  in  partisan  slvirmislies  upon  the  Neutral  Ground,  in  West  Chester 


and,  for  a  while,  as  the 
place  of  encampment  of  a 
portion  of  the  Continental 
army,  and  the  quiet  delib- 
erations of  the  state  Leg- 
islature.^ The  barrack- 
were  about  half  a  mil 
south  of  the  village,  ex- 
tending along  the  line  ol' 
the  road,  from  the  resi- 
dence of  Isaac  Van  Wyck, 


i'HE  Whabton  House. 


Esq.,  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountains.  The  head- 
quarters of  the  officers 
were  at  Mr.  Van  Wyck's, 
then  the  property  of  a  Mr. 
Wharton.  From  this  cir- 
cum.stance  it  is  known  as 
"  The  M^'harton  House." 
The  burial-place  of  the  sol- 
diers is  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  where  a  road 


branches  eastward  from  the  turnpike, 

This  vicinity  is  the  scene  of  many  of  the  most  thrilling 
events  portrayed  by  Cooper  in  his  "Sp>/;  a  Tale  of  the  Neu- 
tral Ground."  In  the  Wharton  House,  Enoch  Crosby,  the 
alleged  reality  of  the  noveWst's  fictitious  Harvey  Birch,  was 
subjected  to  a  mock  trial  by  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and 
then  confined  in  irons  in  the  old  Dutch  church  in  the  vil- 
lage Crosby  engaged  in  the  "  secret  service"  of  his  coun- 
try in  the  autumn  of  1776,  and  eminent  were  his  personal 
achievements  in  making  revelations  to  his  Whig  friends  of 
the  movements  and  plans  of  the  Tories.  At  that  period, 
secret  enemies  were  more  to  be  feared  than  open  foes 
among  these,  in  West  Chester  and  the  southern  portions  of 
Dutchess,  Crosby  mingled  freely,  for  a  long  time,  without 
incurring  their  distrust.  While  on  one  of  his  excursions,  he 
solicited  lodgings  for  the  night  at  the  house  of  a  woman  who 
proved  to  be  a  Tory.  From  her  he  learned  that  a  company 
of  Loyalists  were  forming  in  the  neighborhood  to  march  to 


lo^O^fx.   ^ct 


^  The  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  who  visited  Fishkill  in  the  autumn  of  1780,  says,  in  his  interesting  narra- 
tive, "  This  town,  in  which  there  are  not  more  than  fifty  houses  in  the  space  of  two  miles,  has  been  long 
the  principal  depot  of  the  American  army.  It  is  there  they  have  placed  their  magazines,  their  hospitals, 
their  work-shops,  &c. ;  but  all  these  form  a  town  of  themselves,  composed  of  handsome  large  barracks,  built 
in  the  wood  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  ;  for  the  Americans,  like  the  Romans  in  many  respects,  have  hardly 
any  other  winter  quarters  than  wooden  towns  or  barricaded  camps,  which  may  be  compared  to  the  hiemalia 
of  the  Romans." — Travels  in  North  America.^  i.,  54. 

The  war-sword  of  Washington,  carefully  preserved  in  a  glass  case  in  the  National  Museum  at  Washing- 
ton Cit}'',  was  manufactured  by  J.  Bailey,  in  Fishkill,  and  bears  his  name.  His  shop  was  yet  in  existence 
when  I  was  there,  but  used  as  a  stable.  It  was  demolished  in  1849.  A  drawing  of  the  sword,  and  of  the 
stafi"  which  Franklin  bequeathed  to  Washington,  may  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

-  This  picture  is  from  a  sketch  from  life  by  Captain  H.  L.  Barnum,  the  author  of  a  small,  thin  volume,  en- 
titled The  Spy  Unmasked,  dedicated  to  James  Fennimore  Cooper,  Esq.  It  contains  the  memoirs  of  Enoch 
Crosby,  who,  the  author  asserts,  was  the  original  of  Mr.  Cooper's  "  Harvey  Birch."  The  narratives  were 
taken  from  Crosby's  own  lips,  in  short-hand,  by  Captain  Barnum.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  east  dis- 
credit upon  the  work  ;  but  Doctor  White,  of  Fishkill,  who  kindly  accompanied  me  to  the  localities  in  that 
vicinity,  assured  me  that  his  father,  an  aged  man  still  living,  was  well  acquainted  with  Crosby,  and  says  the 
narrative  of  Barnum  is  substantially  correct.  Enoch  Crosby  was  a  native  of  Harwich,  Barnstable  county, 
in  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  born  on  the  4th  of  January,  1750.     During  his  infancy  his  parents  went  to 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


691 


I^ploits  of  Enoch  Croeby. 


Incidents  of  his  Life. 


Ancient  Dutch  Church. 


Fishkill  Village. 


New  York  and  foin  the  British  army. 


Dutch  Chukch,  Fishkill. 2 


He  became  excessively  loyal,  and,  agreeing:  to  en- 
list with  them,  he  obtained  the  unbounded 
confidence  of  the  captain,  who  revealed  to 
him  all  his  plans.  That  nipht,  when  all 
was  quiet,  Crosby  left  his  bed  stealthily, 
hastened  to  White  Plains,  where  the  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  resided,'  communicated  the 
secrets  of  the  expedition  to  them,  and  was 
back  to  his  lodgings,  unobserved,  before  day- 
light. At  Crosby's  suggestion,  a  meeting 
of  the  company  was  held  the  following  even- 
ing, and  while  in  session,  the  house  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  band  of  Whigs,  sent  for  the 
purpose  by  the  Committee  of  Safety,  and 
the  inmates  were  all  made  prisoners.  They 
were  convej'ed  to  Fishkill,  and  confined  in 
manacles  in  the  old  stone  church,  one  of 
the  relics  of  the  Revolution  yet  remaining. 
The  Committee  of  Safety,  who  had  come  up 
to  try  them,  were  at  the  Wharton  House. 
After  an  examination,  the  prisoners  were 
all  remanded  to  prison,  Crosby  among  the 


the  State  of  New  York,  and  settled  in  Southeast,  in  Dutchess  (now  Putnam)  county.  In  the  midst  of  the 
noble  and  picturesque  scenery  of  that  region  his  childhood  was  passed.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoe- 
maker. When  the  Revolution  broke  out,  he  laid  aside  his  lapstone  and  last,  and  shouldered  a  musket.  He 
was  then  residing  at  Danbury,  and  was  one  of  the  hundred  men  before  mentioned,  who,  in  1775.  marched 
to  Lake  Champlain,  and  were  encragcd  in  the  battles  in  that  quarter  until  Quebec  was  stormed.  After  his 
return,  Crosby  remained  quiet  for  a  while,  and  then  became  engaged  in  the  "  secret  service."  He  caused 
many  Tory  companies  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Whigs,  and  on  such  occasions  he  was  usually  captured, 
suffered  imprisonment,  but  was  generally  allowed  to  escape.  At  length  his  successful  exits  from  durance 
excited  the  suspicion  of  the  Tories,  and  Crosby,  deeming  it  unsafe  to  mingle  with  them  longer,  joined  the 
detachment  of  the  Continental  army  under  Heath,  then  stationed  in  the  Highlands.  When  his  term  of  serv- 
ice expired,  he  returned  to  Southeast,  where  he  cultivated  a  small  farm,  until  his  death  in  1834.  Captain 
Barnum  asserts  that  the  plan  of  Cooper's  Spy  was  conceived  at  the  house  of  John  Jay,  at  Bedford,  in  West 
Chester  county.  ^Ir.  Jay  was  one  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  who  cmploj'ed  Crosby,  and  was  necessarily 
acquainted  with  his  exploits.  Crosby  was  a  witness  at  a  court  in  New  York  city  in  1827,  and  was  recog- 
nized by  an  old  gentleman,  who  introduced  him  to  the  audience  as  the  original  of  "  Harvey  Birch."*  The 
fact  became  noised  abroad.  The  Spy,  dramatized,  was  then  in  course  of  performance  at  one  of  the  thea- 
ters ;  Crosby  was  invited  to  attend  ;  his  acceptance  was  announced  ;  and  that  evening  a  crowded  audience 
greeted  the  old  soldier.     Our  gifted  countrywoman,  j\Iiss  Anne  C.  Lynch,  has  written  thus  doubtingly, 

"  On  a  Picture  of  Habvey  Birch. 

"  1  know  not  if  thy  noble  worth 

My  country's  annals  claim, 

For  in  her  brief,  bright  history, 

I  have  not  read  thy  name. 

"  I  know  not  if  thou  e'er  didst  live, 
Save  in  the  vivid  thought 
Of  him  who  chronicled  thy  life, 
With  silent  suffering  &-aught 

"  Yet  in  thy  history  I  see 

Full  many  a  great  soul's  lot. 
Who  joins  the  martyr-army's  ranks. 
That  the  world  knowcth  not." 

'  The  Committee  of  Safety  then  consisted  of  Messrs.  Jay,  Piatt,  Ducr,  and  Sackctt,  distinguished  patriots 
iurinji  the  Revolution. 

'  This  is  from  a  pencil  sketch  by  Miss  Newlin,  taken  from  the  yard,  looking  southwest,  the  same  point 

*  In  a  monthly  historical  work,  published  at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  in  1823,  by  Jacob  B.  Moore,  Esq.,  late  librarian  of  the 
Mew  York  Historical  Society,  is  a  brief  biographical  sketch  of  David  Gray,  who  was  a  "  spy"  of  the  "Neutral  Ground."  Th< 
writer  says, "  The  incidents  of  his  life  correspond  in  many  particulars  with  the  character  of  Harvey  Birch,  in  the  popular  novc 
■'f  the  'Spy.'  "    This  was  written  six  yeiu-g  before  the  publication  of  "The  Spy  Unmasked." 


G92 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Escape  of  Crosby. 


His  Exploits  at  Teller's  Point. 


A  very  old  Man  and  rejected  Lover. 


Trinity  Church. 


rest.  By  apparent  accident  he  was  left  alone  with  the  committee  a  few  minutes,  and  a  plan 
of  escape  was  devised.  He  effected  it  through  a  window  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
church,  which  was  hidden  by  a  willow.  On  reaching  the  ground,  he  divested  himself  of  his 
loose  manacles  ;  and  with  the  speed  of  a  deer  he  rushed  by  the  sentinels,  and  escaped  unhurt 
to  a  swamp,  followed  by  three  or  four  bullets,  fired  at  random  in  the  gloom.  He  was  made 
a  prisoner,  with  Tories,  twice  afterward,  but  managed  to  escape. 

Several  British  and  Hessian  soldiers  were  at  one  time  prisoners  in  the  old  stone  church. 
The  former  were  captured  by  stratagem  at  Teller's  Point,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Crolon 
River ;  the  latter  were  stragglers,  who  fell  in  with  a  party  of  Loyalists  near  Yotikers,  on 
the  Neutral  Ground.  The  British  soldiers  were  captured  by  Crosby  and  a  few  men  who 
composed  part  of  a  detachment  under  Colonel  Van  Cortlandt,  then  stationed  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Hudson  to  watch  operations  upon  the  Neutral  Ground.  While  they  were  near  Tel- 
ler's Point,  a  British  sloop  of  war  sailed  up  the  river  and  cast  anchor  in  the  channel  opposite. 
Crosby  and  six  others  proceeded  to  the  Point,  five  of  whom,  with  himself,  concealed  them- 
selves in  the  bushes  ;  the  other,  dressed  in  infantry  uniform,  paraded  the  beach.  The  offi- 
cers on  the  vessel  observed  him,  and  eleven  men  were  dispatched  in  a  boat  to  capture  him. 
When  the  Englishmen  landed,  the  American  took  to  his  heels.  Unsuspicious  of  danger,  they 
followed,  when  Crosby  and  his  five  men,  making  a  noise  in  the  bushes  as  if  half  a  regiment 
was  there,  rushed  out  and  bade  the  enemy  surrender.  Deceived  and  alarmed,  they  complied 
without  firing  a  shot.      The  next  day  they  were  prisoners  in  the  stone  church  in  Fishkill. 

Before  visiting  the  Wharton  House,  I  called  upon  the  Pweverend  Mr.  Kip,  the  pastor  of 
the  old  church.  He  kindly  allowed  me  to  examine  the  records  of  the  society,  which,  until 
a  late  period,  were  made  in  the  Dutch  language.  They  extend  back  to  1730,  at  which 
time,  and  for  many  years  afterward,  the  church  at  Fishkill  and  another  at  Poughkeepsie 
were  united,  with  the  title  of  "  The  Parish  Church  at  Fishkill  and  Poughkeepsie."  I  could 
find  no  account  of  the  building  of  the  church,  but  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  erected 
about  the  year  1725.  Mr.  Kip  showed  me  a  silver  tankard,  belonging  to  the  communion- 
service  of  the  church,  which  was  presented  to  the  society  by  Samuel  Verplanck,  Esq.,  chiefly 
for  the  purpose  of  commemorating, 
by  an  inscription  upon  it,  a  resi- 
dent Norwegian,  who  died  at  the 
extraordinary  age  of  six  score  and 
eight  years.* 

I  passed  half  an  hour  at  the 
Wharton  House,  and,  returning  to 
the  village,  sketched  the  old  En- 
glish church  (now  called  Trinity) 
by  the  way.  It  stands  upon  the 
west  side  of  the  road,  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  the  village,  and  in  form  is 
about  the  same  as  it  was  when  it 
was  used  as  an  hospital  for  the  — 

of  view  from  whence  I  made  a  drawing,  less  pleasing  to  myself  than  the  one  kindly  furnished  me  by  the  fail 
artist.     The  church  is  built  of  rough-hewn  stone,  stuccoed  on  three  sides. 

'  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  inscription:  "Presented  by  Samuel  Verplanck,  Esq.,  to  the  First  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  in  the  town  of  Fishkill,  to  commemorate  Mr.  Englebert  Huff,  by  birth  a  Norwegian, 
in  his  lifetime  attached  to  the  life  guards  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  afterward  King  William  III.  of  England. 
He  resided  for  a  number  of  years  in  this  country,  and  died,  with  unblemished  reputation,  at  Fishkill,  21sl 
of  March,  1765,  aged  128  years." 

It  is  related  of  Huff,  that  when  he  was  a  hundred  and  twenty  years  old  he  made  love  to  a  pretty  girl  of 
twenty.  She  already  had  an  accepted  lover  of  her  own  age,  and  of  course  rejected  the  suit  of  the  Nestor. 
The  old  suitor  was  indignant  at  the  refusal.  He  thought  he  had  the  best  right  to  claim  the  heart  and  hand 
of  the  maiden,  for  he  had  a  hundred  years  more  experience  than  "  the  foolish  boy,"  and  knew  better  hosT 
to  treat  a  wife  than  the  interfering  stripling. 

^  This  picture  is  also  from  a  pencil  sketch  by  Miss  Newlin. 


Tbinity  Chuhch  2 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


69; 


Printing  of  the  first  Constitution  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Head-quartorB  of  Baron  Steuben.  Anecdote  of  the  Baron. 

sick,  and  as  a  meetinjr-place  of  the  flying  Legislature  of  New  York,  when  it  adjourned  from 
White  Plains  to  Fishkill.  According  to  the  records,  the  session  here  commenced  on  the  3d 
of  September,  1776.  A  few  years  since,  while  digging  a  grave  in  the  yard,  the  sexton  dis- 
covered a  skeleton,  with  bits  of  scarlet  cloth  and  a  brass  button,  the  remains,  doubtless,  of 
a  British  soldier,  who  was  buried  in  his  uniform. 

An  interesting  bibliographic  fact,  connected  with  Fishkill,  was  communicated  to  me  by 
Gulian  C.  Verplanck,  Esq.  I  have  already  noticed  the  harassing  circumstances  under 
which  the  first  republican  Constitution  of  the  State  of  New  York  was  elaborated,  discussed, 
and  adopted  ;'  the  Legislature  retiring  before  the  approach  of  British  bayonets,  first  to  Har- 
lem, then  to  Kingsbridge,  Yonkers,  White  Plains,  Fishkill,  and  Kingston.  "  The  Con- 
stitution of  the  State  of  New  York"  says  Mr.  Verplanck,  "  was  printed  in  1777,  and  was 
the  first,  as  well  as  the  most  important  book,  ever  printed  in  the  state.  The  people 
could  find  but  one  press  in  their  domain  with  which  to  print  this  work  of  their  rfpresent- 
atives.  It  M'as  done  at  Fishkill,  by  Samuel  Loudon,  who  had  been  a  Whig  editor  and 
jjrinter  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  who  had  retired  with  his  press  to  Fishkill,  where  was 
the  chief  deposit  of  stores,  hospitals,  &c.,  of  the  northern  army  of  the  United  States."'  Mr. 
Verplanck  possesses  a  copy  of  this  precious  piece  of  American  typography.  They  have  be- 
come almost  as  scarce  as  the  Sibylline  Books,  and  quite  as  relatively  valuable,  for  the  princi- 
ples therein  embodied  foreshadowed  the  destiny  of  the  commonwealth.  Unlike  Tarquin  the 
Proud,  the  possessor  values  it  above  all  price. 

I  left  the  village  toward  noon,  and,  tak- 
ing a  more  northerly  route  for  the  ferry,  vis- 
ited the  residence  of  the  late  Judge  Ver- 
planck, situated  in  a  beautiful,  isolated  spot, 
about  a  mile  from  the  east  bank  of  the 
Hudson,  and  two  miles  northeast  of  Fish- 
kill landing.      It  is  approached  from  the 
highway  by  a  winding  carriage  track  which 
traverses  a  broad,  undulating  lawn,  shaded 
by  venerable  trees.     The  old  mansion  is  ol 
stone,  a  story  and  a  half  high,  M-ith  dormer 
windows,  and  in  the  style  of  the  best  class 
of  Dutch-built  houses  erected  one  hundred 
years  ago.     It  was  owned  by  Samuel  Ver- 
planck, Esq.,  during  the  Revolution.      An' 
addition,  two  stories  high,  has  been  erected 
at  the  north  end.     I  sketched  only  the  an- 
cient edifice.     This  house  is  remarkable,  in  connection  with  my  subject,  as  the  head-quarters 
of  the  Baron  Steuben  when  the  American  array  was  encamped  in  the  vicinity  of  Newburgh,' 
and  also  as  the  place  wherein  the  celebrated  Society  of  the  Citicinnati  was  or- 
ganized in  1783.      The  meeting  for  that  purpose  was  held  in  the  large  square 
room  on  the  north  side  of  the  passage.*     The  room  is  carefully  preserved  in  its  original  style. 

'  See  page  387,  tliis  volume.  *  I  have  a  public  document, printed  there  by  Loudon,  in  1776. 

'  An  anecdote  illustrative  oi'  Steuben's  generous  character  is  related,  the  scene  of  which  was  at  New- 
bursh.  at  the  time  of  the  disbanding  of  the  army.  Colonel  Cochrane,  whom  I  have  mentioned  in  a  former 
chapter,  was  standing  in  the  street,  penniless,  when  Steuben  tried  to  comfort  him  by  saying  that  better  times 
would  come.  "For  myself,"  said  the  brave  officer,  "I  can  stand  it;  but  my  wife  and  daughters  are  in 
the  sarret  of  that  ■WTetched  tavern,  and  I  have  nowhere  to  carry  them,  nor  even  money  to  remove  them." 
The  baron's  generous  heart  was  touched,  and,  though  poor  himself,  he  hastened  to  the  family  of  Cochrane, 
poured  the  whole  contents  of  his  purse  upon  the  table,  and  left  as  suddenly  a.s  he  had  entered.  As  he  was 
walking  toward  the  wharf,  a  wounded  negro  soldier  came  up  to  him,  bitterly  lamenting  that  he  had  no 
means  with  which  to  get  to  New  York.  The  baron  borrowed  a  dollar,  and  handing  it  to  the  negro,  hailed 
a  sloop  and  put  him  on  board.  '"God  Almighty  bless  you,  baron!"  said  the  negro,  as  his  benefactor 
wnlked  away.     I^Iany  similar  acts  hallow  the  memory  of  the  Baron  Steuben. 

••  The  following  record  of  the  proceedings  at  the  final  meeting  of  the  convention  I  copied  from  the  orig- 


The  Verplanck  House. 


1782-1783. 


G94  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


1 


The  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  Final  Proceedings  in  the  Organization  of  the  Institution 

"  While  contemplating  a  final  separation  of  the  officers  of  the  army,"  says  Doctor  Thach- 
er,  "  the  tenderest  feelings  of  the  heart  had  their  afflicting  operation.  It  was  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  General  Knox,  and  with  the  acquiescence  of  the  commander-in-chief,  that  an  ex- 
pedient was  devised  by  which  a  hope  was  entertained  that  their  long-cherished  friendship 
and  social  intercourse  might  be  perpetuated,  and  that  at  future  periods  they  might  annually 
communicate,  and  revive  a  recollection  of  the  bonds  by  which  they  were  connected."'  Pur- 
suant to  these  suggestions,  the  officers  held  a  meeting.     A  committee,  consisting  of  Generals 

inal  manuscript  in  the  possession  of  Peter  Force,  Esq.,  of  Washington  City,  and  print  it  here  as  an  inter- 
esting scrap  in  the  history  of  the  closing  scenes  of  the  Revolution. 

"  Cantonment  of  the  American  Army,  19th  June,  1783. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  general  officers,  and  the  gentlemen  delegated  by  the  respective  regiments,  as  a 
convention  for  establishing  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  held  by  the  request  of  the  president,  at  v\'hich  were 
present  Major-general  Baron  de  Steuben,  president ;  Major-general  Howe,  Major-general  Knox,  Brigadier- 
general  Paterson,  Brigadier-general  Hand,  Brigadier-general  Huntington,  Brigadier-general  Putnam,  Col- 
onel Webb,  Lieutenant-colonel  Huntington,  Major  Pettengill,  Lieutenant  Whiting,  Colonel  H.  Jackson,  Cap- 
tain Shaw,  Lieutenant-colonel  Hull,  Lieutenant-colonel  Maxwell,  and  Colonel  Cortlandt,  General  Baron  de 
Steuben  acquainted  the  convention  that  he  had,  agreeably  to  their  request  at  the  last  meeting,  transmitted  to 
his  excellency  the  Chevalier  de  la  Luzerne,  minister  plenipotentiary  from  the  court  of  France,  a  copy  of  the 
institution  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  with  their  vote  respecting  his  excellency  and  the  other  characters 
therein  mentioned,  and  that  his  excellency  had  returned  an  answer  declaring  his  acceptance  of  the  same,  and 
expressing  the  grateful  sense  he  entertains  of  the  honor  conferred  on  himself  and  the  other  gentlemen  of  the 
French  nation  by  this  act  of  the  convention. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  letter  of  the  Chevalier  de  la  Luzerne  be  recorded  in  the  proceedings  of  this  day,  and 
deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  society,  as  a  testimony  of  the  high  sense  this  convention  entertain  of  the 
honor  done  to  the  society  by  his  becoming  a  member  thereof. 

(Here  follows  the  letter.) 

"  The  baron  having  also  communicated  a  letter  from  Major  I'Enfant,  inclosing  a  design  for  the  medal 
and  order  containing  the  emblems  of  the  institution, 

"  Resolved,  That  the  bald  eagle,  carrying  the  emblems  on  its  breast,  be  established  as  the  order  of  the  so- 
ciety, and  that  the  ideas  of  Major  I'Enfant  respecting  it  and  the  manner  of  its  being  worn  by  the  mem- 
Ders,  as  expressed  in  his  letter,  hereto  annexed,  be  adopted.  That  the  order  be  of  the  same  size,  and  in 
every  other  respect  conformable  to  the  said  design,  which  for  that  purpose  is  certified  by  the  Baron  de  Steu- 
ben, president  of  this  convention,  and  to  be  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  society,  as  the  original  from 
which  all  copies  are  to  be  made.  Also  that  silver  medals,  not  exceeding  the  size  of  a  Spanish  milled  dol- 
lar, with  the  emblems,  as  designed  by  Major  I'Enfant  and  certified  by  the  president,  be  given  to  each  and 
every  member  of  the  society,  together  with  a  diploma,  on  parchment,  whereon  shall  be  impressed  the  exact 
figures  of  the  order  and  medal,  as  above  mentioned,  any  thing  in  the  original  institution  respecting  gold 
medals  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

(Here  follows  Major  I'Enfant's  letter.) 

"  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  convention  be  transmitted  by  the  president  to  Major  I'Enfant  for  his 
care  and  ingenuity  in  preparing  the  aforementioned  designs,  and  that  he  be  acquainted  that  they  cheerfully 
embrace  his  offer  of  assistance,  and  request  a  continuance  of  his  attention  in  carr3ung  the  designs  into  ex- 
ecution, for  which  purpose  the  president  is  desired  to  correspond  with  him. 

"  Resolved,  That  his  excellency  the  commander-in-chief  be  requested  to  officiate  as  president  general, 
until  the  first  general  meeting,  to  be  held  in  May  next. 

"  That  a  treasurer  general  and  a  secretary  general  be  balloted  for,  to  officiate  in  like  manner. 

"  The  ballots  being  taken,  Major-general  M'Dougall  was^elected  treasurer  general,  and  Major-general 
Knox  secretary  general,  who  are  hereby  requested  to  accept  said  appointments. 

^^ Resolved,  That  all  the  proceedings  of  this  convention,  including  the  institution  of  the  society,  be  recorded 
from  the  original  papers  in  his  possession  by  Captain  Shaw,  who  at  the  first  meeting  was  requested  to  act 
as  secretary,  and  that  the  same,  signed  by  the  president  and  secretary,  together  with  the  original  papers, 
be  given  into  the  hands  of  Major-general  Knox,  secretary  general  to  the  society,  and  that  Captain  North, 
aid-de-camp  to  the  Baron  de  Steuben,  and  acting  secretary  to  him  as  president,  sign  the  said  records. 

"  The  dissolution  of  a  very  considerable  part  of  the  army,  since  the  last  meeting  of  this  convention,  hav- 
ing rendered  the  attendance  of  some  of  its  members  impracticable,  and  the  necessity  for  some  temporary 
arrangements,  previous  to  the  first  meeting  of  the  general  society,  being  so  strikingly  obvious,  the  conven- 
tion found  itself  constrained  to  make  those  before  mentioned,  which  they  have  done  with  the  utmost  diffi- 
dence of  themselves,  and  relying  entirely  on  the  candor  of  their  constituents  to  make  allowance  for  the 
measure. 

"  The  principal  objects  of  its  appointment  being  thus  accomplished,  the  members  of  this  convention  think 
fit  to  dissolve  the  same,  and  it  is  hereby  dissolved  accordingly. 

"  Stkuben,  Major  General,  President." 

'  Military  Journal  p.  317. 


OF    THE   REVOLUTIO.N.  69; 


Plan  and  Name  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  The  Constitution.  Op)i08ition  of  Judge  Burke  and  others. 

Knox,  Hand,  and  Huntington,  and  Captain  Shaw,  was  appointed  to  revise  the  proposals  for 
the  institution.  Another  meeting  was  held  on  the  IStli  ol"  May,  at  the  quarters  of  Steuben 
fVerplanck's),  when  the  committee  reported.  A  plan,  in  the  following  words,  was  adopted,' 
and  the  society  was  duly  organized  : 

"It  having  pleased  the  Supreme  Governor  of  the  universe,  in  the  disposition  of  human 
aflkirs,  to  cause  the  separation  of  the  colonies  of  North  America  from  the  domination  ol  . 
Great  Britain,  and,  after  a  bloody  conflict  of  eight  years,  to  establish  them  free,  independent, 
and  sovereign  states,  connected  by  alliances,  founded  on  reciprocal  advantages,  with  some  ol 
the  greatest  princes  and  powers  of  the  earth  : 

"  To  perpetuate,  therelbre,  as  well  the  remembrance  of  this  vast  event,  as  the  mutual 
friendships  which  have  been  formed  under  the  pressure  of  common  danger,  and  in  many  in- 
stances cemented  by  the  blood  of  the  parties,  the  officers  of  the  American  army  do  hereby, 
in  the  most  solemn  manner,  associate,  constitute,  and  combine  themselves  into  one  society 
of  friends,  to  endure  so  long  as  they  shall  endure,  or  any  of  their  eldest  male  posterity,  and 
in  failure  thereof,  the  collateral  branches,  who  may  be  judged  worthy  of  becoming  its  sup- 
porters and  members.* 

"  The  officers  of  the  American  army,  having  generally  been  taken  from  the  citizens  of 
America,  possess  high  veneration  for  the  character  of  that  illustrious  Roman,  Lucius  Quin- 
Tius  CixciNNATUS,  and  being  resolved  to  follow  his  example,  by  returning  to  their  citizen- 
ship, they  think  they  may  with  propriety  denominate  themselves  the 

Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 

"  The  following  principles  shall  be  immutable,  and  form  the  basis  of  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati : 

"  An  incessant  attention  to  preserve  inviolate  those  exalted  rights  and  liberties  of  human 
nature  for  which  they  have  fought  and  bled,  and  without  which  the  high  rank  of  a  rational 
being  is  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing. 

"An  unalterable  determination  to  promote  and  cherish,  between  the  respective  states,  that 
unison  and  national  honor  so  essentially  necessary  to  their  happiness  and  the  future  dignity 
of  the  American  empire. 

"  To  render  permanent  the  cordial  affection  subsisting  among  the  officers,  this  spirit  will 
dictate  brotherly  kindness  in  all  things,  and  particularly  extend  to  the  most  substantial  acts 
of  beneficence,  according  to  the  ability  of  the  society,  toward  those  officers  and  their  families 
who  unfortunately  may  be  under  the  necessity  of  receiving  it. 

"  The  general  society  will,  for  the  sake  of  frequent  communications,  be  divided  into  state- 
societies,  and  these  again  into  such  districts  as  shall  be  directed  by  the  state  society. 

"  The  societies  of  the  districts  to  meet  as  often  as  shall  be  agreed  on  by  the  state  society  ; 
those  of  the  state  on  the  4th  day  of  July  annually,  or  oftener  if  they  shall  find  it  expedient ; 
and  the  general  society  on  the  first  Monday  in  May  annually,  so  long  as  they  shall  deem  it 

necessary,  and  afterward  at  least  once  in  every  three  years. 

* 

^  This  document,  according  to  Colonel  Timothy  Pickering,  was  drawn  up  by  Captain  Shaw,  who  was  the 
secretary  of  the  committee. 

*  This  clause  gave  considerable  alarm  to  the  more  rii^id  Whigs,  becau.se  of  the  recognition  of  the  right 
of  primogeniture  in  membership  succession.  Judge  jEdanus  Burke,  of  South  Carolina,  attacked  it  with 
much  vehemence,  as  an  incipient  order  of  nobility,  and  an  attempt  to  establish  the  pretensions  of  the  mili- 
tary to  rank  above  the  mass  of  cuizens.  The  objection  was  groundless,  for  no  civil,  military,  political,  or 
social  prerogative  was  claimed.  On  the  other  hand,  the  King  of  Sweden  (Gustavus  Adolphus  III.)  declined 
permitting  the  few  officers  in  the  French  army  who  were  his  subjects  to  wear  the  order  of  the  Cincinnati, 
on  the  ground  that  the  institution  had  a  republican  tendency  not  suited  to  his  government.  On  this  subject. 
Washington,  in  a  letter  to  Rochambeau,  written  in  August,  1784.  said,  "  Considering  how  recently  the  King 
of  Sweden  has  changed  the  form  of  the  government  of  that  country,  it  is  not  so  much  to  be  wondered  at  that 
his  fears  should  get  the  better  of  his  liberality  as  to  any  thing  which  might  have  the  semblance  of  repub- 
licanism ;  but  when  it  is  further  considered  how  few  of  his  nation  had,  or  could  have,  a  right  to  the  order. 
[  think  be  might  have  sufTered  his  complaisance  to  have  overcome  them." — See  Sparks's  Life  and  Writ- 
ings of  Washington,  ix.,  56. 


696 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Certificate  of  Membership  of  the  Cincinnati. 


The  Design  and  Engraving. 


Alteration  of  the  Plate. 


"At  each  meeting,  the  principles  of  the  institution  will  be  fully  considered,  and  the  best 
measures  to  promote  them  adopted. 

"  The  state  societies  will  consist  of  all  the  members  residing  in  each  state  respectively, 
and  any  member  removing  from  one  state  to  another  is  to  be  considered  in  all  respects  as  be- 
longing to  the  society  of  the  state  in  which  he  shall  actually  reside.^ 


/^cJlfi^r?/^    /A/jOTlj^^P,,.^  .■.d^»i:A&2g,M,.,r/^r:^sX 


'■-J'  ^f  fen-  ->&'-«  —  ^  ^^  ^  .  ^Af^^  ^.  m//.^...n^L^  .    ,VZ 


Society  of  the  Cincinnati. — Members'  Certificate. 2 


^  This  clause  is  omitted  by  Dr.  Thacher  and  others.  I  find  it  in  a  manuscript  copy  of  the  Constitution 
of  the  society,  and  records  of  the  proceedings  at  its  formation,  among  the  papers  of  Colonel  Richard  Varick, 
in  the  handwriting  of  General  William  North. 

"  This  engraving  is  a  fac  simile  of  a  certificate,  about  one  fourth  the  size  of  the  original,  which  is  thirteen 
inches  and  a  half  in  breadth,  and  twenty  inches  in  length.  Tire  originals  are  printed  on  fine  vellum.  The 
plate  was  engraved  in  France  by  J.  J.  le  Veau,  from  a  drawing  by  Aug.  le  Belle.  I  am  indebted  to  the  late 
James  G.  Wilson,  son  of  Ensign  Wilson,  named  in  the  certificate,  for  the  use  of  the  original  in  making  this 
copy.  The  former  was  engraved  on  copper  ;  this  is  engraved  on  wood.  The  design  represents  American 
liberty  as  a  strong  man  armed,  bearing  in  one  hand  the  Union  flag,  and  in  t^ie  other  a  naked  sword.  Be- 
neath his  feet  are  British  flags,  and  a  broken  spear,  shield,  and  chain.  Hovering  by  his  side  is  the  eagle, 
our  national  emblem,  from  whose  talons  the  lightning  of  destruction  is  flashing  upon  the  British  lion.  Bri- 
tannia, with  the  crown  falling  from  her  head,  is  hastening  toward  a  boat  to  escape  to  a  fleet,  which  denotes 
the  departure  of  British  power  from  our  shores.  Upon  a  cloud,  on  the  right,  is  an  angel  blowing  a  trumpet, 
from  which  flutters  a  loose  scroll.  Upon  the  scroll  are  the  sentences  Valam  nuntmta  libertatis*  A.D.  1776. 
Fmdiis  socialc  mm.  Gallia,  A.D.  1778.  Pax:  libertas  parta,  A.D.  1783:  "  Independence  declared,  A.D. 
1776.     Treaty  of  aUiance  with  France  declared,  A.D.  1778.     Peace!  independence  obtained,  A.D.  1783." 

Upon  the  medallion  on  the  right  is  a  device  representing  Cincinnatus  at  his  plow,  a  ship  on  the  sea,  and  a 
walled  town  in  the  distance.  Over  his  head  is  a  flying  angel,  holding  a  ribbon  inscribed  Virtutis  ■pramium : 
"Reward  of  virtue."  Below  is  a  heart,  with  the  words  Esto  perpetua :  "Be  thou  perpetual."  Upon  the 
rim  is  the  legend,  Societas  Cincinnatorum  Instituta  A.D.  MDCCLXXXIII.  :  "Society  of  the  Cincin- 
nati, instituted  1783."  The  device  upon  the  medallion  on  the  left  is  Cincinnatus  with  his  family,  near  his 
house.  He  is  receiving  a  sword  and  shield  from  three  senators  ;  an  army  is  seen  in  the  distance.  Upon 
the  rim  are  the  words  Omnia  rdinquit  scrvare  rempublicam :  "  He  abandons  every  thing  to  serve  his  coun- 
try" (referring  to  Cincinnatus). 

*  There  is  a  fact  connected  with  this  sentence  worthy  of  notice.  In  the  earlier  impressions  from  the  plate,  taken  previous 
to  the  year  1785,  the  sentence  is  Palam  nuntiata  libertas.,  not  libertatis.  Some  person,  who  doubtless  supposed  the  original 
word  to  be  incorrect,  caused  the  letters  tis  lo  be  crowded  into  the  space  occupied  by  the  final  s  in  libertas.  I  have  the  author- 
ity of  one  of  our  most  learned  Latin  critics,  to  whom  the  question  was  submitted,  for  saying  that  the  original  word  was  cor- 
rect, and  that  the  alteration  renders  the  sentence  ungrammatical  and  totally  incorrect,  thereby  destroying  its  meaning.  Do  any 
of  our  historical  antiquaries  know  by  whose  authority  the  alteration  was  made  ? 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


697 


The  Order  of  the  Society. 


The  successive  Presidents  General. 


Departure  for  West  Point. 


"  The  state  societies  to  have  a  president,  vice-president,  secretary,  treasurer,  and  assistant 
treasurer,  to  be  chosen  annually  by  a  majority  of  votes  at  the  stat«d  meeting. 

"  In  order  to  obtain  fUuds  which  may  be  respectable,  and  assist  the  untbrtunate,  each  offi- 
cer shall  deliver  to  the  treasurer  of  the  state  society  one  month's  pay,  which  shall  remain  ibr- 
ever  to  the  use  of  the  state  society.  The  interest  only  of  which,  if  necessary,  to  be  appropri- 
ated to  the  relief  of  the  unfortunate. 

"  The  society  shall  have  an  order,  by  which  its  members 
shall  be  known  and  distinguished,  which  shall  be  a  medal 
of  gold,  of  a  proper  size  to  receive  the  emblems,  and  be  sus- 
pended by  a  deep  blue  ribbon,  two  inches  wide,  edged  with 
white,  descriptive  of  the  union  of  America  with  France." 

I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Colonel  Joseph  Warren 
Scott,  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  now  (1850)  the  presi- 
dent of  the  society  of  that  state,  for  the  following  information 
respecting  the  successive  presidents  general  of  the  institution. 
General  Washington  was  the  first  president  general,  and  con- 
tinued in  otiice  until  his  death,  in  December,  1799.  In  May, 
1800,  General  Alexander  Hamilton  was  elected  as  his  suc- 
cessor. He  was  killed  in  a  duel  with  Aaron  Burr  in  1804, 
and,  at  the  next  general  meeting,  General  Charles  Cotesworth 
Pinckney,  of  South  Carolina,  was  elected  as  his  successor. 
He  died  in  August,  1825.  At  a  special  meeting  of  the  socie- 
ty, held  at  Philadelphia  in  November,  1826,  Major-general 
Thomas  Pinckney  was  elected  president  general.^  At  his 
death,  Colonel  Aaron  Ogden,  of  New  Jersey,  was  elected  to 
fill  his  place.  He  held  the  office  until  his  decease  in  April, 
1838,  when  General  Morgan  Lewis,  of  New  York,  became 
his  successor.  General  Lewis  died  on  the  7th  of  May,  1844, 
in  his  ninetieth  year,  and  the  venerable  Major  Popham,  also 
of  New  York,  was  elected  as  his  successor  at  the  general  meet- 
ing in  November  following.  Major  Popham  died  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1848,  and,  at  the  meeting  in  November  of  that  year, 
General  Dearborn,  the  present  incumbent,  was  elected  to  sup- 
ply the  vacancy.  Such  is  the  brief  history  of  a  society  over 
which  the  venerated  Washington  first  presided. 

I  left  the  interesting  mansion  w^herein  the  society  was  or- 
ganized at  noon,  and  reached  Newburgh  in  time  to  dine  and 
embark  at  half  past  one  for  West  Point,  eight  miles  below.  Ohder  of  the  Cincinnati.^ 

»  "At  that  meeting,"  says  Colonel  Scott,  in  a  letter  to  me  dated  July  9,  1850,  "delegates  attended  from 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Maryland,  and  South  Carolina.  Col- 
onel Ogden  and  myself  were  dclo^ates  from  New  Jersey.  At  that  meeting  it  was  ascertained  that  ail  the 
officers  of  the  society  but  one  had  departed  this  life.  The  survivor  was  Major  Jackson,  of  Pennsylvania. 
These  communications  were  given  and  received  in  sadness,  and  a  respectful  and  affectionate  notice  was 
taken  of  those  who  had  left  us  forever." 

*  This  was  drawn  from  an  original  in  the  possession  of  Edward  Phalon,  Esq.,  of  New  York.  The  en- 
graving is  the  exact  size  of  the  original.  The  leaves  of  the  sprigs  of  laurel  are  of  gold,  and  green  enamel; 
the  head  and  tail  of  the  eagle  gold,  and  white  enamel ;  and  the  sky  in  the  center  device  blue  enamel.  The 
device  and  motto  are  the  same  as  upon  the  medallion  on  the  right  of  the  certificate. 


G98  PICTORIAL   FIE  LD-B  (^  0  K 

West  Point  and  its  Associntions.  Mrs.  Faugeres.  '  Sufferings  of  Mrs.  Blpecker 


1 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

"  What  thousrh  no  cloister  gray  nor  ivyed  column 

Along  these  clifls  their  somber  ruins  rear; 
What  though  no  frowning  tower  nor  temple  solemn 

Of  despots  tell,  and  superstition  here  ; 
What  though  that  moldering  fort's  fast-crumbling  walls 
Did  ne'er  inclose  a  baron's  bannered  halls, 

"  Its  sinking  arches  once  gave  back  as  proud 
An  echo  to  the  war-blown  clarion's  peal — 
As  gallant  hearts  its  battlements  did  crowd 

As  ever  beat  beneath  a  breast  of  steel, 
When  herald's  trump  on  knighthood's  haughtiest  day 
Called  forth  chivalric  hosts  to  battle-fray." 

C.  F.  Hoffman 

"  Low  sunk  between  the  Alleghanian  hills 

For  many  a  league  the  sullen  waters  glide, 

And  the  deep  murmur  of  the  crowded  tide 

With  pleasing  awe  the  wondering  voyager  fills. 

On  the  green  summit  of  yon  lofty  clift 
A  peaceful  runnel  gurgles  clear  and  slow, 

Then  down  the  craggy  steep-side  dashing  swift. 
Tumultuous  falls  in  the  white  surge  below." 

Margaretta  V.  Faugeres.' 

N  the  midst  of  wild  mountain  scenery,  picturesque  but  not  magnificent  when 
compared  with  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire,  the  Adirondack 
and  Catskill  range  in  New  York,  or  the  AUeghanies  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Virginia,  is  a  bold  promontory  called  W^est  Point,  rising  more 
than  one  htindred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  waters  of  the  Hudson,  its  top  a 
perfectly  level  and  fertile  plateau,  and  every  rood  hallowed  by  associations 
of  the  deepest  interest.  West  Point  I  What  a  world  of  thrilling  reminis- 
cences has  the  utterance  of  that  name  brought  to  ten  thousand  memories  in 
times  past,  now,  alas  !  nearly  all  slumbering  in  the  dreamless  sleep  of  the 
dead  I  How  does  it  awaken  the  generous  emotions  of  patriotic  reverence 
for  the  men,  and  things,  and  times  of  the  Revolution,  in  the  bosoms  of  th^ 
present  generation  I  Nor  is  it  by  the  associations  alone  that  the  traveler  is 
moved  with  strong  emotions  when  approaching  West  Point ;  the  stranger, 
indifTerent  to  our  history  and  of  all  but  the  present,  feels  a  glow  of  admira- 

'  Mrs.  Faugeres  was  the  grand-daughter  of  Brandt  Schuyler,  and  daughter  of  Mrs.  Anne  Eliza  Bleeck- 
er,  one  of  the  notable  sufferers  from  the  invasion  of  Burgoyne  in  1777.  Mrs.  Bleecker  was  then  living, 
with  her  husband,  about  eighteen  miles  from  Albany.  Mr.  Bleecker  went  to  that  city  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  moving  his  family  thither.  While  absent,  Mrs.  Bleecker  heard  of  the  approach  of  Burgoyne  and 
his  horde  of  savages,  and,  leading  her  eldest  child  by  the  hand,  and  bearing  her  youngest  in  her  arms,  she 
started  on  foot  for  Albany.  After  a  wearisome  journey  of  a  day,  and  a  night  passed  in  a  wretched  garret, 
she  started  forward  with  her  precious  charge,  and  soon  met  her  husband,  with  whom  she  returned  to  the 
city.  Her  babe  died  a  few  days  afterward,  and  within  a  month  her  mother  expired  in  her  arms,  at  Red 
Hook,  in  Dutchess  county.  Her  husband  was  afterward  captured  by  a  party  of  Tories.  This  event,  and 
his  sudden  restoration  when  she  thought  him  dead,  so  overpowered  her,  that  her  constitution  sunk  beneath 
the  shocks,  and  she  died  in  the  autumn  of  1783.  Margaretta  (afterward  Mrs.  Faugeres)  was  the  "sweet 
sister"  alluded  to  in  the  following  lines,  extracted  from  a  poem  written  by  Mrs.  Bleecker  on  the  death  of 
her  child : 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  G99 


Scenery  around  West  Point  The  Military  Establishment.  Wood's  Monunricnt.  Interesting  Relief. 

tion  as  he  courses  along  the  sinuous  channel  of  the  river  or  climbs  the  rough  hills  that  em- 
bosom it.     The  inspiration  of  nature  then  takes  possession  of  his  heart  and  mind,  and 

"  When  he  treads 
The  rock-cncumhcred  crest,  and  feels  the  strange 
And  wild  tiinniltuous  throbbings  of  his  heart, 
Its  every  chord  vibrating  with  the  touch 
Of  the  high  power  that  reigns  supreme  o'er  all, 
He  well  may  deem  that  lips  of  angel-fonns 
Have  breathed  to  him  the  holy  melody 
That  fills  his  o'erfraught  heart." 

Bayard  Taylor. 

The  high  plain  is  reached  by  a  carriage-way  that  winds  up  the  bank  from  the  landing ; 
the  visitor  overlooking,  in  the  passage,  on  the  right,  the  little  village  of  Camptown,  which 
comprises  the  barracks  of  United  States  soldiers  and  a  few  dwellings  of  persons  not  imme- 
diately connected  with  the  military  works.  On  the  left,  near  the  summit,  is  "  the  Artillery 
Laboratory,"  and  near  by,  upon  a  little  hillock,  is  an  obelisk  erected  to  the  memory  of  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel Wood.*  On  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  overlooking  the  steam  boat  landing,  is  a 
spacious  hotel,  where  I  booked  myself  as  a  boarder  for  a  day  or  two.  A  more  delightful 
spot,  particularly  iix  summer,  for  a  Avcary  traveler  or  a  professed  lounger,  can  not  easily  be 
found,  than  the  broad  piazza  of  that  public  dwelling  presents.  Breezy  in  the  hottest  weath- 
er, and  always  enlivened  by  pleasant  company,  the  sojourner  need  not  step  from  beneath  its 
shadow  to  view  a  most  wonderful  variety  of  pleasing  objects  in  nature  and  art.  Upon  the 
grassy  plain  before  him  are  buildings  of  the  military  establishment — the  Academic  Halls, 
the  Philosophical  and  Library  buildings,  the  Observatory,  the  Chapel,  the  Hospital,  the  Bar- 
racks and  Mess  Hall  of  the  cadets,  and  the  beautifully  shaded  dwellings  of  the  officers  and 
professors  that  skirt  the  "western  side  of  the  plateau  at  the  base  of  the  hills.  On  the  parade 
the  cadets,  in  neat  uniform,  exhibit  their  various  exercises,  and  an  excellent  band  of  music; 
delights  the  ear.  Lifting  the  eyes  to  the  westward,  the  lofty  summit  of  Mount  Independ- 
ence, crested  by  the  gray  ruins  of  Fort  Putnam,  and  beyond  it  the  loftier  apex  of  Fwedoubt 
Hill,  are  seen.  Turning  a  little  northward.  Old  Cro'  Nest  and  Butter  Hill  break  the  hori- 
zon nearly  half  way  to  the  zenith  ;  and  directly  north,  over  Martelaer's  Ptock  or  Constitu- 
tion Island,  through  the  magnificent  cleft  in  the  chain  of  hills  through  which  the  Hudson 
flows,  is  seen  the  bright  waters  of  Newburgh  Bay,  the  village  glittering  in  the  sunbeams, 
and  the  beautiful,  cultivated  slopes  of  Dutchess  and  Orange.  The  scenery  at  the  eastward 
is  better  comprehended  and  more  extensive  as  seen  from  Fort  Putnam,  whither  we  shall 
presently  climb. 

I  passed  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  among  the  celebrities  clustered  around  octoher2G, 
the  plain.  I  first  visited  the  Artillery  Laboratory,  Avhere  are  deposited  several  ^'^■'^• 
interesting  trophies  and  relics  of  the  Revolution.  In  the  center  of  the  court  is  a  group  of 
great  interest,  consisting  of  a  large  brass  mortar,  mounted,  which  was  taken  from  the  En- 
glish when  Wayne  captured  Stony  Point ;  two  small  brass  mortars,  taken  from  Burgoyne 
at  Saratoga,  and  a  portion  of  the  famous  chain  which  the  Americans  stretched  across  the 
river  at  West  Point  to  obstruct  the  passage  of  the  vessels  of  the  enemy.     The  large  mortar 

"  Ricli  in  my  children,  on  my  arms  I  bore 
My  living  treasures  from  the  scalper's  power. 
Whpn  I  sat  down  to  rest  beneath  some  shade, 
On  the  soft  grass  how  innocent  she  play'd, 
While  her  sweet  sister  from  the  fragrant  wild 
Collects  the  flowers  to  please  my  precious  child." 

'  The  following  is  the  inscription  on  this  monument : 

"  To  the  memory  of  Lieutenant-colonel  E.  D.  Wood,  of  the  corps  of  engineers,  who  fell  while  leading  a 
charge  at  the  sortie  of  Fort  Erie,  Upper  Canada,  17lh  of  September,  1814,  in  the  31st  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  exemplary  as  a  Christian,  and  distinguished  as  a  soldier.  A  pupil  of  this  institution,*  he  died  an  honor 
to  hiB  country.     This  memorial  was  erected  by  his  friend  and  commander,  Major-general  Jacob  Brown." 

*  Military  Academy  at  West  Point. 


700 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Size  of  the  Mortars  and  Chain. 


Position  of  the  Chain  in  the  River. 


Other  Relics. 


Kosciuszko's  Monument 


has  a  caliber  of  ten  and  a  half  inches  ;  the  smaller  ones,  of  four  inches  and  three  quarters. 
The  former  is  emblazoned  with  the  English  coat  of  arms,  beneath  which  is  engraved  "  As- 
chaleh,  fecit,  1741."      There  are  twelve  links,  two  clevises,  and  a  portion  of  a  link  of  the 


Gkeat  Chain  and  Mobtaes 


great  chain  remaining.  The  links  are  made  of  iron  bars,  two  and  a  half  inches  square, 
average  in  length  a  little  over  two  feet,  and  weigh  about  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds  each. 
The  chain  was  stretched  across  the  river  at  the  narrowest  point  between  the  rocks  just  be- 
low the  steam-boat  landing,  and  Constitution  Island  opposite.  It  was  fixed  to  huge  blocks 
on  each  shore,  and  under  the  cover  of  batteries  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  The  remains  of 
these  are  still  visible.  "  It  is  buoyed  up,"  says  Doctor  ThaclKjr,  writing  in  1780,  "  by  very 
large  logs  of  about  sixteen  feet  long,  pointed  at  the  ends,  to  lessen  their  opposition  to  the 
force  of  the  current  at  flood  and  ebb  tide.  The  logs  are  placed  at  short  distances  from  each 
other,  the  chain  carried  over  them,  and  made  fast  to  each  by  staples.  There  are  also  a 
number  of  anchors  dropped  at  proper  distances,  with  cables  made  fast  to  the  chain,  to  give 
it  greater  stability."*      The  history  of  this  chain  will  be  noted  presently. 

Near  this  group  is  a  cannon,  by  the  premature  discharge  of  which,  in  1817,  a  cadet  named 
Lowe  was  killed.  There  is  a  beautiful  monument  erected  to  his  memory  in  the  cemetery 
of  the  institution.  I  observed  several  long  French  cannons,  inscribed  with  various  dates  ; 
and  among  others,  two  brass  field-pieces,  of  British  manufacture,  bearing  the  monogram  of 
the  king,  "  G  R.,"  and  the  inscription  "W.  Boiven,  fecit,  1755."  These  were  presented 
to  General  Greene  by  order  of  Congress,  as  an  inscription  among  the  military  emblems  avers." 

At  the  northeast  corner  of  the  plain,  a  little  eastward  of  the  hotel,  are  mounds  denoting 
the  ramparts  of  old  Fort  Clinton.  Among  these  mounds  stands  the  monument  erected  to 
the  memory  of  Kosciuszko.  It  is  made  of  white  marble,  and  is  a  conspicuous  object  to 
travelers  upon  the  river.      On  one  side  of  the  pedestal,  in  large  letters,  is  the  name  Kosci- 

'  Military  Journal,  page  211. 

*  The  inscription  is  as  follows  : 

"  Taken  from  the  British  army,  and  presented,  by  order  of  the  United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  to 
Major-general  Greene,  as  a  monument*  of  their  high  sense  of  the  wisdom,  fortitude,  and  military  talents 
which  distinguished  his  command  in  the  Southern  department,  and  of  the  eminent  services  which,  amid  com- 
plicated dangers  and  difliculties,  he  performed  for  his  country.     October  y®  18th,  1783." 

*  To  the  dishonor  of  our  country,  it  must  be  said  that  these  two  brazen  cannons  form  the  only  "  monument"  ever  made  to 
the  memory  of  that  great  commander.  Savannah,  in  Georgia,  has  a  ward  and  a  square  bearing  his  name,  and  in  the  center  of 
the  latter  is  the  foundation-stone  of  an  intended  monument  to  his  memory.  This  and  the  corner-stone  of  a  monument  to  Pu- 
laski were  laid  by  La  Fayette  in  1825.    For  a  further  notice  of  this  matter,  See  page  514,  vol.  ii 


OF   THE    REVOLUTIOxM. 


701 


Kosciuszko's  Garden. 


Other  Localities. 


Fort  Arnold. 


Fort  Putnam. 


uszKO  ;  and  on  the  other  is  the  brief  inscription,  "  Erected  by  the  Corps  of  Cadets,  1828." 
The  monument  was  completed  in  1829,  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars.  A  drawing  of 
it  forms  a  portion  of  the  vignette  of  ^^^ — 


View  from  Fokt  Clinton,  looking  North. 


the  map  printed  on  page  137.  From 
this  monument  the  view  of  the  river 
and  adjacent  scenery,  especially  at  the 
northward,  is  very  fine,  and  should  nev- 
er be  unobserved  by  the  visitor. 

Emerging  from  the  remains  of  Fort 
Clinton,  the  path,  traversing  the  mar- 
gin of  the  cliff",  passes  the  ruins  of  a  bat- 
tery, and  descends,  at  a  narrow  gorge 
between  huge  rocks,  to  a  flight  of  wood- 
en steps.  These  terminate  at  the  bot- 
tom upon  a  grassy  terrace  a  few  feet 
wide,  over  which  hangs  a  shelving  clifl 
covered  with  shrubbery.  This  is  called 
Kosciuszko's  Garden,  from  the  circum- 
stance of  its  having  been  a  favorite  re- 
sort of  that  officer  while  stationed  there 

as  engineer  for  a  time  during  the  Revolution.  In  the  center  of 
the  terrace  is  a  marble  basin,  from  the  bottom  of  which  bubbles 
up  a  tiny  fountain  of  pure  water.  It  is  said  that  the  remains  of  a 
fountain  constructed  by  Kosciuszko  was  discovered  in  1802,  when 
it  was  removed,  and  the  marble  bowl  which  now  receives  the  jet 
was  placed  there.  It  is  a  beautiful  and  romantic  spot,  shaded  by 
a  weeping  willow  and  other  trees,  and  having  seats  provided  for 
those  who  wish  to  linger.  Upon  a  smooth  spot,  high  upon  the 
rocks  and  half  overgrown  with  moss,  are  slight  indications  of  vnrit- 
ten  characters.  Tradition  says  it  is  the  remains  of  the  name  of 
Kosciuszko,  inscribed  by  his  own  hand  ;  but  I  doubt  the  report,  for 
he  possessed  too  much  common  sense  to  be  guilty  of  such  folly  as 
the  mutilated  benches 
around  the  fountain  ex- 
hibit ;  his  name  was 
already  upon  the  tab- 
let of  Polish  history, 
and  his  then  present  deeds  were  marking  it  deep  upon  that  of  our  war  for  independence. 

The  sun  had  gone  down  behind  the  hills  when  I  ascended  from  the  garden  to  the  plain. 
The  cadets  were  performing  their  evening  parade,  and,  as  the  last  rays  left  Bear  Hill  and 
the  Sugar  Loaf,  the  evening  gun  and  the  tattoo  summwied  them  to  quarters.  During  the 
twilight  hour,  I  strolled  down  the  road  along  the  river  bank,  half  a  mile  beyond  the  bar- 
racks, to  Mr.  Kingsley's  Classical  School,  situated  upon  a  commanding  eminence  above  the 
road  leading  to  Buttermilk  Falls.  Near  his  residence  was  a  strong  redoubt,  called  Fort 
Arnold,  one  of  the  outposts  of  West  Point  in  the  Revolution.  I  was  informed  that  the  re- 
mains are  well  preserved  ;  but  it  was  too  dark  to  distinguish  an  artificial  mound  from  a  nat- 
ural hillock,  and  I  hastened  back  to  my  lodgings. 

Unwilling  to  wait  until  the  late  hour  of  eight  for  breakfast  the  next  morning,  I  arose  at 
iawn,  and  before  sunrise  I  stood  among  the  ruins  of  Fort  Putnam,  on  the  pinnacle  of  Mount 
Independence,  nearly  five  hundred  feet  above  the  river. 

I  had  waked 
From  a  long  sleep  of  many  chan<jing  dreams, 
And  now  in  the  fresh  forest  air  I  stood 


Kosciuszko's  Garden. 


4^cycco^^ 


Kosciuszko's  Signature. 


702 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


View  from  the  Ruins  of  Fort  Putnam.  Names  of  the  Highland  Peaks.  Drake's  "Culprit  Fay.^ 


Nerved  to  another  day  of  wandering. 

The  sky  bent  round 
The  awful  domes  of  a  most  mighty  temple, 
Built  by  Omnipotent  hands  for  nothing  less 
Than  infinite  worship.     Here  I  stood  in  silence  ; 
I  had  no  words  to  tell  the  mingled  thoughts 
Of  wonder  and  of  joy  that  then  came  o'er  me 
Even  with  a  whirlwind's  rush." 

James  G.  Percival. 

Around  me  were  strewn  mementoes  of  the  E-evolution.  My  feet  pressed  the  russet  turf 
upon  the  ramparts  of  a  ruined  fort.  Eastward,  behind  which  were  glowing  the  splendors 
of  approaching  day,  stretched  a  range  of  broken  hills,  on  whose  every  pinnacle  the  vigilant 
patriots  planted  batteries  and  built  watch-fires.  At  their  feet,  upon  a  fertile  terrace  almost 
a  mile  in  breadth,  was  the  "  Beverly  House,"  from  which  Arnold  escaped  to  the  Vulture  ; 
old  Phillipstown,  around  which  a  portion  of  the  Revolutionary  army  was  cantoned  in  1781,* 
and  intermediate  localities,  all  rich  wdth  local  traditions  and  historic  associations.  On  the 
left,  over  Constitution  Island,  arose  the  smoke  of  the  furnaces  and  forges  at  Cold  Spring,  a 
thriving  village  at  the  river  terminus  of  a  mountain  furrow  that  slopes  down  from  the  east- 
ern hills.  A  little  beyond,  and  beneath  the  frowning  crags  of  Mount  Taurus,^  appeared 
"  Under  Cliff,"  the  country  seat  of  George  P.  Morris,  Esq.,  lying  like  a  pearl  by  the  side  of 
a  sleeping  giant,  and  just  visible  in  the  fading  shadows  of  the  mountains.  Nowhere  in  our 
broad  land  is  there  a  more  romantic  nook,  or  more  appropriate  spot  for  the  residence  of  an 
American  song-writer  than  this, 

"  Where  Hudson's  waves  o'er  silvery  sands 
Winds  through  the  hills  afar, 
And  Cro'  Nest  like  a  monarch  stands 
Crown'd  with  a  single  star." 

Morris. 

Hark  I  the  sunrise  gun  on  the  plain  below  hath  spoken  I  How  eagerly  its  loud  voice  is 
caught  up  by  echo  and  carried  from  hill  to  hill  I  The  Sugar  Loaf  answers  to  Redoubt 
Mountain,  and  Anthony's  Nose  to  Bear  Mountain  and  the  Dunderberg,  and  then  there  is 
only  a  soft  whisper  floating  av/ay  over  the  waters  of  the  Haverstraw.  The  reveille  is  beat- 
ing ;  the  shrill  notes  of  the  fife,  and  the  stirring  music  of  the  cornet-players,  come  up  and 
fill  the  soul  with  a  martial  spirit  consonant  with  the  place  and  its  memories.  Here,  then, 
let  us  sit  down  upon  the  lip  of  this  rock-fountain,  within  the  ruins  of  the  fort,  and  commune 
a  while  with  the  old  chronicler. 

The  importance  of  fortifying  the  Hudson  River  at  its  narrow  passes  among  the  High- 

'  It  was  here  that  the  general  inoculation  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Continental  army  was  performed  by  Doc- 
tors Cochrane,  Thacher,  Munson,  and  others,  as  mentioned  on  page  307,  vol.  i. 

^  This,  in  plain  English  and  common  parlance,  is  Bull  Hill.  I  feel  very  much  disposed  to  quarrel  with 
my  countrymen  for  their  want  of  taste  in  giving  names  to  localities.  They  have  discarded  the  beautiful 
"heathenish"  names  of  the  Indian  verbal  geographies,  and  often  substituted  the  most  commonplace  and  in- 
appropriate title  that  human  ingenuity,  directed  earthward,  could  invent — Bull  Hill !  Crow's  Nest !  Butter 
Hill ! !  Ever  blessed  be  the  name  and  memory  of  Joseph  Rodman  Drake,  whose  genius  has  clothed  these 
Highland  cones,  despite  their  Arulgar  names,  with  a  degree  of  classic  interest,  by  thus  summoning  there 
with  the  herald  voice  of  imagination, 

"  Ouphe  and  goblin  !  imp  and  sprite  ! 
Elf  of  eve  and  starry  fay ! 
Ye  that  love  the  moon's  soft  light, 
Hither,  hither  wend  your  way. 
Twine  ye  in  a  jocund  ring; 
Sing  and  trip  it  merrily ; 
Hand  to  hand  and  wing  to  wing, 
Round  the  wild  witch-hazel  tree !" 

The  Ctilphit  Fat,  canto  xxxvi.* 


This  beautiful  potm  wap  written  con  nmorn,  iluiing  a  brief  ramble  of  the  author  among  the  Hudson  Highlan'is 


OF  TPIE   REVOLUTION. 


70; 


Fortificatious  in  the  Highlands  ordered. 


Action  of  the  New  York  Assembly. 


Fort  Constitution. 


1775. 


iNTEUlOn  OK    ioIlT    rUTNASl.^ 


lands  was  sugg^ested  to  the  Continental  Congress  by  the  Provincial  Assembly  of  New  York 
at  an  early  period  of  the  war.  On  the  6th  of  October,  1775,  the  former  directed  the  latter 
to  proceed  to  make  such  fortifications  as  they 

should  deem  best.'     On  the  18th  of  No-         ,  .A.Xu-'k        t 

veruber,  Congress  resolved  to  appoint  a 
commander  for  the  fortress,  with  the  rank  of 
colonel,  and  recommended  the  New  York  As- 
sembly, or  Convention,  to  empower  him  to  raise 
a  body  of  two  hundred  militia  from  the  coun- 
ties of  Dutchess,  Orange,  and  Ulster,  and  a 
company  of  artillery  from  New  York  city,  to  garrison  them.  The  Convention  was  also  rec- 
ommended to  forward  from  Kingsbridge  such  ordnance  as  they  should  think  proper.'  That 
body  had  already  taken  action.  On  the  1  8th  of  August,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  su- 
perintend the  erection  of  forts  and  bat- 
teries in  the  vicinity  of  West  Point.* 
They  employed  Bernard  Pvomans,  an 
English  engineer  (who,  at  that  time, 
,/>^/-^/^  t^t/''^  ^-^^^t/y (y^h^jr-^      held  the  same  office  in  the  British  army), 

to  construct  the  works  ;  and  Martelaer's 
Ptock  (now  Constitution  Island),  oppo- 
site West  Point,  was  the  chosen  spot  for 
the  principal  fortification.  Romans  commenced  operations  on  the  29th  of  August,  and  on 
the  12th  of  October  he  applied  to  Congress  for  a  commission,  with  the  rank  and  pay  of  col- 
onel. It  was  this  application  which  caused  the  action  of  Congress  on  the  18th  of  Novem- 
ber. In  the  mean  while,  Romans  and  his  employers  quarreled,  and 
the  commission  was  never  granted  ;  the  work  was  soon  afterward 
completed  by  others.  The  fort  was  named  Constitution,  and  the 
island  has  since  borne  that  title.*  The  fort  and  its  outworks  were 
quite  extensive,  though  the  main  fortress  was  built  chiefly  of  perish- 
able materials,  on  account  of  the  apparent  necessity  for  its  speedy 
erection.  The  whole  cost  was  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 
The  remains  of  the  fort  and  surrounding  batteries  are  scattered  over 
the  island.      Near  the  highest  point  on  the  western  end  are  the   Plan  of  Fort  Constitution.- 

*  Journals  of  Congress,  i.,  199. 

'  This  little  sketch  is  a  view  of  the  remains  of  the  casemates,  or  vaults,  of  Fort  Putnam.  There  were 
nine  originally,  but  only  six  remain  in  a  state  of  fair  preservation.  They  were  built  of  brick  and  covered 
with  stone ;  were  twelve  feet  wide  and  eighteen  feet  deep,  with  an  arched  roof  twelve  feet  high.  Each 
one  had  a  fire-place,  and  they  seem  to  have  been  used  for  the  purposes  of  barracks,  batteries,  and  maga- 
zines. In  the  center  of  the  fort  is  a  spring,  that  bubbles  up  in  a  rocky  basin.  The  whole  interior  is  very 
rough,  it  being  the  pinnacle  of  a  bald,  rocky  elevation. 

^  Journals  of  Congress,  i.,  223. 

*  The  committee  consisted  of  Isaac  Sears,  John  Berrien,  Colonel  Edward  Flemin<T,  Anthony  Rutfjcr,  and 
Christopher  Miller.  Fleming  and  Rutger  declined  the  appointment,  and  Captain  Samuel  Bayard  and  Cap- 
tain William  Bedlow  were  appointed  in  their  places. 

*  Tliis  island  belonged  to  the  widow  of  Captain  Oj^ilvie,  of  the  British  army,  and  her  children,  during  the 
Revolution,  as  appears  by  a  correspondence  between  the  New  York  Committee  of  Safety  and  Colonel  Bev- 
erly Robinson.  The  committee  supposed  thai,  the  island  belonged  to  Robinson,  and  applied  to  him  for  its 
purchase.  In  his  reply,  he  mentioned  the  fact  of  its  belonging  to  Mrs.  Ogilvie,  and  added,  "Was  it  mine, 
the  public  should  be  extremely  welcome  to  it.  The  building  of  the  fort  there  can  be  no  disadvantajje  to 
the  small  quantity  of  arable  land  on  the  island."  Robinson  afterward  chose  the  royal  side  of  the  political 
question,  and  held  the  commission  of  a  colonel  in  the  British  army. 

^  This  plan  of  Fort  Constitution  is  from  Romans's  report  to  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  New  York,  on  the 
14th  of  September,  1775,  and  published  in  the  American  Archives,  iii.,  735. 

Explanation. — a,  guard-room  and  store-house ;  b,  barracks ;  c,  block-house  and  main  guard  ;  d,  maga- 
zine ;  e,  the  gateway;  1,  a  battery  of  four  four-pounders;  2,  three  twelve-pounders;  3,  three  twelve- 
pounders  and  one  nine-pounder ;  4,  five  eightcen-pounders ;  5,  four  twelve-pounders ;  6,  three  eighteen- 
pounders ;  7  and  8.  one  each,  nine  and  twelve-pounder ;  9,  one  fonr-poundcr. 


704 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


1 


New  Forts  in  the  Highlands  proposed. 


West  Point  selected. 


Radiere  and  other  Engineers  from  France 


Plan  ok  the  Magazine. 


well-preserved  remains  of  the  magazine,  the  form  of  which  is  given  in  the  annexed  diagram. 
It  is  upon  a  high  rock,  accessible  only  on  one  side.  The  whole  wall  is  quite  perfect,  except 
at  the  doorway,  D,  where  a  considerable  portion  has  fallen  down  and 
blocked  up  the  entrance. 

After  the  capture  of  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery,  near  the  lower 
entrance  to  the  Highlands,  in  1777,  and  the  abandormient  of  Fort  Con- 
stitution by  the  Americans  a  few  days  afterward,  pubhc  attention  was 
directed  to  the  importance  of  other  and  stronger  fortifications  in  that 
vicinity.     On  the  5th  of  November,  Congress  appointed  General  Gates 
to  command  in  the  Highlands,  or  rather  that  post  was  connected  with 
the  Northern  department.     Gates  was  made  president  of  the  Board  of 
War  about  that  time,  and  never  entered  upon  the  prescribed  duties  in 
the  Highlands.     Anxious  to  have  those  passes  strongly  guarded,  Wash- 
ington requested  General  Putnam  to  bestow  his  most  serious  attention  upon  that  important 
Decembers      Subject.     He  also  wrote  to  Governor  Clinton,  at  the  same  time,  desiring  him  to 
^^^^-  take  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  work  ;   but  his  legislative  duties,  then 

many  and  pressing,  made  it  difficult  for  him  to  comply.  Clinton  expressed  his  willingness 
to  devote  as  much  time  as  possible  to  the  matter,  and  also  made  many  valuable  sugges- 
tions respecting  the  proposed  fortifications.  He  mentioned  West  Point  as  the  most  eligible 
site  for  a  strong  fort. 

Duty  calling  General  Putnam  to  Connecticut,  and  General  Parsons  not  feeling  himself 
authorized  to  progress  with  the  works,  but  little  was  done  until  the  arrival  of  General 
ai778.  M'Dougal,  who  took  command  on  the  20th  of  March  following. a     In  the  mean 

b January,  while,  several  officers  examined  various  localities  in  the  neighborhood, b  and  all 
were  in  favor  of  erecting  a  strong  fort  on  West  Point,  except  /^  ^_ 

La  Pk-adiere,  a  French  engineer.'      A  committee  of  the  New     ^^     ^^yC/^/ 
York  Legislature,  after  surveying  several  sites,  unanimously 
recommended  West  Point  as  the  most  eligible.     Works  were  accordingly  commenced  there, 

under  the  direction  of  Kosciuszko,  who  had  been  appoint- 
ed to  succeed  Radiere  in  the  Highlands,  his  skill  being 
quite  equal,  and  his  manners  more  acceptable  to  the  peo- 
ple.   Kosciuszko  arrived  on  the  20  th  of  March,  and 

1778 

the  works  were  pushed  toward  completion  with 
much  spirit.  The  principal  redoubt,  constructed  chiefly 
of  logs  and  earth,  was  completed  before  May,  and  named 
Fort  Clinton.  It  was  six  hundred  yards  around  within 
the  walls.  The  embankments  were  twenty-one  feet  at 
base,  and  fourteen  feet  high.     There  were  barracks  and 


&^<.^ 


West  Point  in  1780.» 


ty 


'  The  American  commissioners  in  France  were  instructed  by  Congress  to  procure  some  good  engineers 
for  the  Continental  army.  Franklin  and  Deane  contracted  with  four  officers  of  this  description,  who  had 
served  in  such  capacity,  under  commissions,  in  the  French  army,  namely,  Duportail,  Laumoy,  Radiere,  and 
Gouvion.  These  officers  came  to  the  United  States  with  the  knowledge  and  approbation  of  the  French 
government,  and  were  the  only  ones  engaged  by  the  express  authority  of  Congress.  The  Chevalier  Du- 
portail was  appointed  colonel  of  engineers,  Laumoy  and  Ra- 
diere lieutenant  colonels,  and  Gouvion  major.  Duportail 
was  afterward  promoted  to  a  brigadier,  Laumoy  and  Ra- 
diere to  colonels,  and  Gouvion  to  a  lieutenant  colonel.  Ra- 
diere died  in  the  service  at  the  beginning  of  1780.  See 
Journals  of  Congress,  iii.,  224,  322,  403. 

^  This  view  is  from  a  print  published  in  the  New  York  Magazine  for  1790.  It  was  taken  from  Consti- 
tution Island.  On  the  left  is  seen  a  portion  of  old  Fort  Constitution.  The  great  chain,  four  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  in  length,  and  covered  by  a  strong  battery,  is  seen  stretched  across  the  river,  immediately  below 
Fort  Clinton,  the  structure  on  the  high  point.  In  the  distance,  on  the  left,  two  mountain  summits  are  seen, 
crowned  with  fortifications.  These  were  the  North  and  Middle  Redoubts.  Upon  the  range  of  the  Sugar 
Loaf  Mountain,  higher  than  these,  and  hidden,  in  the  view,  by  Fort  Clinton,  was  another  redoubt,  called  the^' 
South  Battery.     The  view  on  page  708  I  sketched  from  the  same  spot  whence  this  was  taken. 


^S^  P/yu;^'^^^ 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


7U5 


West  Point  in  17 


Construction  of  the  great  Chain. 


History  of  the  Work. 


Map  of  West  Point 


huts  for  about  six  huntlred  men.'      The  clirt  on  which  Fort  Clinton  was  erected  rises  ono 
hundred  and  eia-hty-eight  feet  above  the  river,  and  is  more  elevated  than  the  plain  in  the 

rear.      The  only  accessi- 


WBST  JlPOiKNX 


ble  point  from  the  river 
was  at  the  house  and 
dock,  on  the  water's  edge, 
seen  in  the  engraving. 
That  point  is  now  a  lit- 
tle above  the  steam-boat 
landing.  This  weak  point 
was  well  defended  by  pal- 
isades 

To  defend  Fort  Clin- 
ton, and  more  thoroughly 
to  secure  the  river  against 
the  passage  of  an  enemy's 
fleet,  it  was  thought  ad- 
visable to  fortify  the 
heights  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. The  foundation  of 
a  strong  fort  was  accord- 
ingly laid  on  Mount  In- 
dependence, and,  when 
completed,  it  was  named 
Putnam,  in  honor  of  the 
commander  of  the  post. 
On  eminences  south  of  it. 
Forts  Webb,  Wyllys,  and  other  redoubts  were  con- 
structed ;  and  at  the  close  of  1779,  West  Point  was 
the  strongest  military  post  in  America.  In  addition 
to  the  batteries  that  stood  menacingly  upon  the  hill 
tops,  the  river  was  obstructed  by  an  enormous  iron 
chain,  the  form  and  size  of  which  is  noted  on  page 
132.  The  iron  of  which  this  chain  was  constructed 
was  wrought  from  ore  of  equal  parts,  from  the  Stir- 
ling and  Long  Mines,  in  Orange  county.  The  chain 
was  manufactured  by  Peter  Townshend,  of  Chester, 
at  the  Stirling  Iron  Works,  in  the  same  county,  which 
were  situated  about  twenty-five  miles  back  of  West 
Point."  The  general  superintendent  of  the  work,  as 
engineer,  was  Captain  Thomas  Machin,  who  after- 
ward as.sisted  in  the  engineering  operations  at  York- 


NoTE. — This  map  cxhil)its  all  of  the  most  important  localities  at  West  Point  during  the  Revolution  and 
at  the  present  time.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  Hudson  River  rail-road  crosses  the  cove  and  Constitution  Isl- 
and a  little  eastward  of  the  ruins  of  the  main  fortress,  on  that  side  of  the  river.  The  island  is  owned  by 
Henry  W.  Warner,  Esq.,  and  upon  the  eminence  where  the  ravelins  of  the  fort  were  spread  is  his  beautiful 
country  seat,  called  "  Wood  Crag."  The  kitchen  part  of  his  mansion  is  a  portion  of  the  barracks  erected 
there  in  the  autumn  of  1775. 

'  Letter  of  General  Putnam  to  the  commander-in-chief,  January,  1778.  In  this  letter,  Putnam  gives,  in 
a  few  words,  a  picture  of  the  terrible  privations  which  the  .soldiers  in  the  Highlands  were  enduring,  while 
those  at  Valley  Forge  were  also  sufTering  intensely.  "  Dubois's  regiment,"  he  says,  "  is  unfit  to  be"ordered 
on  duty,  there  being  not  one  blanket  in  the  regiment.  Very  few  have  either  a  shoe  or  a  shirt,  and  most  of 
them  have  neither  stockings,  breeches,  or  overalls.  Several  companies  of  enlisted  artificers  are  in  the  same 
situation,  and  unable  to  work  in  the  field. 

»  The  Stirling  Works  are  still  in  operation.     They  are  situated  on  the  outlet  of  Stirling  Pond,  about  five 

I.  Yy 


700  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

The  Chain  weakened  by  Arnold.  Importance  of  West  Point.  Establishment  of  the  Military  Academy  there. 

town,  when  Cornwallis  was  captured.  The  chain  was  completed  about  the  middle  of  April, 
1778,  and  on  the  1st  of  May  it  was  stretched  across  the  river  and  secured.' 

When  Benedict  Arnold  was  arranging  his  plans  to  deliver  West  Point  and  its  dependen- 
cies into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  this  chain  became  a  special  object  of  his  attention  ;  and  it 
is  related  that,  a  few  days  before  the  discovery  of  his  treason,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Andre, 
in  a  disguised  hand  and  manner,  informing  him  that  he  had  weakened  the  obstructions  in 
the  river  by  ordering  a  link  of  the  chain  to  be  taken  out  and  carried  to  the  smith,  under  a 
pretense  that  it  needed  repairs.  He  assured  his  employer  that  the  link  would  not  be  re- 
turned to  its  place  before  the  forts  should  be  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  Of  the  treason  of 
Arnold  I  shall  write  presently. 

West  Point  was  considered  the  keystone  of  the  country  during  the  Revolution,  and  there 
a  large  quantity  of  powder,  and  other  munitions  of  war  and  military  stores,  were  collected. 
These  considerations  combined,  made  its  possession  a  matter  of  great  importance  to  the  en- 
emy, and  hence  it  v/as  selected  by  Arnold  as  the  prize  M^iich  his  treason  would  give  as  a 
bribe.  When  peace  returned,  it  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  important  military  posts 
in  the  country,  and  the  plateau  upon  the  point  was  purchased  by  the  United  States  govern- 
ment. Repairs  were  commenced  on  Fort  Putnam  in  1794,  but  little  was  done.  Not  being 
included  in  the  government  purchase,  the  owner  of  the  land  on  which  the  fort  stood  felt  at 
liberty  to  appropriate  its  material  to  his  private  use,  and  for  years  the  work  of  demolition 
was  carried  on  with  a  Vandal  spirit  exercised  only  by  the  ignorant  or  avaricious.  It  was 
not  arrested  until  Congress  purchased  the  Gridly  Farm  (see  the  map),  on  which  the  fort 
stood,  in  1824,  when  the  work  had  become  almost  a  total  ruin. 

The  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  was  established  by  an  act  of  Congress,  which  be- 
came a  law  on  the  16th  of  March,  1802.  Such  an  institution,  at  that  place,  was  proposed 
by  Washington  to  Congress  in  1793  ;  and  earlier  than  this,  even  before  the  war  of  the  Rev- 
olution had  closed,  he  suggested  the  establishment  of  a  military  school  there. ^  But  little 
progress  was  made  in  the  matter  until  1812,  when,  by  an  act  of  Congress,  a  corps  of  en- 
gineers and  of  professors  were  organized,  and  the  school  was  endowed  with  the  most  attract- 
ive features  of  a  literary  institution,  mingled  with  that  of  the  military  character.  From 
that  period  until  the  present,  the  academy  has  been  increasing  in  importance,  in  a  military 
point  of  view.  Over  three  thousand  young  men  have  been  educated  there,  and,  under  the 
superintendence  of  Major  Delafield,  who  was  appointed  commandant  in  1838,  it  continues 
to  flourish.  The  value  of  the  instruction  received  there  was  made  very  manifest  during 
the  late  war  with  Mexico  ;  a  large  portion  of  the  most  skillful  officers  of  our  army,  in  that 
conflict,  being  graduates  of  this  academy. 

The  bell  is  ringing  for  breakfast ;   let  us  close  the  record  and  descend  to  the  plain. 

miles  southwest  of  the  Sloatsburg  station,  on  the  Erie  rail-way.  They  are  owned  by  descendants  of  Peter 
Townshend,  and  have  now  been  in  operation  about  one  hundred  years,  having  been  established  in  1751.  by 
Lord  Stirling  (the  Revolutionary  general)  and  others. 

'  Gordon  and  other  early  writers  have  promulgated  the  erroneous  opinion  that  this  chain  was  constructed 
in  1777,  and  was  destroyed  by  the  British  fleet  that  passed  up  the  Hudson  and  burned  Kingston  in  October 
of  that  year.  Misled  by  these  authorities,  I  have  published  the  same  error  in  my  Seventeen  Hundred  and 
Seventy-six.  Documentary  evidence,  which  is  far  more  reliable  than  the  best  tradition,  shows  that  the  chain 
was  constructed  in  the  spring  of  1778.  Colonel  Timothy  Pickering,  accompanied  by  Captain  Machin,  ar- 
rived at  the  house  of  Mr.  Townshend  late  on  a  Saturday  night  in  March  of  that  year,  to  engage  him  to  make 
the  chain.  Townshend  readily  agreed  to  construct  it ;  and  in  a  violent  snow-storm,  amid  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  the  parties  set  out  for  the  Stirling  Iron  Works.  At  daylight  on  Sunday  morning  the  forges  were 
in  operation.  New  England  teamsters  carried  the  links,  as  fast  as  they  were  finished,  to  West  Point,  and 
in  the  space  of  six  weeks  the  whole  chain  was  completed.     It  weighed  one  hundred  and  eighty  tons. 

'  In  the  spring  of  1783,  Washington  communicated  a  request  to  all  his  principal  officers,  then  in  camp  at 
Newburgh,  and  also  to  Governor  Clinton,  to  give  him  their  views  in  reference  to  a  peace  establishment, 
which  must  soon  be  organized.  They  complied,  and,  from  their  several  letters,  Washington  compiled  a 
communication  to  Congress,  extending  to  twenty-five  folio  pages.  In  that  communication,  the  commander- 
in-chief  opposed  the  proposition  of  several  officers  to  establish  military  academies  at  the  different  arsenals 
in  the  United  States,  and  recommended  the  founding  of  one  at  West  Point.  For  his  proposed  plan  in  out- 
line, see  Washinerton'' s  Life  and  Writings,  viii.,  p.  417,  418. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


70  7 


Forts  Webb,  Wyllys,  and  Putnam. 


Visit  to  Constitution  Island. 


Uemuins  of  Fort  Constitution. 


The  winding  road  from  Fort  Putnam  to  the  plain  is  well  wrought  along  the  mountain 
Bide,  but  quite  steep  in  many  places.  A  little  south  of  it,  and  near  the  upper  road  leading 
lo  the  stone  quarries  and  Mr.  Kingsley's,  are  the  ruins  of  Fort  Webb,  a  strong  redoubt. 


built  upon  a  rocky  eminence,  and  designed  as  an  advanced  de- 
fense of  Fort  Putnam.  A  short  distance  below  this,  on  another 
eminence,  are  the  remains  of  Fort  Wyllys,  a  still  stronger  forti- 
fication. I  visited  these  before  returning  to  the  hotel,  and  from 
the  broken  ramparts  of  Fort  Webb  sketched  this  distant  view 
of  Fort  Putnam. 

After  a  l;i1e  breakfast,  I  procured  the  service  of  a  water- 


m 


?*r^» 


% 


man  to  convey  me  in  his  skill  to  Constitution  Island, 
and  from  thence  down  to  Buttermilk  Falls,'  two  miles 
below  West  Point.  I  directed  him  to  come  for  me 
at  the  island  within  an  hour  and  a  half,  but,  either 
forgetting  his  engagement  or  serving  another  cus- 
tomcr,  it  was  almost  noon  before  I  saw  him,  when 
my  patience  as  well  as  curiosity  was  quite  exhausted 
I  had  rambled  over  the  island,  making  such  sketches 
as  I  desired,  and  for  nearly  an  hour  I  sat  upon  a 
smooth  bowlder  by  the  margin  of  the  river,  near  the  remains  of  the  redoubt  made  to  cover 
and  defend  the  great  chain  at  the  island  end.  On  the  southeast  side  of  a  small  marshy 
cove,  clasping  a  rough  rock,  a  good  portion  of  the  heavy  walls  of  Fort  Constitution  remain. 
The  outworks  are  traceable  several  rods  back  into  the  stinted  forest.  The  sketch  on  the 
next  page  is  from  the  upper  edge  of  the  cove,  and  includes,  on  the  left,  a  view  of  the  re- 

'  These  falls  derive  their  name  from  the  milky  appearance  of  the  water  as  it  rushes  in  a  white  foam  over 
the  rocks  in  a  series  of  cascades. 


llflNS  OF  FOBT  I'UTNAM,  AS  SEEN  FSOM  FOBT  WEBB. 


708 


.PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Buttermilk  Falls. 


A  venerable  Boatman. 


Beverly  Dock  and  Robinson  House. 


Arnold's  Willow. 


mains  of  the  redoubt  across  the  river,  the  site  of  Fv*^t  Clinton,  the  chain,  and  Kosciuszko's 
monunnent,  and,  in  the  distance,  Fort  Hill,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ardenia  and  the  Robin- 
son House. 

From  Constitution  Island  we  proceeeded  along 
under  the  high  cliffs  of  West  Point  to  Buttermilk 
Falls.  .  There  was  a  strong  breeze  from  the  south 
that  tossed  our  little  craft  about  like  an  egg-shell, 
and  my  cloak  was  well  moistened  with  the  spray 
before  reaching  the  landing.  There,  in  a  little  cot- 
tage, overhung  by  a  huge  cliff  that  seemed  ready  to 
tumble  down,  lived  a  boatman,  named  Havens,  sev- 
enty-nine years  old.  For  more  than  fifty  years  him- 
self and  wife  have  lived  there  under  the  rocks  and 
within  the  chorus  of  the  cascades.  He  was  too 
young  to  remember  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  Rev- 
olution, but  immediate  subsequent  events  were  fresh 
in  his  recollection.  He  was  engaged  in  removing 
powder  from  Fort  Clinton,  at  West  Point,  when 

the  Clermont,  Fulton's  experiment  boat,  with  its  bare  paddles,  went  up  the  river,  ex- 
citing the  greatest  wonder  in  its  course.  After  I  had  passed  a  half  hour  pleasantly 
with  this  good  old  couple,  the  veteran  prepared  his  little  boat 
and  rowed  me  across  to  "  Beverly  Dock"  (the  place  from  whence 
Arnold  escaped  in  his  barge  to  the  Vulture),  where  he  agreed  to 
await  my  return  from  a  visit  to  -the  Robinson  House,  three  quar- 
ters of  a  mile  distant.  The  path  lay  along  the  border  of  a  marsh 
and  up  a  steep  hill,  the  route  which  tradition  avers  Arnold  took 
in  his  flight.  Two  of  the  old  willow  trees,  called  "  Arnold's  wil- 
lows," were  yet  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  morass,  riven  and 
half  decayed. 

The  Robinson  House,  formerly  owned  by  Colonel  Beverly  Rob- 
inson, is  situated  upon  a  fertile  plateau  at  the  foot  of  Sugar  Loaf 

Mountain,  one  of  the  eastern  ranges  of 


View  kko.-u  Constitutio.n'  Island. 


1807. 


Arnold's  Willow. 


the  Highlands,  which  rises  in  conical 
form  to  an  elevation  of  eight  hundred 
feet  above  the  plain.  This  mansion, 
spacious  for  the  times,  is  at  present  oc- 
..  ciipied  by  Lieutenant  Thomas  Arden, 
^a  graduate  of  West  Point,  who,  with 
commendable  taste,  preserves  every  part 
of  it  in  its  original  character.  The 
lowest  building,  on  the  left,  was  the 
farm-house,  attached  to  the  other  two 
which  formed  the  family  man.sion. 
Here  Colonel  Robinson  lived  in  quiet, 
but  not  in  retirement,  for  his  house  had 

'  Tills  house,  the  property  of  Richard  D.  Arden,  Esq.  (father  of  the  proprietor),  is  now  called  Beverly, 
the  Christian  name  of  Colonel  Robinson.  The  dock  built  by  Colonel  R.,  and  yet  partially  in  existence,  is 
Beverly  Dock.     The  fine  estate  of  Mr.  Arden  he  has  named  Ardenia. 

This  view  is  from  the  lawn  on  the  south  side  of  the  house.  The  highest  part,  on  the  right,  was  the  portion 
occupied  by  Arnold.  On  the  extreme  right  is  an  ancient  cherry-tree,  which  doubtless  bore  fruit  during  the 
Revolution.  This  mansion  was  the  country  residence  of  Colonel  Beverly  Robinson,  who  married  a  daughter 
of  Frederic  Phillipse,  the  owner  of  an  immense  landed  estate  on  the  Hudson.  Colonel  Robinson  was  a  son 
of  John  Robinson,  who  was  president  of  the  Council  of  Virginia  on  the  retirement  of  Governor  Gooch  in 
1731      He  w^as  a  major  in  the  British  army  under  Wolfe  at  the  storming  of  Quebec  in  1759.     He  emi 


liOIilN         N     llOL; 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION 


7  0'.) 


Arnold  iu  Philadelphia. 


His  Extravagance. 


Marriage  with  Miss  Shippen. 


Mcinuir  of  Beverly  Robinson. 


too  wide  a  reputation  for  hospitality  to  be  often  without  a  guest  beneath  its  roof  There 
Generals  Putnam  and  Parsons  made  their  head-quarters  in  1778—9.  Dr.  Dwight,  then  a 
chaplain  in  the  army,  and  residing  there,  speaks  of  it  as  a  most  delightful  spot,  "  surrounded 
by  valuable  gardens,  fields,  and  orchards,  yielding  every  thing  which  M'ill  grow  in  this  cli- 
mate." But  the  event  which  gives  the  most  historic  importance  to  this  place  was  the  trea- 
son of  Arnold,  which  we  will  here  consider. 

When  the  British  evacuated  Philadelphia  in  the  spring  of  1778,  Arnold  (whose  leg, 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Stillwater  the  previous  autumn,  was  not  yet  healed)  was  appointed 
by  Washington  military  governor  of  the  city,  having  in  command  a  small  detachment  of 
troops.  After  remaining  a  month  in  Philadelphia,  Arnold  conceived  the  project  of  quitting 
the  army  and  engaging  in  the  naval  service.  He  applied  to  Washington  for  advice  in  the 
matter,  expressing  his  desire  to  be  appointed  to  a  command  in  the  navy,  and  alleging  the 
state  of  his  wounds  as  a  reason  for  desiring  less  active  service  than  the  army,  yet  a  service 
more  fitted  to  his  genius  than  the  inactive  one  he  was  then  engaged  in.  Washington  an- 
swered him  with  caution,  and  declined  ofiering  an  opinion.  As  no  further  movement  was 
made  in  the  matter,  it  is  probable  that  the  idea  originated  with  Arnold  alone  ;  and,  as  he 
could  not  engage  the  countenance  of  Washington,  he  abandoned  it. 

Fond  of  show,  and  feeling  the  importance  of  his  station,  Arnold  now  began  to  live  in  a  style 
of  splendor  and  extravagance  which  his  income  would  not  allow,  and  his  pecuniary  embarrass- 
ments, already  becoming  troublesome  to  him,  were  soon  fearfully  augmented.  The  future  was 
all  dark,  for  he  saw  no  honorable  means  for  delivering  himself  from  the  dilemma.  No  doubt, 
dreams  of  rich  prizes  filled  his  mind  while  contemplating  a  command  in  the  navy,  but  thcie 

grated  to  New  York,  and  became  very  wealthy  by  his  marriage.  The  mansion  here  delineated  was  his  res- 
idence when  the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out,  and,  loving  quiet,  he  refrained  from  engaging  in  the  ex- 
oifinff  events  of  the  day.     He  was  opposed  to  the  course  of  the  ministry  during  the  few  years  preceding 

the  war,  joined  heartily  in  carrying  out  the  spirit  of 
the  non-importation  agreements,  but,  opposed  to  any 
separation  of  the  colonies  from  the  parent  country,  he 
took  sides  with  the  Loyalists  when  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  was  promulgated.  He  removed  to  New 
York,  and  there  raised  a  military  corps  called  the  Loy- 
al American  Regiment,  of  which  he  was  commission- 
ed the  colonel.  His  son,  Beverly,  was  commi.«sioned 
its  lieutenant  colonel.  It  is  supposed  that  he  wa> 
Arnold's  correspondent  and  confidant  in  his  prelim- 
inary acts  of  treason,  and  that  the  intentions  of  the 
traitor  were  known  to  him  before  any  intimation  of 
them  was  made  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  Robinson  fig- 
ures publicly  in  that  affair,  and  his  country  mansion 
was  the  head-quarters  of  the  recusant  general  while 
arranging  the  crowning  acts  of  his  treachery. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  Colonel  Robinson  and 
a  portion  of  his  family  went  to  England,  where  he 
remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Thorn- 
bur}'  in  1792,  at  the  age  of  69  years.  His  wife  died 
in  1822,  at  the  age  of  94.  Colonel  Robinson  and 
Washington  were  personal  friends  before  the  war,  and 
it  is  asserted  that,  at  the  house  of  the  former,  the  Vir- 
ginian colonel,  while  on  his  way  to  Boston  in  1756, 
to  consult  General  Shirley  on  military  affairs,  saw  and 
"  fell  in  love"  with  Miss  Mary  Phillipse,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Robinson.  It  is  also  said  that  Washington  made 
.1  proposition  of  marriage  to  her,  but  she  refused  him,  telling  him  frankly  that  she  loved  another.  The  fa- 
vored suitor  was  Roger  Morris,  one  of  Washington's  companions  in  arms  in  the  battle  of  the  Great  Meadows, 
•.vhcre  Braddock  was  killed.  Morris  was  that  general's  aid-de-camp.  A  portrait  of  this  lady  may  be  found 
on  page  626,  vol.  ii. 

The  miniature  from  which  this  likeness  of  Colonel  Robinson  was  copied  is  in  the  possession  of  his  grand- 
son, Beverly  Robinson,  Esq.,  of  New  York.  It  was  painted  by  Mr.  Plott  in  178.5,  when  Colonel  Robinson 
was  sixty-two  years  old.  The  letter  from  which  I  copied  his  signature  was  written  in  1786.  The  last  sur- 
viving son  of  Colonel  Robinson  (Sir  Frederick  Philipsc  Robinson),  died  at  his  residence,  at  Brighton,  En- 
gland, on  the  1st  of  Januarv,  18.52,  at  the  age  of  87  years. 


^^^:  (:^r0/^aPi^ 


710 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Arnold's  Residence  and  Style  of  Living. 


His  fraudulent  Dealings. 


Charge  of  Malfeasance  preferred  agi-inst  hiin. 


beino'  dissipated,  he  saw  the  web  of  difficulty  gathering  more  closely  and  firmly  around  him. 
He  had  recently  married  Miss  Margaret  Shippen,  daughter  of  Edward  Shippen,  one  of  the 
disaffected  or  Tory  residents  of  Philadelphia.  She  was  much  younger  than  he,  and  he  loved 
her  with  passionate  fondness — a  love  deserved  by  her  virtues  and  solidity  of  understanding. 
In  addition  to  these  advantages,  she  was  beautiful  in  person  and  engaging  in  her  manners. 
When  the  British  troops  entered  Philadelphia,  a  few  months  previously,  her  friends  had  given 
them  a  cordial  welcome  ;  therefore  the  marriage  of  Arnold  with  a  member  of  such  a  family 
excited  great  surprise,  and  some  uneasiness  on  the  part  of  the  patriots.  "  But  he  was  pledged 
to  the  republic  by  so  many  services  rendered  and  benefits  received,  that,  on  reflection,  the 
alliance  gave  umbrage  to  no  one."' 

Arnold  resided  in  the  spacious  mansion  that  once  belonged  to  William  Penn,'  and  there 
he  lived  in  a  style  of  luxury  rivaled  by  no  resident  in  Philadelphia.  He  kept  a  coach-and- 
four,  servants  in  livery,  and  gave  splendid  banquets.  Rather  than  retrench  his  expenses 
and  live  within  his  means,  he  chose  to  procure  money  by  a  system  of  fraud,  and  prostitution 
of  his  official  power,^  which  brought  him  into  collision  with  the  people,  and  with  the  pres- 
ident and  Council  of  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  preferred  a  series  of  charges  against  him, 
all  implying  a  willful  abuse  of  power  and  criminal  acts.  These  were  laid  before  Congress. 
A  committee,  to  whom  all  such  charges  were  referred,  acquitted  him  of  criminal  designs. 
The  whole  subject  was  referred  anew  to  a  joint  com- 
mittee of  Congress,  and  the  Assembly  and  Council  of 
Pennsylvania.  After  proceeding  in  their  duties  for  a 
while,  it  was  thought  expedient  to  hand  the  whole 
matter  over  to  Washington,  to  be  submitted  to  a  mil- 
itary tribunal.  Four  of  the  charges  only  were  deem- 
ed cognizable  by  a  court  martial,  and  these  were  trans- 
mitted to  Washington.  Arnold  had  previously  pre- 
sented to  Congress  large  claims  against  the  govern- 
ment, on  account  of  money  which  he  alleged  he  had 
expended  for  the  public  service  in  Canada.  A  part  of 
his  claim  was  disallowed  ;  and  it  was  generally  be- 
lieved that  he  attempted  to  cheat  the  government  by 
false  financial  statements. 

Arnold  was  greatly  irritated  by  the  course  pursued 
by  Congress  and  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly,  and  com- 
plained, probably  not  without  cause  (for  party  spirit 
was  never  more  rife  in  the  national  Legislature  than 
at  that  time),  of  injustice  and  partiality  on  the  part  of 


liENEDICT   AkNOLD.* 


'  American  Register,  1817,  ii.,  31. 

^  A  view  of  this  mansion,  which  is  still  standing,  may  be  found  on  page  95,  vol.  ii. 

^  Under  pretense  of  supplying  the  wants  of  the  army,  Arnold  forbade  the  shop-keepers  to  sell  or  buy  ;  he 
then  put  goods  at  the  disposal  of  his  agents,  and  caused  them  to  be  sold  at  enormous  profits,  the  greater 
proportion  of  which  he  put  into  his  own  purse.  "  At  one  moment  he  prostituted  his  authority  to  enrich  his 
accomplices;  at  the  next,  squabbled  with  them  about  the  division  of  the  prey."  His  transactions  in  this 
way  involved  the  enormous  amount  of  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars. 

*  Benedict  Arnold  was  born  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  on  the  ."'d  of  January,  1740.  He  was  a  descend- 
ant of  Benedict  Arnold,  one  of  the  early  governors  of  Rhode  Island.  He  was  bred  an  apothecary,  under 
the  brothers  Lathrop  of  Norwich,  who  were  so  much  pleased  with  him  as  a  young  man  of  genius  and  en- 
terprise, that  they  gave  him  two  thousand  dollars  to  commence  business  with.  From  1763  to  1767,  he 
i^ombined  the  business  of  druggist  and  bookseller  in  New  Haven.  Being  in  command  of  a  volunteer  com- 
[Tany  there  when  the  war  broke  out,  he  marched  to  Cambridge,  and  thenceforth  his  career  is  identified  with 
some  of  the  bravest  exploits  of  the  Revolution,  until  his  defection  in  1780.  In  preceding  chapters  his  course 
and  character  have  been  incidentally  noticed,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  them  here.  On  going  over  to 
the  enemy,  he  received  the  commission  of  brigadier  general  in  the  British  army,  together  with  the  price  of 
his  treason.  After  the  war  he  went  to  England,  where  he  chiefly  resided  until  his  death.  He  was  en- 
srasjed  in  trade  in  St.  John's,  New  Brunswick,  from  1786  till  1793.  He  was  fraudulent  in  his  dealings,  and 
•became  so  unpopular,  tha*  in  1792  he  was  hung  in  effigv  by  a  mob.      He  left  St.  John's  for  the  West  In- 


O  F    T  H  E    R  E  V  O  L  U  T  I  0  N.  7  11 


Arnold  ordered  to  be  tried  by  a  Court  Martial.  His  Trial,  Verdict,  and  Punishment  Its  Etfecta. 

the  former,  in  throwing  aside  the  report  of  their  own  committee,  by  which  he  had  been  ac- 
quitted, and  listening  to  the  proposals  of  men  who,  he  said,  were  moved  by  personal  enmity, 
and  had  practiced  unworthy  artifices  to  cause  delay.  After  the  lapse  of  three  months,  the 
Council  of  Pennsylvania  were  not  ready  for  the  trial,  and  requested  it  to  be  put  off,  with 
the  plea  that  they  had  not  collected  all  their  evidence.  Arnold  considered  this  a  subter- 
luge,  and  plainly  told  all  parties  so.  He  was  anxious  to  have  the  matter  settled,  for  he  was 
unemployed  ;  for  on  the  18th  of  March,  1779,  after  the  committee  of  Congress  had  reported 
on  the  charges  preferred  by  the  Council  of  Pennsylvania,  he  had  resigned  his  commission. 
He  was  vexed  that  Congress,  instead  of  calling  up  and  sanctioning  the  first  report,  should 
yield  to  the  solicitations  of  his  enemies  for  a  military  trial.' 

The  day  fixed  for  the  trial  was  the  1st  of  June  ;  the  place,  Washington's  head-quartera 
at  Middlebrook.  The  movements  of  the  British  prevented  the  trial  being  held,  and  it  was 
deferred  until  the  20th  of  December, a-  when  the  court  assembled  for  the  purpose,  at        

...         *  1779. 

Morristown.'      The  trial  commenced,  and  continued,  with  slight  interruptions,  until 
the  26th  of  January, •>  when  the  verdict  was  rendered.      Arnold  made  an  elaborate 

•'  .  ,...•>  1790. 

defense,  in  the  course  of  which  he  magnified  his  services,  asserted  his  entire  inno- 
cence of  the  criminal  charges  made  against  him,  cast  reproach,  by  imputation,  upon  some 
of  the  purest  men  in  the  army,  and  solemnly  proclaimed  his  patriotic  attachment  to  his 
country.  "  The  boastfulness  and  malignity  of  these  declarations,"  says  Sparks,  "  are  ob- 
vious enough  ;  but  their  consummate  hypocrisy  can  be  understood  only  by  knowing  the  fact 
that,  at  the  moment  they  were  uttered,  he  had  been  eight  months  in  secret  correspondence 
with  the  enemy,  and  was  prepared,  if  not  resolved,  when  the  first  opportunity  should  ofier, 
to  desert  and  destroy  his  country." 

Arnold  was  acquitted  of  two  of  the  four  charges  ;  the  other  two  were  sustained  in  part. 
The  court  sentenced  him  to  the  mildest  form  of  punishment,  a  simple  reprimand  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chiefs Washington  carried  the  sentence  into  execution  with  all  possible  delicacy  ;* 
but  Arnold's  pride  was  too  deeply  wounded,  or,  it  may  be,  his  treasonable  schemes  were  too 
far  ripened,  to  allow  him  to  take  advantage  of  the  favorable  moment  to  regain  the  confi- 
dence of  his  countrymen  and  vindicate  his  character.  He  had  expected  from  the  court  a 
triumphant  vindication  of  his  honor  ;  he  was  prepared,  in  the  event  of  an  unfavorable  ver- 
dict, to  seek  revenge  at  any  hazard. 

dies  in  1794,  but,  finding  a  French  fleet  there,  and  fearing  a  detention  by  them,  the  allies  of  America,  he 
sailed  for  England.  He  died  in  Gloucester  Place,  London,  June  14th,  1801,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one.  His 
wife  died  at  the  same  place,  on  the  14th  of  June,  1804,  aged  forty-three.  Arnold  had  three  children  by  his 
first  wife,  and  four  b)'  his  second,  all  boys. 

'  Sparks's  Life  and  Treason  of  Arnold^  131,  133. 

'^  Arnold  continued  to  reside  in  Philadelphia  after  resigning  his  command.  No  longer  afraid  of  his  power, 
the  people  testified  their  detestation  of  his  character  by  various  indignities.  One  day  he  was  assaulted  in 
the  streets  by  the  populace.  He  complained  to  Congress,  and  asked  a  guard  of  twenty  men  to  be  placed 
around  his  residence.  Congress  declined  to  interfere,  and  this  added  another  to  the  list  of  his  alleged  griev- 
ances. In  the  mean  while,  Arnold  devised  several  schemes  by  which  to  relieve  himself  of  his  pecuniary 
embarrassments.  He  proposed  to  form  a  settlement  in  Western  New  York  for  the  officers  and  soldiers  who 
had  served  under  him.  He  also  conceived  the  idea  of  joining  some  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and,  uniting  many 
of  them  in  one,  become  a  great  and  powerful  chief  among  them. 

^  Colonel  Philip  Van  Cortlandt,  of  West  Chester  county,  recorded  the  following  in  his  diary  :  "  General 
Arnold  being  under  arrest  for  improper  conduct  in  Philadelphia  while  he  commanded  there,  I  was  chosen 
one  of  the  court  martial.  Major-general  Howe,  president.  There  were  also  in  that  court  four  officers  whc 
had  been  at  Ticonderoga  when  Colonel  Hazcn  was  called  on  for  trial,  &c.  We  were  for  cashiering  Arnold, 
but  the  majority  overruled,  and  he  was  finally  sentenced  to  be  reprimanded  by  the  commander-in-chief.  Had 
all  the  court  known  Arnold's  former  conduct  as  well  as  myself,  he  would  have  been  dismissed  the  ser%'ice." 

<  "  When  Arnold  was  broutrht  before  him,"  says  M.  de  Marbois,  "  he  kindly  addressed  him,  saying,  '  Our 
profession  is  the  chastest  of  all.  Even  the  shadow  of  a  fault  tarnishes  the  luster  of  our  finest  achievements. 
The  least  inadvertence  may  rob  us  of  the  public  favor,  so  hard  to  be  acquired.  I  reprimand  you  for  hav- 
ing forgotten  that,  in  proportion  as  you  had  rendered  yourself  formidable  to  our  enemies,  you  should  have 
been  guarded  and  temperate  in  your  deportment  toward  your  fellow-citizens.  Exhibit  anew  those  noble 
qualities  which  have  placed  you  on  the  list  of  our  most  valued  commanders.  I  will  myself  furnish  you,  as 
far  as  it  may  be  in  my  power,  with  opportunities  of  regaining  the  esteem  of  your  country. 


712  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Arnold's  Interview  with  Luzerne.  His  Wife  and  Major  Andre.  Sympatljy  »f  Schuyler  and  Livingston. 

In  manifest  treason  there  was  great  danger,  and,  before  proceeding  to  any  overt  acts  of 
that  nature,  Arnold  tried  other  schemes  to  accomphsh  his  desire  of  obtaining  money  to  meet 
the  claims  of  his  creditors  and  the  daily  demands  of  his  extravagant  style  of  living.  He  ap- 
parently acquiesced  in  the  sentence  of  the  court  martial,  and  tried  to  get  Congress  to  adjust 
his  accounts  by  allow^ing  his  extravagant  claims.  This  he  could  not  accomplish,  and  he  ap- 
plied to  M.  de  Luzerne,  the  French  minister,  who  succeeded  Gerard,  for  a  loan,  promising 
a  faithful  adherence  to  the  king  and  country  of  the  embassador.  Luzerne  admired  the  mil- 
itary talents  of  Arnold,  and  treated  him  with  great  respect ;  but  he  refused  the  loan,  and 
administered  a  kind  though  keen  rebuke  to  the  applicant  for  thus  covertly  seeking  a  bribe.' 
He  talked  kindly  to  Arnold,  reasoned  soundly,  and  counseled  him  wisely.  But  words  had 
no  weight  without  the  added  specific  gravity  of  gold,  and  he  left  the  French  minister  with 
mingled  indignation,  mortification,  and  shame.  From  that  hour  he  doubtless  resolved  to 
sell  the  liberties  of  his  country  for  a  price. 

Hitherto  the  intimacy  and  correspondence  of  Arnold  with  officers  of  the  British  army  had 
been  without  definite  aim,  and  apparently  incidental.  His  marriage  with  the  daughter  of 
Mr.  Shippen  (who  was  afterward  chief  justice  of  Pennsylvania)  was  no  doubt  a  link  of  the 
greatest  importance  in  the  chain  of  his  treasonable  operations.  That  family  was  disaffected 
to  the  American  cause.  Shippen's  youngest  daughter,  then  eighteen  years  of  age,  remark- 
able, as  we  have  observed,  for  her  beauty,  gayety,  and  general  attractions,  had  been  ad- 
mired and  flattered  by  the  British  officers,  and  was  a  leading  personage  in  the  splendid  fete 
called  the  Mischianza,  which  was  given  in  honor  of  Sir  William  Howe  when  he  was  about 
leaving  the  army  for  Europe.  She  was  intimate  with  Major  Andre,  and  corresponded  with 
him  after  the  British  army  had  retired  to  New  York.  This  was  the  girl  who,  attracted  by 
the  station,  equipage,  and  brilliant  display  of  Arnold,  gave  him  her  hand  ;  this  was  the  girl 
he  loved  so  passionately.  From  that  moment  he  was  peculiarly  exposed  to  the  influence  of 
the  enemies  of  his  country,  and  they,  no  doubt,  kept  alive  the  feelings  of  discontent  which  dis- 
turbed him  after  his  first  rupture  with  the  authorities  of  Pennsylvania.  His  wife  may  not 
have  been  his  confidant ;  but  through  her  intimacy  with  Major  Andre  his  correspondence 
with  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  efiected.  Whether  she  was  cognizant  of  the  contents  of  the 
letters  of  her  husband  is  not  known  ;   probably  she  was  not. 

West  Point  was  an  object  of  covetous  desire  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  Arnold  knew  that 
almost  any  amount  of  money  and  honors  would  be  given  to  the  man  who  should  be  instru- 
mental in  placing  that  post  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to  make 
this  the  subject  of  barter  for  British  gold.  Hitherto  he  had  pleaded  the  bad  state  of  his 
wounds  in  justification  of  comparative  inaction  ;  now  they  healed  rapidly.  Though  he  could 
not  endure  the  fatigues  of  active  service  on  horseback,  he  thought  he  might  fulfill  the  duties 
of  commander  at  West  Point.  Hitherto  he  was  sullen  and  indifferent ;  now  his  patriotism 
was  aroused  afresh,  and  he  was  eager  to  rejoin  his  old  companions  in  arms.  He  was  ready 
to  make  the  sacrifice  of  domestic  ease  for  an  opportunity  to  again  serve  his  bleeding  country. 
With  language  of  such  import  he  addressed  his  friends  in  Congress,  particularly  General 
Schuyler,  and  others  who  he  knew  had  influence  with  Washington.  He  intimated  to  Schuy- 
ler his  partiality  for  the  post  at  West  Point.  He  also  prevailed  upon  Robert  R.  Livingston, 
then  a  member  of  Congress  from  New  York,  to  write  to  Washington  and  suggest  the  expe- 

'  M.  de  Marbois.  who  was  the  secretary  of  the  French  legation,  has  presers'ed  a  vivid  picture  of  this  in- 
terview in  his  account  of  the  treason  of  Arnold,  an  excellent  translation  of  which  may  be  found  in  the  Amer- 
ican Register,  1817.  He  says  Luzerne  listened  to  Arnold's  discourse  with  pain,  but  he  answered  with 
frankness.  '"You  desire  of  me  a  sei'vice,"  he  said,  "which  it  would  be  easy  for  me  to  render,  but  which 
would  degrade  us  both.  When  the  envoy  of  a  foreign  power  gives,  or,  if  you  will,  lends  money,  it  is  ordi- 
narily to  corrupt  those  who  receive  it,  and  to  make  thera  the  creatures  of  the  sovereign  whom  he  serves ; 
or,  rather,  he  corrupts  without  persuading  ;  he  buys  and  does  not  secure.  But  the  firm  league  entered  into 
between  the  king  and  the  United  States  is  the  work  of  justice  and  the  wisest  policy.  It  has  for  its  basis  a 
reciprocal  interest  and  good  will.  In  the  mission  with  which  I  am  charged,  my  true  glory  consists  in  ful- 
tilling  it  without  intrigue  or  cabal,  without  resorting  to  any  secret  practices,  and  by  the  force  alone  of  the 
©ofldilion  of  the  alliance." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  713 


Arnold's  Visit  to  the  Americnn  Camp.  Washington  Deceived  by  him.  Obtains  the  Command  at  West  Point. 

diency  of  giving  Arnold  the  command  of  that  station.  Livingston  cheerfully  complied,  but 
his  letter  had  no  appearance  of  being  suggested  by  Arnold  himself  Scarcely  had  Living- 
ston's letter  reached  the  camp,  before  Arnold  appeared  there  in  person.  Under  pretense  of 
having  private  business  in  Connecticut,  he  passed  through  the  camp,  to  pay  his  respects  to 
the  commander-in-chief  He  made  no  allusion  to  his  desire  for  an  appointment  to  the  com- 
mand of  West  Point,  and  pursued  his  journey.  On  his  return,  he  again  called  upon  Wash- 
ington at  his  quarters,  and  then  suggested  that,  on  joining  the  army,  the  command  of  that 
post  would  be  best  suited  to  his  feelings  and  the  state  of  his  health.  Washington  was  a 
little  surprised  that  the  impetuous  Arnold  should  be  willing  to  take  command  where  there 
was  no  prospect  of  active  operations.  His  surprise,  however,  had  no  mixture  of  suspicion 
Arnold  visited  and  inspected  all  the  fortifications,  in  company  with  General  Robert  Howe 
and  then  returned  to  Philadelphia. 

Having  resolved  to  join  the  army,  Arnold  applied  to  Congress  for  arrearages  of  pay,  to 
enable  him  to  furnish  himself  with  a  horse  and  equipage.  Whether  his  application  was  sue 
cessful  no  record  explains.  He  reached  the  camp  on  the  last  day  of  July,  while  the 
army  was  crossing  the  Hudson  from  the  west  side,  at  King's  Ferry  (Verplanck's  Point). 
On  the  arrival  of  the  French  at  Newport,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  made  an  efibrt  to  attack  them 
before  they  could  land  and  fortify  themselves.  The  result  we  have  already  considered. 
This  movement  caused  Washington,  who  was  encamped  between  Haverstraw  and  Tappan, 
to  cross  the  river,  with  the  intention  of  attacking  New  York  in  the  absence  of  Clinton.  Ar- 
nold met  Washington  on  horseback,  just  as  the  last  division  was  crossing  over,  and  asked  if 
"^ny  place  had  been  assigned  to  him.  The  commander-in-chief  replied  that  he  was  to  take 
aommand  of  the  left  wing,  the  post  of  honor.  Arnold  was  disappointed,  and  perceiving  it, 
Washington  promised  to  meet  him  at  his  quarters,  and  have  further  conversation  on  the 
subject.  He  found  Arnold's  heart  set  upon  the  command  of  West  Point.  He  was  unable 
to  account  for  this  strange  inconsistency  with  his  previous  ambition  to  serve  in  the  most  con- 
spicuous place.  Still  he  had  no  suspicion  of  wrong,  and  he  complied  with  Arnold's  request. 
The  instructions  which  gave  him  command  of"  that  post  and  its  dependencies,  in  which  all 
■'.re  included  from  Fishkill  to  King's  Ferry,"'  were  dated  at  Peekskill  on  the  3d  of  August, 
1  780.  Arnold  repaired  immediately  to  the  Highlands,  and  established  his  quarters  at  Col- 
onel Robinson's  house.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  having  abandoned  his  expedition  against  the 
French  at'Newport,  the  American  army  retraced  its  steps,  and,  crossing  the  Hudson,  marched 
down  to  Tappan  and  encamped,  where  it  remained  for  several  weeks.  General  Greene 
commanded  the  right  wing,  and  Lord  Stirling  the  left ;  six  battalions  of  light  infantry,  sta- 
tioned in  advance,  were  commanded  by  La  Fayette. 

Thus  far  Arnold's  plans  had  worked  admirably.  He  had  now  been  in  correspondence 
with  Sir  Henry  Clinton  for  eighteen  months,^  both  parties  always  writing  over  fictitious 
names,  and,  for  a  great  portion  of  the  time,  without  a  knowledge,  on  the  part  of  the  British 
commander,  of  the  name  and  character  of  the  person  with  whom  he  was  in  communication. 
Arnold  corresponded  with  Clinton  through  the  hands  of  Major  Andre.      Writing  in  a  dis- 


'  Spar ks^s  Life  and  Writings  of  Washington,  viii.,  139. 

'^  It  is  not  positively  known  how  early  Arnold's  correspondence  with  officers  of  the  British  army  com- 
menced, or  at  what  precise  period  he  first  conceived  the  idea  of  betraying  his  country.  The  translator  of 
the  Marquis  de  Chastellux's  Travels  in  North  jlmerica,  an  English  gentleman  of  distinction,  and  a  resident 
here  during  our  Revolution,  says  (i.,  page  97),  "There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  Arnold's  treachery 
took  its  date  from  his  connection  with  Lieutenant  Hcle,  killed  afterward  on  board  the  Formic/able,  in  the 
\Vest  Indies,  and  who  was  undoubtedly  a  very  active  and  industrious  spy  at  Philadelphia  in  the  winter  of 
1778,  whither  he  was  sent  for  that  purpose  in  a  pretended  flag  of  truce,  which  being  \\Tccked  in  the  Del- 
aware, he  was  made  prisoner  by  Congress,  a  subject  of  much  discussion  between  them  and  the  commander 
at  New  York.  That  the  intended  plot  was  known  in  England,  and  great  hopes  built  upon  it  long  before  it 
was  to  take  place,  is  certain.  General  Mathews  and  other  officers,  who  returned  in  the  autumn  of  1780, 
being  often  heard  to  declare  '  that  it  was  all  over  with  the  rebels  ;  that  they  were  about  to  receive  an  irre- 
parable blow,  the  news  of  which  would  soon  arrive,  &c.,  &c.'  Their  silence,  from  the  moment  in  which 
they  received  an  acconnt  of  the  failure  of  the  plot  and  the  discovery  of  the  traitor,  evidently  pcinted  out  the 
object  of  their  allusions." 


714 


PICTORIAL   FxELD-BOOK 


Correspondence  of  Arnold  and  Andrd. 


Proposed  Plan  of  the  British  to  gain  Possession  of  West  Point. 


guised  hand,  he  clothed  his  meaning  in  the  ambiguous  style  of  a  commercial  correspondence, 
and  affixed  to  his  letters  the  signature  of  Gustavus.  Andre  signed  his  John  Anderson. 
He  was  an  aid-de-camp  of  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  British  forces,  and  was  after- 
ward the  adjutant  general  of  the  British  army.  He  enjoyed  the  unbounded  confidence  of 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  to  him,  when  the  name  and  station  of  Arnold  became  known,  was 


J 


Wvw 


\^[  ^7\> 


Vnv 


.^i\ 


V-\^^  6,\^ 


\VvL'>^<-\'^v.\\v\, 


\AC^vA)AA4 


Fac  Simile  of  Aenold's  disguised  Handwriting. 


^^^i^^^f'^^Z^^U^     ^:^*^^i^^^" 


I    ^^'Z.^^^Py^ 


y^c</^   ^^^^:^z,c^^*yn^ 


Fac  Simile  of  a  Poetiox  or  one  of  Andke's  Lettees.i 

intrusted  the  delicate  task  of  consummating  the  bargain  with  the  traitor.  Even  while  the 
name  of  Arnold  was  yet  concealed,  Clinton  was  confident  that  his  secret  correspondent  was 
an  officer  of  high  rank  in  the  American  army  ;  and  before  Arnold  was  tried  by  a  court  mar- 
tial, the  British  general  was  convinced  that  he  was  the  man.  That  trial  lessened  his  value 
in  the  estimation  of  Clinton  ;  but  when  Arnold  obtained  the  command  of  West  Point,  the 
afl^air  assumed  greater  magnitude  and  importance. 

The  general  plan  of  operations  agreed  upon  for  placing  West  Point  in  possession  of  the 
enemy  was,  for  Sir  Henry  Clinton  to  send  a  strong  force  np  the  Hudson  at  the  moment 
when  the  combined  French  and  American  armies  should  make  an  expected  movement 
against  New  York.  This  movement  was  really  a  part  of  Washington's  plan  for  the  au- 
tumn campaign,  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  informed  of  it  by  Arnold.  It  was  concluded 
that  West  Point  and  its  dependencies  would  be  the  depositories  of  a  great  portion  of  the 
stores  and  ammunition  of  the  allied  armies.  It  was  rumored  that  the  French  were  to  land 
on  Long  Island,  and  approach  New  York  in  that  direction,  while  Washington  was  to  march 
with  the  main  army  of  the  Americans  to  invade  York  Island  at  Kingsbridge.  At  this  junc- 
ture, a  flotilla  under  Rodney,  bearing  a  strong  land  force,  was  to  proceed  up  the  Hudson  to 

'  This  is  a  portion  of  a  concluding  sentence  of  a  letter  from  Andre  to  Colonel  Sheldon,  which  will  be 
mentioned  presently. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  715 

Andrd  appointed  to  confer  with  Arnold.  An  Interview  proposed  by  the  Traitor.  Letter  to  Colonel  Sheldon. 

the  Highlands,  M'hen  Arnold,  under  pretense  of  a  weak  garrison,  should  surrender  the  post 
and  its  dependencies  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  In  this  event,  Washington  must  have 
retreated  i'rom  Kingsbridge,  and  the  French  on  Long  Island  would  probably  have  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  British.  With  a  view  to  these  operations,  the  British  troops  were  so  posted 
that  they  could  be  put  in  motion  at  the  shortest  notice  ;  while  vessels,  properly  manned, 
were  kept  in  readiness  on  the  Hudson  River. 

It  was  now  necessary  that  Clinton  should  be  certified  of  the  identity  of  General  Arnold 
and  his  hidden  correspondent,  in  order  that  he  might  make  himself  secure  against  a  coun- 
terplot. A  personal  conference  was  proposed,  and  Arnold  insisted  that  the  officer  sent  to 
confer  with  him  should  be  Adjutant-general  Major  Andre."  Clinton,  on  his  part,  had  al- 
ready fixed  upon  Andre  as  the  proper  person  to  hold  the  conference.  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  Andre  did  not  seek  the  service,  though,  when  engaged  in  it,  he  used  his  best  en- 
deavors, as  in  duty  bound,  to  carry  out  its  objects. 

As  money  was  the  grand  lure  that  made  Arnold  a  traitor,  he  felt  it  necessary  to  have  an 
understanding  respecting  the  reward  which  he  was  to  obtain.  Under  date  of  August 
30th,  he  wrote  to  Andre  in  the  feigned  hand  and  style  alluded  to,  and  said,  referring 
to  himself  in  the  third  person,  "  He  is  still  of  opinion  that  his  first  proposal  is  by  no  means 
unreasonable,  and  makes  no  doubt,  when  he  has  a  conference  with  you,  that  you  will  close 
with  it.  He  expects,  when  you  meet,  that  you  will  be  fully  authorized  from  your  house  ; 
that  the  risks  and  profits  of  the  copartnership  may  be  fully  understood.  A  speculation  of 
this  kind  might  be  easily  made  with  ready  money."  Clinton  understood  this  hint,  and 
Andre  was  authorized  to  negotiate  on  that  point. 

Arnold's  first  plan  was  to  have  the  interview  at  his  own  quarters  in  the  Highlands,  An- 
dre to  be  represented  as  a  person  devoted  to  the  American  interest,  and  possessing  ample 
means  for  procuring  intelligence  from  the  enemy.  This  was  a  safe  ground  for  Arnold  to 
proceed  upon,  for  the  employment  of  secret  agents  to  procure  intelligence  was  well  known.' 
He  dispatched  a  letter  to  Andre  informing  him  of  this  arrangement,  and  assuring  him  that 
if  he  could  make  his  way  safely  to  the  American  outposts  above  White  Plains,  he  would 
find  no  obstructions  thereafter.  Colonel  Sheldon 
was  then  in  command  of  a  detachment  of  cavalry 
stationed  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson.  His 
head-quarters,  with  a  part  of  the  detachment,  was 
at  Salem,  and  those  of  his  lieutenant  (Colonel  Jameson)  and  of  Major  Tallmadge,  with  the 
remainder  of  the  corps,  were  at  North  Castle.  Arnold  gave  Sheldon  notice  that  he  expected 
a  person  from  New  York,  with  whom  he  would  have  an  interview  at  the  colonel's  quarters,  to 
make  important  arrangements  for  receiving  early  intelligence  from  the  enemy.  He  requested 
Sheldon,  in  the  event  of  the  stranger's  arrival,  to  send  information  of  the  fact  to  his  quarters 
at  the  Pvobinson  House.  Arnold's  plan  was  not  entirely  agreeable  to  Andre,  for  he  was  not 
disposed  to  go  within  the  American  lines  and  assume  the  odious  character  of  a  spy.  He 
accordingly  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Colonel  Sheldon,  signed  John  Anderson,  which, 
he  knew,  would  be  placed  in  Arnold's  hands.  It  proposed  a  meeting  at  Dobbs's  Ferry, 
upon  the  Neutral  Ground.  "  I  am  told  that  my  name  is  made  known  to  you,  and  that  I 
may  hope  your  indulgence  in  permitting  me  to  meet  a  friend  near  your  outposts.  I  will 
endeavor  to  obtain  permission  to  go  out  with  a  flag,  which  will  be  sent  to  Dobbs's  Ferry  on 
Monday  next,  the  11  th  instant,  at  twelve  o'clock,  when  I  .shall  be  happy  to  meet     September, 

Mr.  G .      Should  I  not  be  allowed  to  go,  the  officer  who  is  to  command  the  ^''^^■ 

escort — between  whom  and  myself  no  distinction  need  be  made — can  speak  in  the  affair. 

'  Sir  Henry  Clinton's  letter  to  Lord  George  Germain. 

"  In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned,  tiiat  when  Arnold  was  about  to  proceed  to  the  Highlands,  he 
went  to  La  Fayette,  and  requested  him  to  give  him  the  names  of  spies  which  the  marquis  had  in  his  em- 
ploy in  New  York,  suggesting  that  intelligence  from  them  might  often  reach  him  more  expeditiously  by  the 
way  of  West  Point.  La  Fayette  objected,  saying  that  he  wa.s  in  honor  bound  not  to  reveal  the  names  of 
spies  to  any  person.     The  object  which  Arnold  had  in  view  became  subsequently  obvious. 


716 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Kffectof  Andre's  Letter  to  Sheldon.    Arnold's  attempted  Interview  with  Andrfi.    His  Letter  to  Washington.    Joshua  H.  Smith 

Let  me  entreat  you,  sir,  to  favor  a  matter  so  interesting  to  the  parties  concerned,  and  which 
is  of  so  private  a  nature  that  the  pubhc  on  neither  side  can  be  injured  by  it."  This  letter 
puzzled  Colonel  Sheldon,  for  he  had  never  heard  the  name  of  John  Anderson,  nor  had  Ar- 
nold intimated  any  thing  concerning  an  escort.  He  supposed,  however,  that  it  was  from 
the  person  expected  by  Arnold.  He  therefore  inclosed  it  to  the  general,  teUing  him  that  he 
(Sheldon)  was  too  unwell  to  go  to  Dobbs's  Ferry,  and  expressing  a  hope  that  Arnold  would 
meet  Anderson  there  himself      Andre's  letter  puzzled  Arnold  too,  for  he  found  it  difficult 

to  explain  its  meaning  verv 
plausibly  to  Colonel  Sheldon. 
But  the  traitor  contrived,  with 
consummate  skill,  to  prevent 
the  mystery  having  any  im- 
portance in  the  mind  of  that 
officer. 

Arnold  left  his  quarters  on 
the  1 0th,  went  doAvn  the  river 
in  his  barge  to  King's  Ferry, 
and  passed  the  night  at  the 
house  of  Joshua  Hett  Smith, 
near  Haverstraw,'  who  after- 
ward acted  a  conspicuous  part 
in  the  work  of  treason,  he  be- 
ing, as  is  supposed,  the  dupe 
of  Arnold.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing the  traitor  proceeded  to- 
ward Dobbs's  Ferry,  where 
Andre  and  Colonel  Beverly 
Pi-obinson  had  arrived.  As 
Arnold  approached  that  point, 
not  having  a  flag,  he  was  fired 
upon  by  the  British  gun-boats 
stationed  near,  and  closely  pur- 
sued. He  escaped  to  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  river,  and 
the  conference  was  necessa- 
rily postponed.  Having  gone 
down  the  river  openly  in  his 
barge,  Arnold  deemed  it  necessary  to  make  some  explanation  to  General  Washington,  and 
accordingly  he  wrote  a  letter  to  him,  in  which,  after  mentioning  several  important  mat- 
ters connected  with  the  command  at  West  Point,  he  incidentally  stated  that  he  had  come 
down  the  river  to  establish  signals  as  near  the  enemy's  lines  as  possible,  by  which  he  might 
receive  information  of  any  movements  of  a  fleet  or  troops  up  the  Hudson.      This  letter  was 

^  This  house  is  yet  standing.  A  drawing  of  it  is  presented  on  page  152.  It  is  about  two  miles  and  a 
half  below  Stony  Point,  on  the  right  side  of  the  road  leading  to  Haverstraw. 

There  has  ever  been  a  difference  of  opinion  concerning  the  true  character  of  Smith ;  some  supposing  him 
to  have  been  a  Tory,  and  acting  with  a  full  knowledge  of  Arnold's  instructions ;  others  believing  him  to 
have  been  the  traitor's  dupe.  Leake,  in  his  Life  of  John  Lamb  (p.  256),  says  that  Arnold  often  visited 
Smith  to  while  away  tedious  hours ;  and  that  Colonel  Lamb,  while  in  command  at  West  Point,  was  frequently 
invited  to  visit  him,  but  invariably  declined,  notwithstanding  Mrs.  Smith  and  Mrs.  Lamb  were  nearly  re- 
lated. Colonel  Lamb  said  he  knew  Smith  to  be  a  Tory,  and  he  would  not  ^^sit  his  own  father  in  a  similar 
category.    There  is  evidence  that  he  was  a  Whig.     See  William  Smith's  letter  on  page  724. 

^  This  map  includes  the  Hudson  River  and  its  shores  from  Dobbs's  Ferry  to  West  Point,  and  exhibits  a 
chart  of  the  whole  scene  of  Arnold's  treason,  and  of  the  route,  capture,  and  execution  of  the  unfortunate 
Andre.  The  thin  lines  upon  the  map  indicate  the  public  roads.  By  a  reference  to  it,  in  perusing  the  nar- 
rative,  the  reader  will  have  a  clear  understanding  of  the  matter. 


Map  showing  the  '-cem;  or  Arnold's  Treason.^ 


OFTHEREVOLUTION.  71 


Furthei  arrangcraciiU  for  an  Interview.         Arnold's  Correspondence  with  Beverly  Robinson.        Wasbinirton  on  his  Journey 

dated  at  "  Dobbs's  Ferry,  September  11th,"  and  on  that  night  he  returned  to  his  quarters 
at  the  Robinson  House. 

It  was  now  necessary  to  make  arrangements  for  another  interview.  No  time  was  to  be 
lost ;  no  precautionary  measure  was  to  be  neglected.  Arnold  knew  that  Washington  was 
preparing  to  go  to  Hartford,  to  hold  a  conference  with  the  newly-arrived  French  officers, 
and  that  the  proper  time  to  consummate  his  plans  would  be  during  the  absence  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief. As  Washington  would  cross  the  Hudson  at  King's  Ferry,  it  was  very 
necessary,  too,  that  no  movement  should  be  made  until  his  departure  that  might  excite  his 
suspicions. 

Two  days  after  Arnold  returned  to  his  quarters,  he  found  means  to  send  a  September  1 3. 
communication  to  Andre,  which,  as  usual,  was  couched  in  commercial  language.  ^^^°- 

He  cautioned  Andre  not  to  reveal  any  thing  to  Colonel  Sheldon.  "  I  have  no  confidant," 
he  said  ;  "  I  have  made  one  too  many  already,  who  has  prevented  some  profitable  specula- 
tion." He  informed  Andre  that  a  person  would  meet  him  on  the  west  side  of  Dobbs's  Fer- 
ry, on  Wednesday,  the  20th  instant,  and  that  he  would  conduct  him  to  a  place  of  safety, 
where  the  writer  would  meet  him.  "  It  will  be  necessary,"  he  said,  "  for  you  to  be  in  dis- 
guise. I  can  not  be  more  explicit  at  present.  Meet  me,  if  possible.  You  may  rest  assured 
that,  if  there  is  no  danger  in  passing  your  lines,  you  will  be  perfectly  safe  where  I  propose 
a  meeting."  Arnold  also  wrote  to  Major  Tallmadge,  at  North  Castle,  instructing  him,  if 
a  person  by  the  name  of  John  Anderson  should  arrive  at  his  station,  to  send  him  without 
delay  to  head-quarters,  escorted  by  two  dragoons. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  was  as  anxious  as  Arnold  to  press  the  matter  forward,  had  sent 
Colonel  Robinson  up  the  river  on  board  the  Vulture,  with  orders  to  proceed  as  high  as  Tel- 
ler's Point.  Robinson  and  Arnold  seem  to  have  had  some  general  correspondence  previous 
to  this  time,  and  it  is  believed  (as  I  have  mentioned  on  a  preceding  page)  that  the  former 
was  made  acquainted  with  the  treasonable  designs  of  the  latter  some  time  before  the  sub- 
ject was  brought  explicitly  before  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  As  Arnold  was  occupying  Colonel 
Robinson's  confiscated  mansion,  a  good  opportunity  was  afforded  him  to  write  to  the  general 
without  exciting  suspicion,  making  the  burden  of  his  letters  the  subject  of  a  restoration  of 
his  property.  This  medium  of  communication  was  now  adopted  to  inform  General  Arnold 
that  Pvobinson  was  on  board  the  Vulture.  Pvobinson  wrote  to  General  Putnam,  pretending 
a  belief  that  he  was  in  the  Highlands,  and  requesting  an  interview  with  him  on  the  subject 
of  his  property.  This  letter  was  covered  by  one  addressed  to  Arnold,  requesting  him  to  hand 
the  inclosed  to  General  Putnam,  or,  if  that  officer  had  gone  away,  to  return  it  by  the  bearer. 
"  In  case  General  Putnam  shall  be  absent,"  he  said,  "  I  am  persuaded,  from  the  humane 
and  generous  character  you  bear,  that  you  will  grant  me  the  favor  asked."  These  letters 
were  sent,  by  a  flag,  to  Verplanck's  Point,  the  Vulture  then  lying  about  six  miles  below. 
On  the  very  day  that  Washington  commenced  his  journey  to  Hartford,  Arnold 
had  come  down  to  the  Point,  a  few  hours  before  the  arrival  of  the  chief  at  the 
ferry  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  received  and  read  Colonel  Robinson's  letter.  He  mentioned 
the  contents  to  Colonel  Lamb  and  others,  with  all  the  frankness  of  conscious  integrity.  The 
commander-in-chief  and  his  suite  crossed  the  river  in  Arnold's  barge'  soon  afterward,  and 
the  latter  accompanied  them  to  Peekskill.      Arnold  frankly  laid  the  letter  before  Washing- 

'  Sparks  {Jlmerican  Biography,  vol.  iii.,  from  which  a  large  portion  of  these  details  are  drawn)  says  that 
two  incidents  occurred  during  this  passage  across  the  river,  which,  though  almost  unnoticed  at  the  time, 
afterward,  when  the  treacherj'  was  known,  assumed  some  importance.  The  Vulture  was  in  full  view,  and 
while  Washington  was  looking  at  it  through  a  gla.ss,  and  speaking  in  a  low  tone  to  one  of  his  officers,  Ar- 
nold was  observed  to  appear  unejisy.  Another  incident  was  remembered.  There  was  a  daily  expectation 
fif  the  arrival  of  a  French  squadron  on  the  coast,  under  Count  de  Guichen.  La  Fayette,  alluding  to  the 
frequent  communications  by  water  between  New  York  and  the  posts  on  the  Hudson,  said  to  Arnold,  "  Gen- 
eral, since  you  have  a  correspondence  with  the  enemy,  you  must  ascertain,  as  soon  as  possible,  what  has 
become  of  Guichen."  Arnold  was  disconcerted,  and  demanded  what  he  meant ;  but  immediately  control- 
ling himself,  and  the  boat  just  then  reaching  the  shore,  nothing  more  was  said.  No  doubt,  for  a  moment, 
Arnold  thought  his  plot  was  discovered. — Page  186. 


718  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


1 


Washington  again  deceived  by  Arnold's  Duplicity.  Smith  employed  to  bring  Andrd  from  the  Vulture.  His  Difficulties. 

ton,  and  asked  his  advice.  His  reply  was,  that  the  civil  authority  alone  could  act  in  the 
matter,  and  he  did  not  approve  of  a  personal  interview  with  E-obinson.  This  frankness  on 
the  part  of  Arnold  effectually  prevented  all  suspicion,  and  Washington  proceeded  to  Hart- 
ford, confident  in  the  integrity  of  the  commandant  of  West  Point. 

Arnold  dared  not,  after  receiving  this  opinion  from  Washington,  so  far  disregard  it  as  to 
meet  Robinson,  but  it  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  use  the  name  of  the  commander-in-chief 
in  his  reply,  which  he  openly  dispatched  by  an  officer  in  a  flag-boat  to  the  Vulture.  He 
September,     informed  Colonel  Robinson  that  on  the  night  of  the  20th  he  should  send  a  person 

1780.  Qj^  ijoard  of  the  Vulture,  who  would  be  furnished  with  a  boat  and  a  flag  of  truce  ; 

and  in  a  postscript  he  added,  "  I  expect  General  Washington  to  lodge  here  on  Saturday  next, 
and  I  wil'l  lay  before  him  any  matter  you  may  wish  to  communicate."  This  was  an  in- 
genuous and  safe  way  of  informing  the  enemy  at  what  time  the  commander-in-chief  would 
return  from  Hartford. 

Arnold's  communication  was  sent  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  the  next  morning  Andre 
proceeded  to  Dobbs's  Ferry,  positively  instructed  by  his  general  not  to  change  his  dress,  go 
within  the  American  lines,  receive  papers,  or  in  any  other  way  act  in  the  character  of  a  spy. 
It  was  supposed  that  Arnold  himself  would  visit  the  Vulture  ;  but  he  had  arranged  a  plan 
for  effecting  a  meeting  involving  less  personal  hazard.  Joshua  Hett  Smith,  just  mentioned, 
who  lived  about  two  miles  below  Stony  Point,  had  been  employed  by  General  Fwobert  Howe, 
when  in  command  of  West  Point,  to  procure  intelligence  from  New  York.  Smith  occupied 
a  very  respectable  station  in  society,  and  could  command  more  valuable  aid,  in  the  business 
in  question,  than  any  other  person.  To  him  Arnold  went  with  a  proposition  to  assist  him 
in  his  undertaking,  without,  as  Smith  alleged,  revealing  to  him  his  real  intentions.  He 
flattered  him  with  expressions  of  the  highest  confidence  and  regard,  and  informed  him  that 
he  was  expecting  a  person  of  consequence  from  New  York  with  valuable  intelligence  from 
the  enemy,  and  he  wanted  Smith's  service  in  bringing  him  within  the  American  lines. 
While  at  Smith's  on  this  business,  Arnold  was  joined  by  his  wife  with  her  infant  child,  who 
had  come  on  from  Philadelphia.  There  she  remained  all  night,  and  the  next  morning  hei 
husband  went  with  her,  in  his  barge,  to  head-quarters. 

Arnold  made  his  arrangements  with  Smith  to  have  his  meeting  with  Andre  (whorp  he- 
had  resolved  should  be  brought  on  shore  from  the  Vulture)  take  place  at  his  house,  in  the 
event  of  the  conference  being  protracted.  Smith,  accordingly,  took  his  family  to  Fishkill 
to  visit  some  friends,  and  returning,  halted  at  the  Pi-obinson  House,  and  arranged  with  Ar- 
nold a  plan  of  operations.  The  general  gave  him  the  customary  pass  for  a  flag  of  truce,  sent 
an  order  to  Major  Kierse,  at  Stony  Point,  to  supply  Smith  with  a  boat  whenever  he  should 
want  one,  and  directed  Smith  to  proceed  to  the  Vulture  the  following  night  and  bring  on 
shore  the  person  who  was  expected  to  be  there.  Smith  failed  in  his  endeavors  to  make  the 
arrangements,  and  did  not  visit  the  Vulture  at  the  time  he  was  directed  to.  Samuel  Col- 
quhon,  one  of  his  tenants,  to  whom  he  applied  for  assistance  as  boatman,  refused  to  go. 
Smith  sent  Colquhou  to  Arnold  with  a  letter,  informing  him  of  his  failure.  The  mes.senger, 
by  riding  all  night,  reached  the  Robinson  House  at  dawn.  Early  in  the  fore- 
noon, Arnold  himself  went  down  the  river  to  Verplanck's  Point,  and  thence  ta 
Smith's  house.  At  Verplanck's,  Colonel  Livingston  handed  him  a  letter  which  he  had  just 
received  for  him  from  Captain  Sutherland  of  the  Vulture.  It  was  a  remonstrance  against, 
an  alleged  violation  of  the  rules  of  war  by  a  party  on  Teller's  Point.'  The  letter  was  in 
the  handwriting  of  Andre,  though  signed  by  Sutherland.  Arnold  at  once  perceived  the  main 
object  of  this  secretaryship  to  be,  to  inform  him  that  Andre  was  on  board  the  Vulture. 

Arnold  now  hastened  to  make  arrangements  to  bring  Andre  ashore.     He  ordered  a  skifl 


^  A  flaw  of  truce  was  exhibited  at  Teller's  Point,  inviting,  as  was  supposed,  a  pacific  intercourse  with 
iho  ship.  A  boat,  with  another  flag,  was  sent  off",  but  as  soon  as  it  approached  the  shore  it  was  fired  upon 
by  several  armed  men  who  were  concealed  in  the  bushes.  On  account  of  this  outrage,  Captain  Sutherland 
sent  a  letter  of  remonstrance  to  Colonel  Livingstrn,  "  the  .'jommandant  at  Verplanck's  Point."  The  lettei 
was  dated  "morning  of  the  21st  of  September." 


0  F    T  H  E   R  E  V  0  L  U  T I  0  N.  7  19 


Refusal  of  the  Colquhons  to  accompany  Smith.        Final  Compliance.        Landing  of  Andrd  and  his  first  Interview  with  Arnold. 

to  be  sent  to  a  certain  place  in  Haverstraw  Creek,  and  then  proceeded  to  Smith's  house. 
Every  thing  was  made  ready,  except  procuring  two  boatmen,  and  this  was  found  a  diliicult 
matter.  The  voyage  promised  many  perils,  for  American  guard-boats  were  stationed  at  va- 
rious places  on  the  river.  These,  however,  had  been  ordered  not  to  interfere  with  Smith 
and  his  party.  Samuel  Colquhon  and  his  brother  Joseph  were  again  solicited  to  accompany 
Smith,  but  both  positively  refused  at  first  to  go  ;  they  yielded  only  when  Arnold  himseU 
threatened  them  with  punishment.  At  near  midnight  the  three  men  pushed  off  from  shore 
with  muffled  oars.  It  was  a  serene,  starry  night ;  not  a  ripple  was  upon  the  Hudson,  not 
a  leaf  was  stirred  by  the  breeze.  Silently  the  little  boat  approached  the  Vulture,  and  when 
near,  the  sentinel  on  deck  hailed  them.  After  making  some  explanations  and  receiving  some 
rough  words.  Smith  was  allowed  to  go  on  board.  In  the  cabin  he  found  Beverly  Robinson 
and  Captain  Sutherland.  These  officers  and  Major  Andre  were  the  only  persons  in  the 
ship  who  were  privy  to  the  transactions  in  progress.  Smith  bore  a  sealed  letter  from  Ar- 
nold to  Beverly  Robinson,  in  which  the  traitor  said,  "  This  Avill  be  delivered  to  you  by  Mr 
Smith,  who  will  conduct  you  to  a  place  of  safety.  Neither  Mr.  Smith  nor  any  other  person 
shall  be  made  acquainted  with  your  proposals.  If  they  (which  I  doubt  not)  are  of  such  a 
nature  that  I  can  officially  take  notice  of  them,  I  shall  do  it  with  pleasure.  I  take  it  for 
granted  that  Colonel  Robinson  will  not  propose  any  thing  that  is  not  for  the  interest  of  the 
United  States  as  well  as  himself"  This  language  was  a  guard  against  evil  consequences 
in  the  event  of  the  letter  falling  into  other  hands.  Smith  had  also  two  passes,  signed  by 
Arnold,  which  Robinson  well  miderstood  to  be  intended  to  communicate  the  idea  that  the 
writer  expected  Andre  to  come  on  shore,  and  to  secure  the  boat  from  detention  by  the  wa- 
ter-guard.' 

Major  Andre  was  introduced  to  Smith,  and  both  descended  into  the  boat.  They  landed 
at  the  foot  of  a  great  hill,  called  Long  Clove  Mountain,  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Hudson, 
about  two  miles  below  Haverstraw.  This  place  had  been  designated  by  Arnold  for  the 
meeting,  and  thither  he  had  repaired  from  Smith's  house.  Arnold  was  concealed  in  the 
thick  bushes,  and  to  the  same  place  Smith  conducted  Andre.  They  were  left  alone,  and 
for  the  first  time  the  conspirators  heard  each  other's  voice  ;  for  the  first  time  Arnold's  lips 
uttered  audibly  the  words  of  treason.  There,  in  the  gloom  of  night,  concealed  from  all  hu- 
man cognizance,  they  discussed  their  dark  plans,  and  plotted  the  utter  ruin  of  the  patriot 
cause.  When,  at  the  twilight  of  an  autumn  day,  I  stood  upon  that  spot,  in  the  shadow  of 
the  high  hills,  and  the  night  gathering  its  veil  over  the  waters  and  the  fields,  a  superstitious 
dread  crept  over  me  lest  the  sentence  of  aiiathcma,  maranatha,  should  make  the  spot  as 
unstable  as  the  earth  whereon  rested  the  tents  of  the  rebellious  Korah,  Dathan,  and  Abiram. 

The  hour  of  dawn  approached,  and  the  conference  was  yet  in  progress.  Smith  came, 
and  warned  them  of  the  necessity  for  haste.  There  was  much  yet  to  do,  and  Andre  reluct- 
antly consented  to  mount  the  horse  rode  by  Arnold's  servant,  and  accompany  the  general  to 
Smith's  house,  nearly  four  miles  distant.^     It  was  yet  dark,  and  the  voice  of  a  sentinel,  near 

'  These  passes,  which  are  still  in  existence,  are  as  follows  : 

"  Ilcad-qunrtcrs,  Robinson  House,  September  20,  1780. 
"  Permission  is  given  to  Jo.';hua  Smith,  Esquire,  a  crcntleman,  31r.  John  Anderson,  who  is  with  him,  and 
his  two  servants,  to  pass  and  repass  the  guards  near  King's  Ferry  at  all  times. 

"  B.  Arnold,  M.  Gen'i:' 
"  Head-quarters,  Robinson  House,  September  21,  1780. 
■'  Permission  is  granted  to  Joshua  Smith,  Esq.,  to  go  to  Dobbs's  Ferry  with  three  Men  and  a  Boy  with 
a  Flag  to  carry  some  Letters  of  a  private  Nature  for  Gentlemen  in  New  York,  and  to  Return  immediately. 

"B.  Arnold,  M.  Genl. 
"  N.B. — He  has  permission  to  go  at  such  hours  and  times  as  the  tide  and  his  business  suits. 

"B.  A." 
*  The  fact  that  Arnold  had  provided  a  spare  horse  (for  there  was  no  necessity  for  a  servant  to  accompany 
him  to  the  place  of  meeting),  is  evidence  that  he  expected  a  longer  conference  than  the  remainder  of  the 
night  would  atford.  Furthermore,  convicted  as  Arnold  is  of  innate  wickedness,  it  may  not  be  unjust  to  sup- 
pose that  ho  was  prepared,  after  getting  Andre  within  the  American  lines,  to  perform  any  act  of  dishonor 
ja  extort  a  high  price  for  his  treason,  or  to  shield  himself  from  harm  if  circumstances  should  demand  it. 


720 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Smith's  House.' 


Arrival  of  the  Conspirators  at  Smith's  House.      The  Vulture  fired  upon.      Plan  of  Operations  arranged.      Colonel  Livingstoa 

the  village  of  Haverstraw,  gave  Andre  the  first  intimation  that  he  was  within  the  Amer- 
ican lines.  He  felt  his  danger,  but  it 
was  too  late  to  recede.  His  unifoim 
was  effectually  concealed  by  a  long 
blue  surtout,  yet  the  real  danger  that 
environed  him,  he  being  within  the 
enemy's  lines  without  a  flag  or  pass 
made  him  exceedingly  uneasy.  They 
ai'rived  at  Smith's  house  at  dawn,  and  ^ 
at  that  moment  they  heard  a  cannon- 
ade in  the  direction  of  the  Vultuie 
Colonel  Livingston  had  been  informed 
that  the  vessel  lay  so  near  the  shore 
as  to  be  within  cannon  shot.  Ac- 
cordingly, during  the  night,  he  sent  a 
party  with  cannon  from  Verplanck's 
Point,  and  at  dawn,  from  Teller's 
Point,  they  opened  a  fire  upon  the  Vulture,  of  such  severity  that  the  vessel  hoisted  her  an- 
chors and  dropped  farther  down  the  river."  This  movement  Andre  beheld  with  anxiety  ; 
September  22,  but,  when  the  firing  ceased,  his  spirits  revived.  During  that  morning  the  whole 
1/80.  pjQ^  .^j^g  arranged,  and  the  day  for  its  consummation  fixed.     Andre  was  to  re- 

turn to  New  York,  and  the  British  troops,  already  embarked  under  the  pretext  of  an  expe- 
dition to  the  Chesapeake,  were  to  be  ready  to  ascend  the  river  at  a  moment's  warning.  Ar- 
nold was  to  weaken  the  various  posts  at  West  Point  by  dispersing  the  garrison.  When  the 
British  should  appear,  he  was  to  send  out  detachments  among  the  mountain  gorges,  under 
pretense  of  meeting  the  enemy,  as  they  approached,  at  a  distance  from  the  works.  As  Ave 
have  noticed,  a  link  from  the  great  chain  at  Constitution  Island  was  to  be  removed.  The 
river  would  be  left  free  for  the  passage  of  vessels,  and  the  garrison,  so  scattered,  could  not 
act  in  force  ;  thus  the  enemy  could  take  possession  with  very  little  resistance.      All  the 

'  This  view  is  from  the  slope  in  front  of  the  house.  The  main  building  is  of  stone  ;  the  wings  are  wood. 
The  piazza  in  front  of  the  main  building,  and  the  balustrades  upon  the  top,  are  the  only  modern  additions; 
otherwise  the  house  appears  the  same  as  when  Arnold  and  Andre  were  there.  It  stands  upon  a  slope  of 
Treason  Hill,  a  few  rods  west  of  the  road  leading  from  Stony  Point  to  Haverstraw,  and  about  half  way  be- 
tween the  two  places.  It  was  in  a  room  in  the  second  story  that  the  conspirators  remained  during  the  day 
of  their  arrival.     The  present  owner  of  the  house  and  grounds  is  Mr.  William  C.  Houseman. 

^  Colonel  Livingston,  on  perceiving  the  position  of  the  Vulture,  conceived  a  plan  for  destroying  her.  He 
asked  Arnold  for  two  pieces  of  heavy  cannon  for  the  purpose,  but  the  general  eluded  the  proposal  on  friv- 
olous pretenses,  so  that  Livingston's  detachment  could  bring  only  one  four-pounder  to  bear  upon  her.  He 
had  obtained  some  ammunition  from  Colonel  Lamb,  from  West  Point,  who  sent  it  rather  grudgingly,  and 
with  an  expressed  wish  that  there  might  not  be  a  wanton  waste  of  it.  "  Firing  at  a  ship  with  a  four- 
pounder,"  he  said,  "is,  in  my  opinion,  a  waste  of  powder."  Little  did  he  think  what  an  important  bearing 
that  cannonade  was  to  have  upon  the  destinies  of  America.  It  was  that  which  drove  the  Vulture  from  her 
moorings,  and  was  one  of  the  causes  of  the  fatal  detention  of  Andre  at  Smith's  house.  The  Vulture  was  so 
much  injured  that,  had  she  not  got  off  with  the  flood,  she  must  have  struck.  Colonel  Livingston  saw  Ar- 
nold pass  Verplanck's  in  his  barge  when  he  escaped  to  the  Vulture  ;  and  he  afterward  declared  that  he  had 
such  suspicion  of  him  that,  had  his  guard-boats  been  neai-,  he  would  have  gone  after  him  instantl)'^,  and  de 
manded  his  destination  and  errand. 

Henry  Livingston,  who  commanded  at  Stony  Point  at  the  time  of  Arnold's  treason,  was  born  at  the 
Livingston  Manor,  in  Columbia  county.  New  York,  January  19th,  1752.  He  married  in  Canada  at  an 
early  age,  and  while  residing  there  became  familiar  with  the  French  language.  He  was  among  the  first 
who  took  up  arms  against  Great  Britain.  He  accompanied  Montgomery  to  St.  John's,  Montreal,  and  Que- 
bec. He  assisted  in  the  capture  of  the  fort  at  Chambly,  and  otherwise  distinguished  himself  in  that  cam- 
paign. He  was  a  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  army  at  Stillwater,  and  was  present  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  made  a  brigadier  general,  and  throughout  a  long  life  maintained  the  highest 
confidence  and  respect  of  his  countrymen.  The  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  who  breakfasted  with  him  at  Ver- 
planck's Point  on  one  occasion,  says  of  him,  in  his  Journal  (i.,  94),  "  This  is  a  very  amiable  and  well-in- 
formed young  man."  He  died  at  his  residence,  Columbia  county,  May  26th,  1823,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one  years. 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  721 


The  Papers  taken  from  Andru's  Boot  "Artillery  Orders."  Forces  at  West  Point  VUlefranche's  Estimate. 

plans  being  arranged,  Arnold  supplied  Andre  with  papers  explanatory  of  the  military  con- 
dition of  West  Point  and  its  dependencies.'      These  he  requested  him  to  place  between  hiss 

'  These  documents,  with  five  of  the  passes  given  by  Arnold  on  this  occasion,  arc  now  preserved  in  the 
Library  of  the  State  of  New  York,  at  Albany,  having  been  purchased  from  the  family  of  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Governor  George  Clinton.  They  were  in  my  custody  a  few  weeks,  when  I  had  the  opportunity  of  com- 
paring the  following  copies,  previou.sly  made,  with  the  originals,  and  found  them  correct.  These  manuscripts, 
though  somewhat  woni,  are  quite  perfect.  Those  written  upon  one  side  of  the  paj)er  only  have  been  pasted 
upon  thicker  paper  for  preservation.  The  others  yet  exhibit  the  wruikles  made  by  Andre's  foot  in  his  boot. 
The  following  are  true  copies  of  the  several  papers  : 

"  West  Point,  September  5th,  1780. 

"  Artillery  Orders. — The  following  disposition  of  the  corps  is  to  take  place  in  Case  of  an  alarm  : 

"  Capt.  Dannills  with  his  Comp'y  at  Fort  Putnam,  and  to  detach  an  Olhcer  with  12  men  to  Wyllys's  Re- 
doubt, a  Non  Commissioned  Otliccr  with  3  men  to  Webb's  Redoubt,  and  the  like  number  to  Redoubt  No.  4. 

"  Capt.  Thomas  and  Company  to  repair  to  Fort  Arnold. 

"  Captain  Simmons  and  Company  to  remain  at  the  North  and  South  Redoubts,  at  the  East  side  of  the 
River,  until  further  Orders. 

"  Lieutenant  Barber,  with  20  men  of  Capt.  Jackson's  Company,  will  repair  to  Constitution  Island  ;  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Company,  with  Lieut.  Mason's,  will  repair  to  Arnold. 

"Capt.  Lieut.  George  and  Lieut.  Blake,  with  20  men  of  Captain  Treadwell's  Company,  will  Repair  to  Re- 
doubt No.  1  and  2 ;  the  remainder  of  the  Company  will  be  sent  to  Fort  Arnold. 

"  Late  Jones's  Company,  with  Lieut.  Fisk,  to  repair  to  the  South  Battery. 

"  The  Chain  Battery,  Sherburn's  Redoubt,  and  the  Brass  Field  pieces,  will  be  manned  from  Fort  Arnold 
as  Occation  may  require. 

"  The  Commissary  and  Conductor  of  Military  stores  will  in  turn  wait  upon  the  Commanding  Officer  of 
Artillery  for  Orders. 

"  The  artificers  in  the  garrison  (agreeable  to  former  Orders)  will  repair  to  Fort  Arnold,  and  there  re- 
ceive further  Orders  from  the  Command'g  Officer  of  Artillery. 

"  S.  Bauman,  Major  CommH  Artillery.'''' 

This  document  gave  the  British  full  information  of  what  would  be  the  disposition  of  the  Americans  on 
ihe  occasion;  and  as  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  many  of  his  officers  were  acquainted  with  the  groimd,  thev 
would  know  at  what  particular  points  to  make  their  attacks.  This  and  the  following  document  are  in  Ar- 
nold's handwriting : 

"  Estimate  of  Forces  at  JVst  Point  and  its  Dependencies,  September  13,  1780. 
"  A  brigade  of  IMassachusetts  Militia,  and  two  regiments  of  Rank  and  File  New  Hampshire,  Inclus- 
ive of  166  Batteaux  Men  at  Verplanck's  and  Stony  Points 992 

"  On  command  and  Extra  Service  at  Fishkills,  New  Windsor,  &c.,  &c.,  who  may  be  called  in  oc- 

cationally 852 

"  3  regiments  of  Connecticut  Militia,  under  the  com'd  of  Colonel  Wells,  on  the  lines  near  N.  Ca.stle    488 

"  A  detachment  of  New  York  levies  on  the  lines 115 

Militia,  2447 

"  Colonel  Lamb's  Regiment 1 67 

''  Colonel  Livingston's,  at  Verplank  and  Stoney  Pts 80 

Continent :  247 

''  Colonel  Sheldon's  Dragoons,  on  the  lines,  about  one  half  mounted  142 

"  Batteaux  Men  and  Artificers 250 

Total,  3086." 

The  following  document  is  in  the  handvniting  of  Villefranche,  a  French  engineer : 
"  Estimate  of  the  Number  of  Men  necessary  to  Man  the  Works  at  West  Point  and  in  the  Vicinity. 

Fort  Arnold 620  Redoubt  No.  2 150 

ditto  3 120 

ditto  4 100 

ditto  5 139 

ditto  6 110 


Putnam 450 

Wvllys 140 

Webb 140 

Redoubt  No.  1 150 


Redoubt  No.  7 78 

North  Redoubt 120 

South  Redoubt 130 


Total,  2438 


2//^i^^^ci^'^'-^>^^    y       O^-t^-t-^^C^^^ 


"  N.B. — The  Artillery  Men  are  not  Included  in  the  above  Estimate." 
I  Z  z 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Return  of  the  Ordnance  in  the  different  Forts  at  West  Point. 


Arnold's  Description  of  the  Works. 


Stockings  and  feet,  and  in  the  event  of  accident,  to  destroy  them.     He  then  gave  him  a  pass, 
a  fac  simile  of  which  is  printed  on  the  next  page,  and  bidding  Andre  adieu,  Arnold  went 

The  following  table  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Bauman,  Major  Commandant  of  Artillery  : 

"  RETURN    OF    THE    ORDNANCE    IN    THE    DIFFERENT    FORTS,   BATTERIES,   &C.,   AT   WEST    POINT    AND    ITS    DE 

PENDENCIES,    SEPT.   5,    1780. 


3 

1 
E 
(3 

t 
■g 
o 

o 

u 

o 

o 

• 

1 
o 

00 

o 

u 

o 

1 

Mortars. 

Howitzers. 

£ 

s 

c 

a 

H 

1 

■X 

o 

o 

•a 
1 

H 

o 

" 

- 

C 

24 

18 

12 

9 

6 

4 

3 

0 

H 

4f 

8 

1 

Fort  Arnold 

{ 

Brass 
Iron 

1 

6 

1 

1 

3 

5 

5 

1 

J23 

Fort  Putnam 

1 

Brass 
Iron 

5 

2 

2 

1 

4 

]u 

Constitution  Island 

Iron 

4 

1 

5 

10 

South  Battery 

Iron 

4 

1 

5 

Chain  Battery 

Iron 

1 

2 

3 

Lanthorn  Battery 

Iron 

2 

2 

Webb's  Redoubt 

Iron 

1 

2 

1 

4 

Sherman's  Redoubt   

Iron 

2 

3 

5 

Megg's  Redoubt 

Iron 

1 

1 

2 

South  Redoubt 

Iron 

1 

4 

5 

North  Redoubt 

Iron 

3 

3 

6 

Wyllys's  Redoubt 

Iron 

2 

3 

6 

Rocky  Hill,  No.  4 

Iron 

2 

2 

No.  1 

Iron 

1 

4 

5 

"           No.  2 

Iron 

2 

2 

Verplanck's  Point 

Brass 

2 

1 

3 

Stony  Point 

Iron 

1 

2 

1 

4 

Total 

1 

18 

3 

14 

5 

9 

14 

5 

2 

1 

3 

6 

5 

11 

2 

1 

100 

N.B. 


-The  following  ordnance  not  distributed : 

No.  6  iron  12  pounder. 

4  "        9        " 

1  "        6        " 

1  "        4        " 

_2  ''        3       " 

14 


3  brass  24  pounders. 

7     "     12        " 

1     "       8-inch  howitzer. 

n 


^^^^^^^/-g-'e^si^^^^^^C-^ 


^^^. 


^^!^ 


^ 


^"^-r-^ 


y 


/^^^--^c^^^^c^tyy 


The  following  description  of  the  works  at  West  Point  and  its  dependencies  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Ar- 
nold, endorsed  "  Remarks  on  Works  at  West  Point,  a  copy  to  be  transmitted  to  his  Excellency  General 
Washington.     Sep'r.  1780." 

"  Fort  Arnold  is  built  of  Dry  Fascines  and  Wood,  is  in  a  ruinous  condition,  incompleat,  and  subject  to 
take  Fire  from  Shells  or  Carcasses. 

"  Fort  Putnam,  Stone,  Wanting  great  repairs,  the  wall  on  the  East  side  broke  down,  and  rebuilding 
From  the  Foundation ;  at  the  West  and  South  side  have  been  a  Chevaux-de-Frise,  on  the  West  side  broke 
in  many  Places.  The  East  side  open ;  two  Bomb  Proofs  and  Provision  Magazine  in  the  Fort,  and  Slight 
Wooden  Barrack. — A  com.manding  piece  of  ground  500  vards  West,  between  the  Fort  and  No.  4 — or 
Rocky  Hill. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


723 


Arnold's  Pass. 


Smith's  Refusal  to  take  Andrfi  back  to  the  Vulture. 


His  insufficicDt  Excuse. 


up  the  river,  in  hi.s  own  barge,  to  head-quarters,  fully  believing  that  no  obstacle  now  in- 
terposed to  frustrate  his  wicked  scheme.     Andre  passed  the  remainder  of  the  day  alone,  and 


y^^-^^-^t^i^  .^:^t^^ 


O^^c^^z^^^i^, 


^70^ 


^'^^^^'^^^  ^^^^^?  ^Z^^/y^^^ 


-^^^;C^  i^^c 


4>t^<?^>-v^ 


^  ^  ^c^:C^^^J^C^ 


^       y^4f^^^^ 


c:C''*<t^t^  ^ 


ir»y 


/^^Otx 


'  *^  ^-'P'iz^^^^Z^ii'^^^^ 


as  soon  as  evening  came,  he  applied 

to  Smith  to  take  him  back  to  the 

Vulture.      Smith  positively  refused 

to  go,  and  pleaded  illness  from  ague 

as  an  excuse.      If  he  quaked,  it  was 

probably  not  from   ague,  but  from 

fear,  wrought  by  the  firing  upon  the 

Vulture  ;  for  he  offered  to  ride  half 

the  night  with  Andre,  on  horseback,  if  he  would  take  a  land  route.     Having  no  other  means 

of  reaching  the  vessel,  Andre  was  obliged  to  yield  to  the  force  of  circumstances.      He  con- 

"  Fort  Webb,  built  of  Fascines  and  Wood,  a  slight  Work,  very  dry,  and  liable  to  be  set  on  fire,  as  the 
approaches  are  very  easy,  without  defenses,  save  a  .slight  Abattis. 

"  Fort  Wyllys,  built  of  stone  5  feet  high,  the  Work  above  plank  filled  with  Earth,  the  stone  work  15  feet, 
the  Earth  9  feet  thick. — No  Bomb  Proofs,  the  Batteries  without  the  Fort. 

"  Redoubt  No.  1.  On  the  South  side  wood  9  feet  thick,  the  Wt.  North  and  East  sides  4  feet  thick,  no 
cannon  in  the  works,  a  slight  and  single  Abattis,  no  ditch  or  Pickett.  Cannon  on  two  Batteries.  No  Bomb 
Proofs. 

"Redoubt  No.  2.     The  same  as  No.  1.     No  Bomb  Proofs. 

"  Redoubt  No.  3,  a  slight  Wood  Work  3  Feet  thick,  very  Dry,  no  Bomb  Proofs,  a  single  Abattis,  the 
work  easily  set  on  fire — no  cannon. 

"  Redoubt  No.  4,  a  Wooden  work  about  10  feet  high  and  fore  or  five  feet  thick,  the  West  side  faced 
with  a  stone  wall  8  feet  high  and  four  thick.  No  Bomb  Proof,  two  six  pounders,  a  slight  Abattis,  a  com- 
manding piece  of  ground  500  yards  Wt. 

"  The  North  Redoubt,  on  the  East  side,  built  of  stone  4  feet  high ;  above  the  Stone,  wood  filled  in  with 
Earth,  Very  Dry,  no  Ditch,  a  Bomb  Proof,  three  Batteries  without  the  Fort,  a  poor  Abattis,  a  Rising  piece 
of  ground  500  yards  So.,  the  approaches  Under  Cover  to  within  20  yards. — The  Work  easily  fired  with 
Faggots  diptd  in  Pitch,  &c. 

"South  Redoubt,  much  the  same  as  the  North,  a  Commandmg  piece  of  ground  500  yards  due  East — 3 
Batteries  without  the  Fort." 

The  "Artillery  Orders"  of  September  5,  1780;  the  estimate  of  forces  at  West  Point;  estimate  of  men 
to  man  the  works,  by  Villefranche ;  the  "Return"  of  Bauman ;  the  description  of  the  works  at  West  Point 
and  vicinity,  and  a  copy  of  a  council  of  war  held  at  Washington's  quarters,  September  6,  1780,  are  the  pa- 
pers which  were  taken  from  Andre's  stocking.  The  latter  document,  which  set  forth  the  weakness,  w^ants, 
and  gloomy  prospects  of  the  American  army,  was  a  statement  made  by  Washington  to  the  council.  It  is 
too  long  for  insertion  here.     Preser\-ed  among  these  papers  are  five  passes,  signed  by  Arnold ;  a  memo 


724  PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 

Andre's  Exchange  of  Coats.       He  and  Smith  cross  the  Hudson.       Smith's  Letter  to  his  Brother.      Ambiguous  Memorandum. 

sented  to  cross  King's  Ferry  to  Verplanck's  Point,  and  make  his  way  back  to  New  York  by 
land.  He  had  been  prevailed  upon  by  Arnold,  in  the  event  of  his  taking  a  land  route  (which 
had  been  talked  of),  to  exchange  his  military  coat  for  a  citizen's  dress.  This  act,  and  the 
receiving  of  papers  from  Arnold,  were  contrary  to  the  express  orders  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
but  Andre  was  obliged  to  be  governed  by  the  unforeseen  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed. 
Smith  agreed  to  attend  him  on  the  way  as  far  as  the  lower  outposts  of  the  American  lines. 
September,  ^  little  before  sunset,  on  the  evening  of  the  2 2d,  accompanied  by  a  negro  servant, 
1780.  ijjgy  crossed  King's  Ferry.  At  dusk,  they  passed  through  the  works  at  Ver 
planck's  Point,  and  turned  their  faces  toward  White  Plains.  While  they  are  pursuing 
their  route  toward  the  Neutral  Ground,  let  us  consider  events  at  the  Robinson  House,  and 
then  resume  our  own  journey.  We  shall  overtake  the  travelers  presently,  when  the  con- 
cluding portion  of  the  narrative  of  Arnold's  treason  will  be  given. 

randum,  which,  from  its  ambiguity,  is  unintelligible,*  and  the  following  letter  from  Joshua  Smith  to  his 
brother  Thomas,  after  his  arrest  on  suspicion  of  being  an  accomplice  with  Arnold : 

"  Robinson  House,  Sept.  25th,  1780. 
''  Dear  Brother, — I  am  here  a  prisoner,  and  am  therefore  unable  to  attend  in  person.     I  would  be 
obliged  to  you  if  you  would  deliver  to  Captain  Cairns,  of  Lee's  Dragoons,  a  British  uniform  Coat,  which  you 
will  find  in  one  of  the  drawers  in  the  room  above  stairs. t     I  would  be  happy  to  see  you.     Remember  me 
to  your  family. 

"  I  am  affectionately  yours, 


_j2. 

I  have  before  me  three  interesting  MS.  letters,  written  by  Smith  and  his  two  brothers,  at  about  this  time. 
The  first  is  from  the  Tory  Chief  Justice  Smith,  of  New  York,  to  his  brother  Thomas ;  the  second  is  from 
Thomas  to  Governor  Clinton,  covering  the  one  from  Judge  Smith;  and  the  third  is  from  Joshua  H.  Smith, 
written  in  the  jail  at  Goshen.     See  Note  *  on  page  752. 

"  New  York,  12th  October,  1780. 

"  Dear  Sir, — You  will  naturally  suppose  us  in  great  anxiety  for  our  brother  Joshua,  though  General  Arnold  assured  us  that 
he  knew  nothing  of  his  designs,  and  that  he  has  written  to  General  Washington  more  than  once  asserting  his,  and  the  inno- 
cence of  several  others  still  more  likely  to  be  suspected,  from  their  connections  with  him,  while  in  his  confidence.  Joshua 
meets  with  a  faithful  reward  from  his  old  friends.  God  Almighty  protect  him.  I  hope  his  relations,  at  least,  have  not  deserted 
him  in  his  afflictions.  Our  last  accounts  were,  that  he  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  army,  which  appears  strange  to  all  here 
that  have  just  views  of  civil  liberty,  or  know  any  thing  of  Thomas  Smith,  Esq.,  that  that  model  for  a  Constitution  poor  Joshua 
helped  to  frame  at  Kingston,!  as  an  improvement  upon  that  under  which  we  were  all  bom. 

"  Your  friends  here  would  be  all  well,  if  they  thought  you  were  so.  Our  sister,  Livingston,  has  spent  several  weeks  with 
us,  and  will  return  sooner  than  we  wish. 

"  Your  son's  health  seems  at  length  to  be  established,  and  he  seems  inclined  to  winter  in  South  Carolina.  I  have  suspended 
my  assent  to  the  voyage  till  I  know  your  opinion ;  which  ought  to  come  soon,  to  avoid  the  danger  of  a  winter  voyage. 

"  Commend  me  to  all  friends.  I  add  no  more,  from  an  attention  to  your  condition  in  an  angry  and  suspicious  hour.  God 
preserve  you  and  yours  through  the  storm,  which  I  hope  is  nearly  over. 

"  Ever  most  affectionately  yours,  William  Smith." 

"16th  October,  ITSO. 
''  Dear  Sir, — The  inclosed  was  this  moment  delivered  me  by  Mrs.  HotTman,  who  came  out  in  a  Flag  via  Elizabeth  Town, 
as  I  wish  to  receive  no  letters  from  my  brother  but  such  as  are  subject  to  public  inspection.     I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  inclose 
it  for  your  perusal.     The  situation  in  which  the  unhappy  affair  of  my  brother  Joshua  has  placed  me  and  all  the  family,  calls  for 
the  greatest  care  to  avoid  suspicion.  I  am  yours,  with  esteem  and  affection,  Thomas  Smith. 

"  His  Excellency  Governor  Clinton. 

"  P.S.  I  should  be  glad,  if  your  house  at  Windsor  is  not  engaged,  to  hire  it,  as  I  am  determined  to  quit  this  place." 

"  Goshen,  Orange  County,  19th  Nov.,  1780. 

"  Sir, — In  pursuance  of  a  warrant  of  the  Commissioners  of  Conspiracy,  I  was  on  the  12th  day  of  this  instant  committed  to 
the  close  custody  of  the  sheriff  of  this  County.  My  long  and  severe  confinement  before  and  during  my  trial  by  the  court-martial 
has  greatly  impaired  my  health,  and  I  find  my  constitution  much  shattered.  I  have  been  subject  to  repeated  attacks  of  a  bilious 
colic  and  an  intermittent  fever ;  and  am  advised  that  a  close  confinement  will  soon  terminate  my  existence,  unless  I  can  be  permit- 
ted to  use  some  exercise.  I  have,  therefore,  to  request  some  indulgence  on  this  head,  in  compassion  to  my  distressed  situation. 
"  As  I  have  never  been  ofl[ieiaIly  acquainted  with  the  sentence  of  the  court-martial,  I  have  also  to  request  your  Excellency  to 
favor  mo  with  a  copy  of  it  by  Major  Hatfield,  and  thereby  much  oblige, 

"  Your  Excellency's  most  obedient  and  distressed  humble  servant, 
"  His  Excellency  Gkobgb  CLiifTow,  Esq.,  Ac,  &c.  "JosHUA  H.  Smith." 

"  Copy  of  the  memorandum  : 

"  Hennisut 

Elijah  Hunter 

Mr.  I.  Johnson,  B.  R t 

Mr.  J.  Stewart,  to  the  care  of  Joshua  Smith,  Esq.,  to  be  left  at  Head  Q'rs. 

Isaac  Adams,  5  , ,  5  , ,  5." 
t  This  was  Major  Andre's  coat,  which  that  oflicer  exchanged  with  Smith  for  a  citizen's  dress-coat,  as  mentioned  in  the  text. 
)  See  page  387  of  this  volume. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


725 


Arnold's  Composure  in  Presence  of  his  Aida.         Washington's  Return  from  Hartford.         His  Approach  to  Arnold's  Quarters. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

"  Here  onward  swept  thy  waves, 
When  tones,  now  silent,  mingled  with  their  sound, 
And  the  wide  shore  was  vocal  with  the  song 
or  hunter  chief  or  lover's  gentle  strain. 
Those  pass'd  away — forgotten  as  they  pass'd  ; 
But  holier  recollections  dwell  with  thee. 
Here  hath  immortal  Freedom  built  her  proud 
And  solemn  monuments.     The  mighty  dust 
Of  heroes  in  her  cause  of  glory  fallen. 
Hath  mingled  with  the  soil,  and  hallow'd  it. 
Thy  waters  in  their  brilliant  path  have  seen 
The  desperate  strife  that  won  a  rescued  world, 
The  deeds  of  men  who  live  in  grateful  hearts, 
And  hymn'd  their  requiem." 

Elizabeth  F.  Ellet. 

ITH  such  consummate  art  had  General  Arnold  managed  his  scheme  ol 
villainy  thus  far,  that  not  a  suspicion  of  his  defection  was  abroad.     He 
returned  to  his  quarters  at  the  Robinson  House,  as  we  have  observed, 
toward  evening,  and  after  passing  a  half  hour  with  his  wife  and  child, 
and  one  or  two  domestics,  he  conversed  freely  with  his  aids-de- 
camp, Majors  Varick'  and  Franks,  concerning  the  im- 
'^  portant  information  he  was  expecting  to  receive  from 

New  York,  through  a  distinguished  channel 
^5:?;;::*^y-  which  he  had  just  opened.  This  was  on 
the  2 2d  ;  the  24th  was  the  day  fixed  upon  for  the  ascent  of  the  river  by  the  September, 
British,  and  the  surrender  of  West  Point  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Yet,  ^"^'^■ 
with  all  this  guilt  upon  his  soul,  Arnold  was  composed,  and  the  day  on  which  his  treason 
was  to  be  consummated,  no  change  was  observed  in  his  usual  deportment. 

Washington  returned  from  Hartford  on  the  24th,  by  the  upper  route,  through  Dutchess 
county  to  Fishkill,  and 
thence  along  the  Hi 
land  road  by  Phili 
town.  Soon  after  leav- 
ing Fishkill,  he  met  Lu- 
aerne,  the  French  min- 
ister, with  his  suite,  on 
his  way  to  visit  Pv-o- 
chambeau.  That  gen- 
tleman induced  the  com- 
mander-in-chief to  turn  back  and  pass  the  night  with  him  at  Fishkill.  Washington  anil 
his  suite  were  in  the  saddle  before  dawn,  for  he  was  anxious  to  reach  Arnold's  quarters  by 


and  . 


SiGNATUBES    OF   AbNOLD'S    AlDS. 


'  Richard  Varick,  who,  before  the  close  of  the  war,  was  promoted  to  colonel,  was  a  sterling  patriot.  He 
admired  Arnold  as  a  soldier;  and  when  that  officer's  defection  became  known,  Varick  was  almost  insane  for 
a  day  or  two,  so  utterly  contrary  to  the  whole  life  of  Arnold  appeared  the  fact.  Varick  became  one  ot 
Washington's  military  family  near  the  close  of  the  war,  as  his  recording  secretary.  He  was  mayor  of  the 
city  of  New  York  from  1791  to  1801.  On  the  death  of  John  Jay,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Amer- 
ican Bible  Society,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Jersey  City,  July  30th,  1831,  at 
the  ago  of  seventy-nine  years. 


726 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Washington's  Delay  in  reacliing  Arnold's  Quarters.     Announcement  of  Andrfi's  Arrest.    Flight  of  Arnold.     His  Wife  and  Son. 

breakfast  time,  and  they  had  eighteen  miles  to  ride.  The  men,  with  the  baggage,  started 
earher,  and  conveyed  a  notice  to  Arnold  of  Washington's  intention  to  breakfast  with  him. 
When  opposite  West  Point,  the  commander-in-chief  turned  his  horse  down  a  lane  toward 
the  river.  La  Fayette,  perceiving  it,  said,  "  General,  you  are  going  in  a  wrong  direction  ; 
you  know  Mrs.  Arnold  is  waiting  breakfast  for  us,  and  that  road  will  take  us  out  of  the  way." 
Washington  answered,  good-naturedly,  "Ah,  I  know  you  young  men  are  all  in  love  with 
Mrs.  Arnold,  and  wish  to  get  where  she  is  as  soon  as  possible.  You  may  go  and  take  your 
breakfast  with  her,  and  tell  her  not  to  wait  for  me,  for  I  must  ride  down  and  examine  the 
redoubts  on  this  side  of  the  river,^  and  will  be  there  in  a  short  time."  The  officers,  how- 
ever, did  not  leave  him,  except  two  aids-de-camp,  who  rode  on,  at  the  general's  request,  to 
make  known  the  cause  of  the  delay. 

Breakfast  was  waiting  when  the  officers  arrived,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  ascertained  that 
the  commander-in-chief  and  the  other  gentlemen  would  not  be  there,  Arnold,  his  family,  and 
the  aids-de-camp  sat  down  to  breakfast.  Arnold  appeared  somewhat  moody.  The  enemy 
had  not  appeared  according  to  arrangements,  and  Washington  had  returned  at  least  two' 
days  sooner  than  he  anticipated.  While  they  were  at  table,  Lieutenant  Allen  came  with 
a  letter  for  Arnold.  The  general  broke  the"  seal  hastily,  for  he  knew  by  the  superscription 
that  it  was  from  Colonel  Jameson,  stationed  at  one  of  the  outposts  below.  The  letter  was, 
indeed,  from  that  officer  ;  but,  instead  of  conveying  the  expected  intelligence  that  the  enemy 
were  moving  up  the  river,  it  informed  him  that  Major  Andre,  of  the  British  army,  ivas  a 
prisoner  in  his  custody  '^     Arnold's  presence  of  mind  did  not  forsake  him,  and,  although 

to  General  Wash- 
ington, when  he 
arrived,  that  he 
was  unexpectedly 
called  over  the  riv- 
er, and  would  soon 
return.  He  order- 
ed a  horse  to  be 
made  ready,  and 
then  leaving  the 
table,  he  went  up 
to    Mrs.   Arnold's 


TUL    iJuEAIiJAST   IIOOM.' 


agitated,  his  emo- 
tion was  not  suf- 
ficiently manifest 
to  excite  the  sus- 
picion of  those 
around  him.  He 
informed  the  aids- 
de-camp  that  his 
immediate  attend- 
ance was  required 
at  West  Point,  and 
desired  them  to  say 

chamber,  and  sent  for  her.''  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  for  another  messenger  might 
speedily  arrive  with  evidence  of  his  treason.  In  brief  and  hurried  words  he  told  her  that 
they  must  instantly  part,  perhaps  forever,  for  his  life  depended  on  reaching  the  enemy's  lines 
without  detection.  Horror-stricken,  the  poor  young  creature,  but  one  year  a  mother  and 
not  two  a  bride,  swooned  and  sunk  senseless  upon  the  floor.  Arnold  dared  not  call  for  as- 
sistance, but  kissing,  with  lips  blasted  by  words  of  guilt  and  treason,  his  boy,  then  sweetly 
sleeping  in  angel  innocence  and  purity,^  he  rushed  from  the  room,  mounted  a  horse  belonging 

'  These  redoubts  were  upon  the  point,  near  the  rail-way  tunnel  above  Garrison's  Landing. 

*  This  letter  was  written  on  the  23d,  two  days  before.  The  circumstances  of  the  arrest  of  Andre  are 
detailed  on  page  752  to  758  inclusive. 

*  This  is  a  view  of  the  room  in  the  Robinson  House  in  which  Arnold  was  at  breakfast  when  he  received 
Colonel  Jameson's  letter  announcing  the  arrest  of  Andre.  It  is  preserved  in  its  original  style,  which  is 
quite  antique.  The  ceiling  is  low ;  the  heavy  beams  are  bare ;  the  fire-place  surrounded  with  neat  panel- 
work,  without  a  mantel-shelf.  The  door  on  the  right  opens  into  a  small  room  which  Arnold  used  as  an 
office ;  the  windows  on  the  left  open  upon  the  garden  and  lawn  on  the  south,  from  whence  I  made  the  sketch 
of  the  house  printed  on  page  708. 

■•  This  chamber  is  also  preserved  in  its  original  character.  Even  the  panel-work  over  the  fire-place  has 
been  left  unpainted  since  the  Revolution,  in  order  to  preserve  some  inscriptions  made  upon  it  with  a  knife. 
There  is  carved  in  bold  letters,  "  G.  Wallis,  Lieut.  VI.  Mass.  Reg't." 

^  This  was  the  only  child  of  Arnold  by  his  second  wife,  born  in  the  United  States.  His  name  was  James 
Robertson.  He  entered  the  British  army,  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel  of  engineers.  He  was  stationed 
at  Bermuda  from  1816  to  1818,  and  from  the  last-named  year  until  1823  was  at  Halifax,  and  the  command- 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  727 


Arnold's  Passage  to  the  Vulture.     Treatment  of  his  Oarsmen.     Washington's  visit  to  West  Point.     Discovery  of  the  Treason. 

to  one  of  the  aids  of  Washington,  and  hastened  toward  the  river,  not  by  the  winding  road 
that  led  to  the  "  Beverly  Dock,"  but  along  a  by-way  down  a  steep  hill,  which  is  yet  called 
Arnold's  Path.  At  the  dock  he  entered  his  barge,  and  directed  the  six  oarsmen  to  push 
out  into  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  pull  for  Teller's  Point.' 

Arnold's  oarsmen,  unconscious  of  the  nature  of  the  general's  errand,  had  their  muscles 
strengthened  by  a  promise  of  two  gallons  of  rum,  and  the  barge  glided  with  unusual  speed. 
He  told  them  he  was  going  on  board  the  Vulture  with  a  flag,  and  was  obliged  to  make  all 
possible  haste,  as  he  wished  to  return  in  time  to  meet  General  Washington  at  his  quarters. 
When  he  passed  Verplanck's  Point,  he  displayed  a  white  handkerchief,  which,  as  a  signal 
of  amity,  answered  for  both  Colonel  Livingston  at  the  Point,  and  Captain  Sutherland  of 
the  Vulture,  which  lay  in  sight  a  few  miles  below.  They  reached  the  Vulture  without  in- 
terruption, and,  after  having  introduced  himself  to  Captain  Sutherland,  Arnold  sent  for  the 
coxswain,  and  informed  him  that  he  and  his  oarsmen  were  prisoners.  They  indignantly  as- 
serted their  freedom  to  depart,  alleging  truly,  as  they  supposed,  that  they  had  come  on  board 
under  the  protection  of  a  flag.  Arnold  coolly  replied  that  they  must  remain  on  board.  Cap- 
tain Sutherland  would  not  interfere  with  Arnold's  commands,  but,  despising  his  meanness, 
he  gave  the  coxswain  a  parole  to  go  on  shore  and  get  such  things  as  he  wanted.  This  was 
done,  and,  when  the  Vulture  arrived  in  New  York,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  set  them  all  at  lib- 
erty. In  this  transaction,  the  inherent  meanness  of  Arnold's  spirit  was  conspicuous,  and 
made  the  British  officers  regard  him  with  scorn  as  a  reptile  unworthy  of  that  esteem  which 
a  high-souled  traitor — a  traitor  because  of  great  personal  wrongs — might  claim. 

Washington  arrived  at  Robinson's  house  shortly  after  Arnold  had  left.  Informed  that 
he  had  gone  to  West  Point,  the  commander-in-chief  took  a  hasty  breakfast,  and  concluded 
not  to  wait,  but  go  directly  over  and  meet  Arnold  there.  Hamilton  remained  behind,  and 
it  was  arranged  that  the  general  and  his  suite  should  return  to  dinner.  While  crossing  the 
river  in  a  barge,  Washington  expressed  his  expectation  that  they  would  be  greeted  with  a 
salute,  as  General  Arnold  was  at  the  Point ;  but,  to  his  surprise,  all  was  silent  when  they 
approached  the  landing-place.  Colonel  Lamb,  the  commanding  officer,  who  came  strolling 
down  a  winding  path,  was  much  confused  when  he  saw  the  barge  touch  the  shore.  He 
apologized  to  Washington  for  the  apparent  neglect  of  courtesy,  alleging  his  entire  ignorance 
of  his  intended  visit.  The  general  was  surprised,  and  said,  "  Sir,  is  not  General  Arnold 
here  ?"  "  No,  sir,"  replied  Colonel  Lamb,  "  he  has  not  been  here  these  two  days,  nor  have 
I  heard  from  him  within  that  time."  This  awakened  the  suspicions  of  Washington.  He 
proceeded,  however,  to  inspect  the  several  works  at  West  Point,  and  at  about  noon  returned 
to  the  Beverly  Dock,  from  whence  he  had  departed. 

While  ascending  from  the  river,  Hamilton  was  seen  approaching  with  hurried  step  and 
anxious  countenance.  He  conversed  with  Washington  in  a  low  tone,  and  returned  with  him 
into  the  house,  where  he  laid  several  papers,  the  damning  evidence  of  Arnold's  guilt,  before 
him.  These  consisted  of  the  documents  given  in  a  preceding  chapter,  which  Arnold  had 
placed  in  Andre's  hands.  They  were  accompanied  by  a  letter  from  Colonel  Jameson,  and 
one  from  Andre  himself  Jameson,  uninformed  of  the  return  of  Washington  from  Hartford, 
had  dispatched  a  messenger  thither,  with  the  papers,  to  the  commander-in-chief.     After  rid- 

Inor  officer  of  engineers  in  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick.  While  thus  in  command,  he  was  at  St.  John's, 
and,  on  going  into  the  house  built  by  his  father,  in  King  Street  (which  is  still  standing),  wept  like  a  child. 
His  wife  was  a  Miss  Goodrich,  of  the  Isle  of  Wight.  He  is  a  small  man,  his  eyes  of  remarkable  sharpness, 
and  in  features  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  his  father.  A  gentleman  who  has  been  in  service  with  him, 
and  is  intimately  acquainted  with  him,  speaks  of  him  in  terms  of  high  commendation,  and  relates  that  he 
expressed  a  desire  to  visit  the  United  States.  Since  the  accession  of  Queen  Victoria,  he  has  been  one  of 
her  majesty's  aids-de-camp.  In  1841,  he  was  transferred  from  the  engineer's  corps,  and  is  now  (1846)  a 
major  general,  and  a  knight  of  the  royal  Hanoverian  Guelphic  order. — See  Sabine's  Biographical  Sketches 
of  .American  Loyalists. 

'  The  coxswain  on  the  occasion  was  James  Larvey.  The  aged  Beverly  Garrison,  whom  I  saw  at  Fori 
Montgomery,  knew  him  well.  He  said  Larvey  always  declared  that,  had  he  been  aware  of  Arnold's  inten- 
tion, he  would  have  steered  to  Verplanck's  Point,  even  if  the  traitor  had  threatened  to  blow  his  brains  out. 


728  PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Washington's  presence  of  Mind.    Condition  of  Mrs.  Arnold.     Attempts  to  "head"  the  Traitor.     His  Letters  from  the  Vulture. 

ing  almost  to  Danbury,  the  messenger  heard  of  the  return  of  Washington  by  the  upper  road, 
and,  hastening  back,  took  the  nearest  route  to  West  Point  through  Lower  Salem,  where 
Andre  was  in  custody.  He  thus  became  the  bearer  of  Andre's  letter  to  Washington.*  He 
arrived  at  the  Robinson  House  four  hours  after  the  departure  of  Arnold,  and  placed  the  pa- 
pers in  the  hands  of  Hamilton. 

Washington  called  in  Knox  and  La  Fayette  for  counsel.  "  Whom  can  we  trust  now  ?" 
said  the  chief,  with  calmness,  while  the  deepest  feeling  of  sorrow  was  evidently  at  work  in 
his  bosom.  The  condition  of  Mrs.  Arnold,  who  was  quite  frantic  with  grief  and  distress  in 
another  room,  awakened  his  liveliest  sympathies.  He  believed  her  innocent  of  all  previous 
knowledge  of  her  husband's  treasonable  designs,  and  this  gave  keenness  to  the  pang  which 
her  sorrows  created.''  Yet  he  maintained  his  self  possession,  and  calmly  said,  when  dinner 
was  announced,  "  Come,  gentlemen,  Bince  Mrs.  Arnold  is  unwell,  and  the  general  is  absent, 
let  us  sit  down  without  ceremony." 

As  soon  as  the  contents  of  the  papers  were  made  known,  Washington  dispatched  Hamil- 
ton on  horseback  to  Verplanck's  Point,  that  preparations  might  be  made  there  to  stop  the 
traitor.  But  Arnold  had  got  nearly  six  hours'  the  start  of  him,  the  tide  was  ebbing,  and 
the  six  strong  oarsmen,  prompted  by  expected  reward,  had  pulled  with  vigor.  When  Ham- 
ilton arrived  at  the  Point,  a  flag  of  truce  was  approaching  from  the  Vulture  to  that  post. 
The  bearer  brought  a  letter  from  Arnold  to  Washington,  which  Hamilton  forwarded  to  the 
commander-in-chief,  and  then  wrote  to  General  Greene  at  Tappan,  advising  him  to  take 
precautionary  measures  to  prevent  any  movement  of  the  enemy  in  carrying  out  the  traitor's 
projects.  The  failure  of  the  plot  was  not  known  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  until  the  arrival  of 
the  Vulture  at  New  York  the  next  morning,  and  then  he  had  no  disposition  to  venture  an 
attack  upon  the  Americans  in  the  Highlands,  now  thoroughly  awake  to  the  danger  that  had 
threatened. 

Arnold's  letter  to  Washington  was  written  to  secure  protection  for  his  wife  and  child. 
"I  have  no  favor  to  ask  for  myself,"  he  said  ;  "I  have  too  often  experienced  the  ingratitude 
of  my  country  to  attempt  it ;  but,  from  the  known  humanity  of  your  excellency,  I  am  in- 
duced to  ask  your  protection  for  Mrs.  Arnold  from  every  insult  and  injury  that  a  mistaken 
vengeance  of  my  countrymen  may  expose  her  to.  It  ought  to  fall  only  on  me.  She  is  as 
good  and  innocent  as  an  angel,  and  is  incapable  of  doing  wrong."  In  this  letter  Arnold 
avowed  his  love  for  his  country,  and  declared  that  that  sentiment  actuated  him  in  his  present 

^  This  letter  of  Andre's  is  a  model  of  frankness,  and  exhibits  the  highest  regard  for  truth  and  honor. 
After  revealing  his  name  and  character,  and  relating  the  circumstances  under  which  he  was  lured  within 
the  American  lines  without  his  knowledge  or  consent,  and  mentioning  his  capture,  he  says,  "  Thus,  as  I 
have  had  the  honor  to  relate,  was  I  betrayed  (being  adjutant  general  of  the  British  army)  into  the  vile  con- 
dition of  an  enemy  in  disguise  within  your  posts."  He  disavowed  any  intention  of  being  a  spy,  and  asked, 
as  a  favor,  that  he  should  not  be  branded  as  such,  he  "  being  involuntarily  an  impostor."  He  further  re- 
quested the  privilege  of  sending  an  open  letter  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  another  to  a  friend,  for  linen ;  and 
concluded  by  intimating  that  there  were  several  American  prisoners  who  were  taken  at  Charleston  for 
whom  he  might  be  exchanged. 

^  "  She,  for  a  considerable  time,"  says  Hamilton,  in  a  vivid  description  of  the  scene,  "  entirely  lost  her- 
self. The  general  went  up  to  see  her.  She  upbraided  him  with  being  in  a  plot  to  murder  her  child.  One 
moment  she  raved ;  another,  she  melted  into  tears.  Sometimes  she  pressed  her  infant  to  her  bosom,  and  la- 
mented its  fate,  occasioned  by  the  imprudence  of  its  father,  in  a  manner  that  would  have  pierced  insensibil- 
ity itself.  All  the  sweetness  of  beauty,  all  the  loveliness  of  innocence,  all  the  tenderness  of  a  wife,  and  all 
the  fondness  of  a  mother,  showed  themselves  in  her  appearance  and  conduct.  We  have  every  reason  to 
believe  that  she  was  entirely  unacquainted  with  the  plan,  and  that  the  first  knowledge  of  it  was  when  Ar- 
nold went  to  tell  her  he  must  banish  himself  from  his  country  and  from  her  forever.  She  instantly  fell  into 
convulsions,  and  he  left  her  in  that  situation." 

Mr.  Leake,  the  biographer  of  Colonel  John  Lamb,  basing  his  opinion  upon  information  received  from  Ar- 
nold's sister  Hannah,  in  1801,  regards  this  scene  as  only  a  trick  to  deceive,  and  believes  that  Arnold's  wife 
was  the  chief  instrument  in  bringing  about  the  defection  of  her  husband.  Hannah  Arnold  averred  that  the 
traitor's  wife  received  a  pension  from  the  Queen  of  England  during  her  life. — See  Life  of  John  Lamb,  by 
Isaac  Q.  Leake,  p.  270.  I  can  not  but  regard  the  inference  of  Mr.  Leake  as  untenable.  It  was  certainly 
consoling  to  the  feelings  of  Hannah  Arnold  to  believe  that  the  influence  of  another,  and  not  his  own  base 
principles,  was  the  source  of  the  defection  and  disgrace  of  her  brother. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


729 


Beverly  Robinson's  Letter  to  Washington. 


The  Army  at  Tappan  put  in  Motion. 


Andr6  ordered  to  West  Point 


3onduct.  "  In  short,"  says  Sparks,  "  the  malignant  spirit,  impudence,  and  blunted  moral 
feeling  shown  in  this  letter  were  consistent  with  his  character.  Attachment  to  his  wife 
was  the  only  redeeming  quality  which  seemed  not  to  be  extinguished."' 

"Washington  also  received  a  letter  from  Beverly  Robinson,  dated  on  board  the  Vulture, 
demanding,  in  mild  terms,  the  release  of  Andre,  claiming  it  as  equitable,  he  being  on  shore 
with  a  flag  of  truce  at  the  request  of  General  Arnold.  Robinson  attempted  to  influence  the 
mind  of  the  chief  by  referring  to  their  former  friendship,  but  the  letter  had  not  the  least  ef- 
fect upon  Washington's  firmness  of  purpose.  He  was  ignorant  of  the  extent  of  defection, 
and  his  thoughts  and  efforts  were  first  directed  to  measures  of  security.  He  had  a  most  del- 
icate task  to  perform.  He  might  suspect  the  innocent,  and  give  his  confidence  to  the  un- 
worthy. He  resolved,  as  the  least  dangerous  course,  to  confide  unreservedly  in  all  his  offi- 
cers, and  this  resolution,  promptly  acted  upon,  had  a  very  salutary  effect.^ 

Washington  sent  orders  to  General  Greene,  directing  him  to  put  the  left  wing  of  the 
army,  near  Tappan,  in  motion  as  soon  as  possible,  and  march  toward  King's  Ferry.  It  was 
midnight  when  the  express  reached  Greene's  quarters  ;  before  dawn  the  whole  division  was 
upon  the  march.  The  commander-in-chief  also  dispatched  a  letter  to  Colonel  Jameson,  di- 
recting him  to  send  Andre  to  Robinson's  house  under  a  strong  guard.  This  messenger  also 
reached  his  destination  at  Lower  Salem,  at  midnight.  Andre  was  aroused,  and,  although 
the  rain  was  falling  fast,  and  the  night  was  exceedingly  dark,  a  guard,  under  Major  Tall- 
raadge,  set  off  with  the  prisoner  immediately.  They  rode  all  night,  and  arrived  at  Robin- 
son's house  at  dawn  on  the  26th.  Andre  was  taken  over  to  West  Point  the  same  September, 
evening,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  28th  was  conveyed,  under  a  strong  escort  of  ^"'^''• 

cavalry,  to  Tappan,  where  he  was  tried  and  convicted  as  a  spy.  This  event  will  be  noticed 
in  connection  with  the  details  of 
his  capture.  For  the  present,  my 
tour  leads  me  to  the  consideration 
of  other  important  transactions 
within  cannon-echo  of  the  Sugar 
Loaf,  at  whose  base  we  are  stand- 
ing, and  up  whose  steep  sides  I 
was  desirous  of  climbing,  to  view 
the  prospect  so  glowingly  depict- 
ed by  the  pen  of  Dr.  Dwight  ;^ 
but  recollecting  that  the  venera- 
ble  boatman   was   awaiting   my 

hasty   adieu  with  Lieutenant  Arden,   and  hastened  back 
to  the  Beverly  Dock  by  way  oi  Arnold's  Path.      There  I  found  the  old  waterman  quietly 


return,   I    exchanged 


'  Inclosed  in  the  letter  to  Wetshington  was  one  for  Mrs.  Arnold,  who,  when  thus  made  acquainted  of  her 
husband's  safety,  became  more  quiet.  She  was  treated  with  great  tenderness  by  Washington,  and  was  soon 
afterward  sent  to  New  York  under  an  escort,  and  joined  her  husband.  Her  affection  survived  his  honor, 
and  throutrh  all  his  subsequent  career  she  exemplified  the  character  of  a  true  woman's  love,  which  often 
"Clings  like  ivy  to  a  worthless  thing." 

*  The  position  of  Colonel  Livingston  at  Verplanck's  Point,  with  some  circumstances  that  appeared  sus- 
picious, made  him  liable  to  be  distrusted,  for  it  might  fairly  be  presumed  that  he  was  directly  or  indirectly 
concerned  in  Arnold's  movements.  By  a  brief  letter,  Washington  ordered  Livingston  to  come  to  head-quar- 
ters immediately.  Conscious  of  his  integrity,  that  officer  promptly  obeyed,  but  he  expected  his  conduct 
would  be  subjected  to  a  strict  investigation.  Washington  made  no  inquiries.  He  told  him  that  he  had  more 
explicit  orders  to  give  than  he  could  well  communicate  by  letter,  and  that  was  the  object  of  calling  him  to 
the  Highlands.  "It  is  a  source  of  gratification  to  me,"  said  the  commander-in-chief,  "that  the  post  was 
in  the  hands  of  an  officer  so  devoted  as  yourself  to  the  cause  of  your  country."  Washington's  confidence 
vvas  not  misplaced,  for  there  was  not  a  purer  patriot  in  that  war  than  Henry  Livingston. 

'  Dwight's  Travels  in  New  England. 

*  This  view  is  taken  from  the  Hudson  River  rail-road,  looking  north.  The  dock,  covered  with  cord  wood, 
is  seen  near  the  point  on  the  left.  It  is  at  the  termination  of  a  marsh,  near  the  point  of  a  bold,  rocky  prom- 
ontory, through  which  is  a  deep  rock  cutting  for  the  road.    The  distant  hills  on  the  extreme  left  are  on  the 


730  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Buttermilk  Falls.  Ride  to  Fort  Montgomery.  Mrs.  Rose.  A  speculating  Daughter. 

fishing,  and  apparently  unconscious  that  two  hours  had  elapsed  since  we  parted.  He  locked 
his  oars,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  at  the  foot  of  Buttermilk  Falls.  I  clambered  up 
the  steep,  rough  road  under  the  cliff,  to  the  village,  dined  at  a  late  hour  upon  cold  mutton 
and  stale  bread,  and  in  a  light  wagon,  procured  with  difficulty  for  the  occasion,  set  off,  with 
a  boy  driver,  for  Fort  Montgomery,  about  four  miles  below.  For  half  the  distance  the  road 
(which  is  the  old  military  one  of  the  Pwevolution)  was  smooth  ;  the  residue  of  the  way  was 
as  rough  as  rocks  and  gulleys  could  make  it.  On  every  side  huge  bowlders,  many  of  them 
ten  feet  in  diameter,  lie  scattered  over  the  bare  flat  rocks,  like  fruit  shaken  from  a  tree  in 
autumn.  They  become  more  numerous  toward  the  base  of  the  steep  mountain  range  on  the 
west,  where  they  lie  in  vast  masses,  like  mighty  pebbles  rolled  up  by  the  waves  upon  the 
shore.      Here  the  geologist  has  a  wonderful  page  spread  out  for  his  contemplation. 

Within  a  short  distance  of  Fort  Montgomery,  we  turned  up  a  rough  mountain  road  to 
visit  an  old  lady  named  Rebecca  Rose,  eighty  years  of  age,  who  lived  close  by  Fort  Mont- 
gomery at  the  time  it  was  taken  by  the  enemy.  I  found  her  upon  a  bed  of  sickness,  too 
feeble  then  to  converse,  but  at  a  subsequent  visit  she  was  well  and  communicative.  She 
was  a  child  only  seven  or  eight  years  old,  and  has  no  distinct  recollection  of  events  at  the 
taking  of  the  forts,  except  her  care  and  anxiety  in  concealing  her  rag  babies  in  a  sap  trough, 
while  her  parents  were  hiding  their  property  in  the  woods.  Her  father  was  a  tanner  and 
shoemaker,  in  the  employ  of  the  garrison  at  the  two  forts.  The  British  tried  to  frighten 
him  into  the  performance  of  the  duty  of  a  guide  for  them,  by  twice  hauling  him  up  to  an 
apple-tree  with  a  halter  around  his  neck.  He  resolutely  defied  them,  and  they  passed  on. 
From  the  cottage  of  Mrs.  Rose,  among  the  hills,  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  views  of  rock 
and  forest,  cliff  and  river,  imaginable  ;  overlooking  Forts  Montgomery  and  Clinton,  the  Race 
flanked  by  Anthony's  Nose  and  the  Dunderberg,  and  the  fertile  hills  of  West  Chester  in 
the  distance. 

Near  Mrs.  Rose  lived  an  old  soldier  who  was  wounded  at  the  siege  of  Fort  Montgomery. 
I  found  him  living  with  his  daughter,  a  little  plump  widow  of  fifty,  in  a  cottage  beside  a 
clear  stream  that  comes  leaping  down  from  the  hills.  He  was  a  private  in  Captain  De 
Vere's  company,  Colonel  Dubois's  regiment,  and  was  bayoneted  in  the  thigh  when  the  enemy 
made  their  way  over  the  ramparts  of  Fort  Montgomery  and  fought  the  garrison  hand  to 
hand.  Although  nearly  ninety  years  old,  he  was  vigorous  and  talked  sensibly.  I  asked  the 
privilege  of  sketching  his  portrait,  which  he  readily  granted,  and  I  was  about  unlocking  my 
port-folio  for  the  purpose,  when  his  daughter,  resting  upon  a  broom  handle,  and  assuming  the 
shrewd  look  of  a  speculator,  inquired,  "  What'll  ye  give?"  "  For  what  ?"  I  inquired.  "  For 
daddy's  likeness,"  she  answered.  Unacquainted  with  the  market  value  of  such  commodi- 
ties, and  being  doubtful  as  to  the  present  sample  possessing  much  intrinsic  worth,  I  made 
the  indefinite  offer  of  "  What  is  right."  "No,  no,"  she  said,  tuning  her  voice  to  a  higher 
key,  and  beginning  to  sweep  the  floor  vigorously,  "  you  sha'n't  look  at  him  till  you  tell  me 
what  you'll  give.  We've  been  cheated  enough  a'ready.  Two  scamps  come  along  here  last 
week,  and  told  my  darter  they'd  make  a  likeness  on  her  for  their  breakfasts,  and  they  on'y 
guv  her  a  nasty  piece  of  black  paper,  that  had  a  nose  no  more  like  sis's  than  that  tea-pot 
spout.  No,  sir ;  give  me  a  half  a  dollar,  or  clear  out  quick  I"  The  more  fortunate  sil- 
houettists  had  evidently  ruined  my  prospects  for  a  gratuitous  sitting  of  the  old  soldier  ;  and 
feeling  very  doubtful  whether  the  demanded  half  dollar,  if  paid,  would  add  a  mite  to  his 
comforts,  I  respectfully  declined  giving  the  price.  The  filial  regard  of  the  dear  woman  was 
terribly  shocked,  and  she  called  me  a  cheat  and  other  hard  names.  I  shook  hands  with  the 
old  "  Continentaler"  as  I  rose  to  depart,  and  turning  quietly  to  the  dame,  who  was  yet. 
sweeping  around  the  room  in  a  towering  passion,  invited  her  to  sit  for  her  portrait !  This 
produced  a  climax ;  she  seized  the  broom  by  the  brush  ;  I  saved  my  head  by  closing  the 
door  between  us.      I  walked  off  unscathed  and  much  amused,  in  the  midst  of  a  perfect 

west  side  of  the  Hudson ;  and  through  the  gorge  fornied  for  the  road  may  be  seen  the  military  edifices  of 
West  Point. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


731 


Sites  of  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery. 


Lake  Sinnipinls. 


Beverly  Garrison. 


View  near  Kokt  Montcomehv.' 


shower  of  grape-shot  from  her  tongue-battery,  compelled  to  content  myself  with  a  pen  and 

ink  sketch  of  the  hornet  instead  of  the  one  I  had  asked  for. 

^.^^-^^^^  We  descended  the  hills,  and  proceeded 

to  the  site  of  Fort  Montgomery,  a  rough 
promontory  on  the  north  side  of  Peploap's, 
or  Poplopen's,  Kill.'  It  terminates  in  a 
steep  cliff  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream,  and 
was  an  admirable  situation  for  a  strong  for- 
tress to  command  the  river.  Almost  the 
entire  line  of  the  fortifications  may  be  trac- 
ed upon  the  brow  of  the  cliff,  which  is 
rocky,  and  bare  of  every  thing  but  stinted 
grass  and  dwarf  cedars.  More  than  half 
way  down  to  the  water's  edge  are  the  re- 
mains of  the  two-gun-battery  which  was 
placed  there  to  cover  the  chain  and  chev- 
aux  de  frise  which  were  stretched  across 

the  river  from  the  upper  side  of  Poplopen's  Kill  to  Anthony's  Nose. 

We  crossed  to  the  southern  side  of  the  stream,  and  clambered  up  a  winding  and  romantic 

pathway  among  cedars,  chestnuts,  and  sassafras,  to  the  high  table  land  whereon  stood  Fort 

Clinton,  within  rifle  shot  of  Fort  Montgomery.      A  fine  mansion,  belonging  to  Mrs.  Pell, 

with  cultivated  grounds  around  it,  occupy  the  area  within  the  ravelins  of  the  old  fort.     The 

banks  of  the  fortress  have  been  leveled,  its  fosse  filled  up,  and  not  a  vestige  of  it  remains. 

About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  Mrs.  Pell's  is 

Lake  Sinnipink,  a  small  sheet  of  crystal  water, 

surrounded  by  the  primitive  forest,  and  as  wild 

in  its  accompaniments  as  when  the  Indian  cast 

his  bait  in  its  deep  waters.      From  its  western 

rim  rises  the  highest  peak  of  Bear  Mountain  to 

an  altitude  of  more  than  a  thousand  feet.     The 

lake  itself  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  feet 

above  the  river. 

Near  the  north  end  of  Lake  Sinnipink,  on  the 

river  slope  of  the  hills,  stands  the  cottage  of  the 

aged  Beverly  Garrison,  a  hale  old  man  of  eighty- 
seven  years.      He  was  a  stout  lad  of  fourteen 

when  the  forts  were  taken.      His  father,  who 

worked  a  great  deal  for  Beverly  Robinson,  and 

admired  him,  named  this  boy  in  honor  of  that 

gentleman.      When  the  British  approached  the  Lake  Sinnipink,  oe  Bloodv  Ponu.j 

^  This  kill,  or  creek,  is  the  dividing  line  between  the  towns  of  Monroe  and  Cornwall,  in  Orange  county. 
Its  correct  orthography  is  uncertain.  Upon  a  map  of  the  State  of  New  York  made  in  1779  it  is  called  Cop- 
lap^s  Kill ;  in  the  British  plan  of  the  engagements  there,  of  which  the  map  given  on  page  166  is  a  copy,  it 
is  spelled  Peploap's ;  Romans,  who  was  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  forts,  wrote  it  Pooploop's. 

*  This  view  is  from  an  eminence  near  the  mountain  road,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  the  rear  of 
Fort  Montgomery.  In  the  distance,  the  cultivated  slopes  of  West  Chester,  between  Peekskill  and  Ver- 
planck's  Point,  are  seen.  On  the  left  is  the  high,  rocky  promontory  called  Anthony's  Nose;  on  the  right 
is  the  Dunderberg,  with  a  portion  of  Beveridge's  Island ;  the  buildings  in  the  center  of  the  picture,  owned 
by  Mrs.  Pells  indicate  the  site  of  Fort  Clinton ;  toward  the  right  is  seen  the  deep  ravine  through  which 
flows  Poplopen's  Creek,  and  on  the  extreme  right,  partly  hidden  by  the  tree  in  the  foreground,  and  fronting 
the  river,  is  the  site  of  Fort  Montgomery.  The  scenery  from  this  point  of  view  is  indeed  magnificent 
This  picture  is  from  a  pencil  sketch  by  Tice,  who  accompanied  me  to  the  spot. 

^  This  view  is  from  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  within  a  few  rods  of  the  spot  where  a  large  number  of  the 
Americans  and  British  were  slain  in  a  preliminary  skirmish  on  the  afternoon  when  the  forts  were  taken. 
The  bodies  were  thrown  into  the  lake,  and  from  that  circumstance  it  was  afterward  called  Bloody  Pond. 


732 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


\ 


Mr.  Garrison's  Recollections. 


'  Captain  Molly." 


Character  of  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery. 


Chetaux  defri$e. 


forts,  Beverly  and  his  father,  who  was  wagon-master  at  Fort  Montgomery,  were  ordered  to 
take  a  large  iron  cannon  to  the  outworks  on  the  neck  of  the  promontory.      While  thus  en- 


gaged, they  were  made  pris- 
oners ;  but  Beverly,  being  a 
boy,  was  allowed  his  liberty. 
He  told  me  that  he  was 
standing  on  the  ramparts  of 
Fort  Montgomery  on  the 
morning  when  Arnold  passed 
by,  in  his  barge,  fleeing  to 
the  Vulture,  and  that  he  rec- 
ognized the  general,  as  well 
as  Larvey,  his  coxswain.  He 
also  informed  me  that  a  Tory, 
named  Brom  Springster,  pi- 
loted the  enemy  over  the 
Dunderberg  to  the  forts. 
Brom  afterward  became  a 
prisoner    to   the   patriots, 


but  his  life  was  spared  on 
condition  that  he  should  pilot 
Wayne  on  his  expedition  over 
the  same  rugged  hills  to  at- 
tack Stony  Point.  Mr.  Gar- 
rison remembered  the  famous 
Irish  woman  called  Captain 
Molly,  the  wife  of  a  cannon- 
ier,  who  worked  a  field-piece 
at  the  battle  of  Monmouth, 
on  the  death  of  her  husband. 
She  generally  dressed  in  the 
petticoats  of  her  ?,g%,  with  at. 


artilleryman's   coat   over. 

V  lJ^  Cii/yh^^  She  was  in  Fort  Clinton, 
J^  ^■'Cf^  Y  /y  ^  with  her  husband,  when  it 
<-_y  was  attacked.     When  the 

Americans  retreated  from  the  fort,  as  the  enemy  scaled  the  ramparts,  her  husband  dropped 
his  match  and  fled.  Molly  caught  it  up,  touched  off  the  piece,  and  then  scampered  off.  It 
was  the  last  gun  fired  by  the  Americans  in  the  fort.  Mrs.  Rose  (just  mentioned)  remem- 
bers her  as  Dirty  Kate,  living  between  Fort  Montgomery  and  Buttermilk  Falls,  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  where  she  died  a  horrible  death  from  the  effects  of  a  syphilitic  disease.  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to  this  bold  camp-follower,  whom  Washington  honored  with  a 
sergeant's  commission  for  her  bravery  on  the  field  of  Monmouth,  nearly  nine  months  after- 
ward, when  reviewing  the  events  of  that  battle. 

Here,  by  the  clear  spring  which  bubbles  up  near  the  cottage  of  the  old  patriot,  and  in 
the  shadow  of  Bear  Mountain,  behind  which  the  sun  is  declining,  let  us  glance  at  the  Rev- 
olutionary history  of  this  region. 

Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery  were  included  in  the  Highland  fortifications  ordered  to 
be  constructed  in  1775—6.  These,  like  Fort  Constitution,  were  commenced  by  Bernard 
Romans,  assisted  by  skillful  French  engineers,  and  were  finally  completed  under  the  super- 
intendence of  Captain  Thomas  Machin.  Fort  Montgomery  was  of  sufficient  size  to  accom- 
modate eight  hundred  men  ;  Fort  Clinton  was  only  about  half  as  large.  They  were  built 
of  stones  and  earth,  and  were  completed  in  the  spring  of  1776.  Pursuant  to  a  recommend- 
ation of  Romans,  made  the  previous  autumn,  preparations  were  made  to  place  obstructions 
in  the  river  from  the  mouth  of  Poplopen's,  or  Peploap's  Kill,  to  Anthony's  Nose,  opposite. 
These  obstructions,  which  were  not  completed  until  the  autumn  of  1777,  just  before  the 
forts  were  attacked,  consisted  of  a  vrey  strong  boom,  and  heavy  iron  chain.'  The  lat- 
ter,   eighteen  in  length,  was 

hundred    feet   ^^-^'•' '''"'^"MiiiBiiiiffiftiwiiii'iiiiiaiiMMnimiw »'«" i.nii niHii!Miinii;iniiiii!aiiiiini!'M«i:e!i ii!i!inii;i ■!!■  ;'■■ '  iOHJi. :■  ii^'-  'jip^  buoyed  up  by 

heavy  spars,  connected  by  iron  links,  and  also  by  large  raits  of  timber.  It  was  believed 
that  these  obstructions,  covered  by  the  guns  of  the  fort,  and  accompanied  by  several  armed 
vessels,  would  be  sufficient  to  effectually  prevent  the  enemy  from  ascending  the  river.  The 
result,  however,  was  otherwise. 


I 


'  Generals  Knox  and  Greene  visited  Fort  Montgomery  in  the  spring  of  1777,  in  company  with  General.* 
Wayne,  M'Dougal,  and  Clinton.  They  made  a  joint  report  to  Washington,  in  which  they  recoramendea 
the  completion  of  the  obstructions  substantially  as  they  were  afterward  done.  The  boom  and  the  chevaux 
de  frise  so  obstructed  the  current  of  the  river  (here  very  strong),  that  the  water  was  raised  two  or  three 
feet  above  them,  and  pressed  upon  them  heavily.  Twice  the  chain  was  parted  by  this  pressure  :  first,  a 
swivel,  which  came  from  Ticonderoga,  was  broken  ;  and  the  second  time  a  clevis,  which  was  made  ai 
Poughkeepsie,  gave  way. 


OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  733 


condition  of  the  British  Forces.    Putnam's  intended  Expedition.    Sir  Henry  Clinton's  Stratagem.    Landing  of  British  Troops. 

When  Burgoyne  found  himself  environed  with  difficulties  at  Saratosa,  and  perceived  the 
rapid  augmentation  of  the  American  army  under  Gates,  he  dispatched  messengers  to  Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  then  commanding  at  New  York  in  the  absence  of  General  Howe,'  urging 
him  to  make  a  diversion  in  his  favor,  and  join  him,  if  possible,  with  a  force  sufficient  to  scat- 
ter the  half-disciplined  provincials.  Clinton  was  eager  to  comply  ;  but  a  re-enforcement  of 
troops  from  Europe,  erpected  for  several  weeks,  was  still  delayed.  This  force,  amounting 
to  almost  two  thousand  men,  under  General  Robertson,  arrived  at  the  beginning  of  Oc- 
tcber.  Having  sailed  in  Dutch  bottoms,  they  were  three  months  on  the  voyage.  The 
first  battle  of  Stillwater  had  now  been  fought,  and  the  second  was  nigh  at  hand.  Putnam 
was  in  the  Highlands,  with  fifteen  hundred  men  ;  his  head-quarters  were  at  Peekskill. 
Washington  had  drawn  upon  Putnam,  toward  the  close  of  September,  for  twenty-five  hund- 
red troops,  to  aid  in  defending  Philadelphia  and  the  works  on  the  Delaware,  then  menaced 
by  the  enemy.*  Their  places  were  supplied  by  militia  of  Xew  York  and  Connecticut ;  but, 
apprehending  no  hostile  movement  up  the  Hudson,  Putnam  had  discharged  about  one  thou- 
sand of  them,  leaving  his  efiective  force  only  fifteen  hundred  strong.  Forts  Clinton  and 
Montgomery,  commanded  by  the  brothers  James  and  George  Clinton,  were  feebly  garrisoned  ; 
in  both  fortresses  there  were  not  more  than  six  hundred  men,  chiefly  militia  from  Dutchess 
and  Ulster.  There  was  a  fortification  near  Peekskill,  called  Fort  Independence,  which  was 
also  feebly  garrisoned  ;  in  fact,  the  Highland  posts  were  almost  defenseless  against  a  respect- 
able demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  arrival  of  re-enforcements.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  prepared  for  an  expedition  up  the 
Hudson,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  American  stores  at  Peekskill,  but  chiefly  to 
make  a  diversion  in  favor  of  Burgovne.      On  Saturday  evenin?,  the  4th  of  October, 

•  '"  1777 

he  proceeded  up  the  river  in  flat  boats  and  transports,  with  about  five  thousand  men, 
and  landed  at  Tarrytown,  nearly  thirty  miles  from  Xew  York.'  This  was  a  feint  to  de- 
ceive General  Putnam  into  the  belief  that  Peekskill  was  his  destination.  To  strensrthen 
this  belief,  and  to  divert  Putnam's  attention  from  the  Highland  forts,  Clinton  proceeded  on 
Sunday,  with  three  thousand  troops,  to  Verplanck's  Point,  eight  miles  below  Peekskill,  where 
he  debarked.  General  Putnam  fell  back,  on  his  approach,  to  the  high  ground  in  the  rear 
of  Peekskill,  and  sent  a  messenger  to  Governor  Clinton,  desiring  him  to  send  to  his  aid  as 
many  troops  as  he  could  spare  from  the  forts.  The  militia  in  the  vicinity  rallied  around 
Putnam,  and  he  had  about  two  thousand  men,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  5th,  to  dispute  the 
progress  of  the  enemy  up  the  Hudson,  either  by  land  or  water.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  per- 
ceived that  his  stratagem  was  successful,  and  the  next  morning,  under  cover  of  a  fog,  he 
passed  two  thousand  of  his  troops  over  to  Stony  Point,  whence  they  made  their  wav  amonir 
the  tangled  defiles  and  lofty  crags  of  the  Dunderberg  to  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery, 
twelve  miles  distant.  The  transports  were  anchored  near  Stony  Point,  and  the  corps  of 
Loyalists,  under  Colonels  Bayard  and  Fanning,  remained  at  Verplanck's  Point.  A  detach, 
ment  was  left  near  Stony  Point,  to  guard  the  pass  and  preserve  a  communication  with  the 
fleet.  Three  frigates,  the  Tartar,  Preston,  and  Mercur)',  proceeded  up  the  river  to  a  posi- 
tion between  what  is  now  known  as  Caldwell's  Landing  and  Fort  Independence,  and  within 
cannon-shot  of  the  latter. 

Governor  Clinton  received  advices  on  Sunday  night  of  the  arrival  of  the  enemy's  ships 
and  transports  at  Tarrytown,  and,  on  Monday  morning,  a  scouting  party  of  one  hundred 

-  General  Howe  was  now  in  Pennsylvania.  His  anny  was  encamped  at  Germantown,  and  being  in  pos- 
session of  Philadelphia,  he  had  established  his  headquarters  in  that  city. 

'  When  this  requisition  was  made.  Putnam  was  preparing  a  plan  for  attackins  the  enemv  at  four  different 
points  :  Staten  Island,  Long  Island.  Paulus's  Hook,  and  Xew  York.  He  relied  upon  the  militia  of  Connecti- 
cut, New  York,  and  New  Jersey,  to  accomplish  his  designs.  Fortunately,  Washington  made  his  requisi- 
tion in  time  to  prevent  what  must  have  proved  a  disastrous  expedition. 

'  Colonel  Luddington  was  posted  at  Tarrytown  with  about  five  hundred  militia.  Clinton  sent  a  fla?  with 
a  peremptory  summons  for  them  to  surrender  themselves  prisoners  of  war.  VThile  parleying  with  the  flair, 
the  enemy  endeavored  tu  surround  the  militia,  which  Luddington  perceiving,  he  ordered  a  retreat.  The 
B.ntish  then  returned  to  their  shipping. 


734 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Governor  Clinton  informed  of  the  Landing  of  the  British. 


A  reconnoitering  Party. 


Skirmish  near  Doodletown . 


men  under  Major  Logan,  which  he  had 
sent  to  the  Dunderberg  to  watch  the  mo- 
tions of  the  enemy,  returned  with  inform- 
ation that  about  forty  boats,  filled  with 
troops,  had  landed  near  Stony  Point.  An- 
other party  of  thirty  men  was  sent  out 
upon  the  mountain  road  leading  from  Fort 
Clinton  to  Haverstraw ;  and  at  a  place 
called  Doodletown,  three  miles  south  from 
the  fort,  they  fell  in  with  the  advanced 


guard  of  the  approaching  British.  The 
Americans  were  ordered  to  surrender,  but 
refused,  when  the  enemy  fired  upon  them. 
They  returned  the  fire  with  spirit,  and  re- 
treated to  the  fort  without  losing  a  man. 
The  design  of  the  enemy  was  now  appa- 
rent. It  was  past  noon,  and  no  intelli- 
gence had  been  received  from  Putnam. 
Clinton  had  dispatched  a  messenger  to  that 
officer,  requesting  him  to  send  him  a  strong 


'  Thi.s  view  is  from  Peekskill  landing,  looking  up  the  river.     On  the  left  is  the  Dunderberg,  or  Thunder 
Mountain,  over  which  the  troops  marched  to  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery.     The  dark  spot  on  the  brink 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


Treachery  of  a  Messenger.         Putnam  deceived.         Skirmish  near  Fort  Montgomery.         Forte  ordered  to  be  Surrendered. 

le-enforcement  to  defend  the  forts.  The  messenger,  whose  name  was  Waterbury,  treacher- 
ously delayed  his  journey,  and  the  next  day  deserted  to  the  enemy.  In  the  mean  while, 
Putnam,  astonished  at  hearing  nothing  further  from  the  enemy,  rode  to  reconnoiter,  and  did 
not  return  to  his  head-quarters,  near  Continental  "Village,  until  after  the  firing  was  heard  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river.  Colonel  Humphreys,  who  was  alone  at  head-quarters  when  the 
firing  began,  urged  Colonel  Wyllys,  the  senior  officer  in  camp,  to  send  all  the  men  not  on 
duty  to  Fort  Montgomery.'  He  immediately  complied,  but  it  was  too  late.  It  was  twi- 
light before  they  reached  the  river,  and  the  enemy  had  then  accomplished  their  purpose. 

The  British  army,  piloted  by  a  Tory,  traversed  the  Dunderberg  in  a  single  column,  and 
at  its  northern  base  separated  into  two  divisions.  One  division,  under  Lieutenant-colonel 
Campbell,  consisting  of  nine  hundred  men,  was  destined  for  the  attack  on  Fort  Montgomery  ; 
the  other,  under  the  immediate  command  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  consisting  of  an  equal 
number,  was  to  storm  Fort  Clinton.  There  was  a  large  body  of  Hessians  in  each  division. 
Governor  Clinton,  on  hearing  of  the  attack  upon  his  scouts  near  Doodletown,  sent  out  a  de- 
tachment of  more  than  one  hundred  men,  under  Colonels  Bruyn  and  M'Claghrey,"  with  a 
brass  field-piece  and  sixty  men,  to  an  advantageous  post  on  the  road  to  Orange  furnace.  As 
the  enemy  approached,  another  detachment  of  one  hundred  men  was  sent  to  the  same  point, 
but  they  were  pressed  back  by  the  bayonets  of  a  superior  force,  and  retreated  to  a  twelve- 
pounder  in  the  rear,  leaving  their  guns  (which  they  spiked)  in  possession  of  the  assailants. 
With  the  second  cannon  they  did  great  execution,  until  it  bursted,  when  they  retreated  to 
Fort  Montgomery,  followed  by  Emerick's  corps  of  chasseurs,  a  corps  of  Loyalists  and  New 
York  volunteers,  and  the  fifty-second  and  fifty-seventh  British  regiments,  under  Campbell. 
The  pursued  kept  up  a  galling  fire  with  small-arms  while  on  their  retreat,  and  slew  many 
of  the  enemy. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  the  mean  while,  made  his  way  toward  Fort  Clinton  with  much 
difficulty,  for  upon  a  narrow  pass  between  the  Sinnipink  Lake  at  the  foot  of  Bear  Mount- 
ain and  the  high  river  bank  was  a  strong  abatis.'  This  was  overcome  after  much  hard 
fighting,  and  at  about  four  o'clock  both  forts  were  invested  by  the  enemy.  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton sent  a  flag,  with  a  summons  for  both  garrisons  to  surrender  prisoners  of  war  within  five 
minutes,  or  they  would  all  be  put  to  the  sword.  Lieutenant-colonel  Livingston  was  sent  by 
Governor  Clinton  to  receive  the  flag,  and  to  inform  the  enemy  that  the  Americans  were  de- 
termined to  defend  the  forts  to  the  last  extremity.      The  action  was  immediately  renewed 

i>f  the  river,  upon  the  extreme  left,  shows  the  place  of  the  coffer-dam  made  by  the  deluded  seekers  after 
Captain  Kidd's  treasure.  At  the  water's  edge,  on  the  right,  is  seen  the  grading  of  the  Hudson  River  rail- 
road, in  course  of  construction  when  the  sketch  was  made.  The  dark  mountain  on  the  right  is  Anthony's 
Nose.  Intermediately,  and  projecting  far  into  the  river,  is  a  high,  sandy  bluff",  on  which  stood  Fort  Inde- 
pendence. Further  on  is  Beveridge's  Island ;  and  in  the  extreme  distance,  behind  the  flag-staff",  is  seen  Bear 
Mountain.  Between  the  point  of  Fort  Independence  and  the  rock  cutting  of  the  rail-road  is  the  mouth  of 
the  Peek's  Kill,  or  Peek's  Creek.  The  Plan  of  the  attack  here  given  is  copied  from  the  narrative  of  Stedman, 
a  British  officer,  and  appears  to  be  mainly  correct.     The  reader  may  correct  the  slight  errors  by  the  text. 

*  See  Humphreys's  Life  of  Putnam.  This  detachment  seems  to  have  been  mistaken  by  Stedman  for  the 
whole  array  under  Putnam,  for  on  his  map,  at  the  top,  he  says,  "  General  Putnam  with  2000  men  endeav- 
oring to  cross  the  river." 

*  In  connection  with  a  notice  of  Colonel  M'Claghrey,  who  was  made  a  prisoner  at  the  capture  of  the  fort, 
Mr.  Eager,  in  his  History  of  Orange  County,  makes  a  slight  error.  He  says  he  was  taken  to  New  York, 
and  confined  in  the  Hospital.  In  the  room  above  him,  he  affirms,  was  Colonel  Ethan  Allen,  who  had  been 
a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  British  since  the  autumn  of  1775.  The  floor  between  them  was  full  of  .wide 
cracks,  through  one  of  which  IM'Claghrcy,  who  had  heard  of  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  passed  a  scrap  of 
paper  to  Allen,  on  which  he  had  written  the  information.  Allen  immediately  went  to  his  window,  and 
nailed  out  to  some  British  officers  passing  in  the  street,  "  Burgoyne  has  marched  to  Boston  to  the  tune  of 
Yankee  Doodle."  "  For  this  and  other  off'enses,  we  believe,"  says  Mr.  Eager,  "  Allen  was  sent  to  En- 
gland in  chains."  Quite  the  contrary.  He  was  sent  to  England  in  irons  two  years  before,  and  had  re- 
turned to  New  York,  where  he  was  admitted  to  his  parole.  In  January,  1777,  he  was  ordered  to  reside 
on  Long  Island ;  and  in  August  following  he  was  sent  to  the  provost  jail,  where  ho  remained  until  ex- 
changed in  May,  1778. 

^  These  abatis  were  placed  on  the  margin  of  the  outlet  of  Lake  Sinipink,  near  its  center,  the  place  from 
which  the  view  on  page  731  was  sketched 


73G  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Attack  on  Forts  Clinton  £ind  Montgomery.  Flight  of  the  Americans.  Destruction  of  Vessels  and  the  Chevaux  de  frise. 

with  great  vigor  on  both  sides.  The  British  vessels  under  Commodore  (afterward  Admiral) 
[lotham  approached  within  cannon  shot  of  the  forts,  and  opened  a  desultory  fire  upon  them, 
and  on  some  American  vessels  lying  above  the  chevaux  defrise}  At  the  same  time,  Count 
Grabowski,  a  brave  Pole,  and  Lord  Rawdon,  led  the  grenadiers  to  the  charge  on  Fort  Mont- 
tiOmery.  The  battle  continued  until  twilight,  when  the  superior  number  of  the  assailants 
(>bliged  the  patriots  at  both  forts  to  give  way,  and  attempt  a  scattered  retreat  or  escape. 
It  was  a  cloudy  evening,  and  the  darkness  came  on  suddenly.  This  favored  the  Americans 
in  their  flight,  and  a  large  proportion  of  those  who  escaped  the  slaughter  of  the  battle  made 
their  way  to  the  neighboring  mountains  in  safety.  The  brothers  who  commanded  the  forts 
escaped.  General  James  Clinton  was  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh  by  a  bayonet,  but  es- 
caped to  the  mountains,  and  reached  his  residence  in  Orange  county,  sixteen  miles  distant, 
the  next  day,  where  he  was  joined  by  his  brother  George,  and  about  two  hundred  of  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  battle.  Lieutenant-colonels  Livingston,  Bruyn,  and  Claghery,  and  Majors 
Hamilton  and  Logan,  were  made  prisoners.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  prisoners,  was  about  three  hundred  ;  that  of  the  British  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
in  killed  and  wounded,  among  whom  were  Colonel  Campbell  and  Count  Grabowski." 

Above  the  boom  the  Americans  had  two  frigates,  two  galleys,  and  an  armed  sloop.  On 
the  fall  of  the  forts,  the  crews  of  these  vessels  spread  their  sails,  and,  slipping  their  cables, 
attempted  to  escape  up  the  river,  but  the  wind  was  adverse,  and  they  were  obliged  to  aban- 
don them.  They  set  them  on  fire  when  they  left,  to  prevent  their  falling  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy.  "  The  flames  suddenly  broke  forth,  and,  as  every  sail  was  set,  the  vessels  soon 
became  magnificent  pyramids  of  fire.  The  reflection  on  the  steep  face  of  the  opposite  mount- 
ain, and  the  long  train  of  ruddy  light  which  shone  upon  the  water  for  a  prodigious  distance, 
had  a  wonderful  efi^cct ;  while  the  ear  was  awfully  filled  with  the  continued  echoes  from  the 
rocky  shores,  as  the  flames  gradually  reached  the  loaded  cannons.  The  whole  was  sub- 
limely terminated  by  the  explosions,  which  left  all  again  in  darkness."'  Early  in  the  raorn- 
October?  i"^'  the  obstructions  in  the  river,  which  had  cost  the  Americans  a  quarter  of  a 
^'''''^-  million  of  dollars.  Continental  money,  were  destroyed  by  the  British  fleet.  Fort 
Constitution,  opposite  West  Point,  was  abandoned,  and  the   enemy  had   a  clear 

passage  up  the  Hudson.      Vaughan  and  Wallace       ^^^/      sailed  up  the  river  upon  their 
marauding  expedition,  and,  as  we  have  before  no- 
ticed, burned  Kingston,  or  Esopus.    It  was  deemed 
too  late  to  assist  Burgoyne  by  a  junction  with 
him,  for  on  that  very  day  the  second  battle 
of  Stillwater,  so  disastrous  to  that  com- 
mander, was  fought ;  ten  days  aft- 
erward he  and  his  whole  army 
were  captives.      Yet  the  fall  of 
the  Highland  forts  was  a  seri- 
ous blow  to  the  Americans,  for  quite  a  large  quantity  of  ordnance  and  ammunition  was  col- 
lected there.* 

*  An  account  in  the  Annual  Register  for  1778  says  that  the  British  galleys  approached  so  near  the  forts 
that  the  men  could  touch  the  walls  with  their  oars  !  Both  forts  were  upon  a  precipice  more  than  one  hund- 
red feet  above  the  water,  rather  beyond  the  reach  of  oars  of  ordinary  length. 

2  Count  Grabowski  fell  at  the  foot  of  the  ramparts  of  Fort  Montgomery,  pierced  by  three  bullets.  He 
gave  his  sword  to  a  grenadier,  with  a  request  that  he  would  convey  it  to  Lord  Rawdon,  with  the  assurance 
of  the  owner  that  he  died  as  a  brave  soldier  ought  to. — Sledman,  i.,  362.  A  pile  of  stones  still  marks  the 
burial-place  of  the  count. 

^  Stedman,  i.,  364. 

■*  The  Americans  lost  67  cannons  in  the  forts,  and  over  30  in  the  vessels,  making  a  total  of  more  than  100 
pieces.  Also,  54  casks,  11  half  barrels,  and  12,236  pounds  of  loose  powder,  exclusive  of  what  was  in  the 
vessels.  There  were  also  1852  cannon  cartridges,  and  57,396  for  muskets.  Also,  9530  round  cannon 
shot,  886  double-headed,  2483  grape  and  case,  and  36  cwt.  of  langridge ;  1279  pounds  of  musket  balls, 
116  pounds  of  buck  shot,  and  5400  flints.  In  addition  to  these  were  stores  of  various  kinds,  such  as  gun- 
carriages,  port-fires,  tools,  &c.,  in  great  plenty 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION.  737 


Evening  Voyage  in  a  Fisherman's  Shallop.  Anthony's  Nose.  Pcekskill.  Situation  or  the  Village 

It  was  almost  sunset  when  I  left  the  ruins  of  Fort  Montgomery  to  seek  for  a  watermaii 
to  carry  me  to  Peekskill,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  four  miles  distant.  The  regular  fer- 
ryman was  absent  on  duty,  and  after  considerable  search,  I  procured,  with  difficulty,  the 
services  of  a  fisherman  to  bear  me  to  the  distant  village.  We  embarked  at  twilight — a 
glorious  Indian  summer  twilight — the  river  as  calm  as  a  lake  of  the  valley. 

"  The  Dunderberg  sat  silently  beneath 
The  snowy  cloud.s,  that  form'd  a  vapory  wreath 

Above  its  peak.     The  Hud-son  swept  along 
Its  mighty  watcrs^-oh  !  had  I  a  pen 
Endued  with  master  gifts  and  genius,  then 
flight  I  aspire  to  tell  its  praise  in  song." 

Tho.m.^s  MacKell.\r. 

The  boat  was  a  scaly  affair,  and  the  piscatory  odor  was  not  very  agreeable  ;  nevertheless, 
I  had  no  alternative,  and,  turning  my  eyes  and  nose  toward  the  glowing  heavens,  I  tried 
to  imagine  myself  in  a  rose-scented  caique  in  the  Golden  Horn.  I  had  half  succeeded,  when 
three  or  four  loud  explosions,  that  shook  the  broad  mountains  and  awoke  an  hundred  echoes, 
broke  the  charrn,  and  notified  me  that  I  was  in  a  fisherman's  shallop,  and  a  little  too  near 
for  safety  to  St.  Anthony's  Nose,'  where  the  constructors  of  the  Hudson  lliver  rail-road,  then 
working  day  and  night,  were  blasting  an  orifice  through  that  nasal  feature  of  the  Highlands. 
We  sheered  off  toward  the  Dunderberg,  and,  shooting  across  Peekskill  Bay,  with  the  tidt- 
flowing  strongly  down  its  eastern  rim,  I  landed  in  time  for  a  warm  supper  at  the  "Atlantic." 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  I  made  the  sketch  from  Peekskill  landing  October, 
printed  on  page  166,  and  then  walked  up  to  the  village  on  the  slopes  and  hills,  by  a  ^^^*^- 
steep  winding  way  that  overlooks  a  deep  ravine,  wherein  several  iron  founderies  are  nestled. 
The  town  is  romantically  situated  among  the  hills,  and  from  some  of  its  more  prominent  points 
of  view  there  are  magnificent  prospects  of  the  river  and  Highland  scenery  in  the  vicinity. 
Here,  spreading  out  south  and  east  for  miles  around,  was  the  ancient  manor  of  Cortlandt,' 
stretching  along  and  far  above  the  whole  eastern  shore  of  Haverstraw  Bay,  and  extending 
back  to  the  Connecticut  line.  The  manor  house,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Croton  River,  is  yet 
standing.  Within  Peekskill  village,  opposite  the  West  Chester  County  Bank,  is  the  old  Bird- 
.sall  residence,  a  part  of  which,  as  seen  in  the  picture  upon  the  next  page,  is  a  grocery  store. 
This  building  was  erected  by  Daniel  Birdsall,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  village.  His  store 
was  the  first  one  erected  there.'     The  owner  and  occupant,  when  I  visited  it,  was  a  son  of 

'  This  is  a  high  rocky  promontory,  rising  to  an  altitude  of  twelve  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  tlie  level 
of  the  river,  and  situated  directly  opposite  Fort  INtontgomery.  The  origin  of  its  name  is  uncertain.  The 
late  proprietor  of  the  land,  General  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt,  says,  that  before  the  Revolution,  as  Captain  An- 
thony Hogans,  the  possessor  of  a  remarkable  nose,  was  sailing  near  the  place,  in  his  vessel,  his  mate  lookei! 
rather  quizzically  first  at  the  hill,  and  then  at  the  captain's  nose.  The  captain  comprehended  the  silent 
allusion,  and  said,  "  Does  that  look  like  my  nose  ?  If  it  does,  call  it  Anthony's  Nose,  if  you  please."  The 
story  got  abroad  on  shore,  and  it  has  since  borne  that  name.  Washington  Irving,  in  his  authentic  history 
of  New  York,  by  Diedrich  Knickerbocker,  gives  it  an  earlier  origin.  He  says  that  while  the  fiery-nosed 
Anthony  Van  Corlear,  the  trumpeter  of  one  of  the  Dutch  governors,  was  standing  one  morning  upon  the 
deck  of  an  exploring  vessel,  while  passing  this  promontory,  a  ray  of  the  sun,  darting  over  the  peak,  struck 
the  broad  side  of  the  trumpeter's  nose,  and,  glancing  ofT  into  the  water,  killed  a  sturgeon  !  What  else  could 
the  hill  be  called,  under  the  circumstances,  but  Anthony'' s  Nose  ? 

^  The  Courtlandts,  or  Van  Courtlandts,  are  descended  from  a  noble  Russian  family.  The  orthography, 
in  the  Dutch  language,  is  properly  korte-landt,  meaning  short  land,  a  term  expressing  the  peculiar  form  of 
the  ancient  duchy  of  Courland  in  Russia.  This  domain  constituted  a  portion  of  Livonia,  but  was  conquered 
by  the  Teutonic  knights  in  1561,  and  subsequently  became  a  fief  of  Poland.  It  remained  a  short  time  in- 
dependent, under  its  own  dukes,  after  the  fall  of  that  power,  but  in  1795  it  was  united  to  Russia.  The 
dukes  of  Courland  were  represented  in  1610  by  the  Right  Honorable  Steven  Van  Cortlandt,  then  residing 
at  Cortlandt,  in  South  Holland.  He  was  the  father  of  OlofT  Stevenson  Van  Cortlandt,  the  first  lord  of  the 
manor,  of  that  name,  on  the  Hudson. 

'  The  first  settlement  at  Peekskill  commenced  one  mile  north  of  the  present  village,  near  the  head  wa- 
ters of  the  creek.     The  name  is  derived  from  John  Peek,  one  of  the  early  Dutch  navigators,  who,  mistaking 
the  creek  for  the  course  of  the  river,  ran  his  yacht  ashore  where  the  first  settlement  was  commenced.     The 
settlement  of  the  present  village  was  commenced  in  1764. — Bolton's  History  of  West  Chester,  i.,  63. 
I.  Ana 


733 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


ITie  Birdsall  House. 


An  Octogenarian. 


Oall  HiU. 


Van  Cortlandt  House. 


Philip  Van  Cortlandt 


The  Bikdsaj.!,  House. 


the  first  owner,  and  was  then  eighty  years  of  age.     His  lady,  many  years  his  junior,  kindly 
showed  me  the  different  apartments  made  memorable  by  the  presence  and  occupancy  of  dis- 
tinguished men  in  the  E^evolution.     It  was  occupied 
_=.  by  Washington  when  the  head-quarters  of  the  army 

"^^  — -  were  there  ;   and  the  rooms  are  pointed  out  which 

were  used  by  the  chief  and  La  Fayette  as  sleeping 
apartments.  Chairs,  a  table,  and  an  old  clock  which 
has  told  the  hours  for  more  than  eighty  years,  are 
still  there  ;  and  in  the  parlor  where  Whitefield  once 
\  fSTW-li^      ]Wi.       '*  preached,  I  sat  and  sketched  one  of  the  pieces  of  this 

» I  3lii~  liMfiM  iiB — fi~   -5^^  venerable  furniture.      This  old  mansion,  projecting 

into  and  marring  the  regularity  of  the  street,  is  an 
eyesore  to  the  villagers,  and  when  the  present  owner 
shall  depart,  no  doubt  this  relic  will  be  removed  by 
the  desecrating  hand  of  improvement. 
On  leaving  the  Birdsall  House,  I  proceeded  to  visit  another  octogenarian  named  Sparks, 
whose  boyhood  and  long  life  have  been  passed  in  Peekskill.  I  found  him  sitting  in  the  sun, 
upon  his  stoop,  reading  a  newspaper  without  glasses,  and  his  little  grandson,  a  fair-haired 
child,  playing  at  his  feet.  For  an  hour  I  sat  and  listened  to  his  tales  of  the  olden  times, 
and  of  scenes  his  eyes  had  witnessed.  He  had  often  seen  Washington  and  his  suite  at  the 
Birdsall  House,  and  well  remembers  Putnam,  Heath,  M'Dougall,  and  other  officers  whose 
quarters  were  at  Peekskill.  He  never  became  a  soldier,  and  saw  only  one  battle  during  the 
war.  That  occurred  near  the  Van  Cortlandt  House,  two  miles  east  of  Peekskill,  between 
some  American  pickets  at  the  foot  of  Gallows  Hill,  and  a  picket  guard  of  the  enemy  at  the 
base  of  the  eminences  opposite.  They  were  too  near  each  other  to  keep  quiet,  and  a  skir- 
mish at  length  ensued.  "They  made  a  gi-eat  smoke  and  noise,"  said  Mr.  Sparks,  "but 
nobody  was  hurt  except  by  fright."  Pointing  to  a  huge  oak  standing  near  the  Peekskill 
Academy  on  Oak  Hill,  and  in  full  view  of  our  resting-place,  he  related  the  circumstance  of 
the  execution  of  a  British  spy,  named  Daniel  Strang,  upon  that  tree.  He  was  a  Tory,  and 
was  found  lurking  about  the  American  army  at  Peekskill  with  enlisting  orders  sewed  up  in 
his  clothes.  I  left  the  vigorous  old  man  to  enjoy  the  warm  sunlight  and  his  newspaper 
alone,  and  procuring  a  conveyance,  rode  out  to  Van  Cortlandt's  house  ;  the  church-yard, 
where  rest  the  remains  of  one  of  Andre's  captors  ;  Gallows  Hill,  famous  as  the  camping- 
ground  of  Putnam  for  a  short  period  during  the  Revolution,  and  to  Continental  Village,  the 
scene  of  one  of  Tryon's  marauding  expeditions. 

Van  Cortlandt's  house  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  fine  estates  of  that  family.' 
It  is  a  brick  mansion,  and  was  erected  in  1773.  It  stands  in  the  center  of  a  pleasant  lawn, 
shaded  by  locust  trees,  on  the  north  side  of  the  post-road.  It  was  occupied  by  Washington, 
for  a  brief  space,  as  head-quarters  ;   and  there  the  Van  Cortlandt  family  resided  in  safety, 


'  General  Philip  Van  Cortlandt  was  the  last  possessor  of  the  manor  house,  near  Croton,  by  entail.     He 
was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York  on  the  1st  of  September,  ^— ,  ^^  ^r 

1749,  and  was  reared  at  the  manor  house.     At  nineteen,  he        C/^    ■'^U^^^J-^L^-fl^t-ic^'i^^^ 
commenced  business  as  a  land  surveyor,  but  when  the  Revo-      "^  '     '     r^ 

lution  broke  out,  agreeing  in  sentiment  with  his  father,  Honorable  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt,  he  joined  the  Re- 
publican army.  His  Tory  relatives  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  his  purpose,  and  Governor  Tryon  forwarded 
him  a  major's  commission  in  the  Cortlandt  militia.  He  tore  it  in  pieces,  and  accepted  a  lieutenant  col- 
onel's commission  in  the  Continental  army.  He  was  appointed  a  colonel  in  1776,  and  in  that  capacity 
served  at  the  battles  of  Stillwater.  He  also  served  against  the  Indians  on  the  New  York  frontier  in  1778, 
and  in  1779-80  was  a  member  of  the  court  martial  convened  for  the  trial  of  Arnold.  He  commanded  a 
regiment  of  militia  under  La  Fayette  in  1781,  and  for  his  gallant  conduct  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  he  was 
promoted  to  a  brigadier's  command.  Seven  hundred  of  the  British  and  Hessian  prisoners  of  war  were  after- 
ward intrusted  to  his  care  while  on  their  march  from  Charlottesville  to  Fredericktown,  in  Maryland.  He 
was  for  sixteen  years  a  member  of  Congress,  but  in  1811  declined  a  re-election.  General  Van  Cortlandt 
accompanied  La  Fayette  in  his  tour  through  the.  United  States  in  1824.  He  died  at  the  manor  house,  at 
Ooton,  November  21st,  1831,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.     With  him  expired  the  property  entail. 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


739 


The  Cortlandt  Manor  House'. 


Paulding's  Monument,  and  St  Peter's  Church. 


Gallows  Hill. 


while  desolation  was  rife  around  them.  When  I  visited  the  mansion,  General  Pierre  Van 
Cortlandt,  the' late  owner  (brother  of  General  Philip  Van  Cortlandt,  of  the  manor  October, 
house),  had  been  dead  but  a  few  months.  Many  of  the  family  portraits  were  yet  ^'"^^• 
there,  some  of  them  more  than  one  hundred  years  old.  They  have  since  been  removed  to 
the  old  manor  house  at  Croton.  The  mansion  which  we  are  considering  was  occupied  for 
a  while  by  General  M'Dougall's  advanced  guard,  when  the  British  took  possession  of  Peeks- 
kill  in  March,  1777,  an  event  that  will  be  noticed  presently.  The  old  oak  tree  is  standing 
in  a  field  a  little  eastward  of  the  house,  which  was  used  for  the  purpose  of  a  military  whip- 
ping-post during  the  encampment  there.  It  is  green  and  vigorous,  and  so  regular  are  its 
branches,  that,  when  in  full  foliage,  its  form,  above  the  trunk,  is  a  perfect  sphere. 

Upon  a  knoll,  a  little  eastward  of  Van  Cortlandt's  house,  is  an  ancient  wooden  church, 
erected  in  1767  for  worship,  according  to  the  rituals  of  the  Church  of  England.      Within 

its  grave-yard,  which  spreads  over  the 
knoll  westward,  is  the  monument  erect- 
ed to  the  memory  of  John  Paulding, 
one  of  the  captors  of  Andre,  by  the  cor- 
poration of  the  city  of  New  York.  Tht 
monument  is  constructed  of  West  Ches 
ter  marble,  in  the  most  simple  form, 
consisting  of  a  pedestal  surmounted  by 
a  cone.  It  is  massive,  and  so  con 
structed  as  to  last  for  ages.  The  base 
of  the  pedestal  covers  a  square  of  seven 
feet,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  strong  iron 
railing.  The  height  is  about  thirteer. 
feet.  One  side  of  the  monument  ex 
hibits  a  representation,  in  low  relief,  oi 
the  face  of  the  medal  voted  by  Con 
gress  to  each  of  the  captors  of  Andre  ;  the  other  side  exhibits  the  reverse  of  the  medal.  The 
main  inscription  is  upon  the  western  panel  of  the  pedestal.^ 

From  the  old  church-yard  I  rode  to  the  summit  of  Gallows  Hill,  a  lofty  ridge  on  the 
north,  and  bared  of  trees  by  the  hand  of  cultivation.  It  is  famous  as  a  portion  of  the  camp- 
ground of  the  division  of  the  American  army  under  Putnam  in  1777,  and  also  as  the  place 
where  a  spy  was  executed,  from  vi'hich  circumstance  the  hill  derives  its  name.  Leaving  my 
vehicle  at  the  gate  of  a  farm-house  by  the  road  side,  I  crossed  the  fields  to  the  place  designated 
by  tradition  as  the  spot  where  the  old  chestnut-tree  stood,  near  which  the  spy  was  hanged. 
It  is  about  one  hundred  rods  west  of  the  road,  on  the  southeastern  slope  of  the  hill,  and  is 
marked  by  a  huge  bowlder  lying  upon  the  surface,  by  the  side  of  which  is  the  decayed  trunk 

'  The  site  of  this  church  and  the  grave-yard  was  a  gift  of  Andrew  Johnson,  of  Perth  Amboy,  New  Jer- 
sey. The  parish  was  called  St.  Peter's ;  and  this  and  the  parish  of  St.  Philip,  in  the  Highlands,  were  en 
dowed  with  two  hundred  acres  of  land  by  Colonel  Beverly  Robinson. 

*  The  following  are  the  inscriptions : 

North  side. — "Here  repose  the  mortal  remains  of  John  Paulding,  who  died  on  the  18th  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1818,  in  the  60th  year  of  his  age." 

West  side. — "On  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  September,  1780,  accompanied  by  two  young  farmers  of 
the  county  of  West  Chester  (whose  names  will  one  day  be  recorded  on  their  own  deserved  monuments),  he 
intercepted  the  British  spy,  Andre.  Poor  himself,  ho  disdained  to  acquire  wealth  by  the  sacrifice  of  his 
COUNTRY.  Rejecting  the  temptation  of  great  rewards,  ho  conveyed  his  prisoner  to  the  American  camp ; 
and,  by  this  act  of  noble  self-denial,  the  treason  of  Arnold  was  detected  ;  the  designs  of  the  enemy  baffled  ; 
West  Point  and  the  American  Army  saved  ;  and  these  United  States,  now  by  the  grace  of  God  Free  and 
Independent,  rescued  from  most  imminent  peril." 

South  side. — "The  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York  erected  this  tomb  as  a  memorial  sacred  tc 

PUBLIC   GRATITUDE." 

The  monument  was  erected  in  1827 ;  the  cone  was  placed  on  the  pedestal  on  the  22d  of  November  oi 
that  year,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  citizens,  who  were  addressed  by  William  Paulding,  then 
Mayor  of  New  York.     A  copy  of  the  medal  presented  to  the  captors  of  Andre  may  be  found  on  page  773 


I-acldinq's  Monument,  and  St.  Peteb's  Chukch.' 


40 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Execution  place  of  a  Spy.  Putnam's  laconic  Letter.  View  from  Gallows  Hill.  Relative  importance  of  Peekskill 

of  a  chestnut,  as  seen  in  the  picture,'  said  to  be  a  sprout  of  the  memorable  tree.     The  name  of 
the  spy  was  Edmund  Palmer.     He  was  an  athletic  young  ^, 

man,  connected  by  nature  and  affection  with  some  of  the  '^^M/|L»i_/"J.  • 

most  respectable  families  in  West  Chester,  and  had  a  wife  '^^iL>  '-^^^     ' -^ 

and  children.     He  was  arrested  on  suspicion,  and  enlisting       _  ;  -         -^afc'^fflH^*^ 
papers,  signed  by  Governor  Tryon,  were  found  upon  his  per-         '  '-     AJ^^^j^BH^^ 
son.      It  was  also  ascertained  that  he  was  a  lieutenant  in         --^^^WB^^^Hfa'^wft'''^^ 
a  Tory  company.      These  and  other  unfavorable  circum-  ~^^^^^H|yL|KL '^,_ 

stances  made  it  clear  that  he  was  a  spy,  and  on  that  charge  he  -^^^^^^^^BftS^ , 

was  tried,  found  guilty,  and  condemned  to  be  hung.      His  young  "^   ^^^^; , 

wife  pleaded  for  his  life,  but  the  dictates  of  the  stern  policy  of  war  made  Put-    '*'^(;^^' 
nam  inexorable.      Sir  Henry  Clinton  sent  a  flag  to  the  American  commander, 
claiming  Palmer  as  a  British  officer,  and  menacing  the  Republicans  with  his  se- 
verest wrath  if  he  was  not  delivered  up.     Putnam's  sense  of  duty  was  as  deaf  to  the 
menaces  of  the  one  as  to  the  tears  of  the  other,  and  he  sent  to  Clinton  the  follow-  '' 

ing  laconic  reply  : 

"  Head-quarters,  7th  August,  17T/. 

"  Sm, — Edmund  Palmer,  an  officer  in  the  enemy's  service,  was  taken  as  a  spy,  lurking 
within  our  lines.  He  has  been  tried  as  a  spy,  condemned  as  a  spy,  and  shall  be  executed 
as  a  spy  ;   and  the  flag  is  ordered  to  depart  immediately.  Ise.ael   Putnam. 

"P.S. — He  has  been  accordingly  executed." 

From  the  top  of  Gallows  Hill  there  is  a  glorious  prospect  of  the  surrounding  country,  par 
ticularly  southward,  in  which  direction  the  eye  takes  in  glimpses  of  Peekskill  village,  the 
rivsr  and  its  rocky  shores  on  the  west,  and  the  fertile  estates  of  West  Chester  as  far  as  the 
high  grounds  of  Tarrytown.  On  the  southeast  of  the  ridge  is  the  beautiful  undulating 
Peekskill  Hollow,  and  on  the  north,  between  it  and  the  rough  turrets  of  the  Highland  tow- 
ers, is  scooped  the  Canopus  Valley,  deep  and  rich,  wherein  is  nestled  Continental  Village, 
the  scene  of  one  of  Tryon's  desolating  expeditions.  We  are  upon  historic  ground  ;  let  us 
open  the  chronicle  for  a  few  moments. 

In  view  of  the  relative  position  of  the  belligerent  armies  at  the  opening  of  1777,  Peeks- 
kill  was  regarded  by  the  commander-in-chief  as  a  very  important  post.  Believing  that  the 
chief  design  of  the  next  campaign  would  be,  on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  to  accomplish  a  junc- 
tion of  the  forces  under  Sir  William  Howe  at  New  York  and  an  army  preparing  in  Canada 
March  12  ^^^  invasion,  Washington  wrote,  in  a  letter  to  General  Schuyler,  as  follows  :  "Un- 
1777.  (jgj.  these  considerations,  I  can  not  help  thinking  much  too  large  a  part  of  our  force 
is  directed  to  Ticonderoga.  Peekskill  appears  to  me  a  much  more  proper  place,  where,  if 
the  troops  are  drawn  together,  they  will  be  advantageously  situated  to  give  support  to  any 
of  the  Eastern  or  Middle  States.  Should  the  enemy's  design  be  to  penetrate  the  country  up 
the  North  River,  they  will  be  well  posted  to  oppose  them  ;  should  they  attempt  to  pene- 
trate into  New  England,  they  will  be  well  stationed  to  cover  it ;  if  they  move  westward, 
the  Eastern  and  Southern  troops  can  easily  form  a  junction  ;  and  besides,  it  will  oblige  the 
enemy  to  have  a  much  stronger  garrison  at  New  York."^  With  these  views,  the  command- 
er-in-chief determined  to  collect  a  respectable  force  at  Peekskill.  This  was  done  as  speedily 
as  possible,  and  General  Heath,  of  Massachusetts,  was  placed  in  command.  This  officer 
was  obhged  to  return  to  his  state,  and  the  command  devolved  upon  General  M'Dougall.'' 

'  Near  this  bowlder  a  gallows,  rudely  constructed  of  logs,  was  erected,  on  which  the  spy  was  hung.  It 
remained  there  for  several  years  afterward,  an  object  of  superstitious  dread  to  the  country  people  who  were 
obliged  to  pass  it  in  the  night.  ''■  Sparks's  Washington^  iv.,  359. 

^  Alexander  M'Dougall  was  the  son  of  a  Scotchman  from  the  ^  ---> 

Lowlands,  who  came  to  America  about  twenty  years  before  the         >:^i!^<7/*''^0''Z^v<5><-C-^<2_-^I^-' 
Revolution  broke  out,  and  commenced  business  in  the  city  of  ^'^ 

New  York.     The  date  of  his  birth  is  not  known.     He  became  a  zealous  Whig  during  the  years  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  Revolution,  and  when  the  war  broke  out  he  joined  the  army.     In  August,  1776,  he  was 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  741 


Stratagem  of  Sir  William  Howe.  Invasion  of  Peekskill.  Destruction  of  Stores.  Destruction  of  Continental  Vil'-age 

Cattle  and  military  stores,  in  large  quantities,  were  collected  at  Peekskill  and  in  the  vicin- 
ity ;  and  the  post,  not  being  very  strongly  manned,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  enemy.  Sir 
William  Howe  projected  a  scheme  to  capture  or  destroy  them.  Stratagem  was  a  part  of 
his  plan.  He  caused  a  conversation  on  the  subject  to  be  held  in  the  liearing  of  an  Amer- 
ican officer  who  had  been  captured  at  Fort  Washington,  in  which  it  was  arranged  that  an 
excursion  was  to  be  made  into  the  country  by  three  divisions  :  one  to  go  up  the  Sound  and 
land  at  Mamaroneck,  another  to  march  up  the  center  road  by  Kingsbridge,  and  a  third  to 
go  up  the  Hudson  and  land  at  Tarrytown.  The  officer  was  soon  afterward  released,  and 
escorted  with  a  flag  to  the  American  lines.  The  object  was  to  have  him  report  the  con- 
versation, and  thus  draw  ofi'  General  M'Dougall's  attention  from  the  real  point  of  attack. 
M'Dougall  had  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  cflbctive  men,  too  few  to  attempt  opposition.  He 
immediately  commenced  sending  his  stores  to  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery  for  safety,  but 
before  he  had  accomplished  his  design,  ten  sail  of  British  vessels  appeared  ofl'  Tarrytown, 
and  two  went  up  to  Haverstraw  Bay,  at  a  point  twelve  miles  below  Peekskill.  March  22, 
The  next  day  the  whole  fleet  anchored  in  Peekskill  Bay  ;  and  at  one  o'clock,  five  ^'''^• 
hundred  men,  in  eight  flat-boats,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Bird,  landed  at  Lent's 
Cove,  on  the  south  side  of  the  bay.  They  had  four  pieces  of  light  artillery,  drawn  by  the 
.sailors.  General  M'Dougall  retreated  to  GalIo\vs  Hill  and  vicinity,  giving  directions  for  de- 
s^troying  such  stores  as  could  not  be  removed.  At  the  same  time,  he  sent  a  dispatch  to 
Lieutenant-colonel  Willett,  at  Fort  Constitution,  to  leave  a  subaltern's  command  there,  and 
hasten  to  his  assistance.     The  British  held  possession  of  the  town  until  next  day, 

.  March  24 

when  a  detachment  advanced  toward  the  Highlands.  These  were  attacked  by 
Colonel  Willett,  and  a  smart  skirmish  ensued.  The  detachment  retreated  back  to  the  main 
body  of  the  enemy,  and  in  the  evening,  favored  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  they  all  embarked 
and  sailed  down  the  river.  Their  object,  the  destruction  of  the  stores,  was  partially  accom- 
plished, but  not  by  their  own  hands.  They  had  nine  of  their  number  killed  in  the  skirmish 
with  Willett,  and  four  at  the  verge  of  the  creek,  while  attempting  to  burn  some  boats.  The 
Americans  had  one  man  killed  by  a  cannon  shot.'  Two  or  three  houses  were  burned,  and 
about  forty  sheep,  furnished  by  the  Tories,  were  carried  off'. 

Near  the  banks  of  Canopus  Creek,  and  overlooked  by  Gallows  Hill,  is  Continental  Vil- 
lage. It  is  about  three  miles  from  Peekskill,  at  the  main  entrance  to  the  Highland  passes 
northward.  There,  in  1777,  were  constructed  barracks  sufficient  to  accommodate  two  thou- 
sand men.  A  large  number  of  cattle,  and  a  great  quantity  of  military  stores  under  the 
charge  of  Major  Campbell,  were  collected  there.  Two  small  redoubts  were  erected  on  the 
high  ground,  for  the  double  purpose  of  protecting  the  public  property  and  guarding  the  mount- 
ain road.  Hither,  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  October,  three  days  after  the  capture 
of  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery,  General  Tryon  was  detached  with  Emerick's  chas- 
seurs and  other  Germans,  with  a  three-pounder,  to  destroy  the  settlement.  He  accomplished 
the  object  most  effectually.  The  barracks,  and  nearly  every  house  in  the  little  village,  to- 
gether with  the  public  stores,  were  consumed,  and  many  of  the  cattle  were  slaughtered. 
The  inhabitants  fled  to  the  hills,  while  the  few  troops  that  were  left  when  Putnam  and  the 
main  force  retired  to  Fishkill  on  the  fall  of  the  mountain  fortresses,  were  compelled  to  fly 
for  safety.  In  a  few  hours  the  smiling  little  valley  was  a  scene  of  utter  desolation.'  Gen- 
appointed  a  brigadier,  and  in  October,  1777,  he  wa.s  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major  general.  He  com- 
manded in  the  action  near  White  Plains,  and  was  in  the  battle  at  Germantown  in  the  autumn  of  1777.  In 
1781  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  Continental  Congress,  and  was  afterward  a  member  of  the  New  York 
State  Senate.     He  died  June  8,  1786. 

'  General  WDougaWs  MS.  Letter  of  March  29,  1777,  (luoted  by  Sparks. 

*  The  feelings  of  Tryon  toward  the  Republicans  may  be  learned  from  a  letter  of  his,  written  a  few  weeks 
after  this  transaction,  in  reply  to  one  of  remonstrance  on  the  part  of  General  Parsons.  "I  have,"  he  says, 
•'  the  candor  enough  to  assure  you,  as  much  as  I  abhor  every  principle  of  inhumanity  or  ungenerous  con- 
duct, I  should,  were  I  in  more  authority,  burn  every  committee-man's  house  within  my  reach,  as  I  deem  those 
agents  the  wicked  instruments  of  the  continued  calamities  of  this  country ;  and  in  order  sooner  to  purge 
this  country  of  them,  I  am  willing  to  give  twenty-five  dollars  for  every  acting  committee-man  who  shall  be 
delivered  up  to  the  king's  troops." 


742  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Peekskill  possessed  by  the  Americans.  The  Soldier's  Spring.  Verplanck's  Point  Hudson  and  the  Indiana. 

eral  Parsons'  marched  down  from  Fishkill  with  two  thousand  men  a  few  days  afterward, 

and.  took  possession  of  Peekskill.     From  that 
/^  time  it  was  the  scene  of  no  stirring  military 

(y     ^/        ^ /T^/ly/f     events,  other  than  those  incident  to  the  brief 
•         t^^'V'^t/  U  encampment  of  regiments  or  divisions  of  the 

American  army. 
After  sketching  the  only  prominent  object  on  the  site  of  poor  Palmer's  gallows,  I  resumed 
the  reins,  and,  when  part  way  down  the  northern  slope  of  the  ridge,  turned  up  a  green  lane 
near  the  Soldier's  Spring^  to  the  farm-house  of  Mr.  Lent,  to  inquire  for  an  aged  couple  of 
that  name.  Informed  that  they  lived  at  a  little  village  called  Oregon,  a  mile  and  a  half 
distant,  I  returned  to  Peekskill  Hollow,  and  proceeded  thither.  My  journey  was  fruitless 
of  information.  They  were,  indeed,  a  venerable  pair  ;  one  aged  eighty-four,  and  the  other 
eighty-three  years. 

After  dinner  at  Peekskill,  I  rode  down  to  Verplanck's  Point,  eight  miles  below.'     It  was 

October  27      3-  lovcly  afternoon  ;   a  fine  road  amid  ever- varying  scenery,  and  every  rock,  and 

1848.         knoll,  and  estuary  of  the  river  clustered  over  with  historic  associations,  made  the 

journey  of  an  hour  one  of  great  pleasure  and  interest.     Verplanck's  Point  is  the  termination 

of  a  peninsula  of  gently  rolling  land,  gradually  ascending  from  the  neck  toward  the  shore, 

where  it  ends  in  a  bluff,  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  high.      Here,  during  the  memorable  season 

of  land  and  town  speculation,  when  the  water-lot  mania  emulated  that  of  the  tulip  and 

the  South  Sea  games,  a  large  village  was  mapped  out,  and  one  or  two  fine  mansions 

were  erected.      The  bubble  burst,  and  many  fertile  acres  there,  where  corn  and  potatoes 

once  yielded  a  profit  to  the  cultivator,  are  scarred  and  made  barren  by  intersecting  streets, 

not  (depopulated,  but  r«zpopulated,  save  by  the  beetle  and  grasshopper.      On  the  brow  of 

In  allusion  to  this  and  kindred  expeditions,  Trumbull  makes  Malcom  say, 

"Behold,  like  whelps  of  Britain's  lion, 
Our  warriors,  Clinton,  Vaughan,  and  Tryon, 
March  forth  with  patriotic  joy 
To  ravish,  plunder,  and  destroy. 
Great  gen'rals,  foremost  in  their  nation. 
The  journeymen  of  Desolation ! 
Like  Sampson's  foxes,  each  assails, 
Let  loose  with  fire-brands  in  their  tails, 
And  spreads  destruction  more  forlorn 
Than  they  among  Philistines'  corn." 

M'FiNGAi,,  Canto  rv. 

^  Samuel  Holden  Parsons  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  one  of  a  committee  of  correspondence  in 
that  state  before  the  commencement  of  the  war.  He  was  appointed  a  brigadier  general  by  Congress  in 
August,  1776,  and  served  his  country  faithfully  during  the  contest.  Under  his  direction,  the  successful  ex- 
pedition of  Colonel  Meigs  against  the  enemy  at  Sag  Harbor,  on  Long  Island,  in  1777,  was  sent  out.  He 
was  appointed  a  commissioner  to  negotiate  with  the  Western  Indians  in  1785.  In  1787,  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  judges  of  the  Northwestern  Territory.     He  was  drowned  in  the  Ohio,  in  December,  1789. 

^  This  is  a  little  fountain  bubbling  up  by  the  road  side,  and  named  The  Soldier'' s  Spring,  from  the  circum- 
stance that  an  American  soldier,  while  retreating  before  the  enemy,  stooped  at  the  fountain  to  quench  his 
thirst.  While  so  doing,  a  cannon  ball,  that  struck  the  hills  above  him,  glanced  obliquely,  bit  and  shattered 
his  thigh,  and  left  him  dying  beside  the  clear  waters.  He  was  conveyed  in  a  wagon  that  passed  soon  aft- 
erward, to  Fishkill,  where  he  expired. 

•*  This  was  the  point  off  which  Henry  Hudson's  vessel,  the  Half  Moon,  came  first  to  anchor  after  leaving 
the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  Highland  Indians,  filled  w^ith  wonder,  came  flocking  to  the  ship  in  boats,  but 
their  curiosity  ended  in  a  tragedy.  One  of  them,  overcome  by  acquisitiveness,  crawled  up  the  rudder,  en- 
tered the  cabin  window,  and  stole  a  pillow  and  a  few  articles  of  wearing  apparel.  The  mate  saw  the  *hief 
pulling  his  bark  for  land,  and  shot  at  and  killed  him.  The  ship's  boat  was  sent  for  the  stolen  articles,  and 
when  one  of  the  natives,  who  had  leaped  into  the  water,  caught  hold  of  the  side  of  the  shallop,  his  hand  was 
cut  off  by  a  sword,  and  he  was  drowned.  This  was  the  first  blood  shed  by  these  voyagers.  Intelligence 
of  this  spread  over  the  country,  and  the  Indians  hated  the  white  man,  afterward,  intensely. 

The  exceedingly  tortuous  creek  which  traverses  the  marsh  southward  of  Verplanck's  Point  was  called,  by 
the  Indians,  Meahagh,  and  this  was  the  name  which  they  gave  to  the  peninsula.  It  was  purchased  of 
the  Indians  by  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt  in  1683.  From  him  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  his  son  Johan- 
nes, whose  only  daughter  and  heiress,  Gertrude,  married  Philip  Vei-p)anck,  from  whom  it  acquired  its  pres* 
ent  appellation 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


743 


Fortifications  at  Verphiuck'8  Point 


Capture  of  Fort  Fayette. 


Surrender  of  the  Garrison. 


the  Point,  near  the  western  extremity,  and  overlooking  the  water,  a  small  fortification,  called 
Fort  Fayette,  was  erected  It  was  an  eligible  site  for  a  fort  ;  and,  in  connection  with  the 
fortress  on  the  rocky  promontory  opposite,  was  capable  of  being  made  a  formidable  defense 
at  this,  the  lower  gate  of  the  Hudson  Highlands.     These  two  promontories  make  the  river 


May,  1779 


quite  narrow,  and,  if  well  fortified,  might  defy  the  passage  of  any  number  of  hostile  vessels.' 
The  site  of  Fort  Fayette  is  distinctly  traceable  in  the  orchard  upon  the  high  grounds  in  the 
rear  of  Mr.  Bleakly's  store  upon  the  wharf  The  mounds  and  fosse  of  the  main  fort,  as  it 
was  enlarged  and  strengthened  by  the  British,  and  also  the  embankments  of  the  smaller  out- 
works, are  quite  prominent  in  many  places. 

The  small  forts  at  Verplanck's  and  Stony  Points  were  captured  by  the  enemy  commanded 
by  Sir  Henry  Clinton  in  person,  on  the  1st  of  June,  1779.  The  garrison  of  Stony  Point 
consisted  of  only  about  forty  men,  and  that  at  Verplanck's  of  seventy  men,  commanded  by 
Captain  Armstrong.  As  these  forts  secured  a  free  communication  between  the  troops  of 
New  England  and  those  of  the  central  and  southern  portions  of  the  confederacy,  Clinton  de- 
termined to  dislodge  the  Americans  therefrom.  Accordingly,  on  the  30th  of  May,  he  sailed 
up  the  river  with  a  strong  force,  accompanied  by  General  Vaughan  ;  the  flotilla  was  com- 
manded by  Admiral  Collier.  They  landed  in  two  divisions  on  the  morning  of  the 
31st,  the  one  under  Vaughan,  on  the  east  side,  eight  miles  below  Verplanck's,  and 
the  other  under  Clinton,  on  the  west  side,  a  little  above  Haverstraw.  The  garrison  at 
Stony  Point  retired  to  the  Plighlands  on  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  and  the  fort  changed 
masters  without  bloodshed.  The  next  morning,  the  guns  of  the  captured  fortress,  and  the 
cannons  and  mortars  dragged  up  during  the  night,  were  pointed  toward  Fort  Fayette  oppo- 
site, and  a  heavy  cannonade  was  opened  upon  it.  Unable  to  make  a  respectable  resistance 
to  this  assault,  and  attacked  in  the  rear  by  Vaughan's  division,  the  little  garrison  surrendered 
themselves  prisoners  of  war.'     The  loss  of  these  forts  was  greatly  lamented  by  Washington, 

*  This  itiap  shows  the  relative  position  of  Verplanck's  and  Stonj'  Points,  and  of  the  forts  in  the  time  of 
the  Revolution.  A  represents  the  position  and  form  of  the  fort  on  Stony  Point ;  B,  General  Wayne's  right 
column,  and  C  his  left  column,  when  he  stormed  the  ramparts  and  fort ;  and  D  shows  the  site  of  Fort  Fay- 
ette, on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 

'  The  following  were  the  terms  of  capitulation : 

"On  the  glacis  of  Fort  Fayette,  June  Ist,  1779. 

"  His  excellency  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  Commodore  Sir  George  Collier  grant  to  the  garrison  of  Fort  La 
Fayette  terms  of  safety  to  the  persons  and  property  (contained  in  the  fort)  of  the  garrison,  they  surrender- 
uig  themselves  prisoners  of  war.     The  officers  shall  be  permitted  to  wear  their  side-arms. 

"  John  Andre,  Aid-de-camp.'" 


4  4  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Disposition  of  the  American  Troops  on  the  Hudson.  Preparations  for  attacking  Stony  Point  The  Negro  Spy. 

and  his  first  care  was  to  make  an  effort  to  recover  them,  for  West  Point  was  now  in  danger. 
The  main  body  of  the  American  army  was  moved  from  Middlebrook  toward  the  Highlands, 
and  Washington  estabhshed  his  quarters  at  Smith's  Clove,  far  in  the  rear  of  Ilaverstraw.' 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  gave  orders  for  the  immediate  strengthening  of  the  forts,  and  to  guard 
the  detachments  left  for  the  purpose,  he  descended  the  river  with  his  army  only  as  far  as 

Phillipsburgh,  now  Yonkers. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  Washington  established  his  head- 
quarters at  New  Windsor,  Jeaving  General  Putnam  in 
command  of  the  main  army  at  Smith's  Clove.  General 
M'Dougall  was  transferred  to  the  command  at  West  Point ; 
the  garrisons  at  Constitution  Island,  and  at  the  redoubts 
opposite  West  Point,  were  strengthened  ;  the  road  to  Fish- 
kill  was  well  guarded,  and  three  brigades  Avere  placed  un- 
der the  command  of  General  Heath,  who  had  lately  been 
ordered  from  Boston.  On  the  1st  of  July,  General  Wayne 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  light  infantry  of  the 
„       -,  on,         ^''^6,  and  was  stationed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Dunderberg, 

llEAB  View  AT  Stony  PoiNT.2  '  J         _  ^^^kj^^,^, 

between  Fort  Montgomery  and  the  main  army  at  the 
Clove.  The  British  had  now  greatly  enlarged  and  strengthened  the  two  forts  in  question, 
well  supphed  them  with  ammunition  and  stores,  and  had  them  strongly  garrisoned.  The 
force  at  Stony  Point  consisted  of  the  seventeenth  regiment  of  foot,  the  grenadier  companies 
of  the  seventy-first,  and  some  artillery  ;  the  whole  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant-colonel 
Johnson  of  the  seventh.  The  garrison  at  Verplanck's  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant-col- 
onel Webster,  and  was  quite  equal  in  force  to  that  at  Stony  Point.  Several  small  British 
ves.sels  of  war  were  anchored  in  the  bay  within  close  cannon  shot  of  the  forts.  Such  was 
the  situation  of  the  two  armies,  when  the  attack  of  the  Americans  under  Wayne  and  Howe 
upon  Stony  Point  and  Verplanck's  Point  was  planned  and  executed  by  order  of  Washington 
On  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  July,  all  the  Massachusetts  light  infantry  were 
marched  to  the  quarters  of  Wayne  at  Sandy  Beach,  fourteen  miles  from  Stony  Point. 
At  meridian  on  that  exceedingly  sultry  day,  the  whole  body  moved  through  narrow  defiles, 
over  rough  crags,  and  across  deep  morasses,  in  single  file,  and  at  eight  in  the  evening  ren- 
dezvoused a  mile  and  a  half  below  Stony  Point.  There  they  remained  until  General  Wayne 
and  several  officers  returned  from  reconnoitering  the  works  of  the  enemy,  when  they  were 
formed  into  column,  and  moved  silently  forward  under  the  guidance  of  a  negro  slave  belong- 
ing to  a  Captain  Lamb  who  resided  in  the  neighborhood.^ 

The  position  of  the  fortress  was  such  that  it  seemed  almost  impregnable.  Situated  upon 
1  huge  rocky  bluff,  an  island  at  high  water,  and  always  inaccessible  dry-shod,  except  across 

*  Smith's  Clove  extends  northward  from  the  Ramapo  Valley,  not  far  from  Turner's  station  on  the  Erie 
ail-road. 

*  This  sketch  presents  a  rear  view  of  the  old  embankments  of  the  fort,  and  of  the  light-house,  which  is  seen 
>y  ail  travelers  upon  the  river,  just  before  entering  the  Highlands.  The  beacon  stands  exactly  in  the  center 
>l  the  fort,  upon  the  site  of  the  magazine.  Tiiere  was  a  covered  way  toward  the  water  on  the  north  side 
of  the  hill,  and  about  twenty  yards  in  the  rear  are  some  prominent  remains  of  the  ravelins  which  extended 
across  the  point. 

^  Mr.  Ten  Eyck,  the  old  ferryman  at  Stony  Point,  informed  me  that  he  knew  this  negro  well.  His  name 
was  Pompey,  and  for  his  services  on  that  night  his  master  gave  him  a  horse  to  ride,  and  never  exacted  any 
labor  from  him  afterward.  Pompey's  master  was  a  warm  Whig,  and  himself  was  a  shrewd  negro.  Soon 
after  the  enemy  took  possession  of  the  Point,  Pompey  ventured  to  go  to  the  fort  with  strawberries  to  sell. 
He  was  kindly  received ;  and  as  the  season  advanced,  and  berries  and  cherries  became  plentiful,  he  carried 
on  an  extensive  traffic  with  the  garrison,  and  became  a  favorite  with  the  officers,  who  had  no  suspicion  that 
he  was  regularly  reporting  every  thing  to  his  Whig  master.  Finally,  Pompey  informed  them  that  his  mas- 
ter would  not  allow  him  to  come  with  fruit  in  the  daytime,  for  it  was  hoeing-corn  season.  Unwilling  to 
lose  their  supply  of  luxuries,  the  officers  gave  Pompey  the  countersign  regularly,  so  that  he  could  pass  the 
sentinels  in  the  evening.  He  thus  possessed  a  knowledge  of  the  countersign  on  the  night  of  the  attack,  and 
made  good  use  of  it.  That  countersign  was,  "  The  fort's  our  own,"  and  this  was  the  wateh-v/ord  of  the 
Americans  when  they  scaled  the  ramparts. 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION 


745 


Condition  of  Stony  Point. 


Wayne's  Proposition  to  Storm  it 


Biography  of  Wayne. 


Hid  Monument. 


a  narrow  causeway  in  the  rear,  it  was  strongly  defended  by  outworks  and  a  double  row  of 
abatis.  Upon  three  sides  of  the  rock  were  the  waters  of  the  Hudson,  and  on  the  fourth 
was  a  morass,  deep  and  dangerous.  But  Wayne  was  not  easily  deterred  by  obstacles  ;  and 
tradition  avers,  that  while  conversing  with  Washington  on  the  subject  of  this  expedition,  he 
remarked,  with  emphasis,  "  General,  I'll  storm  hell  if  yoii  will  only  plan  it."  He  possessed 
the  true  fire  of  the  flint,  and  was  always  governed  by  the  maxim,  "  Where  there's  a  will 
there's  a  way."  He  resolved  to  storm  the  fort  at  all  hazards,  and  only  waited  for  the  ebb- 
ing of  the  tide,  and  the  deep  first  slumber  of  the  garrison,  to  move  toward  the  fortress. 


UENER.U,  Wayne.' 


'  Anthony  Wayne  was  born  in  the  township  of 
Eastown,  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  1st 
of  January,  1745.  He  was  educated  in  Philadelphia, 
and  having  studied  mathematics  with  care,  ho  opened 
a  surveyors  odice  in  his  native  town.  He  was  sent 
to  Nova  Scotia  in  1765,  to  locate  a  grant  of  land  from 
the  crown  to  several  gentlemen  in  Pennsylvania.  They 
made  Wayne  superintendent  of  the  settlement.  This 
post  he  held  until  1767,  when  he  returned  home,  mar- 
ried a  young  lady  in  Philadelphia,  and  resumed  his 
profession  as  surveyor.  In  1773,  he  was  appointed  a 
representative  to  the  general  Assembly  of  his  state. 
He  quitted  the  council  for  the  field  in  1775,  where  ho 
was  appointed  a  colonel  in  the  Continental  army,  and 
went  to  Canada  with  General  Thomas.  At  the  close 
of  the  campaign  there  in  1776,  he  was  promoted  to 
brigadier  general.  He  was  with  the  commander-in 
chief  at  Brandy  wine,  Gcrmantown,  and  Monmouth,  in 
all  of  which  engagements  he  was  distinguished  for  his 
valor.  The  capture  of  Stony  Point  raised  him  to  the 
liitrhest  mark  in  the  admiration  of  his  countrymen.  In 
1781,  ho  went  with  the  Pennsylvania  line  to  the  South, 
and  in  Virginia  co-operated  with  La  Fayette.  After 
the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  he  was  sent  to  conduct  the 
war  in  Georgia,  and  was  very  successful.  As  a  re- 
ward for  his  services,  the  Legislature  of  Georgia  made 
him  a  present  of  a  valuable  farm.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Convention  that  ratified  the  Fed- 
eral Constitution.  In  1792,  he  succeeded  St.  Clair  in  the  command  of  the  army  to  be  employed  against 
the  Western  Indians,  and  gained  a  great  victory  over  them  in  the  battle  of  the  Miamis,  in  August,  1794. 
He  concluded  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  in  Au<Tust,  1795.  While  en- 
gaged in  the  public  service,  and  returning  home  from  the  West,  he 
was  seized  with  the  gout,  and  died  in  a  hut  at  Presque  Isle,  in  De- 
cember, 1796,  aged  fifty-one  years.  He  was  buried,  at  his  own  re- 
quest, under  the  flag-stalfof  the  fort,  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  from 
whence  his  remains  were  conveyed  in  1809,  by  his  son,  Colonel  Isaac 
Wayne,  to  Radnor  church-yard,  in  Delaware  county.  The  venerable 
church,  near  which  the  body  of  the  hero  lies,  was  erected  in  1717. 
The  Pennsylvania  State  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  caused  a  handsome 
monument  of  white  marble  to  be  erected  over  his  remains,  upon  which 
are  the  following  inscriptions  : 

North  front. — '"  JIajor-general  Anthony  Wayne  was  born  at 
Waynesborough,*  in  Chester  county.  State  of  Pennsylvania,  A.D. 
1745.  After  a  life  of  honor  and  usefulness,  he  died  in  December, 
1796,  at  a  military  post  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  army  of  the  United  States.  His  military  achievements 
are  consecrated  in  the  history  of  his  country  and  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen.     His  remains  are  here  interred." 

South  front. — "  In  honor  of  the  distinguished  military  services 
of  ^lajor-gcneral  Anthony  Wayne,  and  as  an  aficctionate  tribute  of 
respect  to  his  memory,  this  stone  was  erected  by  his  companions  in 

arms,  the  Pennsylvania  State  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  July  4,  A.D.  1809,  thirty-fourth  anniversary  of  the 
•ndependence  of  the  United  States  of  America;  an  event  which  constitutes  the  most  appropriate  eulogium 
v)f  an  American  soldier  and  patriot." 


Waynb'3  MoNuaucNT. 


*  Tliis  is  on  error.    Ilis  birth-place  was  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  south  of  tlie  PaoU  tavern 


746 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Approach  of  the  Americans  to  Stony  Point. 


Capture  of  Sentinels. 


Storming  of  the  Fort 


It  was  half  past  eleven  o'clock  at  night  when  the  Americans  commenced  their  silent 
march  toward  the  fort.  All  the  dogs  in  the  neighborhood  had  been  killed  the  day  before, 
that  their  barking  might  not  give  notice  of  strangers  near.     The  negro,  with  two  strong  men 

disguised  as  farmers,  advanced 
alone.  The  countersign  was 
given  to  the  first  sentinel,  on  the 
high  ground  west  of  the  morass, 
and  while  he  was  conversing 
with  Pompey,  the  men  seized 
and  gagged  him.  The  silence 
of  the  sentinel  at  the  causeway 
was  secured  in  the  same  manner, 
and  as  soon  as  the  tide  ebbed  suf- 
ficiently, the  whole  of  Wayne's 
little  army,  except  a  detachment 
of  three  hundred  men  under 
General  Muhlenburg,  who  re- 
mained in  the  rear  as  a  reserve, 
crossed  the  morass  to  the  foot 
of  the  western  declivity  of  the 
promontory,  unobserved  by  the  enemy.  The  troops  were  now  divided  into  two  columns  ; 
the  van  of  the  right,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  volunteers,  under  Lieutenant-colonel 
De  Fleury,  and  that  of  the  left,  of  one  hundred  volunteers,  under  Major  Stewart,  each  with 
unloaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets.  An  avant-guard  of  twenty  picked  men  for  each 
company,  under  Lieutenants  Gibbon  and  Knox,  preceded  them,  to  remove  the  abatis  and 
other  obstructions.      These  vans  composed  the  forlorn  hope  on  that  memorable  night. 

At  a  little  past  midnight  the  advanced  parties  moved  silently  to  the  charge,  one  company 
on  the  southern,  and  the  other  toward  the  northern  portion  of  the  height.  They  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  two  main  divisions  ;  the  right,  composed  of  the  regiments  of  Febiger  and  Meigs, 
being  led  by  General  Wayne  in  person.  The  left  was  composed  of  Colonel  Butler's  regi- 
ment, and  two  companies  under  Major  Murfey.  The  Americans  were  undiscovered  until 
within  pistol  shot  of  the  pickets  upon  the  heights,  when  a  skirmish  ensued  between  the  sen- 
tinels and  the  advanced  guards.  The  pickets  fired  several  shots,  but  the  Americans,  true 
to  orders,  relied  entirely  upon  the  bayonet,  and  pressed  forward  with  vigor.  The  garrison 
was  aroused  from  their  slumbers,  and  instantly  the  deep  silence  of  the  night  was  broken  by 
the  roll  of  the  drum,  the  loud  cry  To  arms !  to  arms  I  the  rattle  of  musketry  from  the 
ramparts  and  behind  the  abatis,  and  the  roar  of  cannon,  charged  with  the  deadly  grape-shot, 
from  the  embrasures.'^     In  the  face  of  this  terrible  storm,  the  Americans  forced  their  way,  at 


View  of  Stony  Point  from  the  Southwest.' 


*  This  view  shows  a  large  portion  of  the  morass,  and  the  place  where  the  assaulting  party  divided  and 
prepared  for  an  attack  upon  the  fort,  which  was  situated  where  the  light-house  is  seen.  The  place  of  the 
causeway  is  on  the  left,  denoted  by  the  cattle.  When  I  made  this  sketch  it  was  quite  high  water,  and  the 
morass,  there  about  one  hundred  feet  wide,  was  almost  covered.  There  was  another  place  near  the  river 
shore,  on  the  right,  where  the  Point  was  accessible  at  times.  It  is  distinguished  in  the  sketch  by  the  nar- 
row strip  of  land  extending  nearly  across  the  mouth  of  the  morass.  Upon  this  the  enemy  had  dug  pits  and 
placed  sharpened  stakes  within  them,  so  that,  had  the  Americans  attempted  to  reach  the  Point  by  that  way 
many  would  have  been  impaled.  The  position  of  the  Americans  in  the  attack,  and  of  the  outworks  and  the 
abatis,  will  be  better  understood  by  a  reference  to  the  map  on  a  preceding  page. 

*  Major  (afterward  General)  Hull  says  in  his  Memoir,  "  At  about  half  past  eleven  o'clock,  the  two  columns 
commenced  their  march  in  platoons.  The  beach  was  more  than  two  feet  deep  with  water,  and  before  the 
right  column  reached  it  we  were  fired  on  by  the  out-guards,  which  gave  the  alarm  to  the  garrison.  We  were 
now  directly  under  the  fort,  and,  closing  in  a  solid  column,  ascended  the  hill,  which  was  almost  perpendicu- 
lar. When  about  half  way  up,  our  course  was  impeded  by  two  strong  rows  of  abatis,  which  the  forlorn  hope 
had  not  been  able  entirely  to  remove.  The  column  proceeded  silently  on,  and,  clearing  away  the  abatis, 
passed  to  the  breast-work,  cut  and  tore  away  the  pickets,  cleared  the  chevaux  de  frise  at  the  sally-port, 
mounted  the  parapet,  and  entered  the  fort  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.     Our  column  on  the  other  side  en- 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


7  17 


Wayne  wounded. 


HU  Bravery. 


Surrender  of  tlio  Fort. 


Wfiyne's  laconic  Dispatch. 


the  point  of  the  bayonet,  through  every  obstacle,  until  the  van  of  each  column  met  in  the 
center  of  the  works,  where  each  arrived  at  the  same  time.'  At  the  inner  abatis,  Wayne 
was  struck  upon  the  head  by  a  musket  ball,  which  brought  him  upon  his  knees.  His  two 
brave  aids,  Fishbow  and  Archer,  raised  him  to  his  feet,  and  carried  him  gallantly  through 
the  works.  Believing  himself  mortally  wounded,  the  general  exclaimed,  as  he  arose,  "  March 
on  !  carry  me  into  the  fort,  for  I  will  die  at  the  head  of  my  column  I"  But  the  wound  was 
not  very  severe,  and  he  was  able  to  join  in  the  loud  huzzas  that  arose  when  the  two  col- 
umns met  as  victors  within  the  fort.  Colonel  Do  Fleury  first  entered  the  works,  and  struck 
the  British  standard  with  his  own  hands.  The  garrison  surrendered  at  discretion  as  pris- 
oners of  war,  and  that  brilliant  achievement  was  rendered  the  more  glorious  for  the  clem- 
ency which  the  victors  exercised  toward  the  vanquished.  Not  a  life  was  taken  after  the 
flag  was  struck  and  the  garrison  had  pleaded  for  quarters.  Wayne  had  but  fifteen  killed 
and  eighty-three  wounded  ;  the  British  had  sixty-three  killed  j''  and  Johnson,  the  commander, 
with  five  hundred  and  forty-three  officers  and  men,  were  made  prisoners.  The  ships  of  the 
enemy  lying  in  the  river  in  front  of  Stony  Point  slipped  their  cables  and  moved  down  to  a 
place  of  security.  Before  daylight,  Wayne  sent  to  the  commander-in-chief  the  brief  but 
comprehensive  reply,  of  which  a  fac  simile  is  here  given  : 


tered  the  fort  at  the  same  time.  Each  of  our  men  had  a  white  paper  in  his  hat,  which  in  the  darkness  dis- 
tinguished him  from  the  enemy  ;  and  the  watch-word  was,  '  The  fori' s  our  own  !'  "  Some  authors  liave  as- 
serted that  bomb-shells  were  thrown  by  the  British,  but  such,  probably,  was  not  the  fact.  No  oflicial  ac- 
count that  I  have  seen  mentions  the  use  of  shells. 

'  Wayne's  official  dispatch,  dated  at  Stony  Point,  July  17,  1779. 

'  This  is  the  number  given  in  the  American  account.  Colonel  Johnson,  in  his  official  dispatch,  says  he 
had  only  twenty  killed. 


74  8 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Fort  Fayette  Cannonaded. 


Relieved  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton. 


Galley  with  Ordnance  sunk  at  Caldwell's. 


At  dawn  the  next  morning  the  cannons  of  the  captured  fort  were  turned  upon  the  enemy's 
works  at  Verplanck's  Point  under  Colonel  Webster,  and  a  desultory  bombardment  was  kept 
up  during  the  day.  Major-general  Pv-obert  Howe  had  been  sent  to  attack  Fort  Fayette,  but 
on  account  of  delays,  and  some  misconceptions  of  Washington's  orders,  he  did  not  make  the 
attack  in  time  to  dislodge  the  garrison.  News  of  Webster's  critical  situation  and  the  cap- 
ture of  Stony  Point  was  speedily  communicated  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  he  immediately 
sent  relief  to  the  menaced  garrison  at  Verplanck's.  Howe  withdrew,  and  the  enterprise 
was  abandoned. 

Washington,  clearly  perceiving  the  danger  of  attempting  to  retain  the  post  at  Stony  Point 


Gold  Medal  awarded  bv  Congress  to  Genejial  Wayne.' 


July,  1779. 


With  so  few  troops  as  could  be  employed  in  the  service,  concluded  to  order  an  evacuation, 
and  a  destruction  of  the  works  after  the  ordnance  and  stores  should  be  removed.  This  was 
accordingly  done  on  the  night  of  the  eighteenth.  All  that  was  originally  intended 
was  accomplished,  namely,  the  destruction  of  the  works  and  the  seizure  of  the  ar- 
tillery and  stores.  A  large  portion  of  the  heavy  ordnance  was  placed  upon  a  galley  to  be 
conveyed  to  West  Point.  As  soon  as  the  vessel  moved,  a  cannonade  from  Verplanck's  and 
the  British  shipping  was  commenced  upon  it.  A  heavy  shot  from  the  Vulture  struck  it  be- 
low water-mark,  and  the  galley  went  down  at  the  point  just  above  Caldwell's  Landing, 
where  speculation  recently  made  credulity  seek  for  treasures  in  a  sunken  vessel  alleged  to 
have  belonged  to  the  famous  Captain  Kidd.  If,  as  asserted,  a  cannon  was  drawn  up  from 
a  vessel  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  river  there,  it  was  doubtless  one  of  the  pieces  taken  from 
Stony  Point,  and  the  "  ship's  timbers"  there  discovered  are  the  remains  of  the  old  galley. 
The  "treasures,"  if  secured,  would  be  of  little  worth  in  these  "piping  times  of  peace." 

The  British  repossessed  themselves  of  Stony  Point  on  the  20th,  but  they  had  little  of  value 
left  them  but  the  eligible  site  for  a  fortification. 

The  storming  and  capture  of  Stony  Point,  regarded  as  an  exhibition  of  skill  and  indom- 
itable courage,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  events  of  the  war.     General  Wayne,  the  leader 


'  This  is  a  representation  of  the  medal,  the  size  of  the  original.  On  one  side  js  a  device  representing  an 
Indian  queen  crowned,  a  quiver  on  her  back,  and  wearing  a  short  apron  of  feathers.  A  mantle  hangs  from 
her  waist  behind,  the  upper  end  of  which  appears  as  if  passed  through  the  girdle  of  her  apron,  and  hangs 
gracefully  by  her  left  side.  With  her  right  hand  she  i''  presenting  a  wreath  to  General  Wayne ;  in  her  left 
she  is  holding  up  a  mural  crown  toward  his  head.  At  her  feet,  on  the  left,  an  alligator  is  lying.  The 
American  shield  is  resting  against  the  animal.  Over  the  figure  is  the  legend  "Antonio  Wayne  Duci  Ex- 
ERciTus,"  and  beneath,  "  Comitia  Americana  ;"  "  The  American  Congress  to  General  Anthony  Wayne." 
On  the  reverse  is  a  fort  on  the  top  of  a  hill ;  the  British  flag  flying ;  troops  in  single  file  advancing  up  the 
hill,  and  a  large  number  lying  at  the  bottom.  Artillery  are  seen  in  the  foreground,  and  six  vessels  in  the 
river.  The  inscription  is,  "  Stony  Point  expugnatum,  xv.  Jul.  mdcclxxix.  ;"  "  Stony  Point  captured, 
July  15,  1779." 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


749 


Medal  awarded  to  Wayne. 


His  Popularity. 


Medal  awarded  to  Colonel  De  Fleury 


of  the  enterprise,  was  every  where  greeted  with  rapturous  applause.'  Congress  testified 
their  grateful  sense  of  his  services  by  a  vote  of  thanks  "  for  his  brave,  prudent,  and  soldierly 
conduct."  It  was  also  resolved  that  a  medal  of  gold,  emblematical  of  this  action,  should  be 
struck,  and  presented  to  General  Wayne.  Thanks  were  also  presented  by  Congress  to  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel De  Fleury'  and  Major  Stewart,  and  a  medal  of  silver  was  ordered  to  be  struck 


Medal  awarded  to  Lie-jtexaxt  colonel  De  Fleurv.^ 

and  presented  to  each.  The  conduct  of  Lieutenants  Gibbon  and  Knox  was  warmly  applaud- 
ed, and  brevets  of  captain  was  given  to  each,  and  to  Mr.  Archer,  the  volunteer  aid  of  Wayne, 
who  was  the  bearer  of  the  general's  letter  to  Washington  on  the  occasion.  Pursuant  to  the 
recommendation  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  in  fulfillment  of  promises  made  by  Wayne 
before  the  assault,  with  the  concurrence  of. Washington,  Congress  resolved,  "  That  the  value 
of  the  miUtary  stores  taken  at  Stony  Point  be  ascertained  and  divided  among  the  gallant 

'  General  Charles  Lee,  who  was  not  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  Wayne,  wrote  to  him,  saying,  "  I 
do  most  seriously  declare  that  your  assault  of  Stony  Point  is  not  only  the  most  brilliant,  in  my  opinion, 
throughout  the  whole  course  of  the  war,  on  either  side,  but  that  it  is  the  most  brilliant  I  am  acquainted  with 
in  history  ;  the  assault  of  Schiveidnitz,  by  Marshal  Laudon,  I  think  inferior  to  it."  Dr.  Rush  wrote,  saying, 
"  Our  streets  rang  for  many  days  with  nothing  but  the  name  of  General  Wayne.  Yon  are  remembered 
constantly  next  to  our  good  and  great  Washington,  over  our  claret  and  Madeira.  You  have  e.stablished  the 
national  character  of  our  countr}* ;  you  have  taught  our  enemies  that  bravery,  humanity,  and  magnanimity 
are  the  national  virtues  of  the  Americans." 

'^  De  Fleury  was  descended  from  Hcrcule  Andre  de  Fleury,  a  French  nobleman,  who  was  the  preceptor 
of  the  grandson  of  Louis  XIV.  during  the  latter  years  of  the  life  of  that  monarch.  He  was  afterward  made 
cardinal  and  prime  minister.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  came  to  America  soon  after  the  news  of  the  revolt 
reached  France.  Washington  received  him  kindly,  obtained  for  him  a  commission,  and  he  proved  to  be  a 
brave  and  worthy  soldier.  Educated  as  an  engineer,  his  talents  were  brought  into  requisition  here.  In 
that  capacity  he  was  acting  at  the  time  of  the  engagement  at  Fort  MifHin,  on  the  Delaware.  He  was  at 
the  battle  of  Brandywine,  and  for  his  gallantry  there  Congress  gave  him  a  horse.  He  returned  to  France 
soon  after  the  capture  of  Stony  Point. 

'  This  is  a  representation  of  the  medal,  the  size  of  the  original.  The  device  is  a  helmeted  soldier,  stand- 
ing against  the  ruins  of  a  fort.  His  right  hand  is  extended,  holding  a  sword  upright;  the  staff  of  a  .stand 
of  colors  is  grasped  by  his  left ;  the  colors  are  under  his  feet,  and  he  is  tramplintr  upon  them.    The  legend 

is,    "  ViRTUTIS    ET    AUDACIiE    MONUM    ET    PREMIUM.       D.    D.   Fl.EURY    EquITI    GaLI.O    PRIMO    MUROS    RE.SP. 

Americ.  d.  d.  ;"  "  A  memorial  and  reward  of  valor  and  daring.  The  American  Republic  has  bestowed 
(this  medal)  on  Colonel  D.  de  Fleury,  a  native  of  France,  the  fir.^t  over  the  walls  (of  the  enemy)."  On  the 
reverse  are  two  water  batteries,  three  guns  each ;  a  fort  on  a  hill,  with  a  flag  flying ;  a  river  in  front,  and 
six  vessels  before  the  fort.  The  legend  is,  "  Aggeres  paludes  iiostes  victi  ;"  "Mountains,  morasses, 
foes,  overcome."  Exergue,  "  Sto.ny  Pt.  expugn.,  xv.  Jul.,  mdcclxxix.  ;"  "  Stony  Point  stormed,  loth  of 
July,  1779." 

This  identical  silver  medal  was  found  by  a  boy  while  digging  in  a  garden  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  to- 
ward the  close  of  April,  1850,  and  was  deposited  in  the  bank  at  that  place  for  the  inspection  of  the  curious. 
How  the  medal  came  there  is  uncertain.  De  Fleury  returned  to  France  before  the  medal  was  struck,  and 
it  probably  was  never  in  his  possession.  Congress  was  afterward  in  session  at  Princeton,  and  the  medal 
may  have  been  lost  by  the  secretary,  in  whose  custody  it  properly  belonged  until  delivered  to  the  recipient 
of  the  honor. 


750 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Promised  Rewards  for  the  bravest  Men.  Division  of  the  Spoils  among  the  Troops.  Medal  awarded  to  Major  Stewart 

troops  by  whom  it  was  reduced,  in  such  manner  and  proportions  as  the  commander-in-chief 
shall  prescribe.'" 


MEDAt  AWAEDED  TO  MaJOB  StEWART. 


*  See  Journals  of  Congress,  v.,  226,  227.  The  following  rewards  were  promised  :  To  the  first  man  who 
entered  the  enemy's  works,  five  hundred  dollars  ;  to  the  second,  four  hundred  ;  to  the  third,  three  hundred ; 
to  the  fourth,  two  hundred ;  to  the  fifth,  one  hundred :  being  fifteen  hundred  dollars  in  the  aggregate.  The 
ordnance  and  other  stores  were  estimated  at  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty  dol- 
lars in  value,  which  amount  was  divided  among  the  troops  in  proportion  of  officers  and  privates. — Sparks's 
Washington,  vi.,  540. 

^  This  represents  the  medal  the  size  of  the  original.  The  device  is  America  personified  by  an  Indian 
queen,  who  is  presenting  a  palm  branch  to  Major  Stewart.  A  quiver  is  at  her  back;  her  left  hand  is  rest- 
ing on  the  American  shield,  and  at  her  feet  is  an  alligator  crouchant.  The  legend  is,  "  Joanni  Stewart 
CoHORTis  PR^FECTo,  CoMiTiA  AMERICANA ;"  "The  American  Congress  to  Major  John  Stewart."  On 
the  reverse  is  a  fortress  on  an  eminence.  In  the  foreground  an  officer  is  cheering  on  his  men,  who  are  fol- 
lowing him  over  abatis  with  charged  bayonets,  the  enemy  flying.  Troops  in  single  file  are  a.scending  to 
the  fort  on  one  side;  others  are  advancing  from  the  shore  ;  ships  are  in  sight.  The  inscription  is,  "  Stony 
Point  oppugnatum  xv.  Jul.  mdcclxxix.;"   "Stony  Point  attacked  15th  of  July,  1779." 

I  believe  there  is  no  biography  of  Major  Stewart  extant.  Professor  Wyatt,  in  his  Memoirs  of  American 
Generals,  Commodores,  &c. ,  says  he  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse,  near  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

Lieutenant  James  Gibbon,  who  commanded  one  of  the  "forlorn  hopes,"  was  finally  promoted  to  major. 
He  died  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  on  the  first  of  July,  1834,  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age.  His  re- 
mams  were  interred  with  military  honors. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


751 


King's  Ferry. 


Jolly  old  Waterman. 


?tony  Point, 


Evening  walk  toward  Haverstraw 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

"  From  Cain  to  Catiline,  the  world  hath  known 
Her  traitors — vaunted  votaries  of  crime — 
Caligula  and  Nero  .sat  alone 

Upon  the  pinnacle  of  vice  sublime  ; 
But  they  were  moved  by  hate,  or  wish  to  climb 

The  ruffged  steeps  of  Fame,  in  letters  bold 
To  write  their  names  upon  the  scroll  of  Time  ; 
Therefore  their  crimes  some  virtue  did  enfold — 
But  Arnold  !  thine  had  none — 'twas  all  for  sordid  gold  !" 

EsTELLE  Anna  Lewis. 


HE  localities  more  immediately  associated  with  the  brief  career  of  Andre 
during  his  hapless  connection  with  Arnold,  now  commands  our  attention, 
for  toward  Haverstraw  I  next  journeyed.  It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  aft- 
ernoon when  I  crossed  the  ferry  at  Verplanck's  Point  in  a  small  row-boat 
This  was  the  old  King's  Ferry  of  the  Revolution,  where  the  good  Wash 
ington  so  often  crossed,  and  where  battalion  after  battalion  of  troops,  royal, 
French,  and  American,  at  various  times  spanned  the  Hudson  with  their 
long  lines  of  flat-boats,  for  it  Avas  the  main  crossing-place  of  armies  moving 
between  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States.      It  was  here,  too.  that  a  portion  of  the  forces  of 


Burgoyne  crossed  the  Hud- 
son when  on  their  march 
from  Massachusetts  to  Vir- 
ginia. The  landing-place  on 
the  Stony  Point  side,  in  for- 
mer times,  was  in  the  cove 
at  the  opening  of  the  marsh, 
on  the  north  of  the  promon- 
tory ;  now  the  western  ter- 
minus of  the  ferry  is  a  little 
above,  at  the  cottage  of  Mr 
Tenyck,  the  jolly  old  ferry- 
man, who  has  plied  the  oar 
there,  almost  without  inter- 


The  Feurvman. 


mission ,  ever  since  1 7  8  4 .  He 
was  sitting  upon  his  door- 
stone  when  his  son  moored 
the  boat  at  its  rock-fasten- 
ing ;  and,  as  we  ascended  the 
bank,  the  old  man  held  up  a 
bottle  of  whisky,  and  proffer- 
ed a  draught  as  a  pledge  of 
welcome  to  the  "  millionth 
man"  that  had  crossed  his 
ferry.  Preferring  milk  to 
whisky,  I  sat  down  under  the 
rich-leaved  branches  of  a  ma- 
ple, and  regaled  myself  with 


that  healthful  beverage.  While  the  veteran  and  two  of  his  neighbors  were  enjoying  the 
aqua  vitse,  I  sketched  the  old  King's  Ferry  sign-board,  with  its 
device,  which  was  nailed  to  a  sapling  near,  and  then,  accompa- 
nied by  the  old  man  and  his  companions,  started  for  a  ramble 
over  the  rough  site  of  the  fort  on  Stony  Point.  Upon  its  ancient 
mounds  I  sat  and  listened  for  an  hour  to  the  adventurous  tales  of 
the  octogenarian,  until  the  long  shadows  of  the  mountains  warned 
me  that  the  day  was  fast  waning,  when  I  hastened  to  make  the 
drawings  upon  pages  744  and  7 IG.  At  sunset,  accompanied  by 
one  of  the  men  as  bearer  of  my  light  baggage,  I  started  on  foot  for  the  neighborhood  of 
Haverstraw.  The  road  passes  through  a  truly  romantic  region,  made  so  by  nature,  his- 
tory, and  tradition.  I  stopped  often  to  view  the  beautiful  river  prospect  on  the  southeast, 
while  the  outlines  of  the  distant  shores  were  imperceptibly  fading  as  the  twilight  came  on. 
At  dusk  we  passed  an  acre  of  ground,  lying  by  the  roadside  on  the  right,  which  was  given 


wm 


/  o: 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


'God's  Acre."  Benson's  Tavern.  Interview  with  a  Builder  of  Stony  Point  Fort.  View  from  Smith's  House 


many  years  ago  for  a  neighborhood  burial-place.  Its  numerous  white  slabs  proclaimed  an 
already  populous  city  of  the  dead,  and  ere  long  another  generous  hand  should  donate  an  acre 
near  for  the  same  purpose. 

"  I  like  that  ancient  Saxon  phrase  which  calls 
The  burial-ground  Gorf's  ^cre  /     It  is  just-, 
It  consecrates  each  grave  within  its  walls, 

And  breathes  a  benison  o'er  the  sleeping  dust. 
God''s  Acre  !     Yes,  that  blessed  name  imparts 

Comfort  to  those  who  in  the  grave  have  sown 
The  seed  that  they  had  garner'd  in  their  hearts. 
Their  bread  of  life,  alas  !  no  more  their  own." 

Longfellow. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  we  reached  the  tavern  of  Mr.  Benson,  near  Sampsonville,  about 
three  miles  below  Stony  Point.  Haverstraw  was  two  miles  distant,  and,  wearied  with  the 
rambles  of  the  day,  I  halted  at  Benson's  until  morning.  After  an  early  breakfast  I  pro- 
ceeded to  the  foot  of  Torn  Mountain,  a  little  northwest  of  Haverstraw,  to  visit  a  man  named 
Allison,  who  was  eighty-eight  years  old.  I  had  been  informed  of  his  vigor  of  body  and 
mind,  and  was  much  disappointed  on  finding  him  in  bed,  feeble  and  sinking  from  the  effects 
of  a  fall.  Our  conversation  was  brief,  but  his  short  communications  were  interesting.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  eighteen  when  the  fort  at  Stony  Point  was  built,  and  assisted  in  car- 
rying material  for  its  construction  from  the  main.  In  company  with  many  others  in  the 
neighborhood  not  allowed  to  join  in  Wayne's  expedition,  he  hung  upon  the  rear  of  the  little 
army  on  that  eventful  night ;  and  when  the  shout  of  victory  arose  from  the  fort,  his  voice 
was  among  the  loudest  in  the  echo  that  was  sent  back  by  the  yeomanry  gathered  upon  the 
neighboring  hills.  He  gave  me  a  minute  account  of  the  movements  of  the  Americans  be- 
fore crossing  the  morass,  and  told  me  of  a  black  walnut-tree  still  standing  by  the  roadside 
between  Haverstraw  and  Stony  Point,  under  which  the  negro,  Pompey,  took  charge,  as  pi- 
lot, of  Wayne's  assaulting  force.  I  had  intended,  on  leaving  Mr.  Allison,  to  go  down  near 
the  river  bank,  where  Arnold  and  Andre  met ;  but  the  hour  was  approaching  at  which  I 
had  promised  myself  to  return  to  Verplanck's  Point,  so  I  postponed  my  visit  to  this  inter- 
esting spot  until  a  subsequent  date. 

On  my  return  toward  Stony  Point,  I  tarried  at  and  sketched  Smith's  House,  deline- 
ated on  page  720.  It  is  in  the  present  possession  of  William  C.  Houseman,  whose  good 
taste  has  adorned  the  grounds  around  it  with  fine  shrubbery.  It  is  located  upon  the  brow 
of  an  eminence,  known,  for  obvious  reasons,  as  Treason  Hill,  and  commands  an  extensive 
view  of  the  Hudson  and  the  country  beyond.*  From  the  window  in  the  second  story, 
where,  tradition  avers,  Andre  looked  with  anxious  eyes  for  the  appearance  of  the  Vulture. 
I  made  the  drawing  printed  on  the  opposite  page.  Between  the  foreground  and  the  river  is 
seen  the  broad  alluvial  flat  in  the  rear  of  Haverstraw,  and  on  the  brink  of  the  water  is  the 
village.  The  headland  on  the  left  is  Teller's  Point,  and  the  highest  ground  on  the  extreme 
right  is  Torn  Mountain,  extending  down  to  the  verge  of  Haverstraw  Bay,  where  it  is  called 

1  The  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  in  his  Travels  in  North  America  (i.,  98,  99),  says,  "My  thoughts  were 
occupied  with  Arnold  and  his  treason  when  my  road  brought  me  to  Smith's  farm-house,  where  he  had  his- 
interview  with  Andre,  and  formed  his  horrid  plot  ....  Smith,  who  was  more  than  suspected,  but  not  con- 
victed of  being  a  party  in  the  plot,  is  still  in  prison,*  where  the  law  protects  him  against  justice.  But  hi>^ 
home  seems  to  have  experienced  the  only  chastisement  of  which  it  was  susceptible  ;  it  is  punished  by  soli- 
tude ;  and  is,  in  fact,  so  deserted,  that  there  is  not  a  single  person  to  take  care  of  it,  although  it  is  the  man- 
sion of  a  large  farm." 


*  Joshua  Hen  Smith,  implicated  in  Arnold's  treason,  was  a  brother  of  the  Tory  chief  justice,  William  Smith,  and  a  man  of  con- 
siderable influence.  The  part  which  he  had  acted  with  Arnold  made  him  strongly  suspected  of  known  participation  in  his  guilt. 
He  was  arrested  at  Fishkill,  in  Dutchess  county,  and  was  taken  to  the  Robinson  House  a  few  hours  previous  to  the  arrival  of 
Andrd.  There  Smith  was  tried  by  a  military  court  and  acquitted.  He  was  soon  afterward  arrested  by  the  civil  authority  of 
the  state,  and  committed  to  the  jail  at  Goshen,  Orange  county,  whence  he  escaped,  and  made  his  way  through  the  country,  in 
the  disguise  of  a  woman,  to  New  York.  He  went  to  England  with  the  British  army  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  in  1808  pub- 
lished a  book  in  London,  entitled  An  Authentic  Narrative  of  the  Causes  which  led  to  the  Death  of  Major  Andre ;  a  work  of  very 
little  reUable  authority,  and  filled  with  abuse  of  Washington  and  other  American  officers.     Smith  died  in  New  Yo-k  in  181S. 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


753 


View  fbom  Sianu's  House. 


^cient  black  Walnut-tree.      Tarrytown.       Cowboys  and  Skiniiora.      Neutral  Ground.       Place  where  Andrd  was  Captured. 

the  Hook  Mountain.      The  vessel  in  the  river  denotes  the  place  where  the  Vulture  lay  at 
anchor. 

Half  a  mile  above  the  Smith 
House,  on  the  right  of  the  road  to 
Stony  Point,  is  the  huge  black  wal- 
nut-tree mentioned  by  Mr.  Allison. 
f  procured  a  branch  from  it,  large 
and  straight  enough  for  a  nimd-stick, 
and  then  plodded  on  in  the  warm 
sun,  to  the  ferry.  The  old  water- 
man, though  nearly  eighty  years  of 
age,  rowed  his  boat  across  with  a 
vigorous  hand,  and  at  one  o'clock  1 
left  Verplanck's  for  Tarrytown,  a  vil- 
lage on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Hud- 
son, twenty-seven  miles  above  New 
York,  and  memorable  as  the  place  where  Major  Andre  was  captured. 

The  village  of  Tarrytown  lies  scattered  over  the  river  front  of  the  Greenburgh  Hills,  and 
presents  a  handsome  appearance  from  the  water.  It  is  upon  the  site  of  an  Indian  village 
called  Alipconck,  which,  in  the  Delaware  language,  signifies  the  Place  of  Elms.  The 
Dutch,  who  settled  there  about  1680,  called  the  place  Tarwe  Town,  or  "wheat  town," 
probably  from  the  abundant  culture  of  that  grain  in  the  vicinity.'  The  salubrity  of  its  cli- 
mate, and  the  commanding  river  view  in  front,  has  always  made  it  a  desirable  place  of  res- 
idence. During  the  Revolution  it  was  the  theater  of  many  stormy  scenes,  consisting  chiefly 
of  skirmishes  between  the  lawless  bands  of  marauders  known  by  the  distinctive  appellation 
o(  Cow-hoys,  and  Skinner?,?  These  infested  the  Neutral  Ground^  in  West  Chester,  and 
made  it  a  political  and  social  hell  for  the  dwellers.  Many  left  it,  and  allowed  their  lands 
to  become  a  waste,  rather  than  remain  in  the  midst  of  perpetual  torments. 

The  place  where  Andre  was  captured  is  upon  the  turnpike  on  the  northeast  verge  of  the 
village,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  river,  and  near  the  academy  of  Mr.  Newman.  A 
few  yards  south  of  the  academy,  a  small  stream  crosses  the  road  and  runs  through  a  deep 
ravine  riverward.  The  marshy  and  thickly-wooded  glen  into  which  it  poured  was  known 
as  Wiley's  Swamp.  A  little  south  of  this  stream,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  is  a  dwarf 
cedar,  near  which  (indicated,  in  the  picture,  by  the  spot  where  the  figure  sits)  are  the  re- 
mains of  a  tree,  said  to  be  that  of  the  stately  white- wood  under  whose  shadow  the  captors 
of  Andre  caused  him  to  strip,  and  then  made  the  momentous  discovery  of  the  papers  in  his 

'  Bolton.  Irving,  in  his  Legend  of  Sleepy  Holloio,  says,  "  This  name  was  given,  we  are  told,  in  former 
flays,  by  the  good  housewives  of  the  adjacent  country,  from  the  inveterate  propensity  of  their  husbands  to 
linger  about  the  village  tavern  on  market  days." 

*  The  party  called  Cow-boys  were  mostly  Refugees  belonging  to  the  British  side,  and  engaged  in  plun- 
ilering  the  people  near  the  lines  of  their  cattle  and  driving  them  to  New  York.  Their  vocation  suggested 
their  name.  The  Skinners  generally  professed  attachment  to  the  American  cause,  and  lived  chiefly  within 
the  patriot  lines  ;  but  they  were  of  csisy  virtue,  and  were  really  more  detested  by  the  Americans  than  their 
avowed  enemios,  the  Cow-boys.  They  were  treacherous,  rapacious,  and  often  brutal.  One  day  they  would 
be  engaged  in  broils  and  skirmishes  with  the  Cow-boys ;  the  next  day  they  would  be  in  league  with  them 
m  plundering  their  own  friends  as  well  as  enemies.  Oftentimes  a  sham  skirmish  would  take  place  between 
them  near  the  British  lines ;  the  Skinners  were  always  victorious,  and  then  they  would  go  boldly  into  the 
interior  with  their  booty,  pretending  it  had  been  captured  from  the  enemy  while  attempting  to  smuggle  it 
across  the  lines.  The  proceeds  of  sales  were  divided  between  the  parties.  See  Sparks's  Life  of  Arnold, 
218-21  inclusive. 

'  The  Neutral  Ground,  thirty  miles  in  extent  along  the  Hudson,  and  embracing  nearly  all  West  Chester 
county,  was  a  populous  and  highly  cultivated  region,  lying  between  the  American  and  British  lines.  Bein{> 
within  neither,  it  Wcis  called  the  Neutral  Ground.  The  inhabitants  sulTered  dreadfully  during  the  war,  for 
they  were  sure  to  be  plundered  and  abused  by  one  party  or  the  other.  If  they  took  the  oath  of  fidelity  to 
the  American  cause,  the  Cow-boys  were  sure  to  plunder  them  ;  if  they  did  not,  the  Skinners  would  call  thera 
Tories,  seize  their  property,  and  have  it  confiscated  by  the  state. 

B  n  R 


754 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Journey  of  Andr6  and  Smith  to  Crompond. 


Vigilance  of  Captain  Boyd. 


Andrd's  Uneasinesa. 


September  22. 
1780. 


stocking.'  By  a  spring  in  the  grove,  just  over  the  fence  on  the  left,  the  young  men  were 
card-playing  when  their  victim  approached.  We  will  not  anticipate  the  history  in  the  de- 
scription, but  here  resume  the 
narrative  of  events  connected 
with  Andre's  capture  and  trial, 
from  the  time  we  left  him  and 
Smith  to  pursue  their  journey 
from  Verplanck's  Point  toward 
the  Neutral  Ground. 

It  was  after  dark 
when  Andre  and 
Smith  left  Verplanck's  Point. 
They  took  the  road  toward 
White  Plains,  and  met  with  no 
interruption  until  hailed  by  a 
sentinel  near  Crompond,  a  little 
village  eight  miles  from  Ver- 
planck's Point. °  He  belonged 
to  a  party  under  Captain  Boyd. 
That  vigilant  officer  made  many 
and  searching  inquiries  of  the 
travelers,  and  would  not  be  sat- 
isfied that  all  was  right  until  he 
procured  a  light  and  examined 
the  pass  from  Arnold,  which 
they  assured  him  they  possessed. 


View  of  tiik  Place  wheke  Andre  was  captured. 


During  the  investigation  Andre  was  uneasy,  but  the  pass  being  in  explicit  terras,  and  known 
to  be  genuine.  Captain  Boyd  was  readily  persuaded  that  all  was  correct.  The  captain  apol- 
ogized for  the  strictness  of  his  scrutiny,  and  manifested  much  concern  for  their  safety  on  ac- 
count of  the  prevalence  of  Cow-boys  in  the  neighborhood.  He  advised  them  to  remain  till 
morning ;  but  Smith  assured  him  that  their  business  was  urgent,  and  it  was  necessary  for 
them  to  proceed  immediately  toward  White  Plains.  The  captain  magnified  the  dangers 
to  which  they  were  exposed,  and  Smith,  taking  counsel  of  his  fears,  was  disposed  to  tarry. 
Andre  was  differently  inclined,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  could  be  persuaded  to  turn 
back  and  take  lodging  at  the  cottage  of  Andreas  Miller.  The  travelers  slept  in  the  same 
bed,  and,  according  to  Smith's  account,  it  was  a  weary  and  restless  night  for  Andre.  He 
was  up  at  dawn,  and  at  an  early  hour  they  were  again  in  the  saddle.  As  they  approached 
Pine's  Bridge,  and  Andre  was  assured  that  they  were  beyond  patrolling  parties,  his  taciturn- 
ity and  gloom  were  exchanged  for  garrulity  and  cheerfulness,  and  he  conversed  in  an  almost 
playful  manner  upon  poetry,  the  arts,  literature,  and  common  topics.  Near  Pine's  Bridge' 
they  parted  company,  after  partaking  of  a  frugal  breakfast  with  Mrs.  Sarah  Underbill,  whose 
grandson,  I  believe,  still  owns  the  house.      Smith  proceeded  to  Fishkill  by  the  way  of  the 

^  "This  tree  towered  like  a  giant,"  says  Irving,  in  his  Sketch  Book,  "above  all  the  other  trees  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  formed  a  kind  of  landmark.  Its  limbs  were  gnarled  and  fantastic,  large  enough  to  form 
trunks  for  ordinary  trees,  twisting  down  almost  to  the  earth,  and  rising  again  into  the  air."  The  trunk 
was  twenty-six  feet  in  circumference,  and  forty-one  feet  in  length.  It  was  struck  by  lightning  on  the  same 
Jay  that  intelligence  of  Arnold's  death  arrived  at  Tarrytown,  a  coincidence  which  many  thought  remarkable. 

^  Here,  at  the  parsonage,  the  Yorktown  Committee  of  Public  Safety  met ;  and  members  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  assembled  there  to  grant  commissions  to  officers.  Colonel  Robertson,  who  commanded  a  regi- 
ment of  Loyalists,  was  ordered  to  destroy  that  post ;  and,  piloted  thither  by  a  Tory  named  Caleb  Morgan, 
he  burned  the  parsonage  in  the  autumn  of  1776. 

This  bridge,  situated  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Yorktown,  spanned  the  Croton  River.  At  this  place 
the  great  dam  connected  with  the  Croton  aqueduct  is  situated,  and  the  present  bridge  crosses  the  lake  above 
It,  a  little  eastward  of  the  Revolutionary  structure.  Here  the  Americans  generally  kept  a  strong  guard, 
as  it  was  the  chief  point  of  communication  between  the  lines. 


OF    THE   REVOLUTION.  755 


Volunteer  Expedition  against  the  Cow-boys.  Arrest  of  Major  Andrd.  Discovery  of  Papers  in  his  Stockings. 

Robinson  House,  where  he  pleased  Arnold  by  communicating  the  particulars  of  the  journey 
and  the  place  where  he  left  Andre.  It  is  not  at  all  probable  that  Smith,  at  this  time,  was 
acquainted  with  the  real  name  and  mission  of  Andre,  for  he  knew  him  only  as  Mr.  Anderson. 

Andre,  being  told  that  the  Cota-boi/s  were  more  numerous  on  the  Tarrytown  road,  took 
that  direction,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  Smith  and  others,  for  these  marauders  were  his 
friends,  and  from  them  he  had  nothing  to  fear. 

On  the  morning  when  Andre  crossed  Pine's  Bridge,  a  little  band  of  seven  volunteers  went 
out  near  Tarrytown  to  prevent  cattle  being  driven  to  New  York,  and  to  arrest  any  suspi- 
cious characters  who  might  travel  that  way.  John  Yerks  (who  was  living  in  the  town  of 
Mount  Pleasant  in  1848)  proposed  the  expedition  the  day  before,  and  first  enlisted  John 
Paulding,  John  Dean,'  James  Romer,  and  Abraham  Williams.  They  were  at  North  Sa- 
lem, and  Paulding  procured  a  permit  from  the  officer  commanding  there,  at  the  same  time 
persuading  his  friend,  Isaac  Van  Wart,  to  accompany  them.  On  their  way  toward  Tarry- 
town they  were  joined  by  David  Williams.  They  slept  in  a  hay  barrack  at  Pleasantville 
that  night,  and  the  next  morning  early  they  arrived  near  Tarrytown.  Four  of  the  party 
agreed  to  watch  the  road  from  a  hill  above,  while  Paulding,  Van  Wart,  and  David  Will- 
iams were  to  lie  concealed  in  the  bushes  by  the  stream  near  the  post-road.  Such  was  the 
position  of  the  parties  when  Andre  approached.  The  circumstances  of  the  capture  are  mi- 
nutely narrated  in  the  testimony  of  Paulding  and  Williams,  given  at  the  trial  of  Smith,  eleven 
days  afterward.  The  testimony  was  written  down  by  the  judge-advocate  on  that  occasion, 
from  whose  manuscript  Mr.  Sparks  copied  it,  as  follows  :"  "  Myself,  Isaac  Van  AVart,  and 
David  Williams  were  lying  by  the  side  of  the  road  about  half  a  mile  above  Tarrytown,  and 
about  fifteen  miles  above  Kingsbridge,  on  Saturday  morning,  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock, 
the  23d  of  September.  We  had  lain  there  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  as  near  as  I  can  rec- 
ollect, and  saw  several  persons  we  were  acquainted  with,  whom  we  let  pass.  Presently, 
one  of  the  young  men  who  were  with  me  said,  '  There  comes  a  gentleman-like  looking  man, 
who  appears  to  be  well  dressed,  and  has  boots  on,  and  whom  you  had  better  step  out  and 
stop,  if  you  don't  know  him.'  On  that  I  got  up,  and  presented  my  firelock  at  the  breast 
of  the  person,  and  told  him  to  stand,  and  then  I  asked  him  which  way  he  was  going.  '  Gen- 
tlemen,' said  he,  '  I  hope  you  belong  to  our  party.'  I  asked  him  what  party.  He  said, 
'  The  Lower  Party.'  Upon  that  I  told  him  I  did.'  Then  he  said,  '  I  am  a  British  officer, 
out  in  the  country  on  particular  business,  and  I  hope  you  will  not  detain  me  a  minute  ,' 
and,  to  show  that  he  was  a  British  officer,  he  pulled  out  his  watch.  Upon  which  I  told 
him  to  dismount.  He  then  said,  '  My  God  I  I  must  do  any  thing  to  get  along,'  and  seemed 
to  make  a  kind  of  laugh  of  it,  and  pulled  out  General  Arnold's  pass,  which  was  to  John 
Anderson,  to  pass  all  guards  to  White  Plains  and  below.  Upon  that  he  dismounted.  Said 
he,  '  Gentlemen,  you  had  best  let  me  go,  or  you  will  bring  yourselves  into  trouble,  for  your 
stopping  me  will  detain  the  general's  business  ;'  and  said  he  was  going  to  Dobbs's  Ferry  to 
meet  a  person  there  and  get  intelligence  for  General  Arnold.  Upon  that  I  told  him  I  hoped 
he  would  not  be  offended  ;   that  we  did  not  mean  to  take  any  thing  from  him  ;   and  I  told 

'■  While  strolling  among  the  ancient  graves  in  the  Sleepy  Hollow  church-yard,  a  little  north  of  Tarry- 
town, at  the  time  of  my  visit  there,  I  was  joined  by  an  elderly  gentleman,  a  son  of  Mr.  Dean.  He  pointed 
out  a  brown  freestone  at  the  head  of  his  father's  grave,  on  which  is  the  following  inscription  :  "  In  memory 
of  John  Dean.  He  was  born  September  loth.  A.D.  1755,  and  died  April  4th,  A.D.  1817,  aged  61  years, 
6  months,  and  20  days. 

"  A  tender  father,  a  friend  sincere, 
A  tender  husband  slumbers  here ; 
Then  let  us  hope  his  soul  is  given 
A  blest  and  sure  reward  in  heaven." 

By  his  side  is  the  grave  of  his  father,  who  was  buried  eighty  years  ago. 

*  See  Sparks's  Life  and  Treason  of  Arnold,  Am.  Biog..  iii.,  223-226. 

3  "Paulding  had  effected  his  escape,"  says  Bolton  (i.,  224),  "  only  three  days  previously,  from  the  New 
York  Sugar  House,  in  the  dress  of  a  German  Yager.  General  Van  Cortlandt  says  that  Paulding  wore  this 
dress  on  the  day  of  the  capture,  which  tended  to  deceive  Andre,  and  led  him  to  exclaim,  '  Thank  God !  1 
am  once  more  among  friends.'  " 


756 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Deposition  of  David  Williams.  Strange  Conduct  of  Colonel  Jameson.  His  Letter  to  General  Arnold. 

him  there  were  many  bad  people  on  the  road,  and  I  did  not  know  but  perhaps  he  might 
be  one." 

When  further  questioned,  Paulding  replied,  that  he  asked  the  person  his  name,  who  told 
him  it  was  John  Anderson ;  and  that,  when  Anderson  produced  General  Arnold's  pass,  he 
should  have  let  him  go,  if  he  had  not  before  called  himself  a  British  officer.  Paulding  also 
said,  that  when  the  person  pulled  out  his  watch,  he  understood  it  as  a  signal  that  he  was  a 
British  officer,  and  not  that  he  meant  to  offer  it  to  him  as  a  present. 

All  these  particulars  were  substantially  confirmed  by  David  Williams,  whose  testimony 
ni  regard  to  the  searching  of  Andre,  being  more  minute  than  Paulding's,  is  here  inserted. 

"  We  took  him  into  the  bushes,"  said  Williams,  "  and  ordered  him  to  pull  off  his  clothes, 
which  he  did  ;  but,  on  searching  him  narrowly,  we  could  not  find  any  sort  of  writings.  We 
told  him  to  pull  off  his  boots,  which  he  seemed  to  be  indifferent  about ;  but  we  got  one 
boot  off,  and  searched  in  that  boot,  and  could  find  nothing.  But  we  found  there  were  some 
papers  in  the  bottom  of  his  stocking  next  to  his  foot  ;  on  which  we  made  him  pull  his  stock- 
ing off,  and  found  three  papers  wrapped  up.  Mr.  Paulding  looked  at  the  contents,  and  said 
he  was  a  spy.  We  then  made  him  pull  off  his  other  boot,  and  there  we  found  three  more 
papers  at  the  bottom  of  his  foot  within  his  stocking. 

"  Upon  this  we  made  him  dress  himself,  and  I  asked  him  what  he  would  give  us  to  let 
him  go.  He  said  he  would  give  us  any  sum  of  money.  I  asked  him  whether  he  would 
^ive  us  his  horse,  saddle,  bridle,  watch,  and  one  hundred  guineas.  He  said  '  Yes,'  and  told 
us  he  would  direct  them  to  any  place,  even  if  it  was  that  very  spot,  so  that  we  could  get 
them.  I  asked  him  whether  he  would  not  give  us  more.  He  said  he  would  give  us  any 
quantity  of  dry  goods,  or  any  sum  of  money,  and  bring  it  to  any  place  that  we  might  pitch 
upon,  so  that  we  might  get  it.  Mr.  Paulding  answered,  '  No,  if  you  would  give  us  ten 
thousand  guineas,  you  should  not  stir  one  step.'  I  then  asked  the  person  who  had  called 
himself  John  Anderson  if  he  would  not  get  away  if  it  lay  in  his  power.  He  answered, 
'  Yes,  I  would.'  I  told  him  I  did  not  intend  he  should.  While  taking  him  along,  we  asked 
him  a  few  questions,  and  we  stopped  under  a  shade.  He  begged  us  not  to  ask  him  ques- 
tions, and  said  when  he  came  to  any  commander  he  would  reveal  all. 

"  He  was  dressed  in  a  blue  over-coat,  and  a  tight  body-coat,  that  was  of  a  kind  of  claret 
color,  though  a  rather  deeper  red  than  claret.  The  button-holes  were  laced  with  gold  tinsel, 
and  the  buttons  drawn  over  with  the  same  kind  of  lace.  He  had  on  a  round  hat,  and  nan- 
keen waistcoat  and  breeches,  with  a  flannel  waistcoat  and  drawers,  boots,  and  thread 
•stockings." 

Andre  was  conducted  to  North  Castle,  the  nearest  military 
post,  and  there,  with  all  the  papers  found  upon  his  person, 
he  was  delivered  up  to  Lieutenant-colonel  Jameson,  the  offi- 
cer in  command.  With  an  obtuseness  of  perception  most 
extraordinary  and  unaccountable,  Jameson  resolved  to  send 
the  prisoner  immediately  to  Arnold  !  He  knew  a  portion 
of  the  papers  to  be  in  the  undisguised  handwriting  of  Gen- 
eral Arnold,  and  it  is  most  extraordinary  that  the  circum-  colonel  Jameson's  Head-quabters. 
stances  under  which  they  were  found  should  not  have  awak- 
ened a  suspicion  of  the  fidelity  of  that  officer.  Washington  afterward  said,  in  allusion  to 
Jameson's  conduct,  that,  either  on  account  of  his  "  egregious  folly  or  bewildered  conception, 
he  seemed  lost  in  astonishment,  and  not  to  know  what  he  was  doing."  There  can  be  no 
doubt  of  the  purity  of  his  intentions,  but  who  can  respect  his  judgment  ?  He  penned  a  letter 
to  Arnold,  saying  that  he  sent  a  certain  Mr.  Anderson  forward  under  the  charge  of  Lieu- 
tenant Allen  and  a  guard,  who  had  been  taken  while  on  his  way  to  New  York.  "  He  had 
a  passport,"  said  Jameson,  "  signed  in  your  name,  and  a  parcel  of  papers,  taken  from  under 

'  This  is  a  view  of  the  out-buildings  of  Mr.  Sands,  at  North  Castle,  situated  a  few  yards  from  his  resi- 
dence. The  lowest  building,  on  the  left,  is  the  dwelling,  now  attached  to  the  barn  of  Mr.  Sands,  which. 
Jameson  used  as  his  head-quarters.     In  that  building  Andre  was  kept  guarded  until  sent  to  West  Point. 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  757 


Better  Judgment  of  Colonel  Tallmadge.  Major  Andrfi  at  Sheldon's  Head-quarters.  Andr6'8  Letter  to  Washington. 

his  stockings,  which  I  think  of  a  very  dangerous  tendency."  He  described  the  papers,  and 
informed  Arnold  that  he  had  sent  them  to  Washington. 

Major  Benjamin  Tallmadge,  next  in  command  to  Jameson,  was  on  duty  below  White 
Plains  on  that  day,  and  did  not  return  until  evening.  When  informed  of  the  September  23 
circumstances,  he  was  filled  with  astonishment  at  the  folly  of  Jameson,  and  ^~^*^- 

boldly  expressed  his  suspicions  of  Arnold's  fidelity.  He  ofibred  to  take  upon  himself  the  en- 
tire responsibility  of  proceeding  on  that  ground,  if  Jameson  would  allow  it.  The  latter  re- 
fused to  sanction  any  action  that  should  imply  a  distrust  of  Arnold.  Tallmadge  then  earn- 
estly besought  him  to  have  the  prisoner  brought  back.  To  this  he  reluctantly  consented, 
but  insisted  that  his  letter  to  Arnold  should  be  forwarded,  and  that  the  general  should  be 
informed  why  the  prisoner  was  not  sent  on.  This  was  the  letter  which  Arnold  received  in 
time  to  allow  him  to  make  his  escape  to  the  Vulture. 

Jameson  sent  an  express  after  Lieutenant  Allen,  with  orders  to  conduct  his  prisoner  back 
to  head-quarters  at  North  Castle.  As  soon  as  Tallmadge  saw  him,  and  observed  his  man- 
ner and  gait  while  pacing  the  room,  he  was  convinced  that  he  was  a  military  man  ;  and. 
joining  this  belief  with  other  circumstances,'  his  suspicions  of  Arnold's  treachery  were  fully 
confirmed  to  his  own  mind.  He  partially  imbued  Jameson  with  the  same  opinions,  and 
that  officer  agreed,  with  Tallmadge,  that  it  was  advisable  to  keep  their  prisoner  in  close  cus- 
tody until  orders  should  be  received  from  Arnold  or  Washington.  Andre  was  accordingly 
removed,  under  an  escort  commanded  by  Major  Tallmadge,  to  Colonel  Sheldon's  quarters 
at  North  Salem,  as  a  more  secure  place.  They  arrived  there  at  about  eight  in  the  morn- 
ing. Andre  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Bronson,  who  was  attached  to  Sheldon's  regiment,  and 
that  gentleman  kindly  offered  to  share  his  little  room  with  the  prisoner.  Learning  that  the 
papers  found  on  his  person  had  been  sent  to  General  Washington,  he  wrote,  in  Bronson's 
room,  a  letter  to  the  American  chief,  in  which  he  frankly  avowed  his  name  and  rank,  and 
briefly  related  the  circumstances  connected  with  his  present  situation.  This  letter  he  hand- 
ed to  Major  Tallmadge  to  read,  who  was  greatly  astonished  to  find  that  the  prisoner  in  his 
custody  was  the  adjutant  general  of  the  British  army.  The  letter  was  sealed  and  sent  to 
Washington.      From  that  hour  the  prisoner's  mind  seemed  relieved.'' 

'  Eight  or  nine  days  previous  to  the  capture,  Major  TaHmadore  received  a  letter  from  Arnold  of  similar 
import  to  the  one  Colonel  Sheldon  received  from  him,  in  which  he  requested,  if  a  man  by  the  name  of  An- 
derson should  come  within  the  lines,  to  have  him  sent  to  head-quarters  with  two  horsemen.  This  incident 
was  strongly  in  favor  of  Tallraadge's  suspicions. 

*  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  letter  : 

"Salem,  September  24th,  1780. 

"  Sir, — What  I  have  as  yet  said  concerning  myself  was  in  the  justifiable  attempt  to  be  extricated.  I 
am  too  little  accustomed  to  duplicity  to  have  succeeded. 

"  I  beg  your  excellency  will  be  persuaded  that  no  alteration  in  the  temper  of  my  mind,  or  apprehensior. 
for  my  safety,  induces  me  to  take  the  step  of  addressing  you,  but  that  it  is  to  rescue  myself  from  an  impu- 
tation of  having  assumed  a  mean  character  for  treacherous  purposes  or  self-interest ;  a  conduct  incompati- 
ble with  the  principles  that  actuate  me,  as  well  as  with  my  condition  in  life.  It  is  to  vindicate  my  fame 
that  I  speak,  and  not  to  solicit  security.  The  person  in  your  possession  is  Major  John  Andre,  adjutant  gen- 
eral to  the  Briti-sh  army. 

"  The  influence  of  one  commander  in  the  army  of  his  adversary  is  ah  advantage  taken  in  war.  A  cor 
respondence  for  this  purpose  I  held,  as  confidential  (in  the  present  instance),  with  his  excellenc)'  Sir  Henr\ 
Clinton.  To  favor  it,  I  agreed  to  meet,  upon  ground  not  within  the  pwsts  of  either  army,  a  person  who 
was  to  give  me  intelligence.  I  came  up  in  the  Vulture  man-of-war  for  this  effect,  and  was  fetched  by  a 
boat  from  the  .ship  to  the  beach.  Being  here,  I  was  told  that  the  approach  of  day  would  prevent  my  return, 
and  that  I  must  be  concealed  until  the  next  night.  I  was  in  my  regimentals,  and  had  fairly  risked  my 
person. 

"  Against  my  stipulations,  my  intention,  and  without  ray  knowledge  beforehand,  I  was  conducted  within 
one  of  your  posts.  Your  excellency  may  conceive  my  sensation  on  this  occasion,  and  must  imagine  how 
much  more  must  I  have  been  affected  by  a  refusal  to  reconduct  me  back  the  next  night  as  I  had  been 
brought.  Thus  become  a  prisoner,  I  had  to  concert  my  escape.  I  quitted  my  uniform,  and  was  passed 
another  way  in  the  night,  without  the  American  posts,  to  neutral  ground,  and  informed  I  was  beyond  all 
armed  parties,  and  left  to  press  for  New  York.  I  was  taken  at  Tarrytown  by  some  volunteers.  Thus,  as 
I  have  had  the  honor  to  relate,  was  I  betrayed  (being  adjutant  general  of  the  British  army)  into  the  vile 
condition  of  an  enemy  m  disguise  within  your  posts 


758 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Andrg  taken  to  West  Point  and  thence  to  Tappan. 


His  Disclosures  to  Tallmadge. 


His  Case  and  Hale's  compared 


Pursuant  to  an  order  from  General  Washington,  Andre  was  conducted  to  West  Point, 
September,  where  be  remained  until  the  morning  of  the  28th,  when  he  was  conveyed  in  a 
1780.  barge  to  Stony  Point,  and  from  thence  conducted,  under  a  strong  escort,  to  Tap- 
pan,  about  two  miles  westward  of  the  present  Piermont,  the  Hudson  Pwiver  terminus  of  the 
New  York  and  Erie  rail-road.  Major  Tallmadge,  who  commanded  the  escort,  and  rode  by 
Andre's  side  all  the  way,  has  left,  in  a  communication  to  Mr.  Sparks,  an  interesting  account 
of  the  events  of  that  day's  march.  As  he  and  Andre  were  about  the  same  age,  and  held 
the  same  rank  in  the  respective  armies,  they  agreed  on  a  cartel,  by  the  terms  of  which  each 
one  was  permitted  to  put  any  question  to  the  other  not  involving  a  third  person.  In  the 
course  of  conversation,  thus  made  as  unreserved  as  possible,  Andre  informed  Tallmadge  that 
he  was  to  have  taken  a  part  in  the  attack  on  West  Point,  if  Arnold's  plan  had  succeeded, 
and  that  the  only  reward  he  asked  was  the  military  glory  to  be  won  by  such  service  to  his 
king.  He  had  been  promised,  however,  the  rank  and  pay  of  a  brigadier  general  if  he  had 
succeeded.  In  reply  to  Andre's  earnest  inquiries  respecting  the  probable  result  of  his  cap- 
ture, Tallmadge  frankly  reminded  him  of  the  character  and  fate  of  the  unfortunate  Captain 
Hale.  "  But  you  surely  do  not  consider  his  case  and  mine  alike  ?"  said  Andre.  "  Yes, 
precisely  similar,"  replied  Major  Tallmadge,  "  and  similar  will  be  your  fate."  Andre  be- 
came troubled  in  spirit,  and  from  that  time  until  the  hour  of  his  execution  his  most  poignant 
sorrow  arose  from  the  reflection  that  he  was  branded  with  the  odious  name  of  a  spy.' 
As  soon  as  Washington  had  completed  all  necessary  arrangements  for  the  security  of 
West  Point,  he  hastened  to  the  army  at  Tappan.  The  next  day  after  his  ar- 
eptem  er  .  ^.^^^  ^^  summoned  a  board  of  general  officers,  and  directed  them  to  examine 
into  the  case  of  Major  Andre  and  report  the  result.  He  also  directed  them  to  give  their 
opinion  as  to  the  light  in  which  the  prisoner  ought  to  be  regarded,  and  the  punishment  that 
should  be  inflicted.  We  shall  visit  Tappan  presently,  and  then  the  events  in  the  last  scene 
of  this  drama  shall  be  rehearsed  ;  for  the  present,  let  us  stroll  about  Tarrytown  during  the 
remainder  of  this  pleasant  afternoon. 

After  sketching  a  view  of  the  spot  where  Andre  was  captured,  I  walked  to  the  famous 

old  Dutch  church  of  Sleepy  Hollow,  standing  by 
the  side  of  the  post-road,  about  a  mile  northward. 
I  can  not  better  describe  its  location  than  by 
quoting  the  language  of  Mr.  Irving  concerning 
it.  "  The  sequestered  situation  of  the  church," 
he  says,  "  seems  always  to  have  made  it  a  fa- 
vorite haunt  of  troubled  spirits.  It  stands  on  a 
knoll,  surrounded  by  locust-trees  and  lofty  elms, 
from  among  which  its  decent  white-washed  walls 
shine  modestly  forth,  like  Christian  purity  beam- 
ing through  the  shades  of  retirement.  A  gentle 
ANCIENT  Dutch  citorch.j  slope  descends  to  it  from  a  silver  sheet  of  water, 

'•  Having  avowed  myself  a  British  officer,  I  have  nothing  to  reveal  but  what  relates  to  myself,  which  is 
true  on  the  honor  of  an  officer  and  a  gentleman.  The  request  I  have  to  make  to  your  excellency,  and  I 
am  conscious  I  address  myself  well,  is,  that  in  any  rigor  policy  may  dictate,  a  decency  of  conduct  toward 
me  may  mark  that,  though  unfortunate,  I  am  branded  with  nothing  dishonorable,  as  no  motive  could  be  mine 
but  the  service  of  my  king,  and  as  I  was  involuntarily  an  impostor.  Another  request  is,  that  I  may  be  per- 
mitted to  write  an  open  letter  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  another  to  a  friend  for  clothes  and  linen. 

"  I  take  the  liberty  to  mention  the  condition  of  some  gentlemen  at  Charleston,  who,  being  either  on  pa- 
role or  under  protection,  were  engaged  in  a  conspiracy  against  us.  Though  their  situation  is  not  similar, 
they  are  objects  who  may  be  set  in  exchange  for  me,  or  are  persons  whom  the  treatment  I  receive  might 
affect.  It  is  no  less,  sir,  in  a  confidence  of  the  g'enerosity  of  your  mind,  than  on  account  of  your  superior 
station,  that  I  have  chosen  to  importune  you  with  this  letter. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect,  sir,  your  excellency's  most  obedient  and  most  humble  servant, 

"  John  Andre,  Adjutant  GeneraV^ 

'  See  Sparks's  Amer.  Biog.,  iii.,  255-259. 

*  This  view  is  from  the  church-yard,  looking  southwest.     The  porch  seen  on  the  right  fronts  upon  the 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


759 


Bridge  over  Sleepy  Hollow  Creek.      Ichabod  Crane  and  the  Headless  Horseman.       Castle  Philipse.       Tarrytown  Cemeterv 


BuiDGE  OVER  Sleepy  Hollow  Cheek. 


bordered  by  high  trees,  betAveen  which  peeps  may  be  caught  of  the  blue  hills  of  the  Hud- 
son. To  look  upon  its  grass-grown  yard,  where  the  sunbeams  seem  to  sleep  so  quietly,  one 
would  think  that  there,  at  least,  the  dead  might  rest  in  peace.  On  one  side  of  the  church 
extends  a  woody  dell,  along  which  laves  a  large  brook  among  broken  rocks  and  trunks  of 
fallen  trees.  Over  a  deep  black  part  of  the  stream,  not  far  from  the  church,  was  formerly 
thrown  a  wooden  bridge.  The  road  that  led  to  it,  and  the 
bridge  itself,  were  thickly  shaded  by  overhanging  trees, 
which  cast  a  gloom  about  it,  even  in  the  daytime,  but 
occasioned  a  fearful  darkness  at  night.'" 

It  was  at  this  bridge,  in  the  dark  glen  near  the  church, 
that  poor  Ichabod  Crane  had  his  terrible  encounter  with 
the  headless  horseman  of  Sleepy  Hollow.^  The  road  still 
"  leads  through  a  sandy  hollow,  shaded  by  trees  for  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile,"  but  "  the  bridge  famous  in  goblin 
story"  is  no  more.  The  present  structure  is  a  few  yards 
westward  of  the  site  of  the  old  one  ;  and  although  not  so 
shaded  in  cavernous  gloom,  is  quite  as  romantic  in  its  sit- 
uation. From  its  planks  there  is  a  fine  view  of  Castle 
Philipse,  as  the  ancient  manor  house  of  Frederic  Philipse 

was  called,  from  the  circumstance  of  its  being  originally  fortified  against  the  Indians.  It 
is  a  spacious  and  substantial  stone  building,  and  near  it  is  the  old  mill,  whose  wheel  turned 
in  the  same  place  during  the  Revolution.  The  dam  forms  a  pleasant  little  lake  extending 
back  almost  to  the  bridge. 

Upon  the  slopes  and  the  brow  of  the  hill  eastward  of  the  old  church  is  the  Tarrytown 
cemetery,  extending  down  to  the  ancient  burial-ground.  It  is  susceptible  of  being  made  one 
of  the  most  attractive  burial-places  in  this  country,  for,  aside  from  the  beauties  of  nature 
there  spread  out,  associations  of  the  deepest  interest  give  a  charm  to  the  spot.  The  Re- 
ceiving Tomb,  constructed  of  light  stone,  is  near  the  top  of  the  hill ;   and  around  it  for  many 

liiahway,  and  is  a  modern  addition,  the  ancient  entrance  being  on  the  south  side. 

This  is  believed  to  be  the  oldest  church 
in  existence  in  this  state,  having  been 
erected,  according  to  an  inscription 
upon  a  stone  tablet  upon  its  front,  by 
Vredryck  Flypsen  (Frederic  Philips) 
and  Catharine  his  wife,  in  1699.  It 
IS  built  of  brick  and  stone,  the  former 
having  been  imported  from  Holland 

"or  the  express  purpose.  The  old  flag-shaped  vane,  with  the 
initials  of  the  founder  cut  out  of  it,  yet  turns  upon  its  steeple, 
and  in  the  little  tower  hangs  the  ancient  bell,  bearing  this  in- 
scription :   "SI.   DEUS.   PRO.    NOBIS.   QUIS.   CONTRA.    NOS.    1685" 

"  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us !"  The  pulpit  and  communion-table  were  imported  from  Holland ; 
the  latter  alone  has  escaped  the  ruthless  hand  of  modern  improvement.  *  Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow. 

^  Ichabod,  according  to  Irving,  in  the  Legend,  returning  from  a  late  evening  tarry  with  Katrina  Van  Tassel, 
on  his  lean  steed  Gunpowder,  was  cha.sed  by  a  huge  horseman,  without  a  head,  from  the  Andre  tree  to  the 
bridge.  "  He  saw  the  walls  of  the  church  dimly  gleaming  under  the  trees  beyond.  He  recollected  the  place 
where  Brom  Bones's  ghostly  competitor  had  disappeared.  'If  I  can  but  reach  that  bridge,'  thought  Ichabod, 
'I  am  safe.'  Just  then  he  heard  the  black  steed  panting  and  blowing  close  behind  him  ;  he  even  fancied  that 
he  felt  his  hot  breath.  Another  convulsive  kick  in  the  ribs,  and  old  Gunpowder  sprang  upon  the  bridge ; 
he  thundered  over  the  resounding  planks ;  he  gained  the  opposite  side ;  and  now  Ichabod  cast  a  look  be- 
hind, to  see  if  his  pursuer  should  vanish,  according  to  rule,  in  a  flash  of  fire  and  brimstone.  Just  then  he 
saw  the  goblin  rising  in  his  stirrups,  and  in  the  very  act  of  hurling  his  head  at  him.  Ichabod  endeavored 
to  dodge  the  horrible  missile,  but  too  late ;  it  encountered  his  cranium  with  a  terrible  crash ;  he  was  tum- 
bled headlong  into  the  dust,  and  Gunpowder,  the  black  steed,  and  the  goblin  rider,  passed  like  a  whirlwind." 

A  shattered  pumpkin  was  found  on  the  road  the  next  day,  but  Ichabod  had  gone  to  parts  unknown. 
Brora  Bones,  his  rival,  soon  afterward  led  the  pretty  Katrina  to  the  altar.  The  good  country  people  always 
maintained  that  Ichabod  was  spirited  away  by  the  headless  horseman,  who  was  the  ghost  of  a  Hessian  sol- 
dier, whose  body,  deprived  of  its  caput  by  a  cannon-ball,  was  sleeping  in  the  church-yard  near. 


The  Vank. 


CoaiirUNlON-TAULE. 


-'^ 


760 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Greenburgh  o>e  the  Nepera. 


Van  Wart's  Monument. 


Sunnyside,  the  Residence  of  Washington  Irving 


Receiving  Tomb. 


rods,  where  the  hand  of  improvement  had  not  yet  effaced  them,  might  be  seen  vestiges  of 
a  small  fortification,  thrown  up  there  during  the  war. 

I  passed  the  night  at  Tarrytown,  and  the  next  morning 
rode  out  to  the  beautiful  Saw-mill  Valley,  to  visit  the  bur- 
ial-ground at  Greenburgh,  wherein  repose  the  remains  of 
Isaac  Van  Wart,  one  of  the  captors  of  Andre.  The  ground 
is  attached  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  is  near  the 
lovely  Nepera,  or  Saw-mill  Pviver.  Over  the  remains  of 
the  patriot  is  a  handsome  marble  monument,  erected  to  his 
memory  by  the  citizens  of  West  Chester  county,  in  1829. 
Its  completion  was  celebrated  by  a  large  concourse  of  peo- 
ple assembled  there  on  the  1 1  th  of  June  of  that  year. 
General  Aaron  Ward,  of  Sing  Sing,  was  the  orator  on  the 
occasion.  Mr.  Van  Wart  was  an  efficient  officer  of  that 
church  for  many  years,  and  acted  as  chorister  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  On  returning  to  Tarrytown,  I  rode  down  to  Sunnyside,  the  residence 
of  Washington  Irving,  situated  upon  the  river  bank,  about  two  miles  below.  It  is  reached 
from  the  post-road  by  a  winding  carriage-way,  that  cleaves  rich  cultivated  fields  and  pleas- 
ant woodlands.  Desirous  of  passing  an  hour  at  Dobbs's  Ferry,  and  of  crossing  the  Hudson 
at  Tappan  in  season  to  visit  places  of  note  there,  I  enjoyed  the  friendly  greeting  of  the  gifted 
proprietor  but  a  few  moments,  and  then  pursued  my  journey.  I  subsequently  visited  Sunny- 
side, and  made  the  sketch  given  on  the  opposite  page.  It  was  in  leafy  June,  and  a 
lovelier  day  never  smiled  upon  the  Hudson  and  its  green  banks.  Close  by  Mr.  Ir- 
ving's  residence,  a  prospective  village'  had  recently  burst  into 
existence,  almost  as  suddenly  as  the  leaves  had  unfolded  from 
the  buds  in  the  adjacent  groves  ;  and  a  rail-way  station,  with 
its  bustle  and  noise,  was  upon  the  river  margin,  within  bird-call 
of  the  once  secluded  Wolfert's  Ptoost.  I  strolled  along  the  iron 
way  to  a  stile,  over  which  I  clambered,  and,  ascending  the  bank 
by  a  shaded  pathway,  was  soon  seated  in  the  elegant  little  parlor 
at  Sunnyside,  where  the  kindest  courtesy  makes  the  stranger- 
visitor  feel  that  he  is  indeed  upon  the  sunny  side  of  humanity, 
and  in  the  warmest  glow  of  that  generous  feeling  which  illu- 
mines every  pen-stroke  of  Geoffrey  Crayon.  Beautified  and  en- 
riched by  the  hand  of  nature,  hallowed  by  the  voice  of  tradi- 
tionary history  speaking  out  from  the  old  walls  and  umbrageous 
trees,  and  consecrated  by  the  presence  of  true  genius,  Sumiy- 
Van  Wabt's  Monubient.^         ^'^^^  ^as  a  charm  for  the  American  mind  as  bewitching  and 


1850. 


Dearman ;  afterward  altered  to  Irvington. 

'  The  following  are  the  inscriptions  upon  this  monument : 

North  side. — "  Here  repose  the  mortal  remains  of  Isaac  Van  Wart,  an  elder  in  the  Greenburgh 
church,  who  died  on  the  23d  of  May,  1828,  in  the  69th  year  of  his  age.  Having  lived  the  life,  he  died  the 
death,  of  the  Christian." 

South  side. — "The  citizens  of  the  county  of  West  Chester  erected  this  tomb  in  testimony  of  the  high 
sense  they  entertained  for  the  virtuous  and  patriotic  conduct  of  their  fellow-citizen,  as  a  memorial  sacred  to 
public  gratitude." 

East  side. — "  Vincit,  Amor  Patriae.  Nearly  half  a  century  before  this  monument  was  built,  the  con 
script  fathers  of  America  had,  in  the  Senate  chamber,  voted  that  Isaac  Van  Wart  was  a  faithful  patriot, 
one  in  whom  the  love  of  country  was  invincible,  and  this  tomb  bears  testimony  that  the  record  is  true." 

Vv^'est  side. — "Fidelity.  On  the  23d  of  September,  1780,  Isaac  Van  Wart,  accompanied  by  John 
Paulding  and  David  Williams,  all  farmers  of  the  county  of  West  Chester,  intercepted  Major  Andre,  on 
his  return  from  the  American  lines  in  the  character  of  a  spy,  and,  notwithstanding  the  large  bribes  offered 
them  for  his  release,  nobly  disdained  to  sacrifice  their  country  for  gold,  secured  and  carried  him  to  the  com- 
manding  officer  of  the  district,  whereby  the  dangerous  and  traitorous  conspiracy  of  Arnold  was  brought  to 
light,  the  insidious  designs  of  the  enemy  baffled,  the  American  army  saved,  and  our  beloved  country  free." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


701 


View  of  Sunnyside,  the  nncient  "  Wolfert's  Roost.' 


Jacob  Van  Tassel 


classic  as  were  the  groves  where  Orpheus  piped  and  Sappho  sang  to  the  Acadians  of  old. 
As  I  sat  beneath  a  spreading  cedar  sketching  the  unique  villa,  and  scolded  without  stint  by 
a  querulous  matronly  cat-bird  on  one  side  and  a  vixen  jenny-wren  on  the  other,  and  observed 
the  "  lord  of  the  manor"  leading  a  little  fair-haired  grand-nephew  to  the  river  brink  in  search 
of  daisies  and  butter-cups,  I  could  not  repress  the  thoughts  so  beautifully  expressed  in  his 
own  little  story  of  The  Wife:  "  I  can  wish  you  no  better  lot  than  to  have  a  wife  and  chil- 
dren. If  you  are  prosperous,  they  are  to  share  your  prosperity ;  if  otherwise,  they  are  to 
comfort  you.  .  .  .  Though  all  abroad  is  darkness  and  humiliation,  yet  there  is  still  a  little 
world  of  love  at  home  [for  the  husband]  of  which  he  is  the  mqnarch."' 


View  of  "Sunnyside,"  the  Kesidence  of  Washington  Ikving. 


The  residence  of  Mr.  Irving  is  upon  the  site  of  the  famous  "Wolfert's  Roost"  of  the  olden 
time.  It  was  built  by  Wolfert  Ecker,  an  ancient  burgher  of  the  town,  and  afterward  came 
into  the  possession  of  Jacob  Van  Tassel,  one  of  the  "  race  of  hard-headed,  hard-handed, 
stout-hearted  Dutchmen,  descended  of  the  primitive  Netherlanders."  Van  Tassel  was  the 
owner  when  the  Revolution  broke  out,  and  was  a  stanch  Whig.  His  house  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  debatable  region  called  the  Neutral  Ground,  and  in  the  broad  waters  of  the 
Tappan  Sea"  in  front,  British  vessels  were  almost  constantly  anchored.  The  Republican 
propensities  of  Van  Tassel  were  well  known,  and  as  the  Roost  was  a  place  of  general  ren- 


*  Sketch  Book. 

*  Tappaan  Zee,  or  Tappan  Sea,  was  the  name  given  by  the  Dutch  to  the  expansion  of  the  Hudson  at  this 
place. 


762  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

"  The  Roost"  a  Castle.  Its  Ganison.  Attack  upon,  and  Defense  of  "  the  Roost."  Dobbs's  Kerry. 

dezvous  for  the  American  water-guards'  and  land-scouts,  he  was  made  liable  to  attacks  from 
the  enemy.  He  pierced  his  old  mansion  with  musketry  loop-holes,  and  took  other  measures 
for  defense.  His  garrison,  jyer  se,  consisted  of  his  stout-hearted  wife  and  a  redoubtable  sis- 
ter, Nochie  Van  Wurmer,  a  match,  as  he  said,  for  the  "  stoutest  man  in  the  country."  His 
ordnance  was  a  goose  gun  "  of  unparalleled  longitude,"  capable  of  doing  great  execution. 
He  was  in  league  with  many  ardent  Whigs  in  his  vicinity,  who  had  sworn  eternal  hostility 
to  the  Coiv-boys  and  Skinners  who  infested  the  region,  and  the  Pvoost  was  their  head-quar- 
ters. Van  Tassel  frequently  joined  his  companions  in  distant  expeditions.  On  one  of  these 
occasions,  while  far  away  from  his  castle,  an  armed  vessel  came  to  anchor  off  the  Roost. 
The  garrison  consisted  of  only  Jacob's  spouse,  his  sister  Nochie,  a  blooming  daughter,  and  a 
brawny  negro  woman.  A  boatful  of  armed  men  put  off  from  the  ves.sel  toward  the  Roost 
The  garrison  flew  to  arms.  The  goose  gun,  unfortunately,  was  with  its  owner.  Broom- 
sticks, shovels,  and  other  missiles  were  seized,  and  a  vigorous  defense  was  made  ;  but,  alas  ' 
it  was  all  in  vain.  The  house  was  sacked,  plundered,  and  burned  ;  and  as  the  marauders 
were  about  departing,  they  seized  the  pretty  "  Laney  Van  Tassel,  the  beauty  of  the  Roost," 
and  endeavored  to  bear  her  to  the  boat.  Mother,  aunt,  and  Dinah  flew  to  the  rescue,  and 
a  fierce  struggle  ensued  all  the  way  to  the  water's  edge.  A  voice  from  the  frigate  ordered 
the  spoilers  to  leave  the  prize  behind,  "  and  the  heroine  of  the  Roost  escaped  with  a  mere 
rumpling  of  the  feathers."^  Soon  after  this  event  Van  Tassel  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  en- 
emy, was  sent  to  New  York,  and  there  remained  a  prisoner  until  near  the  close  of  the  war.^ 
His  house  was  rebuilt  upon  the  ruins  of  the  Roost  and  that  phoenix,  modified  and  enlarged, 
is  the  present  mansion  at  Sunnyside. 

From  Mr.  Irving's  I  rode  down  to  Dobbs's  Ferry,  two  or  three  miles  below.      This  is  a 
small  village,  lying  pleasantly  upon  the  river  slope,  and  along  a  ravine  of  the  Greenburgh 

Hills,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wysquaqua  Creek.  It 
derives  its  name  from  the  ancient  family  of  Dobbs, 
who  owned  the  property  here,  and  first  es- 


a^w-^^ -§4  B|jK    tablished  a  ferry.     It  is  a  place  memorable 

in  the  annals  of  the  Revolution,  not  for  sanguinary 
battles,  but  for  the  relative  importance  of  its  loca- 
tion in  the  movements  of  armies.  Upon  the  high 
bank  immediately  above  the  rail-way  station  at 
the  lower  landing  are  remains  of  the  first  fort 
erected  there.  It  was  built  at  the  beginning  of 
1776,  and  in  October  of  that  year  Colonel  Sar- 
gent strongly  garrisoned  it,  by  order  of  General 
View  feom  tius  Ruins  of  the  old  Foht.s  Heath.*   Several  other  strong  redoubts  were  thrown 

^  The  water-guards  were  resolute  men,  well  armed  with  muskets,  and  skillful  with  the  oar,  who,  in 
small  vessels  technically  called  whale-boats  (sharp,  canoe-shaped  boats),  lurked  in  the  coves  and  behmd  the 
headlands  of  the  river,  to  obtain  information  of  the  approach  or  position  of  vessels  of  the  enemy.  With 
muffled  oars,  they  often  reconnoitered  the  British  ships  at  night,  and  sometimes  cut  off  boats  that  ventured 
from  thera  toward  the  shore. 

"^  Knickerbocker  Magazine. 

^  There  were  a  number  of  the  Van  Tassels  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Greenburgh  church.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1777,  a  party  of  Chasseurs,  under  Captain  Emerick,  went  up  from  Kingsbridge,  surprised  the  Van  Tas- 
sels, burned  their  houses,  stripped  the  women  and  children  of  their  clothing,  and  carried  off  Peter  and  Cor- 
nelius Van  Tassel  prisoners.  In  retaliation  for  the  outrage,  the  patriots  fitted  out  an  expedition  at  Tarry- 
town  under  the  command  of  Abraham  Martlingh,  which  proceeded  down  the  river  in  boats,  passed  the  wa- 
ter-guards of  the  enemy  in  safety,  landed  a  little  below  Spuyten  Devil  Creek,  set  fire  to  General  Oliver  de 
Lancey's  house,  and  returned  without  losing  a  man.  General  De  Lancey  was  a  most  active  and  bitter  Loy- 
alist.    He  will  come  under  our  observation  in  a  conspicuous  manner  hereafter.   See  page  624,  vol.  ii. 

••  The  garrison  consisted  of  five  hundred  infantry,  forty  light  horse,  a  company  of  artillery,  with  two 
twelve-pounders  under  Captain  Horton,  and  Captain  Crafts  with  a  howitzer. 

^  This  view  is  from  the  bank  immediately  above  the  rail-way  station,  looking  northwest.  In  the  fore- 
ground is  seen  the  wagon-road,  passing  by,  on  an  arch  of  masonry,  over  the  rail-way.  On  the  left  is  the 
wharf.     Toward  the  right,  in  the  distance,  is  seen  the  long  pier  and  village  of  Piermont ;  and  at  the  ex 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  7G3 


Old  Fort  at  Dobbs'e  Ferry.  The  Livingston  Mansion.  Rendezvous  of  the  British.  The  Palisades.  Tnjjpan. 

up  m  the  vicinity,  remains  of  which  are  still  visible.  One,  a  little  southwest  of  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Stephen  Archer  (the  ancient  mansion  of  Van  Bruf^h  Livingston),  appears  to 
have  been  equally  strong  with  the  one  just  mentioned.  A  i'cw  rods  north  of  this  .f,. 
mansion,  in  a  locust  grove,  on  the  west  of  the  post-road,  are  very  prominent  re 
mains  of  a  strong  redoubt.  They  extended  through  the  adjoining  garden,  but 
there  the  mounds  have  been  leveled  and  the  fosse  filled  up.  These  forts  com- 
manded the  ferry  to  Paramus  (now  Sneeden's)  landing  on  the  Jersey  shore,  and 
also  the  passage  of  the  river.  They  often  greatly  annoyed  the 
British  shipping  while  passing  and  repassing. 

In  this  vicinity  the  British  portion  of  the  enemy  rendezvoused 
a  October  28,  after  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  a  before  march- 
b November  16.  ing  against  Fort  Washington  ;b  and  at  Hastings, 
one  mile  below,  a  British  force  of  six  thousand  men,  under  Corn 
wallis,  embarked  in  boats,  and,  crossing  over  to 


Paramus,  marched  to  the  attack  of  Fort  Lee,  and        jhj,  Livingston  Mansion.' 
then  commenced  the  pursuit  of  Washington  and  his  broken  army 

through  the  Jerseys.  Here,  in  January,  1777,  the  division  of  the  American  army  undei 
Lincoln  was  encamped  for  a  brief  space.  Here  was  the  spot  selected  by  Arnold  for  his  first 
conference  with  Andre  in  1780  ;  and  here,  on  the  night  of  the  3d  of  August,  1781,  while 
the  American  army  lay  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  chief's  head-quarters  were  at  the  Liv- 
ingston mansion,  a  skirmish  ensued  between  some  guard-boats  of  the  enemy  and  the  little 
garrison  of  the  fort  on  the  river  bank. 

After  viewing  the  remains  of  the  old  forts,  and  passing  a  pleasant  half  hour  with  Mr 
Archer  (a  member  of  the  society  of  Friends)  upon  the  shaded  porch  of  the  Livingston  Man- 
sion, I  crossed  the  Hudson  in  a  small  boat  to  Sneeden's,  and  proceeded  on  foot  to  Tappan, 
a  distance  of  about  two  miles,  where  I  arrived  in  time  to  sketch  the  head-quarters  of  Wash- 
ington, printed  on  page  196,  and  to  visit  the  place  of  Andre's  execution. 

Tappan  village  lies  in  the  bosom  of  a  fertile,  rolling  valley,  not  far  from  the  head  of  the 
deep  gorge  which  terminates  on  the  Hudson  at  Piermont.  Southwest  of  the  village  is  a 
lofty  ridge,  on  which  the  American  army  lay  encamped.  Upon  its  gentle  slope  toward  the 
road  to  old  Tappan,  Major  Andre  was  executed.  Travelers  passing  up  the  Hudson,  and 
viewing  with  astonishment  the  mighty  amorphous  wall  of  the  Palisades,  along  the  western 
shore,  have  no  idea  of  the  beauty  and  fertility  of  the  country  in  the  rear.  The  Palisades, 
so  bare  and  precipitous  in  front,  present  a  heavily-wooded  slope  in  the  rear,  reaching  down 
into  a  plain  of  great  fertility.  This  plain  extends,  with  a  slight  variance  from  a  level,  from 
Tappan  to  Bergen  Point,  a  distance  of  twenty-seven  miles,  and  is  watered  by  the  Hacken- 
sack  and  its  tributaries.  It  was  a  country  noted  for  the  abundance  of  its  forage  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolution,  and  was  an  eligible  place  for  an  army  to  encamp.  After  visiting  the 
interesting  localities  in  the  neighborhood,  I  walked  to  Piermont,  about  two  miles  distant, 
where  I  arrived  in  time  to  embark  in  the  boat  of  the  Erie  Rail-road  Company,  at  eight 
o'clock,  for  New  York.  Though  "wearied  and  worn"  with  the  day's  ramble,  let  us  turn 
to  history  a  while  before  retiring  to  rest. 

Tappan,  lying  upon  one  of  the  great  lines  of  communication  from  the  East,  by  way  of 

treme  right,  in  the  distance,  is  the  mountain  near  the  foot  of  which  Ardre  and  Arnold  first  met.  Piermont 
is  the  port  of  Tappan,  the  place  where  Andre  was  executed.  The  sketch  here  presented  was  made  when 
I  visited  Dobbs's  Ferry  in  the  autumn  of  1849,  after  the  rail-way  was  finished. 

'  This  is  a  view  from  the  lawn  on  the  north  side.  It  is  embowered  in  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  is  one 
of  the  most  pleasantly-located  mansions  in  the  country,  overlooking  interesting  portions  of  the  Hudson  River. 
Within  its  walls  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Revolution  were  entertained.  It  was  the  head-quarters 
of  Washington,  when  he  abandoned  an  attempt  to  capture  New  York  city,  changed  his  plans,  and  marched 
his  whole  army  to  Virginia  to  capture  Cornwallis.  There,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  Washington,  Governor 
Clinton,  and  General  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  and  their  respective  suites,  met  to  make  arrangements  for  the  evac- 
uation of  the  city  of  New  York  by  the  British.  Washington  and  Clinton  came  down  the  river  from  West 
Point  in  a  barge ;  Carleton  ascended  in  a  frigate.  Four  companies  of  American  Infantry  performed  the 
duty  of  guards  on  that  occasion. 


764 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Massacre  of  Baylor's  Corps  at  Tappan.        The  "  76  Stone  House,"  where  AndrS  was  confined.        Washington's  Headquarter* 

King's  Ferry,  was  made  a  place  of  considerable  importance  as  a  camping-ground  ;  its  posi- 
tion among  the  hills,  and  yet  contiguous  to  the  river,  being  very  favorable.  When,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1778,  Cornwallis  had  possession  of  the  Hudson  portion  of  New  Jersey,  foraging  par- 
ties were  sent  in  this  direction,  as  well  as  scouts,  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  posts  at 
West  Point.  General  Knyphausen,  with  a  large  force,  was  at  the  same  time  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Hudson,  at  Dobbs's  Ferry,  and  Washington  believed  that  an  expedition  up  the 
river  was  intended.  Lieutenant-colonel  Baylor,  with  a  regiment  of  light  horse,  was  sent 
to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  and  to  intercept  their  scouts  and  foragers.  He  made 
his  head-quarters  at  old  Tappan,  and  there  lay  in  a  state  of  such  unsoldierly  insecurity,  that 
Cornwallis  was  led  to  form  a  plan  for  taking  his  whole  corps  by  surprise.^  General  Grey, 
September  27,  "^ith  some  light  infantry  and  other  troops,  was  sent,  at  night,  to  approach  Tap- 
^^^8.  pan  on  the  west,  while  a  corps  from  Knyphausen's  division  was  to  approach 

from  the  east,  and  thus  surround  and  capture  not  only  the  sleepers  in  Baylor's  camp,  but  a 
body  of  militia,  under  Wayne,  who  were  stationed  near.  Some  deserters  from  the  enemy 
gave  the  militia  timely  warning  ;  but  Baylor's  troops,  who  lay  unarmed  in  barns, °  were  not 
apprised  of  the  proximity  of  the  enemy.  At  midnight,  Grey  approached  silently,  cut  off  a 
sergeant's  patrol  of  twelve  men  without  noise,  and  completely  surprised  the  troop  of  horse. 
Unarmed,  and  in  the  power  of  the  enemy,  they  asked  for  quarter,  but  this  was  inhumanly 
refused  by  Grey,  who,  like  Tryon,  was  a  famous  marauder  during  the  war.'  On  this  oc- 
casion he  gave  special  orders  not  to  grant  any  quarter.  Many  of  the  soldiers  were  bayoneted 
in  cold  blood.  Out  of  one  hundred  and  four  persons,  sixty-seven  were  killed  or  wounded. 
Colonel  Baylor  was  wounded  and  made  prisoner,  and  seventy  horses  were  butchered. 

The  event  of  the  most  importance  which  occurred  at  Tappan  was  the  trial  and  execu- 
tion of  Major  Andre.  He  was  confined,  while  there,  in  the  old  stone  mansion,  now 
occupied  as  a  tavern,  and  called  the  "76  Stone  House."  Its  whole  appearance  has 
been  materially  changed.  The  room  wherein  the  unfortunate  prisoner  was  confined,  and 
which  was  kept  with  care  in  its  original  condition  more  than  half  a  century,  has  been  en- 
larged and  rmjjroved  for  the  purposes  of  a  ball-room  !  I  was  there  a  few  years  ago,  when 
the  then  owner  was  committing  the  sacrilege,  and  he  boasted,  with  great  satisfaction,  that 
he  had  received  a  "  whole  dollar  for  the  old  look  that  fastened  up  Major  Andrew  I"  Sen- 
timent does  not  obey  the  laws  of  trade 


1850. 


Washington  3  Head  quabtehs  at  Iappan* 


— it  seems  to  cheapen  with  a  decrease 
of  supply.  The  sign-board  is  now  the 
only  evidence  that  there  is  any  on 
hand  at  the  "76  Stone  House."  The 
trial  took  place  in  the  old  Dutch 
church,  which  was  torn  down  in  1 83  6. 
Upon  its  site  another  and  larger  one 
of  brick  has  been  erected.  It  stands 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  house  where 
Andre  was  confined.  Washington's 
head-quarters  were  in  the  old  stone 
building  now  occupied  by  Samuel  S 
Verbryck,  situated  near  the  road  from 
Sneeden's  Landing,  within  a  few  rods 
of  its  junction  with  the  main  street 


1  Gordon,  ii.,  391. 

^  The  encampment,  on  the  night  in  question,  was  about  two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Tappan  vil- 
lage, near  the  Hackensack  River. 

^  General  Grey,  on  account  of  his  common  practice  of  ordering  the  men  under  his  command  to  take  the 
flints  out  of  their  muskets,  that  they  might  be  confined  to  the  use  of  the  bayonet,  acquired  the  name  of  tkt 
no-flint  general. 

*  This  view  is  from  the  yard,  near  the  well.  The  date  of  its  erection  (1700)  is  made  by  a  peculiar  ar- 
rangement of  the  bricks  in  the  front  wall.     In  the  large  room  called  "Washington's  quarters"  the  fire 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


7G5 


Court  of  Inquiry  in  Andre's  Case.       Tiie  Prisoner's  Conduct.      Names  of  tiiosc  wlio  composed  thi;  Court.      Judge  Laurance. 

of  the  village.      It  was  then  owned  by  John  de  Windt,  a  native  of  St.  Thomas's,  West  In- 
dies, and  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Verbryck,  who  now  resides  there. 

I  have  mentioned  that,  on  the  arrival  of  Washington  at  Tappan,  he  ordered  a  court  of 
inquiry.     This  court,  consisting  of  fourteen  general  officers,'  Avas  convened  at  Tappan  on  the 

29th  of  September,  and  on  that  day  Major 
Andre  was  arraigned  before  it  and  ex- 
amined.     John  Laurance,*  afterward 
a   distinguished    legislator    and   jurist,   was 
judge  advocate.     Andre  made  a  plain  state- 
ment of  the  facts  we.  have  been  considering  ; 
acknowledged  and  confirmed  the  truthfulness 
of  his  statements  in  his  letter  to  General 
Washington  from  Salem  ;   confessed  that  he 
came  ashore  from  the  Vulture  m  the  night, 
and  ivithout  a  fuig  ;  and  answered  the  query 
of  the  Board,  whether  he  had  any  thing  fur- 
ther to  say  respect- 
ing the  charges  pre- 
ferred against  him, 
by  remarking,    "  I 
leave  them  to  oper- 
ate with  the  Board, 
persuaded  that  you 
John  Andke.  will  do  me  justice." 

rromaMm,ature.byhimseU  JJg     ^^g    rCmauded 

to  prison,  and,  after  a  long  and  careful  deliberation,  the  Board  re- 
ported, "  That  Major  Andre,  adjutant  general  of  the  British  army, 
ought  to  be  considered  as  a  spy  from  the  enemy,  and  that,  agreea- 
bly to  the  law  and  usage  of  nations,  it  is  their  opinion  he  ought  to  Major  Andke.^ 
suffer  death."     On  the  next  day  Washington  signified  his  approval             From  a  Pendi  sketch, 
of  the  decision  as  follows  : 


place  is  surrounded  b)"-  Dutch  pictorial  tiles  illustrative  of  Scripture  scenes.  Indeed,  the  whole  house  re- 
mains in  precisely  the  same  condition,  except  what  the  elennents  have  changed  externall)',  as  it  was  when 
the  chief  occupied  it.  When  I  visited  it,  Mrs.  Verbryck's  sister,  an  old  lady  of  eighty,  was  there.  She  said 
she  remembered  sitting  often  upon  Washinffton's  knee.     She  was  then  ten  years  old. 

'  The  following  are  the  names  of  the  officers  who  composed  the  court  martial  on  that  occasion  :  Major- 
generals  Greene,  Stirling,  St.  Clair,  La  Fayette,  R.  Howe,  and  the  Baron  Steuben  ;  and  Brigadiers  Parsons, 
James  Clinton,  Knox,  Glover,  Paterson,  Hand,  Huntington,  and  Stark.  General  Greene  W£is  president  of 
the  board,  and  John  Laurance  judge-advocate  general. 

*  Mr.  Laurance  was  a  native  of  Cornwall,  England,  where  he  was  born  in  1750.  He  held  the  rank  of 
colonel  in  the  Continental  army,  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  commander-in-chief.  Colonel  Laurance 
was  a  representative  for  New  York  in  the  first  Congress  held  after  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution, 
and  retained  a  seat  therein  during  President  Washington's  first  administration.  On  his  retiring  from  office, 
Washington  appointed  him  a  judge  of  the  District  Court  of  New  York.  He  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate  in  1796,  and  served  four  years,  when  he  resigned  his  seat  and  retired  to  private  life.  He 
died  at  No.  356  Broadway,  New  York,  in  November,  1810,  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age.  Judge  Lau- 
rance married  a  daughter  of  General  Alexander  M'Dougall,  of  the  Continental  army,  who,  with  Sears,  Wil- 
lett,  Lamlj,  and  others,  early  and  earnestly  opposed  the  British  government  in  its  aggressive  acts.  An  in- 
teresting sketch  of  the  public  life  of  Judge  Laurance,  from  the  pen  of  Edwin  Williams,  Esq.,  was  published 
in  a  New  York  journal  in  February,  1851. 

'  This  is  a  fac  simile  of  a  pencil  .sketch  which  I  received  from  London  with  the  drawing  of  Andre's 
monument  in  Westminster  Abbey,  printed  on  page  767.  I  do  not  know  from  what  picture  the  artist 
copied,  but,  considering  the  channel  through  which  I  received  it,  I  think  it  may  be  relied  on  as  a  correct 
profile. 

John  AndrJ  was  a  native  of  London,  where  he  was  born  in  1751.  His  parents  were  from  Geneva,  in 
Switzerland,  and  at  that  place  he  was  educated.  He  returned  to  London  before  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age,  and  entered  the  counting-house  of  a  respectable  merchant,  where  he  cr.ntinued  nearly  four  years 


766  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Washington's  Approval  of  the  Decision  of  the  Court.      Memoir  of  Andrd.      Honora  Sneyd.      Mr.  Edgewortti.      Miss  Seward 

"  Head-quarters,  Sejitember  30,  1780. 

"  The  commander-in-chief  approves  of  the  opinion  of  the  Board  of  general  officers  respect- 
ing Major  Andre,  and  orders  that  the  execution  of  Major  Andre  take  place  to-morrow  at 
five  o'clock  P.M." 

Possessing  a  literary  taste  and  promisintr  genius,  he  became  acquainted  with  several  of  the  writers  of  the 
day,  among  whom  was  Miss  Anna  SevA'ard,  the  daughter  of  a  clergyman  in  Litchfield.  Miss  Seward  had 
a  cousin  named  Honora  Sneyd,  a  charming  girl  of  whom  Andre  became  enamored.*  His  attachment  was 
reciprocated  by  the  young  lady,  and  they  made  an  engagement  for  marriage.  The  father  of  the  girl  inter- 
posed his  authority  against  the  match,  and  the  marriage  was  prevented.  Four  years  afterward,  Honora 
was  wedded  to  Richard  Lovell  Edgeworth,t  father  of  the  late  Maria  Edgeworth,  the  novelist,  by  a  former 
wife.  Until  that  event  occurred,  Andre  had  cherished  the  hope  that  some  propitious  circumstance  might 
effect  their  reunion.  The  portal  of  hope  was  now  closed,  and,  turning  from  commercial  pursuits,  he  re- 
.solved  to  seek  relief  from  the  bitter  associations  of  his  home  amid  the  turmoils  of  war.  He  entered  the 
army  which  came  to  America  in  1775.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  St.  John's,  on  the  Sorel,  when  that  post 
was  captured  by  Montgomery,  and  was  sent  to  Lancaster,  in  Pennsylvania.  In  a  letter  written  to  a  friend 
from  that  place,  he  said,  "  I  have  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  Americans,  and  stripped  of  every  thing  except 
the  picture  of  Honora,  which  I  concealed  in  my  mouth.  Preserving  that,  I  yet  think  myself  fortunate." 
This  picture  had  been  delineated  by  his  own  hand  from  the  living  features  of  his  beloved,  at  the  time  of  his 
first  acquaintance  with  her  at  Buxton,  in  1769.  The  bravery  and  talents  of  Andre  secured  for  him  the 
affectionate  regards  of  his  commander.  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  he  raised  him  to  the  duty  of  adjutant  general 
of  the  British  army  in  America,  with  the  rank  of  major.  His  future  career  was  full  of  brilliant  promises, 
when  Arnold,  the  wily  serpent,  crept  into  the  paradise  of  his  purity  and  peace,  and  destroyed  hira.  He  was 
not  yet  thirty  years  old  when  he  suffered  the  death  of  a  spy. 

Major  Andre  possessed  a  graceful  and  handsome  person,  with  rare  mental  accomplishments.  He  was 
passionately  fond  of  the  fine  arts,  and  his  journal,  kept  during  his  life  in  America,  was  enriched  by  many 
drawings  of  such  objects  of  interest  as  attracted  his  attention.  While  here,  he  wrote  several  poetical  pieces 
for  the  loyal  newspapers  ;  and  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  last  canto  of  his  satirical  poem,  called  The  Cow 
Chase,  was  published  in  Rivington's  Royal  Gazette,  in  New  York,  on  the  23d  of  September,  1780,  the 
day  of  his  capture.     It  ends  with  the  following  stanza  : 

"  And  now  I've  closed  my  epic  strain, 
I  tremble  as  I  show  it, 
Lest  this  same  warrio-drover,  Wayne, 
Should  ever  catch  the  poet  \"X 

His  memory  has  been  embalmed  in  verse  by  his  friend.  Miss  Seward  ;§  and  his  king  testified  his  admiration 
of  his  character  and  genius  by  the  erection  of  a  beautiful  monument  to  his  honor  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
near  the  Poets'  Corner.  The  monument  is  in  relief  against  the  wall,  and  is  about  seven  and  a  half  feet  in 
height.  It  is  composed  of  a  sarcophagus,  elevated  on  a  molded  paneled  base  and  plinth,  and  was  executed 
in  statuary  marble  by  P.  M.  Van  Gelder,  from  a  design  by  Robert  Adam.  On  the  front  of  the  sarcophagus 
is  a  basso  relievo,  in  which  is  represented  General  Washington  and  officers  in  a  tent  at  the  moment  when 

*  Miss  Seward,  in  her  poem  entitled  "  The  Anniversary,"  thus  alludes  to  her  cousin : 

"  Why  fled  ye  all  so  fast,  ye  happy  hours, 
That  saw  Honora's  eyes  adorn  these  bowers  ? 
These  darling  bowers  that  much  she  loved  to  hail , 
The  spires  she  called  The  Ladies  of  fhe  Vale  I" 

t  Mr.  Edgeworth  was  educated  partly  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and  partly  at  Oxford.  Before  he  was  twenty,  he  ran  off 
with  Jliss  Elers,  a  young  lady  of  Oxford,  to  whom  he  was  married  at  Gretna  Green.  He  embarked  in  a  life  of  gayety  and  dis- 
sipation. In  1770  he  succeeded  to  his  Irish  property.  During  a  visit  to  Litchfield  soon  afterward,  he  saw  Honora  Sneyd,  loved 
her,  and  married  her  after  the  death  of  his  wife.  Honora  died  six  years  afterward  of  consumption,  when  he  married  her  sister. 
— Chambers's  Cyclopedia  of  English  Literature,  ii..  568. 

%  This  satirical  poem  was  written  at  General  Clinton's  head-quarters,  now  No.  1  Broadway,  New  York.  It  is  not  a  little  sin- 
gular that  Wayne  commanded  the  division  of  the  army  at  Tappan  when  Andre  was  executed. 

§  In  Ainswortli's  Magazine  of  a  recent  date  I  find  the  following  record  of  A  dream  realized :  "  Major  AndrS,  the  circumstances 
of  whose  lamented  death  are  too  well  known  to  make  it  necessary  for  me  to  detail  them  here,  was  a  friend  of  Miss  Seward's, 
and,  previously  to  his  embarkation  for  America,  he  made  a  journey  into  Derbyshire  to  pay  her  a  visit,  and  it  was  arranged  that 
they  should  ride  over  to  see  the  wonders  of  the  Peak,  and  introduce  Andre  to  Newton,  her  minstrel,  as  she  called  him,  and  to 
Mr.  Cunningham,  the  curate,  who  was  also  a  poet. 

"  While  these  two  gentlemen  were  awaiting  the  arrival  of  their  guests,  of  whose  intentions  they  had  been  apprised,  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham mentioned  to  Newton  that,  on  the  preceding  night,  he  had  a  very  extraordinary  dream,  which  he  could  not  get  out  of 
his  head.  He  had  fancied  himself  in  a  forest;  the  place  was  strange  to  him  ;  and,  while  looking  about,  he  perceived  a  horse- 
man approaching  at  great  speed,  who  had  scarcely  reached  the  spot  where  the  dreamer  stood,  when  three  men  rushed  out  of 
the  thicket,  and,  seizing  his  bridle,  hurried  him  away,  after  closely  searching  his  person.  The  countenance  of  the  stranger  being 
very  interesting,  the  sympathy  felt  by  the  sleeper  for  his  apparent  misfortune  awoke  him ;  but  he  presently  fell  asleep  again, 
and  dreamed  that  he  was  standing  near  a  great  city,  among  thousands  of  people,  and  that  he  saw  the  same  person  he  had  seen 
seized  in  the  wood  brought  out  and  suspended  to  a  gallows.  When  Andre  and  Miss  Seward  arrived,  he  was  horror-stmck  to 
perceive  that  his  new  acquaintance  was  the  antitype  of  the  man  in  the  dream." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


7G7 


Andrd's  Denth-warrant 


Ilia  Will. 


DiBposition  of  his  Remains. 


His  Monument 


The  youth,  candor,  and  gentlemanly  bearing  of  Andre  during  the  trying  scenes  of  his 
examination  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  court ;  and  had  the  decision  of  those  ofTieers 
been  in  consonance  with  their  feelings  instead  of  their  judgments  and  the  stern  necessities 
imposed  by  the  expedients  of  war,  he  would  not  have  suflered  death.  When  the  decision 
of  the  court  was  made  known  to  him,  the  heroic  firmness  of  his  mind  challenged  the  admi- 
ration of  all.  He  exhibited  no  fear  of  death,  but  the  manner  was  a  subject  that  gave  him 
uneasiness  ;  he  wished  to  die  as  a  soldier,  not  as  a  $py.  Tender  of  the  feelings  of  his  com- 
mander, he  obtained  permission  of  Washington  to  write  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  g  .  mb  "9 
for  the  purpose  of  assuring  him  that  the  dilemma  in  which  he  found  himself 
was  not  attributable  to  the  duty  required  of  him  by  his  general.  In  that  letter  he  implied  a 
presentiment  of  his  fiite,  and  said,  "  I  have  a  mother  and  two  sisters,  to  whom  the  value  of 
my  commission  would  be  an  object,  as  the  loss  of  Grenada  has  much  eflected  their  income."' 

There  could  be  no  question  among  military  men  as  to  the  eqtiity  of  Andre's  sentence,  and 


the  chief  had  received  the  report  of  the  court  of  inquiry  ;  at 
the  same  time  a  messenger  has  arrived  with  the  letter  from 
Andre  to  Washington,  petitioning  for  a  soldier's  death  (see 
page  770).  On  the  right  is  a  guard  of  Continental  soldiers, 
and  the  tree  on  which  Andre  was  executed.  Two  men  arc 
preparing  the  prisoner  for  execution,  while  at  the  foot  of  the 
tree,  Mercy,  accompanied  by  Innocence,  is  bewailing  his  fate. 
On  the  top  of  the  sarcophagus  is  the  British  lion,  and  the 
figure  of  Britannia,  who  is  lamenting  the  fate  of  the  accom- 
plished youth.  Upon  a  panel  is  the  following  inscription  : 
"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Major  John  Andre,  who,  raised 
by  his  merit  at  an  early  period  of  life  to  the  rank  of  adjutant 
'general  of  the  British  forces  in  America,  and  employed  in  an 
important  but  hazardous  enterprise,  fell  a  sacrifice  to  his  zeal 
r.r  his  king  and  country,  on  the  2d  of  October,  A.D.  1780, 
iniversally  beloved  and  esteemed  by  the  army  in  which  he 
served,  and  lamented  even  by  his  Foes.  His  gracious  sov- 
ereign. King  George  the  Third,  has  caused  this  monu- 
ment to  be  erected."  On  the  base  of  the  pedestal  upon 
which  the  sarcophagus  rests  has  subsequently  been  inscribed 
the  following  :  "  The  remains  of  Major  John  Andre  were, 
on  the  10th  of  August,  1821,  removed  from  Tappan  by 
James  Btichanan,  Esq.,  his  majesty's  consul  at  New  York, 
under  instructions  from  his  Royal  Highness,  the  Duke  of 
York  ;  and  with  the  permission  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter, 
finallv  deposited  in  a  grave  contiguous  to  this  monument,  on 
the  28th  of  November,  1821."* 
The  king  settled  a  pension  upon  the  family  of  Andre ;  and,  to  wipe  out  the  imputed  stain  produced  by 
his  death  as  a  spy,  the  honor  of  knighthood  was  conferred  upon  his  brother.  A  certified  copy  of  Andre's 
will  is  in  the  office  of  the  Surrogate  of  New  York.  It  is  dated  at  Staten  Island,  7th  of  June,  1777,  and 
signed  "John  Andre,  captain  in  the  26th  regiment  of  foot."  The  date  of  probate  is  October  12,  1780, 
ten  days  after  his  execution.  The  will  is  sworn  to  October  9,  1781,  before  Carey  Ludlow,  E.sq.,  then 
Surrogate  of  New  York.  By  his  will,  Andre  gave  the  bulk  of  his  property  to  his  three  sisters  (Maria,  Anna 
Marguerite,  and  Louisa)  and  his  brother,  each  §3500,  on  condition  that  they  pay  to  his  mother,  jAIary  Louise 
Andre,  each  850  a  year.  Anna  JNIarguerite  Andre — "the  tuneful  Anna,"  as  Miss  Seward  called  her — 
his  last  surviving  sister,  lived  a  maiden,  and  died  in  London  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  Andre's 
watch  was  sold  for  the  benefit  of  his  captors.  It  was  bought  by  Colonel  William  S.  Smith,  of  the  Conti- 
nental army,  for  thirty  guineas,  and,  through  General  Robertson,  he  generously  transmitted  it  to  Andre's 
family.     His  commission  was  sold  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton  for  the  benefit  of  his  mother  and  sisters. 

'  Colonel  Hamilton,  who  was  the  bearer  of  the  request  from  Andre  to  Washington  asking  his  permission 
to  send  this  open  letter  to  Clinton,  observes,  in  an  account  which  he  gave  to  Colonel  Laurens,  that  Andre 
seemed  to  foresee  the  result  of  the  proceedings  in  which  he  was  concerned.  "There  is  only  one  thing 
which  disturbs  my  tranquillity,"  he  said  to  Hamilton.  "  Sir  Henry  Clinton  has  been  too  good  to  me ;  he 
has  been  lavish  of  his  kindness  ;  I  am  bound  to  him  by  too  many  obligations,  and  love  him  too  well,  to  bear 
the  thought  that  he  should  reproach  himself,  or  others  should  reproach  him,  on  the  supposition  of  my  having 
conceived  myself  obliged,  by  his  instructions,  to  run  the  risk  I  did.  I  would  not  for  the  world  leave  a  sting 
in  his  mind  that  should  imbitter  his  future  days." 

*  An  account  of  thia  transaction  may  be  found  on  page  773. 


Axdke's  Monvment  in  Westminsteb  Abbev 


768 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Equity  of  Andre's  Sentence. 


Eftbrts  to  Save  him. 


Embassy  of  Colonel  Ogden. 


Washington  Vilified 


^et  there  was  a  general  desire  on  the  part  of  the  Americans  to  save  his  life.  Washington 
"was  deeply  impressed  with  this  feeling,  and  was  ready  to  employ  any  measure  to  effect  it 
consistent  with  his  public  duty.'  The  only  mode  to  save  Andre  was  to  exchange  him  for 
Arnold,  and  hold  the  traitor  responsible  for  all  the  acts  of  his  victim.  This  could  hardly 
be  expected,  for  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  a  man  of  nice  honor  ;  nor  would  the  American  com- 
mander make  a  formal  proposition  of  this  kind.  It  was,  however,  determined  that  an  op- 
portunity for  such  an  arrangement  should  be  offered,  and 
a  plan  for  that  purpose  was  conceived.  Washington 
placed  a  packet  of  papers,  directed  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
in  the  hands  of  a  trusty  officer  of  the  New  Jersey  line. 
Captain  Aaron  Ogden,  containing  an  official  account  of 
the  trial  of  Andre,  the  decision  of  the  Board  of  inquiry, 
and  the  letter  written  by  Andre  to  his  general.  Ogden 
was  directed  to  go  to  General  La  Fayette  for  further  in- 
structions, after  he  should  arrange  his  escort  of  men, 
known  for  their  tried  fidelity.  La  Fayette  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  light  infantry,  stationed  nearest  to  the  Brit- 
ish lines.  He  instructed  Ogden  to  travel  so  slowly,  that 
when  he  should  reach  Paulus's  Hook  (now  Jersey  City), 
it  might  be  so  late  that  he  would  be  invited  to  stay  all 
^  night.      He  was  then  to  communicate  to  the  command- 

^y^^yZ^^PZ^  /^/^/^/^y2^      ^"*  of  the  post,  as  if  incidentally,  the  idea  of  an  exchange 

of  Andre  for  Arnold.      Every  thing  occurred  as  was  an- 


'  Never  was  a  sympathy  more  real,  or  feeling  more  genuine,  than  that  exhibited  by  the  American  offi- 
cers on  this  occasion ;  and  yet  the  prejudiced  M'Farland,  after  quoting  from  a  letter  of  La  Fayette  to 
his  wife,  in  which  he  expressed  his  sympathy  for  Andre,  says,  "  Some  of  the  American  generals,  too,  la- 
mented^ but  kept  twisting  the  rope  that  was  to  hang  him ;"  and  then  falsely  adds,  "  There  are  accounts 
which  say  that  the  deep  sympathy  and  regret  was  all  a  farce,  and  that  Andre,  who  was  a  wit  and  a  poet, 
was  most  cordially  hated  by  the  Americans  on  account  of  some  witticisms  and  satirical  verses  at  their  ex- 
pense."— Pictorial  History  of  the  Reign  of  George  III.,  i.,  434. 

The  London  General  Evening  Post  for  November  14th,  1780,  in  an  article  abusive  of  Washington,  gives 
a  pretended  account  of  Andre's  "  last  words,"  in  which  the  unfortunate  man  is  made  to  say,  "  Remember 
that  I  die  as  becomes  a  British  officer,  while  the  manner  of  my  death  must  reflect  disgrace  on  your  com- 
mander." Andre  uttered  no  sentiment  like  this.  Miss  Seward,  his  early  friend,  on  reading  this  account, 
wrote  thus  in  her  "  Monody  on  Major  Andre  :" 

"  Oh  Washington  !  I  thought  thee  great  and  good. 
Nor  knew  thy  Nero-thirst  for  guiltless  blood  ! 
Severe  to  use  the  pow'r  that  Fortune  gave, 
Thou  cool,  determin'd  murderer  of  the  brave  ! 
Lost  to  each  fairer  virtue,  that  inspires 
The  genuine  fervor  of  the  patriot  fires ! 
And  you,  the  base  abettors  of  the  doom, 
That  sunk  his  blooming  honors  in  the  tomb, 
Th'  opprobrious  tomb  your  barden'd  hearts  decreed 
While  all  he  asked  was  as  the  brave  to  bleed !" 

'  Aaron  Ogden  was  born  the  3d  of  December,  1756,  at  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey.  He  graduated  at 
Princeton  in  1773.  He  was  nurtured  in  the  love  of  Whig  principles,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  earl)' 
struggles  of  the  patriots.  In  the  wnnter  of  1775-6,  he  was  one  of  a  party  who  boarded  and  captured  a 
vessel  lying  off  Sandy  Hook,  named  Blue  Mountain  Valley,  and  can-ied  her  safely  into  Elizabethport.  Mr. 
Ogden  received  an  appointment  in  the  first  New  Jersey  regiment  in  the  spring  of  1777,  and  continued  in 
the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Brandywine  in  the  autumn  of  1777 ;  was 
brigade  major  in  a  portion  of  the  advanced  corps  of  General  Lee  at  Monmouth  in  the  summer  of  1778,  and 
served  as  assistant  aid-de-camp  to  Lord  Stirling  during  that  memorable  day.  He  was  aid-de-camp  to  Gen- 
eral Maxwell  in  the  expedition  of  Sullivan  against  the  Indians  in  1779,  and  was  in  the  battle  at  Springfield, 
m  New  Jersey,  in  1780,  where  he  had  a  horse  shot  under  him.  On  the  resignation  of  Maxwell,  Ogden 
was  appointed  to  a  captaincy  of  light  infantry  under  La  Fayette,  and  was  serving  in  that  capacity  when 
called  upon  to  perform  the  delicate  service  mentioned  in  the  text.  He  afterward  accompanied  La  Fayette 
in  his  memorable  campaign  in  Virgmia  in  1781.  At  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  Captain  Ogden  and  his  com- 
pany gallantly  stormed  the  left  redoubt  of  the  enemy,  for  which  he  was  "honored  with  the  peculiar  appro- 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  769 


Prnpositioo  to  Exchange  Aiidrd  for  Arnold  declined.  A  Deputation  from  the  Brititb  General. 

licipated.  The  commandant  received  Ogdeii  courteously,  sent  the  packet  across  the  river, 
askea  him  to  stay  all  night,  and  in  the  course  of  the  evening  Andre  became  the  subject  of 
conversation.  Ogden,  in  reply  to  the  commandant's  question,  "  Is  there  no  way  to  spare 
Andre's  life  ?"  assured  him  that,  if  Sir  Henry  Clinton  would  give  up  Arnold,  Andre  might 
be  saved.  He  informed  him,  however,  that  he  had  no  assurance  to  that  ellect  from  Wash- 
ington, but  that  he  had  reason  to  know  that  such  an  arrangement  might  be  efiected.  The 
commandant  immediately  left  the  company,  crossed  the  river,  and  had  an  interview  with 
Clinton.  Sir  Henry  promptly  refused  compliance,  for  honor  woulS  not  allow  the  surrender 
of  a  man  who  had  deserted  from  the  Americans  and  openly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  king. 
This  decision  was  p.ommunicated  to  Ogden,  and  he  prepared  to  return  to  the  camp.  At 
(lawn,  on  mustering  his  men,  a  sergeant  was  missing — he  had  deserted  to  the  enemy  during 
the  night.  No  time  could  be  lost  in  searching  for  the  deserter,  and  Ogden  returned  to  Tap- 
pan  without  him.'  OctoixT  i 

Great  was  the  distress  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  on  reading  Washington's  dispatch  ^'"^°- 
and  the  letter  of  Andre.  He  immediately  summoned  a  council  of  officers,  and  it  was  re- 
solved that  a  deputation  of  three  persons  should  proceed  to  the  nearest  American  outpost, 
open  a  communication  with  Washington,  and,  presenting  proofs  of  the  innocence  of  Andre, 
endeavor  to  procure  his  release.  Toward  noon  on  the  1st  of  October,  General  Robertson, 
Andrew  Elliott,  and  William  Smith,  the  deputation  appointed  by  Clinton,  accompanied  by 
Beverly  Robinson  as  a  witness  in  the  case,  arrived  at  Dobbs's  Ferry,  in  the  Greyhound 
schooner,  with  a  flag  of  truce.  A  request  for  a  parley  had  been  sent  by  Clinton  to  Wash- 
ington, by  Captain  Ogden,  in  the  morning.  General  Greene  was  deputed  by  the  chief  to 
act  in  his  behalf,  and  he  was  already  at  the  ferry  when  the  Greyhound  came  to  anchor. 
General  Robertson,  with  great  courtesy  of  manner  and  flattering  words,  opened  the  confer- 
ence, and  was  proceeding  to  discuss  the  subject  at  issue,  when  Greene  politely  interrupted 
him  by  saying,  "Let  us  understand  our  position.  I  meet  you  only  as  a  private  gentleman, 
not  as  an  officer,  for  the  case  of  an  acknowledged  spy  admits  of  no  discussion."  With  this 
understanding  the  conference  proceeded ;  but  Robertson  produced  nothing  new  calculated  to 
change  Greene's  opinion  respecting  the  justice  of  the  sentence  of  the  prisoner.  A  letter  from 
Arnold  to  Washington,  which  had  been  kept  in  reserve,  was  now  produced  and  read.  The 
deputies  believed  that  this  would  have  the  desired  efl'ect,  and  kept  it  back  until  verbal  ar- 
guments should  fail.  Had  their  words  been  full  of  persuasion  and  convincing  facts,  this 
letter,  so  hypocritical,  malignant,  and  impudent,  would  have  scattered  all  favorable  impres- 
sions in  the  mind  of  Greene  to  the  winds.  The  traitor  menaced  Washington  with  dreadful 
retaliation  if  Andre  should  be  slain,  and  in  prospective  charged  upon  the  commander-in-chief 
the  guilt  of  causing  torrents  of  blood  to  flow."  "  It  is  hardly  possible,"  says  Sparks,  "  that 
this  letter  could  have  been  read  by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  although  written  at  his  request,  with 

bation  of  Washington."  He  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  the  law  after  the  war,  and  rose  rapidly  in  his 
profession.  He  was  appointed  one  of  the  electors  of  president  and  vice-president  in  1800,  a  state  senator 
in  1801,  and  in  1812  he  was  elected  governor  of  New  Jersey.  Ho  died  in  April,  1839,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years. 

'  The  desertion  of  the  sergeant  was  arranged  by  Washington,  without  the  knowledge  of  Ogden.  The 
object  was  to  obtain  information  of  much  importance.  A  paper  had  been  intercepted  in  which  was  found 
the  name  of  General  St.  Clair,  so  relatively  connected  with  other  particulars  as  to  excite  a  suspicion  that  he 
was  concerned  in  Arnold's  treason.  The  intelligent  sergeant  soon  ascertained  that  there  were  no  ground.i 
for  such  suspicion,  and  that  the  paper  in  question  was  designed  by  the  enemy  to  fall  into  Washington's 
hands,  and  excite  jealousy  and  ill  feelings  among  the  American  officers.  The  papers  were  traced  to  a  Brit- 
ish emissary  named  Brown.     The  sergeant  found  means  to  convey  this  intelligence  to  Washington. 

*  "  If,  after  this  just  and  candid  representation  of  Major  Andre's  ca.so,"  wrote  Arnold,  "  the  board  of  gen- 
eral officers  adhere  to  their  former  opinion,  I  shall  suppose  it  dictated  by  passion  and  resentment ;  and  if 
that  gentleman  should  suffer  the  severity  of  their  sentence,  I  shall  think  myself  bound  by  every  tie  of  duty 
and  honor  to  retaliate  on  such  unhappy  persons  of  your  army  as  may  fall  in  my  power,  that  the  respect  due 
to  flags  and  the  law  of  nations  may  be  better  understood  and  observed." 

What  could  have  been  more  injudicious  than  holding  such  languaje  to  Washington,  under  the  ciroum- 
stances?  and  as  to  the  "respect  due  to  flags,"  the  traitor  well  knew  that  in  no  part  of  the  transaction  bad 
Andre  been  under  such  protection. 

I.  tec 


770  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 

Result  of  the  Efforts  to  Save  Andrd.  His  Letter  to  Washington  asking  to  be  Shot.  WOlis'a  Paraphrase. 

a  view  of  operating  on  the  judgment  and  clemency  of  Washington.  Could  any  language 
written  by  an  individual  have  a  more  opposite  tendency  ?  Disgust  and  contempt  were  the 
only  emotions  it  could  escite  ;  and  it  was  at  least  an  evidence  that  neither  the  understand- 
in"-  or  the  heart  of  the  writer  had  been  improved  by  his  political  change.  Hitherto  he  had 
liiscovered  acuteness  and  mental  resources,  but  in  this  act  his  folly  was  commensurate  with 
iiis  wickedness.'" 

The  conference  ended  at  sunset,  and  Greene  returned  to  Tappan.  E-obertson  expressed 
his  confidence  in  Greene's  candor  in  communicating  the  substance  of  their  discussion  to 
Washington  ;  informed  him  that  he  should  remain  on  board  the  Greyhound  all  night,  and 
expressed  a  hope  that  in  the  morning  he  might  take  Major  Andre  back  with  him,  or  at  least 
bear  to  his  general  an  assurance  of  his  ultimate  safety.  At  an  early  hour  the  next  morn- 
OctoberS  "I?  ''^^e  commissioners  received  a  note  from  Greene,  stating  that  the  opinion  and 
1780.  decision  of  Washington  were  unchanged,  and  that  the  prisoner  would  be  executed 
that  day.  Robertson  was  overwhelmed  with  astonishment  and  grief.  He  had  written  to 
Clinton  the  evening  before,  expressing  his  belief  that  Andre  was  safe.  The  wish  was  father 
to  the  thought,  for  he  had  no  reasonable  warrant  for  such  a  conclusion,  except  in  the  known 
i;lemency  of  General  Washington.  Reluctant  to  return  without  some  Avord  of  consoling 
hope  for  Clinton,  Robertson  wrote  a  letter  to  Washington,  recapitulating  the  points  discussed 
at  the  conference  ;  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  No  new  fact  was  presented  ;  no  new  phase  was 
exhibited.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  also  wrote  a  long  letter  to  Washington,  offering  some  im- 
portant prisoners  in  exchange  ;  but  it  was  too  late.  Let  us  turn  from  the  contemplation 
of  their  noble  efforts  to  save  the  prisoner,  to  the  victim  himself 

I  have  said  that  Andre  had  no  fear  of  death,  but  the  manner  was  a  subject  that  dis- 
turbed him.  When  the  sentence  of  the  Board  was  communicated  to  him,  he  evinced  no 
surprise  or  evident  emotion  ;  he  only  remarked,  that,  since  he  was  to  die,  there  was  still  a 
choice  in  the  mode,  which  would  make  a  material  difference  in  his  feelings.  He  was  anx- 
ious to  be  shot — to  die  the  death  of  a  soldier — and  for  this  privilege  he  importuned  Wash- 
ington, in  a  letter  written  the  day  before  his  execution.''  He  pleaded  with  a  touching  yet 
manly  earnestness  for  this  boon,  but  it  could  not  be  granted  by  the  customs  of  war.  Un- 
willing to  wound  his  feelings  by  a  positive  refusal,  no  answer  was  returned  either  to  his 
verbal  solicitation  or  his  letter,  and  he  was  left  the  consoling  hope  that  his  wish  might  pos- 
sibly be  gratified. 

The  1st  of  October,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  had  been  fixed  for  the  time  of  his 

'  hijR  of  Arnold,  Amer.  Biog.,  iii.,  275. 

*  The  following  is  a  copy  of  his  letter :    the  original  is  at  Charlottesville,  Virginia. 

"  Sir, — Buoyed  above  the  terror  of  death  by  the  consciousness  of  a  life  devoted  to  honorable  pursuits, 
and  stained  with  no  action  that  can  give  me  remorse,  I  trust  that  the  request  I  make  to  your  excellency  at 
this  serious  period,  and  which  is  to  soften  my  last  moments,  will  not  be  rejected.  Sympathy  toward  a  so!- 
lier  will  surely  induce  your  excellency,  and  a  military  tribunal,  to  adapt  the  mode  of  my  death  to  the  feel- 
mgs  of  a  man  of  honor.  Let  me  hope,  sir,  that  if  aught  in  my  character  impresses  3'ou  with  esteem  toward 
me,  if  aught  in  my  misfortunes  marks  me  as  the  victim  of  policy  and  not  of  resentment,  I  shall  experience 
the  operation  of  these  feelings  in  your  breast  by  being  informed  that  I  am  not  to  die  on  a  gibbet. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  your  excellency's  most  obedient  and  most  humble  servant, 

"  John  Andek." 

This  letter  has  been  thus  beautifully  paraphrased,  in  verse,  by  N.  P.  Willis  : 

"  It  is  not  the  fear  of  death  I  can  give  up  the  young  fame 

That  damps  my  brow  ;  I  bum'd  to  win  ; 

It  is  not  for  another  breath  All— but  the  spotless  name 

I  ask  thee  now  ;  I  glory  in. 
1  can  die  with  a  lip  unstirr'd, 

And  a  quiet  heart—  "  Thine  is  the  power  to  give, 

Let  but  this  prayer  be  heard  Thine  to  deny. 

Ere  I  depart.  Joy  fo'"  *e  hour  I  live, 

Calmness  to  die. 

'  I  can  give  up  my  mother's  look —  By  all  the  brave  should  cherish. 

My  sister's  kies  ;  By  my  dying  breath, 

I  can  ttiink  of  love— yet  brook  I  ask  that  I  may  perish 

A  death  like  this !  By  a  soldier's  death." 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 


771 


Andrd'g  Comppsiire  of  Mind. 


Pen-and-ink  Sketch  of  himselL 


Name  of  bU  Executiuncr. 


execution,  but,  in  consequence  of  the  protracted  conference  at  Dobbs's  Ferry,  it  was  post- 
poned until  the  next  day.      Andre  had  procured  his  military  suit,  and  in  calmness  counted 


Major  Andre. 
Fmm  a  PenaiuliDk  Sketch  by  binuflf.) 

the  speeding  hours  of  his  Hfe,  talking  with  self-possession  to  those  who  visited  him,  and  even 
indulging  in  the  practice  of  his  favorite  accomplishment.  On  the  morning  of  the  day  fixed 
for  his  execution,  he  sketched  with  a  pen  a  likeness  of  himself,  sitting  by  a  table,  October], 
of  which  a  fac  simile  is  here  given.  The  original  is  now  in  the  TninihuU  Gal-  ^''^■ 
lenj  at  Yale  College.  It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  strong  resemblance  in  the  features  of 
this  sketch  to  those  in  the  portrait  on  page  197. 

Major  Andre  was  executed  at  Tappan,  at  twelve  o'clock,  on  the  2d  of  October,  1780.' 
Doctor  Thacher,  then  a  surgeon  in  the  Continental  army,  and  present  on  the  occasion,  has 
left  the  following  account  in  his  Journal  :  "  Major  Andre  is  no  more  among  the  living.  1 
have  just  witnessed  his  exit.      It  was  a  tragical  scene  of  the  deepest  interest The 


'  I  copied  this  fac  simile  from  one  in  Sparks's  Life  and  Treason  of  jlrnold,  where  is  given  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter,  written  by  Ebenezer  Baldwin  to  the  president  of  Yale  College,  and  dated  at  New 
Haven,  August  8th,  1832: 

"  It  affords  me  pleasure,  as  agent  of  Mr.  Jabcz  L.  Tomlinson,  of  Stratford,  and  of  Mr.  Nathan  Beers  [see 
iiage431,  this  volume,  fora  notice  of  Mr.  Beers],  of  this  city,  to  request  your  acceptance  of  the  accompany- 
ing miniature  of  Major  John  Andre.  It  is  his  likeness,  seated  at  a  table,  in  his  guard-room,  and  drawn 
by  himself,  with  a  pen,  on  the  morning  of  the  day  fixed  for  his  execution.  Mr.  Tomlinson  informs  me  that 
a  respite  was  granted  until  the  next  day,  and  that  this  miniature  was  in  the  mean  time  presented  to  him 
(then  acting  as  officer  of  the  guard)  by  Major  Andke  himself  Mr.  Tomlinson  was  present  when  the  sketch 
was  made,  and  says  it  was  drawn  without  the  aid  of  a  [looking]  glass.  The  sketch  subsequently  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Beers,  a  fellow-officer  of  Mr.  Tomlinson,  on  the  station,  and  from  thence  was  trans- 
ferred to  me.     It  has  been  in  my  possession  several  years."' 

*  His  executioner  was  a  Tory  named  Strickland,  who  resided  in  the  Ramapo  Valley.  He  was  in  con- 
finement at  Tappan,  and  was  set  at  liberty  on  condition  that  he  should  perform  the  office  of  hanj^man.  Ben 
jamin  Abbot,  a  drum-major,  who  died  at  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  in  June,  1851,  at  the  age  of  92  years, 
played  the  dead  march  on  that  occasion. 


772 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


Or.  Thacher's  Account  of  Andre's  Execution. 


Feelings  of  the  Spectators. 


The  Place  of  his  Deqth  and  Barial. 


principal  guard-officer,  who  was  constantly  in  the  room  with  the  prisoner,  relates,  that  when 
the  hour  of  execution  was  announced  to  him  in  the  morning,  he  received  it  without  emotion, 
and,  while  all  present  were  aflected  with  silent  gloom,  he  retained  a  firm  countenance,  with 
calmness  and  composure  of  mind.  Observing  his  servant  enter  his  room  in  tears,  he  ex- 
claimed, '  Leave  me,  until  you  can  show  yourself  more  manly.'  His  breakfast  being  sent 
to  him  from  the  table  of  General  Washington,  which  had  been  done  every  day  of  his  con- 
finement, he  partook  of  it  as  usual,  and,  having  shaved  and  dressed  himself,  he  placed  his 

hat  on  the  table,  and  cheerfully  said  to  the 
guard-officers,  '  I  am  ready  at  any  moment, 
gentlemen,  to  wait  on  you.'      The  fatal  hour 
having  arrived,  a  large  detachment  of  troops 
was  paraded,  and  an  immense  concourse  of 
people  assembled.     Almost  all  our  general  and 
field  officers,  excepting  his  excellency'  and  his 
staff',  were  present  on  horseback.     Melancholy 
and  gloom  pervaded  all  ranks,  and  the  scene 
was  awfully  affecting.     I  was  so  near,  during 
the  solemn  march  to  the  fatal  spot,  as  to  ob- 
serve every  movement,  and  to  participate  in 
every  emotion  the  melancholy  scene  was  cal- 
culated   to    produce.      Major   Andre  walked 
from  the  stone  house  in  which  he  had  been 
confined  between  two  of  our  subaltern  offi- 
cers, arm-in-arm.      The  eyes  of  the  immense 
multitude  were  fixed  on  him,  who,  rising  su- 
perior to  the  fears  of  death,  appeared  as  if  con- 
scious of  the  dignified  deportment  he  display- 
ed.     He  betrayed  no  want  of  fortitude,  but 
retained  a  complacent  smile  on  his  countenance,  and  politely  bowed  to  several  gentlemen 
whom  he  knew,  which  was  respectfully  returned.      It  was  his  earnest  desire  to  be  shot,  as 
being  the  mode  of  death  most  conformable  to  the  feelings  of  a  military  man,  and  he  had  in- 
dulged the  hope  that  his  request  would  be  granted.      At  the  moment,  therefore,  when  sud- 
denly he  came  in  view  of  the  gallows,  he  involuntarily  started  backward  and  made  a  pause. 
•  Why  this  emotion,  sir  ?'  said  an  officer  by  his  side.      Instantly  recovering  his  composure, 
he  said,  '  I  am  reconciled  to  my  death,  but  I  detest  the  mode.'     While  waiting,  and  stand- 
ing near  the  gallows,  I  observed  some  degree  of  trepidation — placing  his  foot  on  a  stone  and 
rolling  it  over,  and  choking  in  his  throat  as  if  attempting  to  swallow.      So  soon,  however, 
as  he  perceived  that  things  were  in  readiness,  he  stepped  quickly  into  the  wagon,  and  at 
this  moment  he  appeared  to  shrink  ;  but,  instantly  elevating  his  head  with  firmness,  he  said, 
'  It  will  be  but  a  momentary  pang  ;'   and,  taking  from  his  pocket  two  white  handkerchiefs, 
the  provost  marshal,  with  one,  loosely  pinioned  his  arms,  and  with  the  other  the  victim, 
after  taking  off' his  hat  and  stock,  bandaged  his  own  eyes  with  perfect  firmness,  which  melt- 
ed the  hearts  and  moistened  the  cheeks  not  only  of  his  servant,  but  of  the  throng  of  spec- 
tators.     The  rope  being  appended  to  the  gallows,  he  slipped  the  noose  over  his  head,  and 
adjusted  it  to  his  neck,  without  the  assistance  of  the  awkward  executioner.     Colonel  Scam- 
mel  now  informed  him  that  he  had  an  opportunity  to  speak,  if  he  desired  it.     He  raised  the 

'  It  is  said  that  Washington  never  saw  Major  Andre,  having  avoided  a  personal  interview  with  hira  from 
the  beginning. 

'^  The  place  of  Andre's  execution  is  now  designated  by  a  stone,  lying  on  the  right  of  a  lane  which  run? 
trom  the  highway  from  Tappan  village  to  old  Tappan,  on  the  westerly  side  of  a  large  peach  orchard  owneil 
by  Dr.  Bartow,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Washington's  head-quarters.  The  stone  is  a  small  bowlder, 
on  the  upper  surface  of  which  is  inscribed  "Andre  executed  Oct.  2d,  1780."  It  is  about  three  feet  in 
length.  This  stone  was  placed  there  and  inscribed  in  1847,  by  a  patriotic  merchant  of  New  York.  A 
more  elegant  and  durable  monument  should  be  erected  upon  the  spot. 


Place  of  ExEcnxioN.^ 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION. 


773 


rhe  Captors  of  Andrd  reworded. 


Disinterment  of  Andrd's  Remains. 


Honored  by  the  Duke  of  York 


handkerchief  from  his  eyes,  and  said,  '  I  pray  you  to  hear  me  witness  that  I  meet  my  fate 
like  a  brave  man.'  The  wagon  being  now  removed  from  under  him,  he  was  suspended,  and 
instantly  expired.  It  proved,  indeed,  '  but  a  momentary  pang.'  He  was  dressed  in  his 
royal  regimentals  and  boots.  His  remains,  in  the  same  dress,  were  placed  in  an  ordinary 
coffin,  and  interred  at  the  foot  of  the  gallows  ;'  and  the  spot  was  consecrated  by  the  tears 
of  thousands.  Thus  died,  in  the  bloom  of  life,  the  accomplished  Major  Andre,  the  pride  of 
the  royal  army,  and  the  valued  friend  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton."' 

The  captors  of  Andre  (Paulding,  Williams,'  and  Van  Wart),  were  nobly  rewarded  by  Con- 
gress for  their  fidelity.  In  a  letter  to  the  president  of  Congress,  Washington  said,  October  7, 
"  Their  conduct  merits  our  warmest  esteem  ;  and  I  beg  leave  to  add,  that  I  think  ^^^• 
the  public  would  do  well  to  allow  them  a  handsome  gratuity.  They  have  prevented,  in 
all  probability,  our  suffering  one  of  the  severest  strokes  that  could  have  been  meditated 
against  us."  Pursuant  to  this  recommendation.  Congress  adopted  a  resolution  Novembers, 
expressive  of  the  public  sense  of  the  virtuous  and  patriotic  conduct  of  the  "  three  ^'^• 

young  volunteer  militia-men,"  and  ordered  "that  each  of  them  receive  annually,  out  of  the 
public  treasury,  two  hundred  dollars  in  specie,  or  an  equivalent  in  the  current  money  of 


these  states 
during  life, 
and  that  the 
Board  of  War 
procure  for 
each  of  them 
a  silver  med- 
al, on  one  side 
of  which  shall 
be  a  shield 
with  this  in- 
scription ;  Fi- 
delity ;  and 
on  the  other 
the  follow- 
ing     motto  : 

ViNCIT     AMOR 


The  Captors'  Medal. 


PATRI^,  '  the 
love  of  coun- 
try conquers,' 
and  forward 
them  to  the 
commander- 
in-chief,  who 
is  requested  to 
present  the 
same,  with  a 
copy  of  this 
resolution  and 
the  thanks  of 
Congress,  for 
their  fidelity, 
and  the  emi- 
nent    service 


'  In  a  subsequent  publication  by  Doctor  Thacher,  entitled  Observations  relating  to  the  Execution  of  Major 
Andre,  he  says  that  the  regimentals  of  that  officer  were  given  to  his  servant.  His  remains  were  taken  up 
in  1831  by  Mr.  Buchanan,  the  British  consul  at  New  York,  removed  to  England,  and  deposited  near  his 
monument  in  Westminster  Abbey.  As  no  metallic  buttons  were  found  in  his  grave,  it  is  evident  he  had 
been  stripped  of  his  regimentals  before  burial.  He  was  interred  in  an  open  field  then  belonging  to  a  Mr. 
Mabie. 

Mr.  Buchanan  published  an  interesting  account  of  the  disinterment  in  1831.  It  was  done  by  command 
of  the  Duke  of  York.  On  opening  the  grave,  the  moidering  coffin  was  found  about  three  feet  below  the 
surface.  The  roots  of  a  peach-tree,  which  some  .sympnthizing  hand  had  planted  at  the  head  of  his  grave, 
had  twined  like  a  net-work  around  the  young  hero's  skull.  A  leather  string,  which  he  had  used  for  tying 
his  hair,  was  perfect ;  this  Mr.  Buchanan  sent  to  Andre's  surviving  sisters.  While  a  prisoner  after  his  cap- 
ture at  St.  John's  in  1775,  Andre  parted  with  his  watch.  This  was  also  obtained  and  sent  to  his  sisters. 
Two  small  cedars  were  growing  by  the  grave.  A  portion  of  one  of  these  was  sent  to  England  with  the 
remains,  and  Mr.  Buchanan  suggested  to  the  duke  the  propriety  of  having  a  snufT-box  made  of  .some  of  the 
wood,  as  a  present  for  the  Reverend  Mr.  Demarest,of  Tappan,  who  greatly  assisted  the  consul  in  the  dis- 
interment. The  duke  had  an  elegant  box  made,  lined  with  gold,  and  inscribed  "From  his  royal  highness 
the  Duke  of  York  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Demarcst."  Mr.  Buchanan  received  a  silver  inkstand,  inscribed 
'■  The  surviving  sisters  of  Major  Andre  to  James  Buchanan,  Esq.,  his  majesty's  consul,  New  York." 
They  also  sent  a  silver  cup,  with  a  similar  inscription,  to  Mr.  Demarcst, 

'  Military  Journal,  p.  222,  223. 

^  David  Williams  was  born  in  Tarr}'town,  October  21st,  1754.  He  entered  the  army  in  1775,  wax 
under  Montgomery  at  St.  John's  and  Quebec,  and  continued  in  the  militia  service  until  1779.  He  took  an 
active  part  against  the  Cow-boys  and  Skinners  on  the  Neutral  Grounil.  He  was  not  in  regular  service  when 
he  joined  in  the  expedition  the  day  before  the  capture  of  Andre.     After  the  war.  he  married  a  Miss  Bene- 


7  7^  P1(;T0RIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Desire  to  secure  Arnold.  A  Plan  to  Abduct  him.  Its  Execution  committed  to  Major  Henry  Lee. 


they  have  rendered  their  country.'"  The  medals  were  afterward  given  to  the  three  indi- 
viduals by  Washington  himself,  at  head-quarters,  and  the  captors  enjoyed  the  annuity  dur- 
ing their  lives.' 

Commensurate  with  the  strong  feeling  of  sympathy  evinced  for  Andre  was  the  sentiment 
of  indignant  hatred  and  disgust  of  Arnold,  and  it  was  the  ardent  desire  of  Washington  and 
his  compatriots  to  obtain  possession  of  the  person  of  the  arch-traitor  and  punish  him  as  his 
wickedness  deserved.  Various  plans  were  arranged,  secret  and  open,  to  capture  him,  and 
several  expeditions  were  formed  for  that  avowed  object.  One,  while  the  army  was  yet  at 
Tappan,  and  the  tears  of  sympathy  for  poor  Andre  were  hardly  dry  upon  the  cheeks  of  the 
soldiers,  was  almost  successful.  It  was  known  only  to  Washington,  Major  Henry  Lee,  and 
Sergeant  Champe,  the  latter  the  principal  actor  in  the  movement. 

Washington  had  learned  that  Arnold's  quarters  in  New  York  were  next  door  to  those  of 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  (now  No.  3  Broadway),  and  that  he  seemed  to  feel  so  secure  with  his 
new  friends  that  his  usual  caution  was  but  little  exercised.  The  chief  conceived  a  plan  for 
abducting  the  traitor  and  bringing  him  to  the  American  camp.  The  principal  difficulty 
appeared  to  be  to  procure  the  proper  instruments  for  such  an  enterprise.  Recent  events 
had  made  the  commander-in-chief  suspicious,  for  he  knew  not  where  smaller  traitors  might 
be  lurking.  He  sent  for  Major  Henry  Lee,  the  commandant  of  a  brave  legion  of  cavalry  ; 
a  man  in  whose  patriotism,  prudence,  and  judgment  he  knew  he  could  confide.  Already  he 
had  intrusted  to  this  officer  the  delicate  service  of  ascertaining  the  truth  of  many  flying  ru- 
mors that  other  officers  of  high  rank  were  likely  to  follow  Arnold's  example.  To  him  Wash- 
ington disclosed  his  wishes.  "  I  have  sent  for  you,  Major  Lee,"  he  said,  "  in  the  expecta- 
tion that  you  have  in  your  corps  individuals  capable  and  willing  to  undertake  an  indispens- 
able, delicate,  and  hazardous  project.  Whoever  comes  forward  on  this  occasion  will  lay  me 
under  great  obligations  personally,  and  in  behalf  of  the  United  States  I  will  reward  him  am- 
ply. No  time  is  to  be  lost ;  he  must  proceed,  if  possible,  to-night."  The  nature  of  the 
service  was  disclosed  to  Lee,  and  he  promptly  replied  to  his  commander  that  he  had  no 
doubt  his  legion  contained  many  men  daring  enough  to  undertake  any  enterprise,  however 
perilous  ;  but  for  the  service  required  there  was  needed  a  combination  of  talent  rarely  found 
in  the  same  individual.^  Lee  suggested  a  plan  which  was  highly  approved  of  by  Washing- 
diet,  and  settled  in  Schoharie  county.  He  died  at  Broome,  in  that  county,  on  the  2d  day  of  August,  1831, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  His  remains  were  interred,  with  military  honors,  at  Livingstonville,  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  citizens.  His  widow,  I  believe,  is  yet  living  with  her  son  at  Broome,  at 
the  age  of  ninety-four.  Ten  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  she  obtained  a  continuance  of  his  pension, 
which  had  been  stopped  at  his  death,  receiving  §2000  at  once.  Congress  has  been  repeatedly  petitioned 
for  an  appropriation  to  erect  a  monument  to  Williams,  but  without  success.     See  Simms's  Schoharie  County. 

'  Jouryials  of  Congress,  vi.,  154. 

*  In  1817,  Mr.  Paulding  applied  to  Congress  for  an  augmentation  of  his  annuity.  Major  Tallmadge, 
who  was  then  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  strongly  opposed  the  prayer  of  the  petitioner,  on 
the  ground  that  he  and  his  companions  had  been  more  than  compensated  for  the  real  patriotism  which  they 
exercised  on  the  occasion  of  making  Major  Andre  a  prisoner.  The  statements  of  Andre,  at  the  time,  im- 
pressed Tallmadge  with  the  belief  that  the  plunder  of  a  traveler  was  their  first  incentive  to  arrest  his  prog- 
ress, and  that,  could  they  have  been  certified  of  their  prisoner's  ability  to  perform  his  promises  of  large  pay 
for  his  release,  they  would  not  have  detained  him.  Andre  solemnly  asserted  that  they  first  ripped  up  the 
housings  of  his  saddle  and  the  cape  of  his  coat,  in  search  of  money,  but  finding  none,  one  of  the  party  .said, 
"  He  may  have  it  [money]  in  his  boots."  The  discovery  of  the  papers  there  concealed  gave  them  the  first 
idea  that  he  might  be  a  spy.  Major  Andre  was  of  opinion  that  if  he  could  have  given  them  a  small  sum 
in  specie  at  first,  they  would  have  let  him  pass ;  but  he  only  had  a  small  amount  in  Continental  bills,  which 
was  given  hira  by  Smith.  While  we  may  not  claim  entire  purity  of  intent  on  the  part  of  the  captors  when 
they  first  arrested  the  progress  of  Andre,  we  can  not  doubt  the  strength  of  their  patriotism  to  withstand  the 
lure  of  large  bribes  after  they  discovered  his  real  character.  For  particulars  on  this  point,  see  a  small  vol- 
ume, entitled  Vindication  of  the  Captors  of  Major  Andre,  published  in  New  York  in  1817;  also  Walsh's 
American  Register,  vol.  ii.,  1817.  In  this  volume  of  the  Register  may  be  found  a  translation  of  Marbois's 
Complot  du  Arnold. 

In  addition  to  the  capture  of  Arnold,  the  emissary  was  to  be  commissioned  to  ferret  out  information 
touching  the  alleged  defection  of  other  officers  of  the  Continental  army.  Already,  as  we  have  noticed,  a 
sergeant  under  the  command  of  Captain  Ogden  had  been  employed  for  such  a  purpose,  and  satisfied  Wash- 
ington  of  the  innocence  of  one  general  ofiicer  who  was  accused! 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  775 


Sergeant  Champe.        HU  Sense  of  Honor.        Consents  to  attempt  tho  Abduction  of  Arnold.       Uis  Desertion  farorcd  by  Lee. 

ton.  He  named  Champe,  the  sergeant  major  of  his  cavalry,  as  every  way  well  qualified 
for  the  service,  but  he  was  afraid  his  sense  of  personal  honor  would  not  allow  him  to  take 
the  first  step  in  the  perilous  expedition — desertion — for  he  was  anxiously  awaiting  a  va- 
cancy in  the  corps  to  receive  a  promised  commission.' 

Lee  sent  instantly  for  Champe,  communicated  to  him  the  wishes  of  Washington,  and  de 
picted,  with  all  the  earnestness  and  eloquence  of  which  he  was  master,  the  glory  that  await- 
ed him,  if  successful.  Champe  listened  with  the  deepest  attention,  his  countenance  evincing 
the  greatest  excitement  of  feeling.  He  expressed  himself  charmed  with  the  plan,  and  its 
proposed  beneficial  results  ;  declared  that  he  was  ready  to  embark  in  any  enterprise  for  his 
country's  good,  however  perilous,  which  did  not  involve  his  honor  ;  but  the  idea  of  desertion 
to  the  enemy,  and  hypocritically  espousing  the  cause  of  the  king,  were  obstacles  in  his  way 
too  grave  to  be  disregarded,  and  he  prayed  to  be  excused.  Lee  combated  these  scruple." 
with  every  argument  calculated  to  impress  the  heart  of  a  brave  soldier.  He  spoke  of  thr 
personal  honor  which  success  promised  ;  the  honor  of  the  corps  to  which  he  belonged  ;  the 
great  service  which  he  would  perform  for  his  beloved  commander-in-chief,  and  the  plaudit.** 
of  his  countrymen.  He  told  him  that  desertion,  by  request  of  his  general,  for  a  laudable 
purpose,  carried  with  it  no  dishonor,  and  that  the  stain  upon  his  character  would  remain 
only  until  prudence  should  allow  the  publication  of  the  facts.  After  long  persuasion,  the 
sergeant  major  consented  to  undertake  the  mission,  and  preparations  were  immediately  made. 

Washington  had  already  drawn  up  instructions.  These  were  read  to  Champe,  and  he 
carefully  noted  their  import  in  such  a  way  that  their  true  meaning  could  not  be  understood 
by  another.  He  was  to  deliver  letters  to  two  individuals  in  New  York,  unknown  to  each 
other,  who  had  long  been  in  the  confidence  of  the  general.  He  was  to  procure  such  aid  in 
bringing  Arnold  away  as  his  judgment  should  dictate  ;  and  he  was  strictly  enjoined  to  for- 
bear killing  the  traitor  under  any  circumstances.'  These  preliminaries  being  settled,  the 
difficulties  that  lay  in  his  way  between  the  camp  and  the  enemy's  outposts  at  Paulus's  Hook, 
were  next  considered.  There  were  many  pickets  and  patrols  in  the  way,  and  straggling 
parties  of  American  irregulars  often  ventured  almost  to  Bergen  Point  in  search  of  booty  or 
an  adventure.  Major  Lee  could  offer  the  sergeant  no  aid  against  these  dangers,  lest  he 
should  be  involved  in  the  charge  of  favoring  his  desertion,  and  Champe  was  left  to  his  own 
resources.  All  that  Lee  could  do  was  to  delay  pursuit  as  long  as  possible,  after  it  should 
be  ascertained  that  the  sergeant  major  had  deserted. 

At  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  Champe  took  his  cloak,  valise,  and  orderly-book,  octoberso, 
mounted  his  horse  secretly,  and  with  three  guineas  in  his  pocket,  which  were  given  ^"^''• 

him  by  Lee,  "  put  himself  on  fortune."  Lee  immediately  went  to  bed,  but  not  to  sleep. 
Within  half  an  hour,  Captain  Carnes,  the  officer  of  the  day,  came  to  him  in  haste,  and  in- 
formed him  that  one  of  the  patrols  had  fallen  in  with  a  dragoon,  who,  on  being  challenged, 
put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  escaped.  Lee  complained  of  fatigue  and  drowsiness,  pretended 
to  be  half  asleep,  and  thus  detained  the  captain  some  minutes  before  he  seemed  fairly  to  un- 
derstand the  object  of  that  officer's  visit.  He  ridiculed  the  idea  that  one  of  his  o\vn  dra- 
goons had  deserted,  for  such  an  event  had  occurred  but  once  during  the  whole  war.  The 
captain  was  not  to  be  convinced  by  such  arguments,  but  immediately  mustering  the  whole 
squadron  of  horse,  by  Lee's  reluctant  order,  satisfied  both  himself  and  his  commander  that 
one  had  deserted,  and  that  he  was  no  less  a  personago  than  Champe,  the  sergeant  major, 
who  had  decamped  with  his  arms,  baggage,  and  orderly-book.     Captain  Carnes  ordered  an 

'  John  Champe  was  a  Virginian.  "He  was*  a  native  of  Loudon  coiintj-,"  says  Lee,  in  his  Memoirs. 
"and  at  this  time  twenty-three  or  twenty-four  years  of  age ;  enlisted  in  1776;  rather  above  the  common 
size  ;  full  of  bone  and  muscle  ;  with  a  saturnine  countenance,  grave,  thoughtful,  and  taciturn,  of  tried  cour- 
age and  inflexible  perseverance,  and  as  likely  to  reject  an  overture,  coupled  with  ignominy,  as  any  oflicer 
in  the  corps." — Memoirs,  p.  272. 

*  Lee  made  an  arrangement  with  Mr.  Baldwin,  of  Newark,  to  aid  Champe.  With  him  the  sergeant  wa.s 
to  have  daily  intercourse,  as  if  by  accident,  and  through  him  Lee  was  to  receive  communications  from  his 
sergeant  major.  He  agreed  to  pay  Baldwin,  if  successful,  one  hundred  guineas,  five  hundred  acres  of  laud, 
and  three  negroes. 


776 


PICTORIAL  FIELD-BOOK 


Pursuit  of  Champe.         His  Skill  in  eluding  his  Pursuers.         He  Escapes  to  a  British  Galley.         Sir  Henry  Clinton  deceived 


immediate  pursuit.  Lee  made  as  much  delay  in  the  preparation  as  possible,  and  when  all 
was  ready,  he  ordered  a  change  in  the  command,  giving  it  to  Lieutenant  Middleton,  a  young 
man  whose  tenderness  of  disposition  would  cause  him  to  treat  Champe  leniently,  if  he  should 
be  overtaken.     By  parleying  and  other  delays,  Champe  got  an  hour  the  start  of  his  pursuers. 

It  was  a  bright  starry  night,  and  past  twelve  o'clock,  when  Middleton  and  his  party  took 
the  saddle  and  spurred  after  the  deserter.  A  fall  of  rain  at  sunset  had  effaced  all  tracks  in 
the  road,  and  thus  favored  the  pursuit,  for  the  single  foot-prints  of  the  dragoon's  horse  were 
easily  traced  and  recognized.'  Often,  before  dawn,  when  coming  to  a  fork  or  a  cross-road, 
a  trooper  would  dismount  to  examine  the  track.  Ascending  an  eminence  at  sunrise  near 
the  "  Three  Pigeons,"^  a  tavern  a  few  miles  north  of  the  village  of  Bergen,  they  descried 
from  its  summit  the  deserting  sergeant,  not  more  than  half  a  mile  in  advance.  The  pur- 
suers were  discovered  by  Champe  at  the  same  moment,  and  both  parties  spurred  onward 
with  all  their  might.  They  were  all  well  acquainted  with  the  roads  in  the  vicinity.  There 
was  a  short  cut  through  the  woods  to  the  bridge  below  Bergen,  which  left  the  great  road  a 
little  below  the  Three  Pigeons.  There  Middleton  divided  his  party,  sending  a  detachment 
by  the  short  road  to  secure  the  bridge,  while  himself  and  the  others  pursued  Champe  to  Ber- 
gen. He  now  felt  sure  of  capturing  the  deserter,  for  he  could  not  reach  Paulus's  Hook 
without  crossing  the  bridge  in  question.  The  two  divisions  met  at  the  bridge,  but,  to  their 
great  astonishment,  Champe  had  eluded  their  vigilance,  and  was  not  to  be  found.  He,  too, 
was  acquainted  with  the  short  cut,  and  shrewdly  considered  that  his  pursuers  would  avail 
themselves  of  it.  He  therefore  wisely  determined  to  abandon  his  design  of  going  to  the  British 
post  at  Paulus's  Hook,  and  seek  refuge  on  board  one  of  two  of  the  king's  galleys  which  were 
lying  in  the  bay  in  front  of  the  little  settlement  of  Communipaw,  about  a  mile  from  Bergen. 

Middleton  retired  hastily  from  the  bridge  to  Bergen,  and  inquired  if  a  dragoon  had  been 
seen  there  that  morning.  He  was  answered  in  the  affirmative,  but  no  one  knew  which  way 
he  went  from  the  village.  The  beaten  track  no  longer  gave  a  legible  imprint  of  his  horse's 
shoes,  and  for  a  moment  his  pursuers  were  foiled.  The  trail  was  soon  discovered  on  the 
road  leading  to  Bergen.  The  pursuit  was  vigorously  renewed,  and  in  a  few  moments  Champ'' 
was  discovered  near  the  water's  edge,  making  signals  to  the  British  galleys.  He  had  lashett 
liis  valise,  containing  his  clothes  and  orderly-book,  upon  his  back.  When  Middleton  was 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  him,  Champe  leaped  from  his  horse,  cast  away  the  scabbard 
of  his  sword,  and  with  the  naked  blade  in  his  hand,  he  sped  across  the  marsh,  plunged  into 
the  deep  waters  of  the  bay,  and  called  to  the  galleys  for  help.  A  boat  filled  with  strong 
oarsmen  responded  to  his  call,  and  he  was  soon  on  board  the  galley,  with  all  the  evidences 
of  the  sincerity  of  his  desertion  in  his  possession.  The  captain  of  the  galley  gave  him  a  letter 
to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  which  the  scene  just  mentioned  was  described,  and  before  night 
the  sergeant  was  safely  quartered  in  New  York. 

Middleton  recovered  the  horse,  cloak,  and  scabbard  belonging  to  Champe,  and  returned 
to  Tappan.  Lee  was  grieved  when  he  saw  the  supposed  evidence  that  poor  Champe  was 
slain  ;  but  equally  great  was  his  joy  when  he  learned  from  Middleton  that  the  sergeant  had 
escaped  safely  on  board  one  of  the  enemy's  galleys.  Four  days  afterward  Lee  received  a 
letter  from  Champe,  in  a  disguised  hand,  and  without  signature,  informing  him  of  the  oc- 
currence just  narrated. 

Champe  was  sent  by  Clinton,  for  interrogation,  to  his  adjutant  general.  The  faithful- 
ness of  the  legion  to  which  he  had  hitherto  been  attached  was  well  known  in  the  British 
army,  and  this  desertion  was  regarded  as  an  important  sign  of  increasing  defection  among 
the  Americans.  This  opinion  Champe  fostered  by  adroit  answers  to  questions  proposed. 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  also  questioned  him  closely  ;  and  so  sincere  seemed  to  be  the  sergeant's 
desire  to  serve  the  king,  that  he  won  the  entire  confidence  of  the  British  general.      Clinton 

The  horses  of  Lee's  legion  were  all  .shod  by  a  farrier  attached  to  the  corps,  and  every  shoe,  alike  in 
form,  had  a  private  mark  pnt  upon  it.  By  this  means  the  foot-prints  of  Charape's  horse  were  recognized, 
and  the  course  of  the  deserter  made  obvious  to  his  pursuers. 

*  There  is  now  a  hamlet  of  that  name  there,  situated  on  the  high  road  from  Hackensack  to  Hoboken. 


OF  THE   REVOLUTION.  777 

Champc  sent  to  Arnold.  Joins  his  Legion.  Preparations  for  carrying  off  tho  Traitor. 

crave  Champe  a  couple  of  guineas,  and  recommended  him  to  call  upon  General  Arnold,  who 
was  engaged  in  raising  an  American  legion,  to  be  composed  of  Loyalists  and  desertprs.  This 
was  exactly  tho  course  to  which  Champe  had  hoped  events  would  tend.  Arnold  received 
him  courteously,  and  assigned  him  quarters  among  his  recruiting  sergeants.  The  traitor 
asked  him  to  join  his  legion,  but  Champe  begged  to  be  excused,  on  the  plea  that  if  caught 
})y  the  rebels,  he  would  surely  be  hanged;  but  promised  Arnold  that,  if  he  changed  his 
mind,  he  would  certainly  join  his  legion. 

Champe  found  means  to  deliver  the  two  letters  before  mentioned,  and  five  days  after  his 
arrival  in  New  York,  he  made  arrangements  with  one  of  Washington's  corre-  octohr>r25, 
spondents  to  assist  him  in  abducting  Arnold,  and  then  communicated  the  facts  to  ^"'^• 

Major  Lee.'  He  enlisted  in  the  traitor's  legion,  so  as  to  have  free  intercourse  with  him,  and 
ascertain  his  night  habits  and  pursuits.  In  the  rear  of  Arnold's  quarters  was  a  garden,  ex- 
tending down  to  the  water's  edge.'  Champe  ascertained  that  it  was  Arnold's  habit  to  re- 
turn to  his  quarters  at  about  midnight,  and  that  previous  to  going. to  bed  he  always  visited 
the  garden.  Adjoining  the  garden  was  a  dark  alley  leading  to  the  street.  These  circum- 
stances were  favorable  to  Champe's  plans.  He  had  arranged  with  two  accomplices  (one  of 
whom  was  to  have  a  boat  in  readiness)  to  seize  and  gag  Arnold,  on  a  certain  night,  in  his 
garden,  convey  him  to  the  alley,  and  from  thence,  through  the  most  unfrequented  streets,  to 
the  river.  In  case  of  detection  while  carrying  the  traitor,  they  were  to  represent  him  as  a 
drunken  soldier  whom  they  were  conveying  to  the  guard-house.  Once  in  the  boat,  they 
might  pass  in  safety  to  Hoboken. 

Champe  carefully  removed  some  of  the  palings  between  the  garden  and  the  alley,  and 
replaced  them  so  slightly  that  they  might  again  be  removed  without  noise.  When  all  was 
arranged,  he  wrote  to  Lee,  and  appointed  the  third  subsequent  night  for  the  de-  Novembers, 
livery  of  the  traitor  on  the  Jersey  shore.      On  that  evening,  Lee  and  a  small  ^'^• 

party  left  the  camp,  with  three  accoutered  horses — one  for  Arnold,  one  for  the  sergeant,  and 
one  for  his  associate — and  at  midnight  concealed  themselves  at  an  appointed  place  in  the 
woods  at  Hoboken.  Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  the  dawn  came,  but  Champe  and  his  pris- 
oner did  not  arrive.  Lee  and  his  party  returned  to  camp  greatly  disappointed.  A  few  days 
afterward  he  received  a  letter  from  his  sergeant,  explaining  the  cause  of  his  failure,  and  an 
assurance  that  present  success  was  hopeless.  On  the  very  day  when  Champe  was  to  exe- 
cute his  plan,  Arnold  changed  his  quarters,  to  superintend  the  embarkation  of  troops  for  an 
expedition  southward,  to  be  commanded  by  himself     In  this  expedition  the  American  Je- 

'  In  this  first  communication  he  as.sured  Lee  that  his  inquiries  concerning  the  alleged  defection  of  other 
American  officers  were  satisfactor}',  and  that  no  such  defection  existed. 

*  Arnold's  quarters  were  at  No.  3  Broadway,  adjoining  those  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  The  house  is  yet 
standing,  and  is  represented,  with  Clinton's  quarters,  on  page  592,  of  volume  ii.  The  garden  ex- 
tended along  the  street  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Atlantic  Hotel,  No.  5,  where  the  dark  alley,  men- 
tioned in  the  text,  divided  it  from  the  premises  No.  9,  now  known  as  the  Jltlnntic  Garden.  The  shore  of 
the  liver  was  formerly  a  few  yards  west  of  Greenwich  Street,  West  Street  being  all  "  made  ground." 

'  Arnold  received,  as  the  price  of  his  desertion  from  the  Americans  and  attempted  betrayal  of  the  liber- 
ties of  his  country  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  a  commission  as  colonel,  with  a  brevet  rank  of  brigadier,  in 
the  British  army,  and  the  sum  of  nearly  fifty  thousand  dollars.  It  may  be  mentioned,  for  the  information 
of  those  unskilled  in  the  technicalities  of  the  military  service,  that  the  term  brevet  is  used  to  a  commi.ssion 
giving  nominal  rank  hifrher  than  that  for  which  pay  is  received.  A  brevet  major  serves  and  draws  pay  as 
a  captain,  and  a  brevet  brigadier  as  colonel.  Arnold  was  lower  in  ofllce,  both  actual  and  nominal,  among 
his  new  friends  than  he  had  been  in  the  American  army.  But  large  bribes  of  gold  wa.s  a  salvo  to  that  nice 
sense  of  honor  for  which  he  had  so  often  wrangled.  He  was  heartily  despised  by  tho  British  officers,  and 
he  was  frequently  insulted  without  possessing  the  power  to  show  his  resentment.  Many  anecdotes  illus- 
trative of  this  point  have  been  related.  It  is  said  that,  on  one  occasion,  a  British  statesman,  as  he  rose  to 
make  a  speech  in  the  House  of  Commons,  saw  Arnold  in  the  gallery.  "  Mr.  Speaker,"  he  said,  "  I  will  not 
speak  while  that  man  (pointin^f  toward  Arnold)  is  in  the  house."  George  the  Third  introduced  Arnold  to 
Earl  Balcarras,  one  of  Burgoyne's  officers  at  Bemis's  Heights.  "  I  know  General  Arnold  and  abominate 
traitors,"  was  the  quick  reply  of  the  earl,  as  he  refused  his  hand  and  turned  on  his  heel.  When  Talley- 
rand was  about  to  come  to  America,  he  was  informed  that  an  American  gentleman  was  in  an  adjoining 
room.     He  sought  an  interview,  and  asked  for  letters  to  his  friends  in  America.     '"  I  was  born  in  Amer- 


778  PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


Champe  foiled.  Taken  by  Arnold  to  Virginia.  Escapes  and  rejoins  his  Legion  in  the  Carolinas.  Ramapo  Valley. 

irion  was  to  be  employed,  and  poor  Champe,  who  had  enlisted  in  it  to  carry  out  his  plans, 
was  in  a  sad  dilemma.  Instead  of  crossing?  the  Hudson  that  night,  with  the  traitor  his 
prisoner,  he  found  himself  on  board  of  a  British  transport,  and  that  traitor  his  commander  I 
December  16.  The  expedition  sailed,  and  Champe  was  landed  on  the  shores  of  Virginia.  He 
1780.  sought  opportunities  to  escape,  but  found  none,  until  after  the  junction  with 

Cornwallis  at  Petersburg,  where  he  deserted.  He  passed  up  toM-ard  the  mountains,  and 
into  the  friendly  districts  of  North  Carolina.  Finally,  he  joined  the  legion  of  Major  Lee, 
just  after  it  had  passed  the  Congaree  in  pursuit  of  Lord  E-awdon.  Great  was  the  surprise 
of  his  old  comrades  when  they  saw  him,  and  it  was  increased  at  the  cordial  reception  which 
the  deserter  received  at  the  hands  of  Lee.  His  story  was  soon  told,  and  four-fold  greater 
than  before  his  desertion  was  the  love  and  admiration  of  his  corps  for  him.  They  felt  proud 
of  him,  and  his  promotion  would  have  been  hailed  by  general  acclamation.  Knowing  that 
he  would  immediately  be  hanged  if  caught  by  the  enemy,  he  was  discharged  from  service. 
The  commander-in-chief.munificently  rewarded  him  ;  and  seventeen  years  afterward,  when 
President  Adams  appointed  Washington  to  the  chief  command  of  the  armies  of  the  United 
States,  then  preparing  to  defend  the  country  from  the  threatened  hostility  of  the  French,  the 
chief  sent  to  Colonel  Lee  for  information  concerning  Champe,  being  determined  to  bring  him 
forward  in  the  capacity  of  a  captain  of  infantry.  But  the  gallant  soldier  had  removed  to 
Kentucky,  and  was  asleep  in  the  soil.' 

A  few  months  after  my  visit  to  Tappan,  I  made  another  tour  to  the  vicinity.  I  passed 
two  days  in  the  romantic  valley  of  the  Ramapo,  through  which  the  New  York  and  Erie 
rail-way  courses.  Every  rocky  nook,  sparkling  water-course,  and  shaded  glen  in  that  wild 
valley  has  a  legendary  charm.  It  is  a  ravine  sixteen  miles  in  extent,  opening  wide  toAvard 
the  fertile  fields  of  Orange  county.  It  was  a  region  peculiarly  distinguished  by  wild  and 
daring  adventure  during  the  Revolution,  and,  at  times,  as  important  military  ground.  There 
the  marauding  Cow-boys  made  their  rendezvous  ;  and  from  its  dark  coverts,  Claudiu?  Smith, 
the  merciless  freebooter,  and  his  three  sons,  with  their  followers,  sallied  out  and  plundered 
the  surrounding  country.''  Along  the  sinuous  Ramapo  Creek,  before  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution broke  ont.  and  while  the  ancient  tribe  of  the  Ramapaughs  yet  chased  the  deer  on  the 

rugged  hills  which  skirt  the  valley,  iron-forges  were  establish- 
ed, and  the  hammer-peal  of  spreading  civilization  echoed  from 
the  neighboring  crags.  Not  far  distant  from  its  waters  the 
great  chain  which  was  stretched  across  the  Hudson  at  West 
Point  was  wrought  ;^  and  the  remains  of  one  of  the  Puamapo 
forges,  built  at  the  close  of  the  war,  now  form  a  picturesque 
ruin  on  the  margin  of  the  rail-way.*  A  few  miles  below  it, 
Ramapo  village,  with  its  extensive  machinery,  sends  up  a  per- 

ica,  lived  there  till  the  prime  of  my  life,  but  alas!  I  can  call  no  man  in  America  my  friend,"  replied  the 
stranger.     That  stranger  wab  Arnold. 

'  See  Lee's  Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the  Southern  Department  of  the  United  States,  from  page  270  to  284 
The  reader,  by  observing  the  dates  of  his  correspondence  with  Washington,  will  perceive  that  Lee  has  con 
founded  the  effort  of  Ogden  to  save  Andre  by  having  Arnold  given  up,  and  the  desertion  of  his  sergeant, 
with  the  expedition  of  Sergeant  Champe.  In  his  account  of  Champe's  maneuver,  he  makes  the  salvation 
of  Andre  a  leading  incentive  to  efforts  to  capture  Arnold ;  but  Andre  was  executed  on  the  2d  of  October, 
whereas  Champe  did  not  desert  until  the  20th  of  the  same  month. 

Claudius  Smith  was  a  large,  fine-looking-  man,  of  strong  mind,  and  a  desperado  of  the  darkest  dye. 
Himself  and  gang  were  a  terror  to  Orange  county  for  a  long  time,  and  tempting  rewards  were  offered  for 
his  apprehension.  He  was  finally  captured  near  Oyster  Bay,  on  Long  Island,  and  taken  to  Goshen,  where 
he  was  chained  to  the  jail  floor,  and  a  strong  guard  placed  over  him.  He  was  hung  in  the  village  on  the 
22d  of  January,  1779,  with  Gordon  and  De  la  Mar — the  former  convicted  of  horse-stealing,  and  the  latter 
of  burglary.  Smith's  residence  was  in  the  lower  part  of  the  present  village  of  Monroe,  on  the  Erie  rail- 
w-ay.  Several  murders  were  afterward  committed  by  Smith's  son  Richard,  in  revenge  for  the  hanging  of 
his  father ;  and  for  a  while  the  Whigs  in  that  region  suffered  more  from  the  desperate  Cow-boys  than  be- 
fore the  death  of  their  great  leader.  For  a  detailed  account  of  transactions  connected  with  Claudius  Smith, 
see  Eager's  .ff/s^ory  of  Orange  County,  p.  550-564.  3  gee  page  700. 

*  This  ruin  is  situated  about  half  way  between  the  Sloatsburgh  station  and  Monroe  works.     The  foi^^e 


OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  770 


Ramapo  Village.        Mr.  Pierson.  Movcmenta  of  the  two  Armies  in  1777.  Washington's  Perplexities. 

petual  hymn  of  industry  from  the  wilderness.  This  village,  now  containing  a  population 
of  three  hundred,'  is  owned  by  the  Piersons,  the  elder  having  established  iron-works  there 
lifty  years  ago.  Jeremiah  II.  Pierson,  the  original  proprietor,  is  yet  living  there  at  the  age 
of  eighty-four,  and  to  the  kind  hospitality  of  himself  and  family  I  am  indclited  for  October, 
much  of  the  pleasures  and  profit  of  my  visit  to  the  Ramapo  Valley.  God  has  taken  ^^"^• 
his  eyesight  from  him,  but  mercifully  vouchsafes  good  health,  sound  mind,  sunny  cheerful- 
ness, and  the  surroundings  of  a  happy  family.  I  listened  with  interest  to  a  narrative  of  his 
clear  recollections  of  the  past,  and  the  traditions  gathered  from  his  scattered  neighbors  when 
he  first  sat  down  there  in  the  almost  wilderness.  Not  twenty  years  had  elapsed  since  the 
war  closed  when  he  erected  his  forges,  and  the  sufferers  were  living  in  small  groups  all 
around  him.  They  have  all  passed  away,  and  volumes  of  unwritten  traditionary  history  are 
buried  with  them. 

The  American  army  under  Washington  was  encamped  in  the  vicinity  of  Ramapo  for  a 
few  days  in  July,  1777.  The  head-quarters  of  Washington  had  b^n  at  Morristown  durinL' 
the  previous  winter  and  spring.  Believing  it  prudent  to  act  on  the  defensive,  he  had  waited 
anxiously  for  Sir  William  Howe,  who  was  quartered  in  New  York  city,  to  make  some  de- 
cided movement.  Summer  approached,  and  yet  the  British  commander  gave  no  intima- 
tions respecting  his  designs  for  a  campaign.  It  was  believed  that  he  would  either  make  a 
demonstration  against  the  strong  posts  in  the  Highlands,  or  attempt  a  passage  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  a  seizure  of  Philadelphia.  Washington's  position  at  Morristown  was  an  eligible 
one  for  acting  promptly  and  efficiently  when  Howe  should  move  either  way. 

General  Howe  had  a  considerable  force  stationed  at  New  Brunswick.  This  force  was 
augmented  early  in  iMay,  and  Washington  received  information  that  they  had  begun  to 
build  a  portable  bridge  there,  so  constructed  that  it  might  be  laid  upon  flat  boats.  Believ- 
ing this  to  be  a  preparation  for  crossing  the  Delaware,  Washington  collected  the  new  levies 
from  Virginia  and  the  Middle  States,  at  Morristown,  and  ordered  those  from  the  eastward  to 
assemble  at  Peekskill.  Toward  the  close  of  May,  the  American  army  moved  from 
Morristown,  and  encamped  upon  the  heights  of  Middlebrook,  in  a  very  strong  position, 
and  commanding  the  country  from  New  Brunswick  to  the  Delaware.  The  maneuvers  of 
detachments  of  the  two  armies  in  this  vicinity  in  June"^  are  noticed  on  page  331,  •1777 
vol.  i.  The  British  finally  crossed  over  to  Staten  Island  from  Amboyb  on  the  bjuneso. 
bridge  which  they  had  constructed  at  New  Brunswick,  and  entirely  evacuated  the  Jerseys. 

The  next  day  Washington  received  intelligence  of  the  approach  of  Burgoyne  from  Can- 
ada, and  at  the  same  time  spies  and  deserters  from  New  York  informed  him  that  a  fleet  of 
large  vessels  and  transports  were  preparing  in  the  harbor  of  that  city.  The  commander- 
in-chief  was  greatly  perplexed.  At  first  it  appeared  probable  that  Howe  was  preparing  to 
saif  with  his  army  southward,  go  up  the  Delaware,  and  attack  Philadelphia  by  land  and 
by  water  ;  but  the  intelligence  that  Washington  continued  to  receive  from  the  North  made 
it  appear  more  probable  that  a  junction  with  Burgoyne,  and  the  consequent  possession  of  the 
Hudson  Pciver,  by  which  the  patriots  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States  would  be  separated, 
and  a  free  communication  with  Canada  be  established,  would  engage  the  efforts  of  Sir  Will- 
iam Howe.  The  possession  of  the  Hudson  River  had  been  a  prominent  object  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war. 

was  built  in  1783—4.  by  Solomon  Townshend,  of  New  York,  to  make  bar-iron  and  anchors,  and  was  named 
the  Augusta  Works.  A  sketch  of  the  ruin  forms  a  pretty  frontispieco  to  The  Salamander  (or  Hugo,  as  it 
is  now  called),  a  legend  of  the  Ramapo  Valley,  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Oakes  Smith.  The  historic  anecdote  re- 
lated in  the  introduction  to  this  charming  legend  1  also  heard  from  the  lips  of  the  "venerable  Mr.  P ^" 

through  whose  kindness  I  was  enabled  to  visit  the  "  Hopper  House."  The  relics  of  the  Revolution  are 
pleasingly  grouped  in  the  introduction  referred  to. 

*  When  the  large  cotton  factory  (the  spindles  of  which  are  now  idle)  and  the  screw  factory  of  Mr.  Pier- 
son were  in  operation  here,  the  village  contained  about  seven  hundred  inhabitants.  The  whole  valley  of 
the  Ramapo  has  but  three  or  four  owners.  Many  thousand  acres  belong  to  the  Townsends ;  tho  Lorillanl 
family  own  another  immense  tract ;  Mr.  M'Farland  another ;  the  Sloats  have  considerable  possessions,  and 
the  lower  part  belongs  to  the  Piersons. 


780 


PICTORIAL   FIELD-BOOK 


March  of  the  American  Army  toward  the  Highlands. 


Howe's  Destination  determined. 


The  Clove. 


Washington  remained  at  Middlebrook  with  the  main  division  of  the  army,  anxiously 
awaiting  the  movements  of  th<i  enemy,  until  toward  the  middle  of  July.  He  dispatched 
two  regiments  to  Peekskill,  on  the  Hudson,  and  had  his  whole  army  in  readiness  to  march 
in  that  direction,  if  circumstances  should  require.  When  it  was  certainly  known  that  the 
J3ritish  army  had  actually  embarked  on  board  the  fleet,  Washington  moved  slowly  toward 
the  Highlands  by  way  of  Morristown,  Ramapo,*  and  the  Clove'.  He  encamped  in  the  latter 
place  on  the  15th,  eleven  miles  above  the  Ramapo  Pass  (of  which  I  shall  pres 
July,  ir?..  ^^^^jy  write),  and  immediately  sent  forward  Lord  Stirling,  with  a  division,  to  Peeks- 
kill.     He  established  his  head-quarters  at  Pi,amapo  on  the  23d  ;   but  so  much  was  that  re- 


fjion  infested  with  Coio-boys  and 
other  Tories,  that  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  he  could  obtain  cor- 
rect information  from  a  distance.' 
Northward  from  the  present  Ram- 
apo village  rises  a  range  of  lofty 
hills,  upon  the  highest  summit  of 
which  is  upreared  a  huge  mass  of 
granite,  shaped  like  a  mighty  dome, 
ihe  top  covered  with  trees.  From 
this  eminence,  five  hundred  feet 
above  the  village,  a  small  portion 
of  New  York  Bay,  Staten  Island, 
and  the  ocean  near  Sandy  Hook, 
may  be  distinctly  seen  on  a  clear 
day,  the  distance  being  about  thir- 
ty-five miles.  To  this  observatory, 
it  is  said,  Washington  was  piloted, 
and  with  his  glass  saw  a  portion 


of  the  fleet  of  the  enemy  near 
Sandy  Hook.  The  Weehawken 
Hill  obstructed  a  full  view  of  New 
York  Harbor,  and  the  commander- 
in-chief  was  uncertain  whether  the 
whole  fleet  had  dropped  down  to 
the  Hook  ;  but,  on  returning  to  his 
quarters  at  Ramapo,  he  received 
positive  information  that  the  Brit- 
ish fleet  had  gone  to  sea.  Con- 
vinced that  Philadelphia  was  the 
destination  of  Howe,  Washington 
recalled  Stirling's  division  from 
Peekskill,  broke  up  his  encamp- 
ment in  the  Clove,  and  the  army 
pursued  various  routes  toward  the 
Delaware.  The  battle  of  Brandy- 
wine,  and  other  events  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Philadelphia,  which  oc- 


Jnne  1, 1779. 


ToBN  Rock.* 

curred  soon  afterward,  will  be  noticed  m  subsequent  chapters. 

On  the  return  of  Commodore  Sir  George  Collier  and  General  Matthews  from  a  maraud- 
ing expedition  to  Virginia,  at  the  close  of  May,  1779,  they  sailed  up  the  Hud- 
son River  to  attack  the  forts  in  the  Highlands.  This  expedition,  as  we  have 
noticed  on  page  175,  was  under  the  command  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  As  soon  as  Wash- 
ington was  advised  of  this  movement,  he  drew  his  troops  from  their  cantonments  in  New 
Jersey,  and,  by  rapid  marches,  reached  the  Clove  on  the  7  th  with  five  brigades  and  two 
Carolina  regiments.  He  pressed  forward  to  Smith's  Clove,  whence  there  were  mountain 
])asses  to  the  forts  in  the  Highlands,  and  there  he  encamped.  Small  detachments  for  ob- 
servation and  protection  to  couriers  were  stationed  at  difl'erent  points  from  the  encampment 

'  Ramapo,  or  Romopock,  was  a  small  settlement  on  the  Ramapo  River,  about  five  miles  south  of  the 
present  SufTern's  Station  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  rail-way,  and  within  the  province  of  New  Jersey.  It 
was  near!}'  seven  miles  below  the  present  village  of  Ramapo,  founded  by  Mr.  Pierson. 

*  The  Clove  here  mentioned  was  chiefly  the  Ramapo  Valley  extending  to  Smith's  Clove,  which  continues 
northward  from  the  former,  in  the  vicinity  of  Turner's  Station,  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  rail-road,  far  in 
the  rear  of  Haverstraw  and  Stony  Point.  Through  this  clove,  by  the  way  of  Ramapo,  was  the  best  route 
for  an  army  from  New  Windsor  into  the  upper  part  of  New  Jersey.  The  main  division  of  the  Continental 
army  was  again  encamped  in  the  Clove  in  1779,  when  General  Wayne  captured  Stony  Point. 

*  "I  can  not  give  you  any  certain  account  of  General  Howe's  intended  operations,"  wrote  Washington 
to  General  Schuyler.  "  His  conduct  is  puzzling  and  embarrassing  beyond  measure.  So  are  the  informa- 
tions which  I  get.  At  one  time  the  ships  are  standing  up  toward  the  North  River ;  in  a  little  while  they 
are  going  up  the  Sound  ;  and  in  an  hour  after  they  are  going  out  of  the  Hook.  I  think  in  a  day  or  two  we 
must  know  something  of  his  intentions." 

This  view  is  from  the  verge  of  the  dam  above  the  Ramapo  works,  near  the  rail-way,  looking  northeast. 
The  eminence  is  called  Torn  Rock,  from  its  ragged  appearance  on  its  southeastern  side.  There  is  a  deep 
fissure  in  a  portion  of  the  bare  rock,  from  which  comes  up  a  sound  like  the  ticking  of  a  watch,  caused  by 
the  water  which  percolates  through  the  scams  in  the  granite.  A  tradition  was  long  current  that  Wash 
ington  lost  his  watch  in  the  fissure,  and  that,  by  some  miraculous  power,  it  continued  to  tick  ! 


OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  781 

The  Ramapo  Pass.  March  of  the  allied  Armies  to  Virginia.  Clinton  Deceived  by  Washington's  Letters. 

southward  to  old  Raraapo,  and  strong  intrenchments  were  thrown  up  at  the  Pass,  a  narrow 
gorge  about  half  a  mile  below  the  present  Ramapo  village.  The  passage  between  the  hills 
here  is  only  wide  enough  for  the  stream,  the  rail- way,  a  wagon- road,  and  a  narrow  strip  ol 

meadow-land.     The  hills  on  each  side     , 

rise  abrupt  and  rocky.  It  was  a  ■**■  -->^^':?^^H^^^P**^ii^BHMBBr/t-i  **'  - 
place  almost  as  easy  to  fortify  and 
guard  as  the  pass  of  old  Thermopylfe. 
The  ditch  and  bank  from  the  wagon- 
road  eastward  are  yet  quite  promi- 
nent. Large  trees  have  overgrown 
them,  and  with  care  these  mementoes 
of  the  past  may  be  long  preserved.  remains  of  intrench.-vient3  at  the  iumapo  Pass.i 

While  the  army  was  encamped  at 
Smith's  Clove,  the  successful  expedition  of  General  Wayne  against  Stony  Point  was  accom- 
plished.     This  success,  the  subsequent  evacuation  of  that  post  and  of  Verplanck's  Point  by 
the  British,  and  the  necessity  for  sending  re-enforcements  to  General  Lincoln  at  the  South, 
caused  the  camp  in  the  Clove  to  be 'broken  up  early  in  the  autumn.      The  main  por- 
lion  of  the  army  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Morristown,  where  the  commander-in- 
chief  established  himself,  and  strong  detachments  were  stationed  at  different  points  among 
the  Highlands. 

Once  again,  and  for  the  last  time,  the  Ramapo  Valley  became  the  temporary  theater  of 
military  operations.  It  was  in  the  summer  of  1781,  when  the  allied  armies  took  up  their 
line  of  march  for  Virginia  to  achieve  the  defeat  of  Cornwallis.  They  had  conjoined  upon 
the  Hudson  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  attack  upon  the  head-quarters  of  the  British  army 
in  the  city  of  New  York.  The  failure  of  Count  De  Grasse,  commander  of  a  French  flee; 
then  in  the  West  Indies,  to  co-operate  with  the  land  forces,  made  Washington  abandon  this 
project,  and  turn  his  attention  to  the  military  operations  at  the  South.  To  prevent  obsta- 
cles being  thrown  in  his  way  by  Sir  Henry  Chnton,  or  re-enforcements  heing  sent  to  Corn- 
wallis, Washington  kept  up  the  appearance  of  a  meditated  attack  upon  New  York. 

The  two  armies,  which  had  remained  nearly  six  weeks  in  the  vicinity  of  Dobbs's  Ferry, 
crossed  the  Hudson  at  Verplanck's  Point,  and  marched  by  different  routes  to  Trenton,  under 
the  general  command  of  Lincoln  ;  some  passing  through  the  Ramapo  Valley  and  the  Pass 
to  Morristown,  and  others  taking  the  upper  route  above  the  Ringwood  Iron-works.  The 
French  took  the  river  route,  by  Tappan  and  the  Hackensack  Valley,  to  Newark  and  Perth 
Amboy.  At  the  latter  place  they  built  ovens,  constructed  boats,  collected  forage,  and  madr 
other  movements  indicative  of  preparations  to  commence  an  attack,  first  upon  the  British 
posts  on  Staten  Island,  and  then  upon  New  York.  Previous  to  the  passage  of  the  Hudson, 
Washington  had  caused  deceptive  letters  to  be  written  and  put  in  the  way  of  being  inter- 
cepted,'' all  of  which  deceived  Sir  Henry  Clinton  into  the  belief  that  an  attack  upon  New 

'  This  view  is  from  the  road,  looking  north  toward  the  village  of  Ramapo.  The  remains  of  the  intrench- 
ments are  seen  along  the  right  in  the  foreground.  On  the  left,  in  the  distance,  is  seen  a  glimpse  of  the  hill!) 
im  the  other  side  of  the  narrow  valley. 

*  One  of  the  bearers  of  these  letters  was  a  young  Baptist  clergyman,  named  Montagnie,  an  ardent  Whig, 
who  was  directed  by  Washington  to  carry  a  dispatch  to  Morristown.  He  directed  the  messenger  to  cross 
the  river  at  King's  Ferry,  proceed  by  Haverstraw  to  the  Ramapo  Clove,  and  through  the  Pass  to  Morris- 
town. Montagnie,  knowing  the  Ramapo  Pass  to  be  in  possession  of  the  Cow-boys  and  other  friends  of  the 
enemy,  ventured  to  suggest  to  the  commander-in-chief  that  the  upper  road  would  be  the  safest.  "  I  shall 
be  taken,"  he  said,  "if  I  go  through  the  Clove."  "Your  duty,  young  man,  is  not  to  talk,  but  to  obey!" 
replied  Washington,  sternly,  enforcing  his  words  by  a  vigorous  stamp  of  his  foot.  Montaiinie  proceeded  as 
directed,  and,  near  the  Ramapo  Pass,  was  caught.  A  few  days  afterward  he  was  sent  to  New  York,  where 
he  was  conhned  in  the  Sugar  House,  one  of  the  famous  provost  prisons  in  the  city.  The  day  after  his  ar- 
rival, the  contents  of  the  dispatches  taken  from  him  were  published  in  Rivington's  Gazette  with  great  pa- 
rade, for  they  indicated  a  plan  of  an  attack  upon  the  city.  The  enemy  was  alarmed  thereby,  and  active 
preparations  were  put  in  motion  for  receiving  the  besiegers.  Montagnie  now  perceived  why  ho  was  so 
positively  instriKtcd  to  go  through  the  Ramapo  Pass,  where  himself  and  dispatches  were  quite  sure  to  ba 


782 


PICTORIAL    FIELD-BOOK 


'ITje  "  Hopper  House." 


ratriotism  of  the  Owner. 


Interesting  Relics. 


Burr's  Head-quarters. 


York  city  was  the  grand  object  of  the  Americans.  The  allied  armies  had  crossed  the  Del- 
aware, and  were  far  on  their  way  toward  the  head  of  Elk,  before  the  British  commander 
was  fully  aware  of  their  destination. 

About  four  miles  south  of  the  Ramapo  Pass, 
and  three  from  SufTern's  Station,  on  the  road 
to  Morristown,  is  the  "  Hopper  House,"  where 
Washington  made  his  head-quarters  from  the 
2d  until  the  18th  of  September,  1780.      The 

mansion  was  owned  by  Hopper,  one  of 

the  most  active  Whigs  of  the  day.  He  was 
often  employed  by  Washington  in  the  secret 
service,  and  frequently  visited  his  friends  in 
New  York  city  while  the  enemy  had  possession 
of  it.  On  such  occasions,  he  obtained  much 
valuable  information  respecting  the  strength  of 
the  enemy,  without  incurring  suspicion,  as  he 
never  committed  a  word  to  paper.  The  re- 
mains of  the  patriot  rest  beneath  a  small  marble  monument,  in  a  family  cemetery,  upon  a 


Thb  Hopper  HorsE.' 


grassy  knoll  by  the  road  side,  not  far 
I'rom  the  mansion.  This  is  the  house 
wherein  those  letters  of  Washington,  be- 
ginning with  "  Head-quarters,  Bergen 
county,"  were  written  ;  it  being  in  New 
Jersey,  about  two  miles  from  the  New 


York  line.  It  was  here  that  he  receiv- 
ed the  news  of  the  defeat  of  Gates  at 
the  disastrous  battle  near  Camden,  on 
the  16th  of  August,  1780;  and  from 
hence  he  set  out  on  his  journey  to  Hart- 
ford, on  Monday,  the  18th  of  Septem- 


1780 


ber,  to  meet  the  French  officers  in  council,  the  time  when  Arnold  attempted  to  sur- 
render West  Point  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The  venerable  widow  of  Mr.  Hop- 
per resided  there  until  her  death  in  1849,  when  she  had  reached  the  ninety-ninth  year  of 
lier  life.  Her  daughter,  who  was  often  dandled  on  the  knee  of  Washington,  is  still  hving, 
but  was  absent  on  the  day  of  my  visit,  and  I  was  denied  the  gratification  of  viewing  those 
relics  of  the  Pvevolution  which  are  preserved  in  the  house  with  much  care.'^ 

Close  by  SufTern's  Station  is  an  old  building  coeval  with  the  original  Hopper  house.  It 
was  the  head-quarters  of  Lieutenant-colonel  Aaron  Burr,  while  stationed  there  in  command 
of  Malcolm's  regiment  in  September,  1777.  It  has  been  sometimes  erroneously  called  the 
head-quarters  of  Washington.     While  encamped  here  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  the  Pvam- 


seizcd.  When  they  appeared  in  Rivington's  Gazette,  the  allied  armies  were  far  on  their  way  to  the  Dela- 
ware. Montagnie  admired  the  wisdom  of  Washington,  but  disliked  himself  to  be  the  victim.  Mr.  Pier 
son,  from  whom  I  obtained  the  narrative,  received  it  from  the  lips  of  Montagnie  himself. 

Upon  this  incident  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Oakes  Smith  (who  also  received  the  narrative  from  Mr.  P.)  founded 
her  interesting  prize  tale  called  the  Ramapo  Pass.  She  also  mentions  it  in  her  introduction  to  The  Sala- 
mander. 

'  This  view  is  from  the  road,  looking  northeast.  The  low  part,  on  the  left,  is  a  portion  of  the  old  man- 
sion of  the  Revolution,  which  contained  the  dining-hall.  It  M'as  a  long  stone  building.  A  part  of  it  has 
been  taken  down,  and  the  present  more  spacious  edifice,  of  brick,  was  erected  soon  after  the  war. 

^  Mrs.  Smith,  in  her  introduction  to  The  Salamander,  makes  mention  of  the  centenarian,  and  of  these  rel- 
ics. "  The  ancient  matron,"  she  says,  "  has  none  of  the  garrulity  of  old  age ;  on  the  contrary,  as  she  ad- 
verted to  past  scenes,  a  quiet  stateliness  grew  upon  her,  in  beautiful  harmony  with  the  subject.  Rarely 
will  another  behold  the  sight,  so  pleasing  to  ourselves,  of  five  generations,  each  and  all  in  perfect  health 
and  intelligence,  under  the  same  roof-tree.  She  spoke  of  this  with  evident  satisfaction,  and  of  the  length  of 
time  her  ancestors  had  been  upon  the  soil ;  in  truth,  we  had  never  felt  more  sensibly  the  honorableness  of 

gray  hairs We  were  shown  the  bed  and  furniture,  remaining  as  when  he  [Washington]  used  them , 

for  the  room  is  kept  carefully  locked,  and  only  shown  as  a  particular  gratification  to  those  interested  in  all 
that  concerns  the  man  of  men.  Here  were  the  dark  chintz  hanfjings  beneath  which  he  had  slept ;  the  quaint 
furniture  ;  old  walnut  cabinets,  dark,  massive,  and  richly  carved  ;  a  Dutch  Bible,  mounted  with  silver,  with 
clasps  and  chain  of  same  material,  each  bearing  the  stamp  of  antiquity,  yet  all  in  perfect  preservation  ;  large 
China  bowls ;  antique  mugs ;  paintings  upon  glass  of  cherished  members  of  the  Orange  family.  These  and 
other  objects  of  interest  remain  as  at  that  day." 


OF   THE    REVOLUTION. 


783 


Colonel  Aaron  Burr  at  Sufferns'a. 


Confusion  of  the  Militia. 


Night  Attack  upon  the  British  Pickets  near  Uackensack. 


apo  Pass,  Colonel  Burr  performed  an  exploit  which  was  long  remembered  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. He  received  intelligence  that  the  enemy  were  in  considerable  force  at  Uackensack, 
and  advancing  into  the  country.     Leaving  a  guard  to  protect  the  camp,  Burr  marched  with 


the  remainder  of  his  efibct- 
ive  men  to  Paramus,  a  dis- 
tance of  sixteen  miles,  in 
the  direction  of  Uacken- 
sack. They  arrived  there 
at  sunset,  and  found  the 
militia  of  the  district  gath- 
ered in  great  confusion. 
Having  arranged  them  in 
order,  Burr  marched  for- 
ward with  thirty  picked 
men,  and  at  ten  o'clock  at 
night  approached  the  pick- 
ets of  the  enemy.  When 
within  three  miles  of  Hack- 
cnsack,  Burr  led  his  men 


Bubr's  Uead-quabtebs. 


into  the  woods,  ordered 
them  to  sleep  until  he 
should  awaken  them,  and 
then  went  alone  to  recon- 
noiter.  A  little  before  day- 
light he  returned,  aroused 
his  men,  and  directed  them 
to  follow  him,  without 
speaking  a  word  or  firing 
a  gun  until  ordered,  on 
pain  of  death.  Leading 
them  unobserved  between 
the  sentinels,  until  within 
a  few  yards  of  the  picket- 
guard,  he  gave  the  word 
Fire  I     His   men   rushed 


upon  the  enemy  before  they  had  time  to  take  up  their  arms,  and  a  greater  portion  of  them 
were  killed.  A  few  prisoners  and  some  spoil  was  carried  oft' by  the  Americans,  without  the 
loss  of  a  man  on  their  part.  Burr  sent  an  order  to  Paramus  by  an  express  for  all  the  troops 
to  move,  and  to  rally  the  country.  This  success  inspirited  the  militia,  and  they  flocked  in 
great  numbers  to  the  standard  of  Burr.  The  enemy,  thoroughly  frightened,  retreated  in 
haste  to  Paulus's  Hook  (Jersey  City),  leaving  behind  them  a  greater  portion  of  the  plunder 
which  they  had  collected. 

We  will  now  leave  the  Ramapo,  and,  saying  farewell  to  the  Hudson  and  its  associations, 
wend  our  way  toward  the  sunny  South. 


END  OF  VOLUME    I. 


